Orientation

This past Wednesday I arrived at orientation with 88 others (from about 30 countries around the world) came for a week of learning about Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), preparing for our time abroad and building community with each other. Each day is full of new conversations, relationships and sessions on a variety of subjects from living with host families, to self-care practices, to cross-cultural adjustments.

Each morning there are volunteers from a region (Africa, Asia, Latin America etc.) that come together to help lead in 3-4 songs to begin our day. It is a great way to learn songs in other languages and I really enjoy starting the day off with song. We have a speaker give a small devotional and then we meet in groups of 8-9 to discuss and pray. My small group consists of Canadians, Americans, and people from Lesotho, Brazil, China and Columbia. The first picture is of this group.

Another place where a lot of learning has occurred is during times when people from West Africa and people going to West Africa meet together. We have discussed stereotypes, challenges, and any general questions we have. This second picture is of this group in a circle as we discuss the danger of a single story. Before that discussion we watched the TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian woman who is now an author. (Feel free to watch it at: http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story)

 

As the week comes to a close, I’m looking forward to the new challenges, learning, and adventures that these next 11 months will bring. In the coming days feel free to take a moment to think about/pray for all the young adults in the SALT, IVEP and YAMEN programs with MCC who will be travelling and beginning their terms.