Our church is hosting a great mission week here in Brussels from 28 June through 5 July. This is the fourth year it has taken place and it has really made an impact on Brussels and all the people that have helped with it. There are 50 volunteers coming over from the States and we are hoping for another 150 volunteers from Brussels (both expats and locals) to help. You can sign up to volunteer for just one day, a few days, or for the whole week.
As a volunteer you can choose where you would like to help -- in a soup kitchen, a basketball camp, painting and handiwork on buildings, playing with kids, and so many other opportunities. I have done a few different Serve the City projects and they have all stayed with me in some way or another.
This town is our temporary home, but it is so much more than just the Grand Place and Mannekin Pis. Serve the City lets you really experience and know parts of Brussels that are not on the tourist trail, but are "must-sees" to say that you really know the town. It also helps you to remember just how fortunate we are and that we could all just as easily be in these people's situations -- we just happened to be lucky enough to move here from a country where we are called expats rather than immigrants.
For those of you in Belgium, check out the website for project details and information -- www.servethecity.be The press release:
SERVE THE CITY 2008
Serve the City mobilizes volunteers to show kindness in practical ways to people in need. Serve the City partners with homeless shelters, refugee centres, orphanages, senior homes and other associations and invites volunteers to offer practical help and support.Serve the City projects are often simple - sports, music, arts and crafts, teaching English, painting, serving food, and cutting hair. We are matchmakers - the connection between the good intentions of people who could serve and a meaningful opportunity to do so.
Serve the City began in Brussels in 2005, and will take place in 20 cities around the world in 2008. Serve the City has regular and ongoing activities, but the highlight of the year is always the summer project in the first week of July. In 2007, 300 volunteers served in 30 different projects. Our goal this year is 500 volunteers and 50 projects. The dates of this year’s project are 28 June to 5 July. Volunteers can participate as individuals or as a group, on a one-time basis or as a weekly commitment. Serve the City matches projects and volunteers according to interests, skills and availability of the City
Brussels 2008 Summer Project Objectives
5 days
50 projects
500 volunteers
5.000 people at the Festival
50.000 Euros raise
PROJECT EXAMPLES
Le Refuge
In Braine l’Alleud, just south of Brussels, an orphanage called Le Refuge is home to 30 children between the ages of 3 and 18 who have been physically, sexually, or emotionally abused by their parents. Serve the City visits Le Refuge every two months and, in addition to playing with and caring for children, has built a playground, helped with painting and gardening, and now celebrates birthdays.
Foyer Selah
Foyer Selah is home to more than 90 refugees from all over the world who have applied in Belgium for asylum while their case is being considered; all they have are accommodations and a few euros a week. They have many needs, not the least of which is hope. Serve the City visits Foyer Selah every month to play football, cut hair, teach English, and do crafts. Now we are trying to set up an Internet Café as well as helping with career counselling and skills training.
Almagic
While trying to help disabled people make progress in their areas of limitation, a physical therapist discovered that no special bikes were available anywhere in Brussels. So he started purchasing them himself and began an association that invites people with disabilities and their families to the park to get some exercise. Serve the City has helped Almagic help people with disabilities to have some fun.
Missionaries of Charity
Every day nuns in Mother Theresa’s order prepare a meal and serve hungry homeless people. Serve the City started simply helping with the meal, but discovered other needs along the way. We still peel potatoes and wash dishes, but now we help with heavy and difficult tasks as well as re-painting their facilities.
Le Petit Chateau
The largest refugee centre in Belgium, Le Petit Chateau is home to as many as 800 refugees. Serving possibilities are endless. Serve the City teams have played with children, taught dance, offered photography for families, cut hair, and led sports camps. Serve the City volunteers go to Le Petit Chateau every week.
How do I get involved?
Register on our website www.servethecity.be or make a donation!
How do I make a donation?
