Entering the last full month I have in the states, I am starting to get really excited for my upcoming adventure. I finally have a departure date (August 13) and am getting to know my fellow travelers. As I get details figured out and check off some of the items on my very long to do list, it is starting to feel real. I can't fully believe I am doing this, but I know it is going to be an awesome experience.
I am in the midst of my big fundraising push. I still have quite a bit to raise, but people have been amazing in helping this next step come true. I am amazed by people's generosity. I have amazing friends and family. I feel incredibly blessed. If you'd like to donate, you can donate online at worldteach.org.
This will be my last post here on Seminary Shenanigans. If you want to follow my adventures, check out my new blog: mwalimumzungu.blogspot.com. WorldTeach has certain guidelines for blogs, so I decided to create a blog dedicated to my escapades in Tanzania in order to abide by those rules as well as to make it easy for those who are sponsoring my trip to follow my journey.
Thanks for following my shenanigans throughout seminary!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
That's a wrap
It's been three weeks since graduation and I still can't fully believe it. I am officially Sarah Huyck, M.Div (Master of Divinity has to be the most pretentious degree title, but I'll take it). I can't believe how fast the past three years have gone. I am thankful for the time I had at Princeton, for all the ups and downs, but it is time to move on to life's next adventure. Most of my friends have left the area, either for back home for the in-between time from school to job or for the new city where they are starting a job. It's exciting to see where my friends are heading. I had the privilege of studying with some amazing minds and people extraordinarily gifted for ministry and I know God is going to do great things through my peers. 
Now I'm enjoying post-grad life, which means doing not much of anything at all as I prepare for my move to Tanzania. If you had asked me the day I moved into my room in Brown where I thought I'd be headed after seminary, this would definitely not have been my answer. It's funny how much changes in such a short time. Seminary changed me a lot, in mostly good ways I hope. I feel bolder and more courageous than I did when I came. I have a clearer picture of what I want out of life and the kind of person I want to share my life with. It took some pain and some heartache as I gave up other dreams to get me to this point, but I'm happy with the direction my life is taking. I have no idea what awaits in Tanzania or when I return to the states in a year, but I'm excited to see where this adventure takes me. I still have a lot to do before I jet off around the world, like raising money and getting way more shots than I can handle, but as each day passes I get more excited. I'm very nervous and a little terrified about it all, but the more and more I talk about why I am going with people, I know it is the right decision. I need to stretch my wings a little and do something a little crazy for a season in order to prepare myself to settle into a career. I'm only 25. I am not in the place in life to really start a long term thing. I need to indulge the restlessness I've been starting to feel for a time. I'm hoping that this year brings clarity for which direction I should I go vocationally. Seminary opened doors and possibilities I hadn't thought of before and I think this year will help me decide which one of those to take--whether into full time ministry in a church or teaching in a Christian school. But before I make that decision, I need to survive Tanzania. Two more months before the biggest adventure of my life begins. Here we go!
Now I'm enjoying post-grad life, which means doing not much of anything at all as I prepare for my move to Tanzania. If you had asked me the day I moved into my room in Brown where I thought I'd be headed after seminary, this would definitely not have been my answer. It's funny how much changes in such a short time. Seminary changed me a lot, in mostly good ways I hope. I feel bolder and more courageous than I did when I came. I have a clearer picture of what I want out of life and the kind of person I want to share my life with. It took some pain and some heartache as I gave up other dreams to get me to this point, but I'm happy with the direction my life is taking. I have no idea what awaits in Tanzania or when I return to the states in a year, but I'm excited to see where this adventure takes me. I still have a lot to do before I jet off around the world, like raising money and getting way more shots than I can handle, but as each day passes I get more excited. I'm very nervous and a little terrified about it all, but the more and more I talk about why I am going with people, I know it is the right decision. I need to stretch my wings a little and do something a little crazy for a season in order to prepare myself to settle into a career. I'm only 25. I am not in the place in life to really start a long term thing. I need to indulge the restlessness I've been starting to feel for a time. I'm hoping that this year brings clarity for which direction I should I go vocationally. Seminary opened doors and possibilities I hadn't thought of before and I think this year will help me decide which one of those to take--whether into full time ministry in a church or teaching in a Christian school. But before I make that decision, I need to survive Tanzania. Two more months before the biggest adventure of my life begins. Here we go!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Birthdays, Half Marathons, Banquets, and Frisbee! Oh my!
