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December 4, 2013

KNIGHTS ABROAD

Local Roots. Global Reach. 
 

Read.

• A Word From Don
• A Letter From a Graduate
• What Happens Next?
We have some insightful ideas to share with you throughout the semester, but it is our hope for YOU to organically produce the substance of the newsletter. We want to share your thoughtful reflections and awe-inspiring photographs. If you are willing to share, please send links to your blogs and pictures to the OCP email.  
Reflect.

Studying Abroad is a Privilege. An Eye-Opening Experience. An Opportunity for Adventure. 

As You Go Out into the World, Be Mindful of He who Sent You, Listen to His Voice, Pray Not My Will But Yours Be Done. Empty Yourself Of Self-Centeredness and Become Others-Oriented.

You Will Learn, Grow, and be Moved to Action. 


"And what does the LORD require of you? 
To act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly
with your God" 
Micah 6:8


Friend on Facebook Facebook 

Check out the Chimes Abroad Facebook page, for brilliant photos and captivating stories from students abroad!
Follow on Twitter Twitter 
Tweet @CCOCP with the #KnightsAbroad to share about your Study Abroad experiences!

A Word From Don. 

“In traveling overseas, you have kindled a flame that can be used in many ways.  Keep the flame alive by sharing your experience with others, becoming active in your local community, and advocating for our brothers and sisters around the world.  You may be surprised to find that the lessons of your international journey are applicable right here at home.”
 
It is hard to believe that your semester off-campus is rapidly coming to a close. I hope and pray that it has been a growth experience for you. I am sure most of you can relate to the thoughts of Katerina Parson:

"I expected to come back from Honduras a changed person. I think I was hoping that the change would be obvious, dramatic, and exciting. I didn't expect to be the same person, weighed down by a few more thoughts, struggling with a few more convictions. Turns out, it's not that easy to change."
 
I suspect that for many of you it will take some time to truly understand the impact of your time away, embrace this journey and do the hard work of keeping the lessons you learned alive. Don't let your adventure turn to apathy when you you return home. Continue to feed your passions, wrestle with your questions, and pursue the good works God prepared for you on your return home. Katie reminds us to continue to actively seek out and experience the fullness of life in grand Rapids and at Calvin College.  

"Studying abroad will change your life. But it's not a passive thing. You don't let Honduras happen to you, you jump in and engage the culture. You ask questions. You start to form those deep thoughts."

 
As you make the transition back to Grand Rapids, please stop into our office and share your experiences, we would love to hear them.  We also encourage you to take advantage of some of the events that our office will be planning in the month of February to help with the transition.  Events will start with a welcome back dinner for everyone who studied off-campus this fall.  In addition, several workshops will be offered to explore your experiences from a variety of perspectives. 
 
I would also like to encourage you to consider applying to be an off-campus programs ambassador this spring.  Check out the job description and the application process by clicking here
 
 
UPCOMING EVENTS: 
  • Monday, February 10:  Welcome back event and dinner (click here for more details about events and happenings) 

 

A Letter From a Graduate

After returning from her third international experience at Calvin, this student wrote a letter to all students returning home from time spent abroad.   

Welcome home, as you begin to adapt to life in the United States again it’s normal to feel your international experiences begin to fade. The places and faces that were once your vivid reality now only appear in treasured photos. Your reality is now wherever you find yourself in the United States.
 
Since my return from Uganda the sun no longer seems like an enemy from which there is no escape. Instead, a seemingly unnecessary icy blast of mechanically cooled air greets me as I hop into the fifteen passenger van.
 
“Okay campers, everyone buckle up please!”  As we head out on the highway, beginning our journey to go tubing, I can’t help mentally transforming the surrounding landscape. Instead of smooth black highway I see a red pothole filled dirt road teeming with life on all sides. There are fruit stands, small tin roofed stores, and people everywhere. They are sitting, laughing, standing, talking, laying, yelling in languages I do not understand and yet...
 
“Can you please turn the radio up?”
  
I sigh, “No problem!”
 
I’ve only been back in the States for a month now and I continually fight to cling to the moments, the memories, the experiences which now refuse to grant me permission to look at my surroundings the same way. Yet, they’re beginning to drift away from me.
 
After a study abroad experience how does one “make the moments last” and not simply re-enter the life previously known?
 
It’s a question I ask myself daily. How do I live now while paying homage to those who have touched my life in ways I struggle to understand?
 