Fortis 001-2326591-25
Account name: STC vzw
Account address: rue de la Rive 6, 1200 Brussels Bic Fortis GEBABEBB
Iban Paper Be 62 0015 2682 4961 iban electronic Be6200152682496
Contact:
Carlton Deal
info@servethecity.be
Tel: +32473.81.29.71
cdeal@christianassociates.org
Serve the City asbl
Ave Marché aux Poulets 33
1000 Brussels Belgium
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Too PC for Me
I fear that I will be knocked over by the amount of political correctness when I return to the States. Over here, most people seem to just say what they think and not get too offended if someone disagrees with them. Europeans (or at least the ones here) openly debate about politics and religion at parties. Of course it makes me a bit uncomfortable because of my American social mores, but I love how people will completely disagree on a topic, but still continue to be pleasant dinner guests.
I got a good laugh at church the other day. A group of Africans were present to do the teaching during the service. At the beginning of the service, the lead singer invited "all the Africans in the crowd" to come to the front to join in a traditional African song. Most people were hesitant to move forward so the singer (from Finland) said, "We can tell who you are -- you can't hide from us, so you might as well come to the front!" It was so politically un-correct and yet so true that among a crowd of 150 white people, the 10 black faces stood out. Why should the singer tippy-toe around the point? He wasn't putting them down, he was just stating a fact. It was wonderfully refreshing.
I got a good laugh at church the other day. A group of Africans were present to do the teaching during the service. At the beginning of the service, the lead singer invited "all the Africans in the crowd" to come to the front to join in a traditional African song. Most people were hesitant to move forward so the singer (from Finland) said, "We can tell who you are -- you can't hide from us, so you might as well come to the front!" It was so politically un-correct and yet so true that among a crowd of 150 white people, the 10 black faces stood out. Why should the singer tippy-toe around the point? He wasn't putting them down, he was just stating a fact. It was wonderfully refreshing.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
EuroCup
The EuroCup is basically equivalent to the World Cup, but is only among European competitors. It is a huge deal over here and everyone is always talking about the games. It has been taking place this last week and Kyle and I have watched a bit of it on TV. The other night after a big game, the commentators had their show to analyze all that had happened. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the difference between this TV show and US Sports Center.
First, they sit around a picnic table drinking red wine:
Then they just look funny in general with a striped tie, striped shirt and curly hair:
And to top off the wine drinking, they wear a sweater tied over their shoulders:
But then a commercial came on during the show. Apparently there will be a new reality/sports show here where women will play soccer in bikinis. It turns out there is not as much difference between American and European men as I thought. I guess the only real difference is that you probably couldn't get these shots past the US censors.
First, they sit around a picnic table drinking red wine:
Then they just look funny in general with a striped tie, striped shirt and curly hair:
And to top off the wine drinking, they wear a sweater tied over their shoulders:
But then a commercial came on during the show. Apparently there will be a new reality/sports show here where women will play soccer in bikinis. It turns out there is not as much difference between American and European men as I thought. I guess the only real difference is that you probably couldn't get these shots past the US censors.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Cairo
When I told my incredibly energeic and well traveled friend Kelly that we were going to Cairo she said, "Oh, you are just going to love it! It is so...so...third world." Her response actually made me more nervous than excited to go there, but in hindsight, she summed it up perfectly. Cairo is an incredibly filthy city -- so much so that your nose runs the whole time you are there, your eyes burn from the pollution and you constantly feel dirty. You can even feel the grit of the dirt and pollution in your teeth sometimes. However, the majority of our easy lives are spent in such a bubble of comfort and anti-bacterial cleanliness that sometimes I think it is good to get out there and realize the way the majority of the world actually lives.
I also think that we enjoyed Cairo so much because we were only there two days and we survived unscathed. After hearing stories from other people that have been there, it is a complete crap shoot as to whether you will survive or come home with memories of getting sick or scammed. Even though we enjoyed Cairo so much, it is only because we had neither of those things happen to us that we have such nice things to say about it.