The past few weeks have been quite eventful for me. I marked a quarter century of life back in March. The day was full of sunshine and good friends. I think it was the warmest and sunniest birthday yet. I got to wear a nice sun dress and play frisbee with friends. The best part of that was one of my friends' dads was visiting and he pulled out a guitar and serenaded us while we played. It was so pleasant. The night was topped off with good pizza, beer, and cake. It was a great birthday for being on a Monday.
The weekend after my birthday, I traveled to New York with a few friends to participate in the Allstate Insurance 1/2 Marathon in Queens, NY. It was a lot of fun. I had been training for it since mid-January, which didn't seem like enough time when I got that started. It was great to have so many other friends also running the race so that I did not have to train or run alone. We went up the night before and adventured through NYC to find our hotel, which ended up being right next LaGuardia Airport and nowhere near food. We walked a couple miles through sketchy neighborhoods (note to self, check maps to see where hotel is in relation to subway stations), but it was well worth it. We had nice accommodations and ordered in some pizza to get carb loaded prior to the race. I have never been more nervous for an athletic event in my life, I don't think. The day of I was a bundle of nerves and anxiety. Never before had I run that far and I wasn't entirely sure I was going to make it. Thankfully, I had a good friend I had been training with to run the race with. Sarah and I kept pace with one another for half of the race and at that point I realized I could make it. It was also at that point that I realized that I could actually get a decent time for a first time runner. Two days before the race, my boss had challenged me to break the two hour mark in the race. I laughed at him and told him that I didn't think it was possible. However, when I had reached the halfway mark, I realized that I was on pace to come in at under two hours. It was then that Sarah and I split up. I ran the last half by myself, but it was a great experience.
I crossed the line first of all my friends who were running the race with a time of 1:55:49. It was the best feeling in the world to cross that line and see my time. I am so glad I allowed myself to be talked into signing up for the race. I think it may have just made a long-distance runner out of me.
With the marathon behind me, it was time to start looking toward the end of my seminary career. On Wednesday, the senior class celebrated the end of seminary with a class photo, banquet, and worship service. It was a great time to reminisce about the past three years and to look forward to the future. It was a beautiful night with friends. I am going to miss so many of these people once I leave. While seminary has not always been the easiest experience and community life has thrown some curve balls at me, I have made some very good friends here over the years and it was bittersweet to celebrate those friendships and memories while also marking the end of this time of our lives.
Thursday was my final day of classes and I still can't believe that it is over. Well, not completely over. I still have final papers to write, but most of the work is behind me and I don't have to attend another seminary class for the foreseeable future. Three years went by so fast. I can't believe it. It really does seem like yesterday that I was moving in and getting settled for my first year. But the end has come and in a month, I will shake hands with President Torrance in the University Chapel and receive my diploma (assuming I don't epically fail these final papers).
To mark the end of seminary and kick off finals week, I went with 22 other seminarians to a frisbee tournament at Union Seminary in Richmond, VA. This is probably one of the highlights of my seminary career. It was so much fun to be able to play with my classmates. I love frisbee and I have missed playing in tournaments. It was a great time of fun, fellowship, and frisbee. My team won three of our four games and came in second in the tournament. It was awesome. I loved the people on my team and really enjoyed getting to play an awesome sport with them.
The other teams were great to play for the most part. There were some moments when emotions ran high, but that is to be expected in competitive sports. Nothing got out of hand so that was good. I had been to many tournaments during my college years, but this one will stand out. As it was a seminary tournament, we opened with devotions and prayer and worshiped in chapel together. Each team was asked to send one representative to assist with chapel and I ended up being the person from Princeton to help. It was really cool to worship alongside other seminarians and to serve them communion. I felt like such a theological fan girl when I got to serve communion to Brian Blount (President of Union, former professor of New Testament at Princeton, and author of a great commentary on Revelation). All in all, it was a great weekend. Now I just wish I was a bit younger. My body didn't bounce back as easily from four games of frisbee in a day as it did in college. Oh man, am I sore! Well worth it though.
