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Maggpie85
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Birthday: 8/10/1985
Gender: Female
Interests: I LOVE to ski and snowboard, play/watch hockey....go blues! Baseball...GO CARDS! hangin out with my friends, and havin fun! I like doin pretty much anything outdoors...hiking, camping....i love art, music, mission trips.....
And my number one......God!
Expertise: Currently....being a college student
Actually....I wouldn't necessarily say that my expertise is being a college student...more like being a professional procrastinator....
Occupation: Student
Industry: Other
Message: message me
AIM:  MaggieMoo81085
Member Since:
12/5/2003
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| Ebonics, Extentions, and Love
Looking back on
this summer it has been one of the greatest growing experiences that I have
ever had. If at any point in the summer
you had asked me what I was getting out of it you probably could have gotten a
range of answers from “a headache” to “eh, a paycheck” to “fun!”. But looking back I think I’ve gotten a lot
more than I ever could have guessed before the summer was complete. I was a counselor this summer at a day camp for inner-city kids. To say that it was a challenge at first would be an understatement. It was definitely everything you would imagine when you hear "inner-city".
The beginning of the summer was rough. I didn’t enjoy it. I was frustrated. I got cussed out a lot by pre-teens. My boss was no help. I wasn’t quite sure what I was supposed to be
doing there or if I could ever make an impact on any of the kids' lives. I was one of two Caucasians that worked in the
entire facility, so the kids instantly
didn’t like me, didn’t trust me, and were pretty sure they could walk all over
me. They yelled back at me any chance
that they got, made fun of my skin and my hair, and made me think they hated
me. After all, that’s what they were
taught to do. My boss didn’t have any activities planned for camp, and although
I had experience with kids, I did not have experience entertaining them for
eight hours at a time. In short, three
days into the job, I wasn’t quite sure I was going to make it through the
summer at this place.
Really, it took about five weeks for the kids to listen to
me, respect me, and get used to the idea of being friends with someone with
lighter colored skin than theirs. But it got better. Two weeks ago a six year old white girl came to
camp (she lasted for half a day before her mother quickly removed her from the program) and when she got there a few of the kids came up to me
and asked me who she was. It told them
and they instantly told me that they didn’t like her. I asked why and they said that it was because
she was white. I started laughing and
asked them what exactly they thought I was.
They said that I was different because they knew me and that they didn’t
like that girl because, “She don’t know me like that.” Although it took a little bit of persuasion
to get them to include her in their games, hearing that they thought I was
different made my day. They accepted
me. And, as ridiculous as it sounds to
want acceptance from a bunch of kids, it feels so good to know that you’ve broken
a barrier like that.
At the end of this challenging summer, I didn't want to
leave. This job has been amazing. It has allowed me to understand and get to
know and respect a culture extremely unlike my own. One that I had been exposed to before, but
had never gone to the “risk” of being immersed in. It put me outside of my comfort zone, and
MADE me grow. It helped me to further
understand the effects that poverty has on children and the beauty that lies
underneath the hardened, tough mask worn by children who have experienced so
much that most adults don’t ever have to think about.
It has
further engrained in me the belief that pitying someone achieves nothing, but
serving someone can change a life, and it may even be your own. These are
beautiful kids, with more potential than anyone ever gives them credit for.
This week
some of the kids drew pictures for me.
All of them were beautiful, all
of them said “I love you Miss Maggie!”, and all of them gave me a hug when they
gave them to me. There's no feeling better than that. Anyway....now that I've probably completely bored anyone who has made it this far... I recommend getting out. Out of your comfort zone, out of your bubble, out of your air-conditioned home full of food to eat, beds to sleep in, and a t.v. to watch. I did. And it was great.
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| It's a Girl!!!My sister had her baby!
On June 19 baby Ruby was born. :) Her full name is Ruby Emma Reed-Elliott and she was 7 pounds 1 ounce! Yeah!!!!
...pictures to come....
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| I participated in the Edwardsville relay for life last night! Fun times. I got no sleep, walked 13 miles, and won the belching contest! ...Actually it was a rootbeer chugging contest for people 18 and over, which I lost, but I had the best belch afterward! :)
In other news...I start my job at the YMCA on Monday...finally...didn't think it would ever get here! I'm excited...hopefully it will fill this void from not working at Granny's House for the summer. When most people find out I'm working as a counselor at a day camp for inner-city kids they give me this "you're crazy" look and tell me good luck. But I love it. The kids are wonderfully fabulous, fun miniature people that someone just needs to give a chance and a role model. ...anyway, I could talk for hours about this...good thing it's what I'll be doing for the rest of my life...
Wedding planning is in full swing...we've got most of the big things done...now we just have decorations and programs...which will probably be the most work. Right now I'm working on making my invitations...making my own cause it's a TON cheaper, it's fun, and they look the same! I'm getting soooo excited...I think I've had enough of this planning stuff...I'm ready for the wedding now. Right now. Like...I CAN'T WAIT! :)
Anyway, this was a pretty lame post...sorry, I just thought I'd give an update on my summer. Hope you all are having a fabulous summer, and I miss everyone from Mizzou!
Later
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| I bought my wedding dress yesterday.
AAAHHHHHH! (I'm excited.) :) | | |
| Knock Knock....This is the real world here to say hi.The
end of another semester...as Meghan would say, "Holy Mother!"
It's been a fabulous semester, as it comes to a close I'm realizing how
close the real world is...like, grown up world. (ahhh!) In just
short of 8 months I'll be married, in 12 I'll be starting my first real
job, moving to a new town, and starting a life. SOOO
exciting...but I'm pretty sure that I'm just dreaming and really I'm
still in 3rd grade.
anyway...
things that I love from this semester->
God, my FRIENDS, bible study, the UnKnOwN, getting engaged, bbq's, jumping into cosmo-bethel lake, Hangin' with the Granny's House kids, My FIANCE, Spring Break in NOLA, Bennetts, Cardinals Baseball, going to the new stadium, Classes, WeDdInG pLaNnInG, Crusade, challenges, growing, Porta-potties and the Little Mermaid, air soft gun fights, SpEeD uNo, Yard Golf, realizing i'm absolutely in love with my major, "FIRST, and MORE", dominoes, the bible study girls, group dinners, praise and worship under the stars, The Plaza and Ice Skating, OPPORTUNITIES, conversation hearts, dance parties, "All Night Long..." lol, my roomies, Basketball Games, church at the Crossing, SPRING!, kickball, hikes at rock-bridge, PiCnIcS, the Superbowl Party, and EVERYONE that made the semester FABULOUS! :)
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