We had two very intense, constantly on the go days there and by the end of the second day we were glad to be leaving just because touring there felt like such a struggle. Because we stood out among the locals (and white Westerners are known for having money), we were constantly haggled and harassed for tips and any other way they could get our money. There was one time when I walked into a bathroom behind a woman. As I came out, the woman I walked in with acted like she was the cleaner of the bathroom and asked for a tip. I think the basic rule of thumb there is whenever you see a white person, you might as well hit them up for money and maybe you'll get lucky. The tour books constantly warn you that if someone helps you with directions (even if you don't ask them) they will expect a bit of a tip. Of course the tips are only about .25-.75 cents, but after awhile it just gets old. One kind man who was a university professor actually came up to help us as we looked at a map and because we seemed so guarded had to immediately say, "No, I don't want a tip, I am just trying to be nice."
I also think that we enjoyed Cairo so much because we were only there two days and we survived unscathed. After hearing stories from other people that have been there, it is a complete crap shoot as to whether you will survive or come home with memories of getting sick or scammed. Even though we enjoyed Cairo so much, it is only because we had neither of those things happen to us that we have such nice things to say about it.
We had two very intense, constantly on the go days there and by the end of the second day we were glad to be leaving just because touring there felt like such a struggle. Because we stood out among the locals (and white Westerners are known for having money), we were constantly haggled and harassed for tips and any other way they could get our money. There was one time when I walked into a bathroom behind a woman. As I came out, the woman I walked in with acted like she was the cleaner of the bathroom and asked for a tip. I think the basic rule of thumb there is whenever you see a white person, you might as well hit them up for money and maybe you'll get lucky. The tour books constantly warn you that if someone helps you with directions (even if you don't ask them) they will expect a bit of a tip. Of course the tips are only about .25-.75 cents, but after awhile it just gets old. One kind man who was a university professor actually came up to help us as we looked at a map and because we seemed so guarded had to immediately say, "No, I don't want a tip, I am just trying to be nice."
The pyramids were amazing, but I could never seem to get my mind around just how old they were. 2560BC is just a number to me and I couldn't really grasp just how old long ago that was.
Even though most of the women are covered with head scarves, they do actually show their own style with them by using wearing colored and patterned ones. However, I still don't understand how women can wear the all black outfits. We were there in early May and it was already quite warm and especially hot in the sun. To be covered from head to toe in black looked miserable.
Even though the women didn't have to have their eyes covered like I have seen in other Arab countries, I still don't think they have very many rights. At every coffee shop you would see tables and tables full of men sitting around drinking coffee, smoking a water pipe and playing cards looking like they had absolutely no where else to be. I have heard that women have their own fun at home together behind closed doors, but I still think it would be more fun to be out at a coffee shop rather than stuck at home with the laundry, dishes and children still surrounding you. The only time I felt stupid for being a woman was with our craziest taxi driver. He offered Kyle a cigarette and since I just assumed he would offer me one next I went ahead and said no thank you. Well you would have thought I was Jerry Seinfeld the way this man died laughing -- as if he would ever offer a woman a cigarette! I asked a nicer person later and they said that only 5% of women in Egypt smoke and they would never, ever smoke in public. Still, it didn't feel so good to have a man lauging at me like that.
Egyptians are the craziest drivers I have ever seen. Traffic lights were only introduced in the 1980s so they still aren't quite used to obeying them. Every so often there is a police officer directing traffic, but past that it is just a free for all. Basically, they rarely touch their brakes so they just try to keep weaving in and out of cars to keep up a constant speed. Amazingly though, for as crazy as the driving is, because they have all grown up with it, they all seem to know what is going on and we never saw an accident (although we did see many, many near accidents). Only because we survived the driving I can say that it was actually quite fun!
Click here to see how Egyptians play Frogger every time they cross the street. Kyle and I looked like scared, bug-eyed chickens every time we ran across the road, but at least we are still around to talk about it!
Click here to see pictures from Cairo.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
MRS Wingfield
In honor of our four year wedding anniversary today, I thought I would share the story of our courtship. I think the experience of when a couple meets should be one of the happiest times because of all the butterfly feelings and love in the air. I love to hear stories of how people met and I use that as a bit of a gauge for how they are doing as a couple. If a smile spreads across the person’s face and they kind of look away, giggle and say, “Well….” Then you know they still have love in their relationship. However, if they seem bored with the story and just state the facts, then I think the sparks between them are probably a bit dull.
