Our guest blogger this week is Elissa Cressman from the Office of Student Experience at SJU.
Elissa writes,
In this week’s reading of ‘The Glass Castle’ author Jeannette Walls discussed the transformative experience of her sister’s first pair of glasses. There were two lines that really stuck with me. The first was that “she kept seeing for the first time all these things that most everyone else had stopped noticing because they’d seen them every day” (p.96). Secondly was the line “they would blur my vision as much as they corrected hers, she said, so I’d be able to see things as she always had” (p.96).
There are two important messages in this experience. The first is to appreciate what we have, the things we take for granted and the things that we see and do every day. Secondly, is the idea of trying to put yourself into the life and experiences of someone else. Both of these ideas resonate with the service learning programs that are offered by SJU.
We have a number of international service learning programs; Go Guatemala, SJU in Peru and Beyond Borders (http://www.sju.ca/services/campus-services/office-student-experience/international-service-learning-experiences). These programs range from 10 day to 90 day experiences abroad. As an international service learning student you have the opportunity to travel and engage in another culture, learn about the lives of individuals in developing countries and actively participate in communities around the world. Our students spend time at SJU before departure learning about the community that they will be a part of and they have the opportunity to reflect on their experience during and after the experience. In many ways it is an opportunity to put on a pair of glasses for the first time and truly think about the world around you and examine them for the first time. It also provides you with an opportunity to put on the glasses on another person and try to understand their reality. These experiences are life changing for many of our students, just like the glasses were life changing for Lori.
To learn more about service learning at SJU contact Elissa Cressman at elissa.cressman@uwaterloo.ca or visit http://www.sju.ca/services/campus-services/office-student-experience/international-service-learning-experiences
Thanks Elissa for your guest post!
Well SJU, life certainly seems up and down for the Walls’ during these pages, from poverty to inheritance to chasing off perverts and shooting at neighbourhood children…!
As Elissa writes above, at SJU we have a slightly different philosophy. In our mission we are committed to the formation of leaders for the service of the community.
Tell us about a volunteer or service experience you’ve undertaken. Did it make an impact on you or those you helped? Or feel free to comment on these pages of the book.
For next week read pg. 109-125. We also have a special guest blogger!
SJU Reads 
Hi everyone! My name is Kristina Bartold, and I am going into my fourth year studying Speech Communication at St. Jerome’s University. I will be meeting all of you during Orientation Week, where I will be around as one of the Assistant Activities Coordinators! I’m really looking forward to seeing all of you experience SJU for the first time through the “new student” lense.
When I read that chapter, and was trying to tie it back to my own SJU experience, I also thought about the amazing service learning initiatives that St. Jerome’s has to offer! Actually, I am currently writing from Ternopil, Ukraine, where I am participating in the Beyond Borders program working at an orphanage for abandoned or disabled women. Every day I am putting on a “new pair of glasses”, and learning something new about the beautiful girls that surround me. They tell me their stories about how they were abandoned or their home situations, and it makes me really appreciate the loving family I have waiting for me at home. I also have been truly privileged to participate in both the SJU in Peru initiative in 2011 and Go Guatemala in 2012. These experiences were also amazing, and really helped me see poverty and hardship first hand. If there is one thing I can say about my three years at SJU is that it has provided me many opportunities to see things differently.
I found a quote that I really think fits in with this theme! “A mind that has been stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions”. Those of you who are coming into first year will experience SJU and learning in such a unique way once you start, you will be surprised what kind of person comes home for Thanksgiving! I am excited for your journey!
Looking forward to meeting you soon! Enjoy your summer (take note of the beautiful things around you!)!!
As I mentioned a while back, I am lucky enough to be on a vacation in Europe. we have been to Vienna, Amsterdam, and now are in Bayeux, on the Normandy Coast in France. I have of course heard the expression “travel broadens the mind”, but until you experience it, it’s tough to realise just how different the world is! It is incredible. One night at thing about going from country to country is that despite the proximity in Europe, each country has its own unique views. For example, in North America, complaints about things such as noisy neighbours and so on, often go to the police. Here, they go to the mayor and they call it a “denouncement”. The mayor will then go to the person and say “you have done such an such, just letting you know it’s bothering someone”. It is a funny thing and makes it feel like you are living in some medieval town, but it is just funny that the people here have decided on this approach. It really makes you realise that the world has an incredible diversity in terms of perspective. There are a lot of different “glasses” to look through!
As far as volunteer work goes, I have to admit that I haven’t done any huge amounts of volunteering. A few little things, such as youth band at church, youth rep on the local symphony board, Relay for Life, and a few other small things. I think the most influential though, was tutoring. There was a girl in my biology class when I was in grade 12 who needed a certain mark to get into the program she wanted. For me, a lot of the stuff we did came easily, so tutoring her meant that I had to look at things her way. It forced me to really break things down and understand them so that I was able to explain things for her. I think that in the end I learned just as much from her as she did! She was able to get the mark too, which helped me realise that taking time with someone who thinks differently can really be a rewarding and fulfilling thing! This also was the big reason why I was the class tutor for the grade 12 physics class this past year, which was one of the best things I had done all high school! I had the chance to teach lessons in front of a class as well as give demonstrations or help with homework, and even correct a few labs and tests. It was great!