I once was just a small town girl. I’d left the country twice before college to go on short-term mission trips and was determined to make that change in college. I wanted to travel the world. And I did. Calvin permitted me to participate in two semesters and one summer abroad. During a four-year span I spent time in Hong Kong, South Korea, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Uganda, and Rwanda. Each place brought different lessons to me personally and while I’ll always remember swimming in the South China Sea, rafting the Nile, and eating shark, it is the moments I hide deep down inside which altered me.
 
Those memories are tucked away because they’re painful. They’re sharp and unappealing like glass shards. Yea, in Uganda I rafted the Nile, but I also spent 30+ hours a week in hundreds of Ugandans’ homes who were losing their battle with cancer and/or HIV/AIDS. When I talk about Uganda take a guess what people often sound more interested in? You guessed it, the fact that I rafted the Nile. You see, as people we tend to shy away from anything that hurts or seems hard. I think it’s simply part of our nature and is an act of self-preservation. However, it also means we often don’t fully delve into the richness those experiences have to offer us.
 
In your head flip through the moments which make up your time abroad. Which ones made you laugh with abandon or cringe in horror or cry instantaneously or take a good hard look at your own life. Just try to focus in on one. It may hurt internally but from that fact alone you can draw great insight. What is it about that moment which cause you to react so strongly?
 
Cling to those moments. Work to humbly receive the lessons they hold. “Micah’s counsel of humility makes particular demands. It asks that we bow down before the mystery of suffering, allowing our comforting theological idols to be shattered into a thousand pieces. It teaches us to acknowledge our frailty with joy and laughter, and to rejoice in, not resent, our need for each other. And lastly, it forces upon us the realization that we must pay more than lip service to our need for God” (Sharing the Darkness: The Spirituality of Caring by Sheila Cassidy). 
 
Prayerfully consider the lessons you’ve learned during your time abroad. Let the severe edges of memory not be a permanent deterrent. Just like glass in the ocean, roll those memories over and over in your mind. Choose to integrate what you’ve learned into your life. Share what you’ve learned, and above all continue to process the experience.
 
All the best to you as you continue on in this life’s journey.
 
 

 

What Happens Next?

After four months of unforgettable memory making, undeniable personal stretching, and incredible relationship building, you may be wondering what happens next? Will I wrap up my experience and store it tidily away into a box full of photos, trinkets, and keepsakes? Will this experience change my lifestyle, worldview, or future calling? These questions beg to be asked, and require intentional thought. Here are some questions written by and expressed by students currently studying abroad:
 
“What I want to start asking now is how to keep these things real. How do I transfer my Honduran real life to my Michigan one? How to remember the things that are important even in a complete change of scenery?”
 
“How will I interact socially with my brothers and sisters from this semester when we get back to Calvin... especially as a senior who will be graduating and possibly leaving GR soon?”
 
“I have fallen in love with my Peruvian family and friends and their culture. I have seen God's hand at work in a thousand ways in this country. How will I be able to go back home and fit back in to my old life? Will my heart always be torn between two different homes in two different countries?”
 
“How do I stay engaged and exploratory even when I don't feel like it?”
 
“What do I accept about the French culture as my own? What should I reject from the French culture?”
 
“Am I being called to teach and live here in Arequipa?”
 
 
“How to travel places and really get to know a city without being a consumerist tourist?”
 

These questions don’t have easy answers. In fact, we will all answer these questions differently based on our experiences and callings. Below is a list of questions and suggestions to consider when thinking about life at home relating to Calvin College, Grand Rapids, lifestyle choices, and relationships.

Calvin College
  • How will your time abroad impact the classes you take in the future? 
  • Share as a group at Chapel
  • Present about organization or learning experience
  • Visit Service-Learning Center
  • Attend an MSDO event
 
Grand Rapids
  • Keep Exploring! Visit State Parks, Museums, Concerts, Restaurants…
  • Find Organization or Church that shares passion for justice or international Vision: Micah Center, Bethany Christian Services PARA program, Hispanic Center
 
Lifestyle
  • Where will you Live?
  • How are you going to Eat?
  • How are you going to Shop?
  • How are you going to do Transportation?
  • How are you going to use water/electricity/recycle?
Relationships with Your Group
  • How will you keep relationships and friendships you have developed?
    • Will you meet at chapel break, at  a professor’s house, at restaurant/bar, plan a party, Create a Facebook group, do Bible study or a book club?
Relationships with friends and family abroad
  • Maintain communication with your family and friends back home through social media, Skype, email, hand-written letters, phone calls.
  • Support an organization you visited while abroad, work together to raise money and spread awareness. 
Relationships with friends and family back home
  • How will you share your story with others?
    • Have a 5 minute, 1 minute, and 30 second summary of your time abroad
    • What will you do when friends or family “don’t get it?” 
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