I can definitely say that I smile every time I think of how we met and how we finally started dating, although there was a bit of time between the two. Our junior year at UGA, I was a Consumer Economics major (basically Home Ec, but with a few more business classes). Kyle was writing for the student newspaper (The Red & Black). He wrote an article titled “MRS degree requirements defined.” The article was really funny and since many of my friends had teased me about getting the MRS degree, I clipped it out of the paper to save. That night, we both attended a party (a keg party as Kyle likes to remind me). My friend Deb knew Kyle from a group they were in together -- the Arch Society, who were the student ambassadors of the university. As Kyle remembers it, he didn’t know anyone else at the party (Deb had invited him) so he was standing by a wall just kind of checking things out. Deb spotted Kyle so she, myself and seven of our girlfriends descend upon him. Deb mentioned that he wrote the MRS article in that days paper and we all start talking to him about it. I was telling him that I loved the article and how I had clipped it out to save it. At the same time a more liberal friend was berating him for being so sexist as to write something like that. Funny enough, Kyle’s main memory of the night was that we all talked a lot and my main memories of the night were that he was really quite and that I was happy I had found Oreos at the party (some things never change).
So that was January 13, 2000. Fast forward to April when Kyle and I saw each other again at the Arch Society interviews. He was one of the interviewers and I was an interviewee. I made the cut and joined the 36 member Arch Society for the next school year. We got to know each other throughout the end of the school year and into the next. It was this wonderful organization which helped to facilitate our relationship. Even though we weren’t dating, we saw each other every Thursday evening for the weekly meeting and then many of the members would go out together afterwards, so we basically had a group date every Thursday. I really liked Kyle’s leadership style and thought he was such a fair and even tempered guy. (In another bit of foreshadowing in our lives, Kyle was the president of the group and I was the social events coordinator.) But what most impressed me was at a retreat when everyone else was in the living room goofing around and Kyle was in the kitchen doing a sink full of dishes, just because they needed to be done. I helped him dry the dishes and I think that was the very tip of the iceberg that would soon become “us.”
Kyle and I proceeded to become better and better friends throughout fall semester, going to movies together, talking on the phone, and meeting for dinner in between his work at the Red and Black (he was the editor by then). I knew he was interested in me, but I was having too much fun in my senior year and didn’t really want to acknowledge it. As I always say, we all know Kyle is smarter than me (in a few ways) and he just figured out we were good together before I did. One Monday evening I was getting ready to meet my friends out at Allen’s when Kyle called with a quick question. I still remember how I hung up the phone and realized we had been talking for over an hour. It was then that I thought, “Hmm, he is really interesting and not quite as hard to talk to as I used to think.”
And then Kyle was smart yet again. I knew he was going to the Homecoming Dance and would need a date, and I was pretty sure I knew who he would ask. Well Kyle was tired of waiting around for me and he asked a different girl. I still remember seeing them together walking down Broad Street that night and how mad I was (but of course I acted as if I didn’t care when I saw them.) It took seeing him with another girl for me to realize that he wasn’t going to wait around for me and that I needed to get my act together (but getting my act together still took a few months.)
Finally by February 2, 2001, Kyle asked me out to dinner and then to the ballroom dance performance his roommate was in. Because we had been hanging out as friends for so long I didn’t think this was a date, I just figured it was the two of us doing stuff again. We went to Aqua Linda and then to the dance, where we had a great time. The dance finished around 9:30pm and Kyle asked me if I wanted to go downtown or go back to his apartment and watch a movie. Being the logical person that I am, I said that no one would be downtown at 9:30, so we should probably go watch a movie and then go downtown. It wasn’t until we were walking to his apartment that I realized what my decision had implied, but by then it was too late to say I wanted to go downtown. So the rest is history….we watched the movie and Kyle kissed me and we have been together ever since.
