Should’ve seen it coming, right? But for all my far-off awe I’ve never really been around them until now. And how very Mennonite it is here. A bunch of my fellow SALTers are fresh out of Goshen or Eastern Mennonite University; a couple speak low-German. People will casually bring up historical emigrations that I know nothing about– I guess in some circles it’s common knowledge that Russian Mennonites emigrated to Manitoba after tsarist oppression? It’s like a little cross-cultural warm-up round. I’m loving it.
Have I mentioned that it’s beautiful here? The campus is, for lack of better phrase, a little global village. I’m in the Middle East/Europe house with the other SALTErs headed to that region, plus IVEPers coming from Bosnia, Nepal, Laos, Indonesia, and Cambodia for a year of service-learning in North America. Lots of late-night language sessions so far. There’s been henna and healing touch; euchre and Dutch blitz; dal and angel food cake. On Saturday night we Went Out to the corner store. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little overwhelmed by the amount of people time, but on the whole it’s been a restful week of thinking, being, praying, preparing.
(last hurrah for processed foods!)
(This is Katie. We’re currently bedfellows.)
sandpiper 