Now I am just trying to keep calm and get my finals done so I can enjoy the next few weeks before graduation. I think it will be a great month to hang out and celebrate with friends. We have some exciting (and ridiculous) plans made for things we will do during "senior month." I am really looking forward to it, but am also getting sad about it all coming to an end. I am looking forward to getting my plans for next year nailed down. I have an interview tomorrow afternoon for the Tanzania program. It's looking like East Africa is where I'll be for at least the next year. It's exciting and terrifying all at the same time. I think graduation will be more exciting once I get this all nailed down.
The weekend after my birthday, I traveled to New York with a few friends to participate in the Allstate Insurance 1/2 Marathon in Queens, NY. It was a lot of fun. I had been training for it since mid-January, which didn't seem like enough time when I got that started. It was great to have so many other friends also running the race so that I did not have to train or run alone. We went up the night before and adventured through NYC to find our hotel, which ended up being right next LaGuardia Airport and nowhere near food. We walked a couple miles through sketchy neighborhoods (note to self, check maps to see where hotel is in relation to subway stations), but it was well worth it. We had nice accommodations and ordered in some pizza to get carb loaded prior to the race. I have never been more nervous for an athletic event in my life, I don't think. The day of I was a bundle of nerves and anxiety. Never before had I run that far and I wasn't entirely sure I was going to make it. Thankfully, I had a good friend I had been training with to run the race with. Sarah and I kept pace with one another for half of the race and at that point I realized I could make it. It was also at that point that I realized that I could actually get a decent time for a first time runner. Two days before the race, my boss had challenged me to break the two hour mark in the race. I laughed at him and told him that I didn't think it was possible. However, when I had reached the halfway mark, I realized that I was on pace to come in at under two hours. It was then that Sarah and I split up. I ran the last half by myself, but it was a great experience.
With the marathon behind me, it was time to start looking toward the end of my seminary career. On Wednesday, the senior class celebrated the end of seminary with a class photo, banquet, and worship service. It was a great time to reminisce about the past three years and to look forward to the future. It was a beautiful night with friends. I am going to miss so many of these people once I leave. While seminary has not always been the easiest experience and community life has thrown some curve balls at me, I have made some very good friends here over the years and it was bittersweet to celebrate those friendships and memories while also marking the end of this time of our lives.
To mark the end of seminary and kick off finals week, I went with 22 other seminarians to a frisbee tournament at Union Seminary in Richmond, VA. This is probably one of the highlights of my seminary career. It was so much fun to be able to play with my classmates. I love frisbee and I have missed playing in tournaments. It was a great time of fun, fellowship, and frisbee. My team won three of our four games and came in second in the tournament. It was awesome. I loved the people on my team and really enjoyed getting to play an awesome sport with them.
Now I am just trying to keep calm and get my finals done so I can enjoy the next few weeks before graduation. I think it will be a great month to hang out and celebrate with friends. We have some exciting (and ridiculous) plans made for things we will do during "senior month." I am really looking forward to it, but am also getting sad about it all coming to an end. I am looking forward to getting my plans for next year nailed down. I have an interview tomorrow afternoon for the Tanzania program. It's looking like East Africa is where I'll be for at least the next year. It's exciting and terrifying all at the same time. I think graduation will be more exciting once I get this all nailed down.
Monday, March 12, 2012
To Africa or Not to Africa
Today marks the beginning of the last five weeks of seminary. I don't have a plan really for what comes next. It is a bit terrifying to be facing the end of life as I have known it since the age of five in a few short weeks. I know the time is going to soar by and before I know it I'll be sitting in the Princeton University chapel about to shake hands with President Torrance and receive my diploma. I can't believe three years has gone by so fast. Wasn't it just a few days ago that I first moved into this room? And yet, so much has changed. It really has been three years and I have come to the end of my seminary experience.
