Thursday, October 2, 2008

A Day of Understanding and Getting to the Point of No Return

Karen talks about how we are who God made us to be and we shouldn't let others take that away from us. That we should hold onto who we are. I don't think that I have ever fully understood that until this evening. I got to meet the people in my course for the first time today. After a meeting we went across the street to the pub called the Imperial. I got to meet some PhD students and the 2nd years in my course. Somewhere along the way I stopped talking. A girl turned to me and asked me if there was something wrong. I said no and that I'll get louder and more talkative later. Her reply was "go big or go home." For a couple of minutes I sat there hating that I am awkward when I meet people and that I wish it could change. But then I realized that I have always been like this and nothing that I do will ever make that different. Sure I can try and talk and make conversation (I did it for four years on tour). But the awkwardness is always there. It's just who I am. I shouldn't let this girl that has a need to be the center of attention tell me how I should be, how I should live, how I should act. Sure I felt stupid for the rest of the evening with the awkwardness that surrounded me. But I can accept that for now, cause I have no other choice.

Quite the opposite thing happened last night. I went to a Nooma meeting. There were maybe twenty people there. But they all took me in. They started with me coming in the door. I met Kiri and Sarah. They talked to me until I headed upstairs for the meeting to start. There were others that came up to me right away and talked to me genuinly interested in who I was and where I had come from. Wonderufl people that I want to know too. I also met a girl named Tory. She is studying to be a nurse. We talked for a while about how she has wanted to be a nurse since she was four. I find that totally fascinating. I guess that I have found my home away from home with these people. I made friends last night. I made friends last night that I believe that I will have for my time here. Two opposite meetings. Two opposite responses. But the same me.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey daughter,
We, across the big pond, love who you are. Don't change that - get smarter, get wiser, get older, get closer to Christ, but don't change.

I have read some of your blog. I like your observations - about your new environment, about yourself, and about how you deal with 'different'.

I am so proud of you and just want you to know that we love you and miss you very much.

Keep blogging, Dad