Earlier that year, back when we were just friends, we had already made plans to travel to Australia together after graduation. I can only attribute it to that blissful young ignorant belief that all things work out as to the reason I didn’t seem to be as alarmed about this plan as our parents did. Of course in hindsight I realize why they were so worried. I was planning on traveling in a foreign country for six months with a boy. And then to make things worse, we started dating. I think I just always knew that Kyle was “the one” so I never got too worried about our plan. The only time it really hit me was when we got off the plane in Sydney and I thought, “Oh my goodness. Kyle is the only other person I know is this whole country and whole hemisphere! What if we break up? What will I do?” But then I looked at Kyle and knew that that was never a possibility. We ended up backpacking our way through Australia for two months and then New Zealand for another month. Kyle finally had to return home for work and I stayed in New Zealand on my own for another month. Saying goodbye to him in the NZ airport was one of the most painful things I have ever done. Just thinking about it now, seven years later, makes me want to go hug him and never let go. The night before he left I told him that if he asked me to marry him tomorrow I would say yes. Luckily for our families we were both too mature and logical to be that spontaneous!
Of course God had a wonderful plan and our travels brought us incredibly close. Our time backpacking together was filled with navigating new cities, staying on a tight budget, exploring new places every day and having only each other to rely on. I think looking at God’s plans in hindsight are the things that help my faith in Him the most. Who else could have orchestrated such a detailed and interwoven plan to bring us from a newspaper article to the Arch Society to a backpacking adventure, all of which would give us the incredible foundation of the love, trust, commitment and understanding we have had to use every day in our time in Brussels? No matter what other adventures are in store for us the rest of our lives, I can’t imagine having a better partner to experience them all with.
MRS degree requirements defined
by Kyle Wingfield
Red & Black Newspaper
January 13, 2000
What is a university? To some, it's a bastion of knowledge to be sponged up with reckless abandon. To many, it's a fortress of free speech and liberated thought.
To others though, it's a place to find a date, or maybe a mate.
Perhaps you've heard about the infamous MRS majors. Of course, you're not one, but in case you have a friend who is, or ever just wondered what exactly MRS majors study, here's the MRS program of study, complete with course descriptions.
AERO 3000: Individual Fitness -- Students learn ways to keep in shape for the daily routine of wake up, make up, flirt and shack. Emphasis given to reduction and avoidance of beer guts, which are often associated with going downtown every night.
Classwork includes creating harmony between your daily workout routine and soap opera schedule, and preparing for fitness after graduation.
DRIN 2000: Introduction to Drinking -- Explains the link between alcohol and relationships with the average university male. Focuses on building tolerance, acting drunk while sober, and developing an individualized drunken stagger for downtown.
This is the first course in the DRIN sequence. MRS majors must take at least two more courses from this sequence: DRIN 2050 (Beers of the World), DRIN 3000 (The Liquor vs. Beer Debate), DRIN 3050 (Effects of Alcohol on Scholastic Endeavors), DRIN 4000 (Effects of Alcohol on Personal Appearance), DRIN 4050 (Effects of Alcohol on Sex Life).
Those with significant high school experience can apply to take graduate level courses from the department.
FLIR 4030: Advanced Flirting -- High-level discussion of the use of flirting techniques previously developed. Differentiates between flirting to get into bars underage, flirting to get a free drink, flirting to give/get phone number(s), flirting to get a free ride back to your apartment and flirting to get a free ride back to his apartment.
Emphasis placed on out-of-class lab experiences.
GAPP 3050: Contemporary Fashion -- Highlights the basics of any collegiate female's wardrobe, especially black stretch pants, various pairs of ridiculous shoes, black stretch pants, low-cut tops, black stretch pants, midriff items and black stretch pants.
Discusses the selection of garments for the individual, including discussion of who should and should not wear tight clothing such as black stretch pants.
KEGS 2500: Fundamentals of Parties -- Includes proper party behavior, socializing techniques and shack partner selection. Discusses differences between parties and the downtown scene. Evaluates the merits of Greek vs. non-Greek parties, kegs vs. BYOB parties and large vs. small parties -- all in the context of getting desired results from the party.
Includes labwork with 'MR majors.' Students are advised to have previously taken DRIN 2000,
FLIR 4030, GAPP 3050.
RING 5500: Senior Seminar: Securing a Marriage Proposal --The final class for most MRS majors. Discussions range from desperate pleading to closing the deal, depending on the status of students in the class.