With that in mind, I'm trying to plan what I am going to do with myself for at least the next year. The current idea on my mind is to teach English in Tanzania. I'm trying to decide if this is the right choice for me right now. It is a volunteer position for which I have to pay $6000 on top of starting to pay back loans (if I can't get them deferred). But the kids I would be teaching wouldn't be taught without the volunteers coming to supplement the education system that is currently set up. As a developing nation, Tanzania needs all the help it can get in order to get the education system fully developed. By spending a year as a volunteer teaching, I can make a small impact on the country to help empower and education children to be the best they can be and to create more opportunities for them. Education makes a big difference in the opportunities that are available. As more children are educated, the better off the country as a whole is as well as the East African region. I'd love to be a part of something like that and to make an impact on children in that beautiful part of the world.
I know that it wouldn't just be my contribution either. I'd be working alongside many other people and teachers from Tanzania to offer children a quality education. In so doing, I'd be taught so much. My perspectives and experiences would be greatly broadened. I'd be challenged and pushed beyond myself in ways that may be painful at first, but necessary for lasting personal growth. It is for these reasons and more that I want to go.
But then I wonder if I'm just running away from things here. Am I just escaping, for a short time, the responsibilities of starting a life here in the states? Am I running away from settling into something long term? I mean, the thought of starting a long term career is not very appealing right now, but I don't know if that is because I'm being called in another direction, because I'm not at the point to really do what I want to do as a result of the ordination process, or because I'm running away from it? I think that is a question I need to answer before I make any plans to go abroad for any length of time. I don't think I need to have my whole life figured out, but I don't want to be running away from something I should be doing here in favor of an adventure that may ultimately be a bad decision. So as I think these things through, I'd be grateful for prayers and good thoughts in my decision-making process.
With that in mind, I'm trying to plan what I am going to do with myself for at least the next year. The current idea on my mind is to teach English in Tanzania. I'm trying to decide if this is the right choice for me right now. It is a volunteer position for which I have to pay $6000 on top of starting to pay back loans (if I can't get them deferred). But the kids I would be teaching wouldn't be taught without the volunteers coming to supplement the education system that is currently set up. As a developing nation, Tanzania needs all the help it can get in order to get the education system fully developed. By spending a year as a volunteer teaching, I can make a small impact on the country to help empower and education children to be the best they can be and to create more opportunities for them. Education makes a big difference in the opportunities that are available. As more children are educated, the better off the country as a whole is as well as the East African region. I'd love to be a part of something like that and to make an impact on children in that beautiful part of the world.
I know that it wouldn't just be my contribution either. I'd be working alongside many other people and teachers from Tanzania to offer children a quality education. In so doing, I'd be taught so much. My perspectives and experiences would be greatly broadened. I'd be challenged and pushed beyond myself in ways that may be painful at first, but necessary for lasting personal growth. It is for these reasons and more that I want to go.
But then I wonder if I'm just running away from things here. Am I just escaping, for a short time, the responsibilities of starting a life here in the states? Am I running away from settling into something long term? I mean, the thought of starting a long term career is not very appealing right now, but I don't know if that is because I'm being called in another direction, because I'm not at the point to really do what I want to do as a result of the ordination process, or because I'm running away from it? I think that is a question I need to answer before I make any plans to go abroad for any length of time. I don't think I need to have my whole life figured out, but I don't want to be running away from something I should be doing here in favor of an adventure that may ultimately be a bad decision. So as I think these things through, I'd be grateful for prayers and good thoughts in my decision-making process.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Call me....Preacher??
Each year, the senior students are given the chance to lead one of the daily chapel services. As a first and second year student, I loved this tradition. I got to hear the wisdom of the seniors and experience the various traditions that they brought to worship. Over the past two and a half years, I have heard some profound sermons, funny sermons, some not so great sermons, and sermons that brought me a word of comfort. It is meaningful to have a word brought by a fellow student and to be able to learn from them as they illuminate scripture in various ways. So when the time came at the end of last year to fill out the form to apply to lead a worship service, I thought, "why not? I can lead chapel. That sounds like a great and fun experience."