Last fall I went on a service trip called “Project Serve” through Youth Unlimited. We stayed for three days in Toronto, and had some amazing experiences which really opened my eyes, just like Lori’s glasses opened hers. During the trip we did yardwork at Montage group homes which are set up for people with disabilities. I was pleasantly surprised by how the staff interacted with the residents. They joked with the residents until there were smiles on their faces and ours as well. My group also worked at a food bank and shelter for domestically abused women. It was around Christmas, and the shelter was giving out presents for the women who couldn’t afford gifts for their families. Once again, I was surprised by how happy the clients looked. I didn’t expect people who were “less fortunate” and had gone through so much to come in looking happier than the average person on the street. The children looked especially happy when they caught sight of the presents! During the trip we also handed out care packages to homeless people on the streets and sat and talked with them – right on the street corners! This was definitely a push outside my comfort zone since I am from a small town where I am more used to fields and tractors than intimidating crowds of people, and intense traffic. However, by sitting down and literally putting myself in their place, it gave me a glimpse of how some people have to live every day. I was very surprised by how friendly and eager to talk with us everyone was. One man shared his life story, and I was blown away. It was one of those moments where I knew that he had given me so much more than we had given him. My prejudiced view of an unfriendly city has been changed forever. I am SO thankful for all the amazing people I met who changed my mind – and opened my eyes.
Hi all, these sound like amazing experiences! Diana from the SSO here – I didn’t partake in service learning during my undergraduate degree – it’s much more popular now. Volunteering; however, was something I engaged in during all four years of university and I met most of my university friends via this volunteer group. Since I was somewhat shy I didn’t always feel comfortable saying hi to the student next to me in a class of 100 or more students in attempt to make friends. Teaser alert – we will see the impact of volunteering on Jeanette later in the book. In the meantime I thought Rose Mary’s philosophy, “Life is a bowl of cherries, with a few nuts thrown in ” (p. 98) speaks volumes.
While I may not have suddenly been given the gift of vision like Lori, my trip to India about six years ago certainly opened my eyes to the way of life and poverty in the huge subcontinent. The nearly two month-long trip was a continual bombardment of my senses as I saw streets so packed that a 10 km drive took over 2 hours, homeless children only 7 years old taking care of 2 or more younger children and over 6 people packed on a single motorcycle or moped. Yet in the very same cities where beggars roam the streets for food and water, some of the richest, most affluent individuals reside in their million dollar mansions. This huge division of class is an everyday accepted reality in Indian society yet to a North American like myself, these sights come as an extreme shock. Since my trip, my family has made a conscious effort to reduce our impact on the world’s natural resources: we use less water by putting aerators on our faucets and shower heads, use our dishwasher and washer during off-peak hours to reduce our strain on the water system and refrain from spraying pesticides which can enter water tables and harm the fragile ecosystem.
Regarding community service, I have been a part of Tumaini at my high school, a Free the Children-based club which fundraises for clean water projects in Kenya. The club participates in bake sales, carolling for Kenya, Halloween for Hunger (collecting cans for local food banks), Bulldogs ticket sales and 50/50 draws and more. For 2 years I have been a part of this club and I am glad to say I was able to help with the fundraising process. I have also been a part of my school’s Link Crew club which creates a seamless transition of the Grade 9s into high school. We organize activities such as volunteer exam tutoring, school tours and spirit games. I believe that people who are fortunate enough to have means to give back should do everything in their power to help their community, as this ends up benefiting everybody.
Hi everyone,
My name is Cyntia and I work in the Registrar’s Office. Not too long ago I graduated from university and looking back, what I am most grateful for is the opportunity I had to live abroad. I did an exchange for 6 months in Spain. Frankly I believe it should be required for all university students to enroll in an exchange program, because the personal growth acquired is priceless. I strongly encourage every student I meet to plan on doing an exchange through school or through volunteering; the experience will open your eyes more than you could ever imagine and as mentioned above, it will give you the insight on other cultures that you could not learn through reading books, watching documentaries etc.
It’s been very interesting reading about your trips to various other countries and cultures. They have inspired me to strongly consider one of the shorter opportunities SJU offers (if I could manage whatever it would cost me to go).
I have not travelled much, but have been involved in a lot of local leadership programs. Like Jeremy, I took the LINK class at my school. I’ve also volunteered and now work at a summer day camp and am now staffing for my fifth year. I volunteer during the school year at a homework help club aimed towards newly immigrated Canadians.
I find that when working with other people, it’s super useful to see other people’s opinions/actions/background as not necessarily more right/wrong or privileged/unprivileged than me, but just *different* and a way to expand my knowledge of the world and people’s experiences/reactions. Although the expected role of a counsellor/tutor is usually to help young people learn and develop, I’ve noticed that young people have taught me so much as well when I take a look through their eyes. Over the past five years I’ve learned quite a bit about how to connect with young people and gain their trust, which is especially useful when they’re prone to misbehave when they don’t respect their counsellor (I actually had a conversation with a camper a few weeks ago who said that he didn’t want to stay with his buddy or respect the other campers because he felt that they didn’t respect him). Sometimes I struggle to see things through other people’s eyes when their view is so much different than mine, but it’s worth it every time.
I like what Jeanette’s mother says when she puts on Lori’s glasses, that her vision is not better, “I’d say different”. I think what’s so great about these international programs is that they get to take a look through our eyes and we get to take a look through theirs. And the way we see things is so different, our overall view of the world can both expand so much.