Students will be challenged to examine the lengths to which they will go to get a proposal and the ethical ramifications of such choices.
Must be fulfilled before MRS candidate will be granted a degree.
SEXX 4080: Exotic Sexual Techniques -- Prerequisites: AERO 3000, DRIN 2000. Students who need a course description are advised not to take this class.
SUVS 6050: Sport/Utility Vehicles in Suburban Society --Graduate level course. Deals with the selection of an appropriate SUV for carting kids around town, including classic questions such as: Suburban or Excursion? Four-wheel drive or two? Discusses the risks associated with driving anything that wouldn't demolish a Honda Accord in an accident caused by backing up or parking.
Well, there you have it. MRS majors are advised to have another major, as many candidates have difficulty in passing RING 5500. For more information, contact the academic adviser for the major, Kyle Wingfield.
-- Kyle Wingfield is a junior in publication management.
I can definitely say that I smile every time I think of how we met and how we finally started dating, although there was a bit of time between the two. Our junior year at UGA, I was a Consumer Economics major (basically Home Ec, but with a few more business classes). Kyle was writing for the student newspaper (The Red & Black). He wrote an article titled “MRS degree requirements defined.” The article was really funny and since many of my friends had teased me about getting the MRS degree, I clipped it out of the paper to save. That night, we both attended a party (a keg party as Kyle likes to remind me). My friend Deb knew Kyle from a group they were in together -- the Arch Society, who were the student ambassadors of the university. As Kyle remembers it, he didn’t know anyone else at the party (Deb had invited him) so he was standing by a wall just kind of checking things out. Deb spotted Kyle so she, myself and seven of our girlfriends descend upon him. Deb mentioned that he wrote the MRS article in that days paper and we all start talking to him about it. I was telling him that I loved the article and how I had clipped it out to save it. At the same time a more liberal friend was berating him for being so sexist as to write something like that. Funny enough, Kyle’s main memory of the night was that we all talked a lot and my main memories of the night were that he was really quite and that I was happy I had found Oreos at the party (some things never change).
So that was January 13, 2000. Fast forward to April when Kyle and I saw each other again at the Arch Society interviews. He was one of the interviewers and I was an interviewee. I made the cut and joined the 36 member Arch Society for the next school year. We got to know each other throughout the end of the school year and into the next. It was this wonderful organization which helped to facilitate our relationship. Even though we weren’t dating, we saw each other every Thursday evening for the weekly meeting and then many of the members would go out together afterwards, so we basically had a group date every Thursday. I really liked Kyle’s leadership style and thought he was such a fair and even tempered guy. (In another bit of foreshadowing in our lives, Kyle was the president of the group and I was the social events coordinator.) But what most impressed me was at a retreat when everyone else was in the living room goofing around and Kyle was in the kitchen doing a sink full of dishes, just because they needed to be done. I helped him dry the dishes and I think that was the very tip of the iceberg that would soon become “us.”
Kyle and I proceeded to become better and better friends throughout fall semester, going to movies together, talking on the phone, and meeting for dinner in between his work at the Red and Black (he was the editor by then). I knew he was interested in me, but I was having too much fun in my senior year and didn’t really want to acknowledge it. As I always say, we all know Kyle is smarter than me (in a few ways) and he just figured out we were good together before I did. One Monday evening I was getting ready to meet my friends out at Allen’s when Kyle called with a quick question. I still remember how I hung up the phone and realized we had been talking for over an hour. It was then that I thought, “Hmm, he is really interesting and not quite as hard to talk to as I used to think.”
And then Kyle was smart yet again. I knew he was going to the Homecoming Dance and would need a date, and I was pretty sure I knew who he would ask. Well Kyle was tired of waiting around for me and he asked a different girl. I still remember seeing them together walking down Broad Street that night and how mad I was (but of course I acted as if I didn’t care when I saw them.) It took seeing him with another girl for me to realize that he wasn’t going to wait around for me and that I needed to get my act together (but getting my act together still took a few months.)