Fast forward 10 months and now I'm rethinking that decision. I am schedule to preach in chapel this coming Thursday and the thought terrifies me. I have heard my fellow seniors preach some amazing sermons and this year and now I am beginning to wonder, "who am I to bring a word to this seminary community? What do I have to say?" The truth is, I don't have much to bring or to offer. Now that it is my turn, I realize that seniors don't actually have that much wisdom or knowledge. We've made it most of the way through seminary so I guess that's something, but if anything I feel like I know less than when I started. Seminary has a way of making you question everything you've learned previously. It's a good kind of questioning. The kind that helps you shore up your beliefs and have a more solid foundation...at least that's my hope. Somehow I am supposed to draw on this experience and bring something meaningful to the pulpit in 6 days. This seems like a bit of a stretch.
In my pursuit for a passage to preach on, one of my friends wisely said to me, "what word do you want to hear right now?" This got me thinking and helped me land on a passage. I am not sure what will come out of my meditation on the passage and what I'll end up saying, but I think if I come up with something that is meaningful to me, it will be meaningful to at least a few others. And that is all I can hope for. So come Thursday, I guess maybe you can call me Preacher.
Fast forward 10 months and now I'm rethinking that decision. I am schedule to preach in chapel this coming Thursday and the thought terrifies me. I have heard my fellow seniors preach some amazing sermons and this year and now I am beginning to wonder, "who am I to bring a word to this seminary community? What do I have to say?" The truth is, I don't have much to bring or to offer. Now that it is my turn, I realize that seniors don't actually have that much wisdom or knowledge. We've made it most of the way through seminary so I guess that's something, but if anything I feel like I know less than when I started. Seminary has a way of making you question everything you've learned previously. It's a good kind of questioning. The kind that helps you shore up your beliefs and have a more solid foundation...at least that's my hope. Somehow I am supposed to draw on this experience and bring something meaningful to the pulpit in 6 days. This seems like a bit of a stretch.
In my pursuit for a passage to preach on, one of my friends wisely said to me, "what word do you want to hear right now?" This got me thinking and helped me land on a passage. I am not sure what will come out of my meditation on the passage and what I'll end up saying, but I think if I come up with something that is meaningful to me, it will be meaningful to at least a few others. And that is all I can hope for. So come Thursday, I guess maybe you can call me Preacher.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Nostalgia
Today marked the first day of my last semester of school for the foreseeable future. It is crazy to think that after 20 years, the end is finally here. It fills me with excitement, but also a little bit of terror as I think about what comes next. I have only looked into a few jobs and really need to start the search in earnest, but the nerves keep me from throwing myself into it right now. I just want to keep enjoying life in school for the time being. I'm not ready to say goodbye.
Last night, we had a goodbye party for one of our friends who decided that seminary is not the place for him right now. It filled me with nostalgia as I realized that he is the first of many whom I will have to bid farewell to. I am saddened by that fact. I love my friends here and am not quite ready for us to go our separate ways. In many ways, I feel like I'm just starting to get to know some people. I'm seeing new sides of friends I've had all three years here as well as getting to know more deeply other people who have resurfaced in my life after some time away.
I actually just got back from a week in DC where I was visiting a new found friend who I had known in college. She goes to Wesley Theological Seminary now and was taking a class at PTS during our Jan term. It was great to see her again and to adventure with her while she was here. It made me realize what I had missed out on while in college by not initiating any sort of friendship with her while at Whitworth. I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to get to know each other better over the past month. She is a great person and I enjoy spending time with her and being goofy.
The experience with Sarah makes me wonder if I am missing out on any amazing people here right now. I was lucky enough to get a second chance at getting to know Sarah, but will that luck strike again?
With that in mind, I am determined to make the most out of the final 10 weeks of seminary. Last semester brought a lot of pain, but I'm hoping that this semester is better and that I finish strong. I know that there will be difficulties, but I want to make the most of the experience while I have it. I was talking to my boss today and he was encouraging me to have fun with my last bit of grad school. I'm sad for it to end and the farewells that will bring, but I'm excited for the new opportunities as well. So I will heed my boss' advice and have fun while it lasts.
