Iowa Basics

This week, the 8th graders took Iowa basics and practiced for graduation. These events threw off the schedule for the entire middle school and made me superfluous. I had a very boring week and as a result finished cataloging the non-fiction section of the library. I have entered over 2700 books into the computer.

Not In Kansas

Something I did not realize about Saint Louis before I came here : this city gets tornadoes. Apparently it's in "Tornado Alley." Who knew? This tidbit supports my belief that there is something wrong with too much flat land.

If you grew up in a tornado-prone area, you might be aware of the existence of tornado sirens. They sound kind of like the warning siren from the nuclear power plant in Surry and have a similar function : to warn the surround populace of impending danger. Unlike the Surry siren, however, the tornado one comes with a plan of action. Nuclear sirens haven't had those since they figured out that shelter-in-place underneath a school desk does not actually protect your from radiation.

When the tornado siren goes off, it means that the National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning. At one point in time, a tornado warning meant that someone had seen a funnel. Now, the fun Doppler radars let meteorologists see rotation forming in the clouds, so that they can scare people earlier and better help them protect themselves. If you hear the siren go off, you get home, or to the nearest shelter, as quickly as possible. If you're at home, you go to the basement, near a foundation, so that if a tornado comes near you, it won't be able to suck you out of the house and if your house collapses, you'll be in a supported area. If you're smart, you bring a radio, a flashlight, some blankets, a few snacks, and a couple decks of playing cards.

This Friday, we played run-and-hide for the second weekend in a row. We kept power, unlike last weekend, which made the whole adventure considerably more pleasant. Ever my father's daughter, I sat with one ear tuned into the radio to keep track of the storm's progress throughout the region, informing my housemates, even if they didn't feel the need to be informed. This time, however, a funnel touched down a bit to the south of us.

The radio station kept us informed of the location of the storm as well as reactions of people across the region. The Cardinals were playing Friday night, and, in spite of the weather, a large crowd showed up -- and waited it out until play was stopped and the tornado warning announced. As the radio caster spoke of people sheltering in the stadium, I remembered seeing hula-hooping tornadoes when we went to a Card's game. And all of a sudden, it made sense.

One Year!

A year ago today, I started this blog, announcing with joy and hope my plans to intern with pro-life groups and then head out to Saint Louis for the Vincentian Service Corps. One the one year anniversary of this occasion, I could reflect on this year so far... or I could post on what comes next.

Next year, I am heading back to my alma mater to work for the campus ministry. It's a year-long position, during which I will help with all things Catholic Campus Ministry. It will be my first attempt at living in the "Real World" of financial responsibility and full adulthood. More importantly, it will be a great chance to explore even further where God wants me ultimately in life.

After my year as Young Adult Campus Minister, grad school is on my horizon. I have been accepted into Franciscan University at Steubenville and Catholic University of America. So now I have to start the process of asking to defer enrollment.

As it goes right now, I have a future and a hope... the same words I used a year ago today.

Relay for Life

This Friday was the UMSL Relay for Life. First of all, thank you to all of my readership who helped (financially or with prayers) -- I know you guys are reading this. A huge thanks!

This Relay was originally scheduled as a 12-hour event, although Relays are often up to 24 hours. However, Thursday afternoon, the UMSL Relay committee brought the event indoors and changed the time to only six hours, due to the severe thunderstorms that were predicted. While I wish the Relay had been longer and out of doors, they made a wise decision, and I felt for the committee, making all these last-minute changes.

The idea behind the Relay, for those of my readers who did not hear about it already, is that you have a team that raises money for the American Cancer Society. The team then camps out around a track and relays -- has at least one team member walking the track at all points in time. The host provides music and fun, but also facilitates more serious moments, such as the luminaria, where everyone pauses to remember those who have lost the battle and support those who are battling cancer.

Ana and I arrived first to stake out a campsite. The evening started slowly as we... waited. Eventually, however, the rest of the 6 pack arrived. We had figured that we'd all start out together, and then take turns back at our table to eat, rest, etc. Instead, we found that we all just kept going. We walked the inside of the student center: around its center escalators, down one hallway and back, down a second hallway and back, repeat. A talented DJ blasted music from the stage on the lower floor. The ends of the hallways often lost the music, and a couple guitarists down one created a sort of musical schizophrenia that bothered me at first, but that I got used to.

As it turns out, we didn't drop downstairs one by one as we got tired. Instead, we kept walking, skipping, and dancing down the hallways, gaining energy from the music and from each other. In case you ever decide to try it, the Electric Slide is a bit of a challenge to do while you're walking down a hallway. We ran piggy-back, we played war, we salsa-ed. We all kept going -- for the entire 6 hours.