Finally by February 2, 2001, Kyle asked me out to dinner and then to the ballroom dance performance his roommate was in. Because we had been hanging out as friends for so long I didn’t think this was a date, I just figured it was the two of us doing stuff again. We went to Aqua Linda and then to the dance, where we had a great time. The dance finished around 9:30pm and Kyle asked me if I wanted to go downtown or go back to his apartment and watch a movie. Being the logical person that I am, I said that no one would be downtown at 9:30, so we should probably go watch a movie and then go downtown. It wasn’t until we were walking to his apartment that I realized what my decision had implied, but by then it was too late to say I wanted to go downtown. So the rest is history….we watched the movie and Kyle kissed me and we have been together ever since.
Earlier that year, back when we were just friends, we had already made plans to travel to Australia together after graduation. I can only attribute it to that blissful young ignorant belief that all things work out as to the reason I didn’t seem to be as alarmed about this plan as our parents did. Of course in hindsight I realize why they were so worried. I was planning on traveling in a foreign country for six months with a boy. And then to make things worse, we started dating. I think I just always knew that Kyle was “the one” so I never got too worried about our plan. The only time it really hit me was when we got off the plane in Sydney and I thought, “Oh my goodness. Kyle is the only other person I know is this whole country and whole hemisphere! What if we break up? What will I do?” But then I looked at Kyle and knew that that was never a possibility. We ended up backpacking our way through Australia for two months and then New Zealand for another month. Kyle finally had to return home for work and I stayed in New Zealand on my own for another month. Saying goodbye to him in the NZ airport was one of the most painful things I have ever done. Just thinking about it now, seven years later, makes me want to go hug him and never let go. The night before he left I told him that if he asked me to marry him tomorrow I would say yes. Luckily for our families we were both too mature and logical to be that spontaneous!
Of course God had a wonderful plan and our travels brought us incredibly close. Our time backpacking together was filled with navigating new cities, staying on a tight budget, exploring new places every day and having only each other to rely on. I think looking at God’s plans in hindsight are the things that help my faith in Him the most. Who else could have orchestrated such a detailed and interwoven plan to bring us from a newspaper article to the Arch Society to a backpacking adventure, all of which would give us the incredible foundation of the love, trust, commitment and understanding we have had to use every day in our time in Brussels? No matter what other adventures are in store for us the rest of our lives, I can’t imagine having a better partner to experience them all with.
MRS degree requirements defined
by Kyle Wingfield
Red & Black Newspaper
January 13, 2000
What is a university? To some, it's a bastion of knowledge to be sponged up with reckless abandon. To many, it's a fortress of free speech and liberated thought.
To others though, it's a place to find a date, or maybe a mate.
Perhaps you've heard about the infamous MRS majors. Of course, you're not one, but in case you have a friend who is, or ever just wondered what exactly MRS majors study, here's the MRS program of study, complete with course descriptions.
AERO 3000: Individual Fitness -- Students learn ways to keep in shape for the daily routine of wake up, make up, flirt and shack. Emphasis given to reduction and avoidance of beer guts, which are often associated with going downtown every night.
Classwork includes creating harmony between your daily workout routine and soap opera schedule, and preparing for fitness after graduation.
DRIN 2000: Introduction to Drinking -- Explains the link between alcohol and relationships with the average university male. Focuses on building tolerance, acting drunk while sober, and developing an individualized drunken stagger for downtown.
This is the first course in the DRIN sequence. MRS majors must take at least two more courses from this sequence: DRIN 2050 (Beers of the World), DRIN 3000 (The Liquor vs. Beer Debate), DRIN 3050 (Effects of Alcohol on Scholastic Endeavors), DRIN 4000 (Effects of Alcohol on Personal Appearance), DRIN 4050 (Effects of Alcohol on Sex Life).
Those with significant high school experience can apply to take graduate level courses from the department.
FLIR 4030: Advanced Flirting -- High-level discussion of the use of flirting techniques previously developed. Differentiates between flirting to get into bars underage, flirting to get a free drink, flirting to give/get phone number(s), flirting to get a free ride back to your apartment and flirting to get a free ride back to his apartment.
Emphasis placed on out-of-class lab experiences.