Last night, we had a goodbye party for one of our friends who decided that seminary is not the place for him right now. It filled me with nostalgia as I realized that he is the first of many whom I will have to bid farewell to. I am saddened by that fact. I love my friends here and am not quite ready for us to go our separate ways. In many ways, I feel like I'm just starting to get to know some people. I'm seeing new sides of friends I've had all three years here as well as getting to know more deeply other people who have resurfaced in my life after some time away.
I actually just got back from a week in DC where I was visiting a new found friend who I had known in college. She goes to Wesley Theological Seminary now and was taking a class at PTS during our Jan term. It was great to see her again and to adventure with her while she was here. It made me realize what I had missed out on while in college by not initiating any sort of friendship with her while at Whitworth. I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to get to know each other better over the past month. She is a great person and I enjoy spending time with her and being goofy.
The experience with Sarah makes me wonder if I am missing out on any amazing people here right now. I was lucky enough to get a second chance at getting to know Sarah, but will that luck strike again?
With that in mind, I am determined to make the most out of the final 10 weeks of seminary. Last semester brought a lot of pain, but I'm hoping that this semester is better and that I finish strong. I know that there will be difficulties, but I want to make the most of the experience while I have it. I was talking to my boss today and he was encouraging me to have fun with my last bit of grad school. I'm sad for it to end and the farewells that will bring, but I'm excited for the new opportunities as well. So I will heed my boss' advice and have fun while it lasts.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Is This the New Year?
I love the symbolism of New Year's. The old has gone, the new has come. A chance to start fresh. A new beginning. This time around, I was really looking forward to New Year's with a special anticipation. 2011 was by all accounts a crappy year. From heart problems to the death of a former co-worker at camp; from a long and difficult summer to a semester full of high school-esque drama. It was not the best year. So seeing it come to an end was something I anticipated with delight. That is not to say that there weren't good things that happened during 2011. There definitely were. My mom and sister visited me at school and we spent a week traveling around the Tri-State area seeing the sights. I stood beside a beautiful friend while she married the love of her life. I made new friends and reconnected with old ones. But over all, I'm glad the year is over. I can put all the crap behind me and move on. I can let go of the pain, the suffering, the heartache, the gossip, and the loneliness. Surely 2012 will be better. A new year, a new start.
That is until I remember that just because it is January 1, life doesn't necessarily change. The things I was dealing with at the end of 2011 continue into 2012. Life isn't as easy as flipping over the calendar page to a new date. The New Year is in many ways just another night. Though I wish it were that easy and the things that hurt ended so quickly.
There is hope though. That is what this New Year's reminds me. Although 2012 hasn't brought a clean slate, it has brought a renewed sense of hope. The symbolism remains important. While I may still be feeling the effects of 2011, 2012 does being hope of something better. It reminds me that the pain of life doesn't get the last word. God remains good. And that is enough to let me look to the New Year with hope. It is a year that will undoubtedly bring challenges. I'm graduating and for the first time don't have a plan for what comes next. I'll be entering the professional world as well and that is exciting and terrifying at the same time. I don't know where 2012 will take me, but I look forward to the adventure.
That is until I remember that just because it is January 1, life doesn't necessarily change. The things I was dealing with at the end of 2011 continue into 2012. Life isn't as easy as flipping over the calendar page to a new date. The New Year is in many ways just another night. Though I wish it were that easy and the things that hurt ended so quickly.
There is hope though. That is what this New Year's reminds me. Although 2012 hasn't brought a clean slate, it has brought a renewed sense of hope. The symbolism remains important. While I may still be feeling the effects of 2011, 2012 does being hope of something better. It reminds me that the pain of life doesn't get the last word. God remains good. And that is enough to let me look to the New Year with hope. It is a year that will undoubtedly bring challenges. I'm graduating and for the first time don't have a plan for what comes next. I'll be entering the professional world as well and that is exciting and terrifying at the same time. I don't know where 2012 will take me, but I look forward to the adventure.
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