I enjoyed the dancing, upbeat bits more than the somber bits. Not just because the somber bits were, of course, less "fun," but because the ceremony of them fell a little flat. Luminaries don't light up the same way with electric tea lights, inside, and a "lap of silence" doesn't have the effect of silence if there is music, however contemplative.

When we left for home, I was exhausted. When we got home, I realized that as crazy as I had been for walking for 6 hours, I made the right choice in choosing not to sit down. My feet had the chance to tell me exactly how much they hated me for the long walk.

Criticism

Spoiler Alert : If you haven't read Lord of the Flies and don't want to know anything about it, stop reading.

My 8th graders have been reading Lord of the Flies in small groups. For most of the time, I haven't been sure how much they are actually taking in, and how many connections they are making between what we read one day and the next. At the end of last week, we got to the scene where Simon talks to the Lord of the Flies and then the scene where Simon dies. For those of you who need a refresher course (or have never read the novel), the boys trapped on the island fear a shapeless "beast" who haunts the island. A dead parachuter ends up dropping onto the island, getting the parachute tangled in a manner that, when the boys see him in the dark, he looks like a monster.

Simon, the only boy who is not turning savage, discovers that the parachuter is not a beast and loosens his tangle. Unfortunately, when he comes out to tell the other boys, they are locked in a wild "dance" which ends in Simon's death. As Simon is beaten to death, the parachuter is swept off the island and into the ocean.

When we read this scene in class (with an italicized announcement from me, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT SCENE!), one of my kids got it! He understood and explained the significance of the two events happening together. Then, this week, when we read about the way the boys split into tribes afterwards, another student traced the tribal lines to events at the beginning of the book -- something I hadn't even noticed.

I am so proud of my students for this. At the beginning of the year, I despaired of them ever learning critical thought. Now, at least some of them have demonstrated it!

A Whirlwind Tour

I feel that I should post something about my trip home this weekend. From Friday to Sunday, I saw everywhere I call home : St. Louis, my alma mater, and northern VA (the order I saw them, not order of importance). I saw my many different families : my 6 pack here who saw me off, my apartment-mates (and good friends) from last year, my Encounter with Christ retreat team, friends from high school youth group, and mine own biological kin. I came home to celebrate the marriage of two friends who went to school in Richmond. The wedding was beautiful and the reception so much fun.

That being said, I can't think of an anecdote or theme to encapsulate the weekend, so here is a post stating that I was home in VA and now am home in St. Louis.

Why People Are Awesome

I generally try to keep posts to one anecdote, topic, or theme, for ease of reading and my own organizational quirks. However, in this post, I plan to relate several incidents. Note the title: that is my theme.

In this past week, I've had some very positive interactions with people and some disconcertingly negative ones. We (as a culture? as a species?) tend to relate the negative more than the positive, so I want to combat this trend by sharing some warm-fuzzies.

First, the car mirror. Ana's side view mirror went missing a few months ago. She was told that they sometimes pop out in the cold, and she ordered a new one from AutoZone. Long short, she had to order a new mirror fixture, which we took home only to discover that pliers wouldn't do the job of undoing the bolts; we needed a wrench, which we (sadly) lack.

So the mirror sat in the back of the car for the course of several weeks, waiting. When Ana and returned to AutoZone this week for a battery, the man working there was so friendly and helpful that when he told us, "Let us know if there's any other way we can help you." Ana asked for a hand with the mirror. Although Auto Zone doesn't do body work, he pulled out some wrenches and pulled off the mirror for her. Ana joked about us being a couple of helpless girls, and he told us that didn't matter. "You had me sold at the volunteer line," he said.

Incident 2 is much shorter. I was in the grocery store, buying travel-sized toothpaste and contact solution. The self-checkout was broken, and the express lane was closed. With a sigh, I took my place behind a woman with a large purchase, noting to Ana that it was the best line -- which it was. The lady in front of me looked back, saw my two items, and asked, "Is that all you have in your hand?" I nodded yes. "Go ahead," she said. With enthusiastic gratitude, I stepped up in line, given so much joy by her kindness.

Finally, at the airport, I stood in line for a bagel. The couple ahead of me had some sort of gift certificate or traveler's check, and he was trying to get rid of $1.47 on it. He kept trying to do so by tipping or buying something for the cashier, and she kept deflecting him with a smile. He wasn't hitting on her; his girlfriend was with him. It was just a general kindness. And the cashier had admirable customer service skills, even as she turned to wait on me and hunt for the specific type of bagel I wanted. Her smile made my day!