GAPP 3050: Contemporary Fashion -- Highlights the basics of any collegiate female's wardrobe, especially black stretch pants, various pairs of ridiculous shoes, black stretch pants, low-cut tops, black stretch pants, midriff items and black stretch pants.
Discusses the selection of garments for the individual, including discussion of who should and should not wear tight clothing such as black stretch pants.
KEGS 2500: Fundamentals of Parties -- Includes proper party behavior, socializing techniques and shack partner selection. Discusses differences between parties and the downtown scene. Evaluates the merits of Greek vs. non-Greek parties, kegs vs. BYOB parties and large vs. small parties -- all in the context of getting desired results from the party.
Includes labwork with 'MR majors.' Students are advised to have previously taken DRIN 2000,
FLIR 4030, GAPP 3050.
RING 5500: Senior Seminar: Securing a Marriage Proposal --The final class for most MRS majors. Discussions range from desperate pleading to closing the deal, depending on the status of students in the class.
Students will be challenged to examine the lengths to which they will go to get a proposal and the ethical ramifications of such choices.
Must be fulfilled before MRS candidate will be granted a degree.
SEXX 4080: Exotic Sexual Techniques -- Prerequisites: AERO 3000, DRIN 2000. Students who need a course description are advised not to take this class.
SUVS 6050: Sport/Utility Vehicles in Suburban Society --Graduate level course. Deals with the selection of an appropriate SUV for carting kids around town, including classic questions such as: Suburban or Excursion? Four-wheel drive or two? Discusses the risks associated with driving anything that wouldn't demolish a Honda Accord in an accident caused by backing up or parking.
Well, there you have it. MRS majors are advised to have another major, as many candidates have difficulty in passing RING 5500. For more information, contact the academic adviser for the major, Kyle Wingfield.
-- Kyle Wingfield is a junior in publication management.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Brrrrrr
It is June 6 and a rainy, cold, 54 degrees Farenheit outside. Because our first summer in Brussels had record breaking highs, I was scared into thinking summer was incredibly hot here. Instead, it turns out that June, July and August are some of the wettest months of the year here and the average temperature in June is 61 degrees. Thank goodness we didn't put away all our winter stuff, because that is all we have been wearing recently. However, I just saw that it will be 93, dry and sticky in Atlanta and I can't say I am really jealous of that either.
I have been a bit homesick in the past few weeks and I can't really figure out why. Basically I just miss seeing my family, friends, and I am embarassed to say, but US fast food! I seem to be thinking about Chic-Fil-A a little more than their own CEO does. However, I can't imagine an easier time in the history of the world to be an expat. Today I turned on our Slingbox (US TV over the internet) and was watching the local Atlanta news in real-time. They were talking about a problem at the intersection right where my mom works. It is just too weird to think here I am over in Belgium but looking at my mom's office building in Atlanta. With Vonage/Skype, high-speed internet, SlingBox and so many other easy ways of keeping in touch, I can't ever understand why people complain about being an expat. I read a book by Julia Child recently and when she lived in Paris they didn't even have a phone or radio in their apartment. She wasn't even able to talk to her own husband during the day! I can't imagine how lonely it must have been to feel so far away from your family and only be able to write letters that took a month to receive, but I guess that is what gave her time to become such a good cook!
I have been a bit homesick in the past few weeks and I can't really figure out why. Basically I just miss seeing my family, friends, and I am embarassed to say, but US fast food! I seem to be thinking about Chic-Fil-A a little more than their own CEO does. However, I can't imagine an easier time in the history of the world to be an expat. Today I turned on our Slingbox (US TV over the internet) and was watching the local Atlanta news in real-time. They were talking about a problem at the intersection right where my mom works. It is just too weird to think here I am over in Belgium but looking at my mom's office building in Atlanta. With Vonage/Skype, high-speed internet, SlingBox and so many other easy ways of keeping in touch, I can't ever understand why people complain about being an expat. I read a book by Julia Child recently and when she lived in Paris they didn't even have a phone or radio in their apartment. She wasn't even able to talk to her own husband during the day! I can't imagine how lonely it must have been to feel so far away from your family and only be able to write letters that took a month to receive, but I guess that is what gave her time to become such a good cook!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)