GlobeMed LI and my "Story of Self"

So last weekend was my last trip for the summer, and it was probably the most mentally exhausting plus motivating trip of them all! It was GlobeMed's Leadership Institute in Evanston, IL! Two full days of presentations, workshops and planning with the other co-president Alana, ghU coordinator Madeleine and GROW coordinator Monica! One inspiring/reflective activity we did was figure out how to tell our "Story of Self" or how we got to be passionate about global health/social justice, which is probably why a lot of us are in GlobeMed. When I got home, I put together my responses to certain prompts they gave us, which had me look honestly at where I've come from and how it got me here. So here goes...

I come from a comfortable lifestyle and a nearly problem-free Christian family (compared to the world at large, of course. We aren't perfect.) My path has been largely obstacle-free, allowing me to pursue interests ranging from volleyball to orchestra to biology and everything in between. I always knew that I could, you know, "reach for the stars," do anything, have anything I worked toward. Whichever career might interest me was worth my consideration because I probably had access to the resources it would require, but I still never felt particularly drawn to anything. I knew what I could do but the question of why was always pulling at me, never letting me be completely satisfied.

Once I started to realize that this lifestyle wasn't fulfilling me, I began to see the aspects of my life that, while not necessarily bad in and of themselves, perpetuated it. The material comfort of my life allowed me to not think about the why of suffering I had heard of but not really experienced. Busyness and success filled my time and I never stopped to consider why so many other people weren't able to achieve the things that I had, even if they worked so much harder than me. Concern with what I was doing blinded me until the questions really started flowing in about "my future" and I was forced to consider how I might build a life that actually meant something in the wake of all this.

So now I'm in the process of figuring that life out. I want to try my best to live a life that doesn't rob anyone else of the things I enjoy. I want to continue in academic pursuits of the best ways to serve the world without becoming a burden to it. I want to work on my relationships with people and develop a much stronger attitude of compassion. Most of all, I want to honor God by seeking the best for His kingdom and people, rather than the best for myself.

That brings me to GlobeMed, because after all, I began this self-reflection exercise at their prompting. The "what" of GlobeMed attracted me of course, with its focus on bringing power back into the hands of local people worldwide so that they can create positive, sustainable change in their own communities. How each chapter and partner organization does that is different, and though the GlobeMed model focuses itself on health and health-related rights, I believe their tactics to be some of the best I have heard of in helping any marginalized group of people. My personal involvement in GlobeMed has not only allowed me to contribute to their movement during my undergrad years, but it has equipped me with so many tools, skills and passions that I can use for whatever I pursue in life. I have learned the value of partnering with local people on the other side of the world, the ability to listen and find out what the actual best solutions are without the effects of my biases, how to relate my experiences in ways that might inspire other people, and so, so much more. Of course I'll still struggle with this because of the West's superiority complex and my own stubbornness about ideas, but I now have the tools to keep working on it. This year I am a co-president of Lawrence's chapter, and I'm so excited because what I want for all of the members is that they use whatever passions and skills they have to bring peace and support to places that need it, and I am grateful for this chance to inspire them to do so. In fact, I think they are already doing so because their interest in GlobeMed probably has stemmed from a desire to partner up with the world and make it better. We have an exciting year ahead, but more importantly, an exciting life ahead. We really can get back to the "whys" of the world and work from those to make a difference.

Madeleine, Monica, me and Alana at LI :) Just a small part of a great team!

Some peace.

Near the end of a busy summer filled with weddings, work and preparations for the upcoming school year, I found the restoration and rejuvenation I needed in northern Arizona. The time away from all obligations and (most) communication gave me some space to breathe and connect with God more than I have been with the distractions of Wisconsin. I'll leave some pictures here, with a few comments about my most meaningful experiences.

First, Sedona. My favorite.

This was what I always pictured whenever the Grand Canyon was mentioned. Turns out Sedona is something else, but just as spectacular as I hoped.

I mean, look at that. What a cool creation.

An appropriate tribute to the artist behind it all :)
A few quiet moments to pray in the chapel up there gave so much more meaning to the beauty I got to see all week. 

Every time I see places like this I just want to get in and be a part of them. Admiring from afar doesn't do a whole lot for me, so being able to climb around in the red rocks gave me a whole new appreciation of them!

Flagstaff, where we lived for the week.

My reading rock in the woods directly behind our house :) Nothing like sunshine and quiet (besides the trains).
I got to do a lot of reading here, of some books I'll mention in another post. All of them were written by Christian authors and they were a wonderful mixture of thoughtful, convincing and encouraging.

Spent a lot of time watching and getting close to the trains in the back yard. My fascination/fear of trains definitely made it an exciting activity!

Train-watching rock, conveniently located above the tracks. If your wondering about the reading rock and this rock... yes, i do designate my rocks for specific activities.

Going up Humphrey's peak, the highest mountain in AZ. Views were a little hazy because of 3 forest fires we could see evenly spaced out in the distance, but it was still a cool experience.

Just another view in Flagstaff. Quite the contrast to the deserts and rock formations that made up our touring. It was a great place to come back to each night!

Meteor Crater.

This was one of the last things we did on our trip, after some begging on my part (c'mon dad, something from SPACE made a huge hole in the desert!) But seriously, isn't that cool? That thing is a mile across and three miles around!

On our 30-minute "tour" of the crater. Really just standing out in the sun while a guide told us the history of this place's discovery and exploration. Actually pretty fascinating. It took a LOT of convincing and years of research to convince the government that this is more than just "a hole" and a meteor created it.

Touching the real deal. This is the largest meteorite they found. So an actual piece of the meteor that made the crater. Really. This actual thing I am touching is a big chunk of metal that was once flying around in space, not a replica.
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat.

And finally... the Grand Canyon.

Sunrise across the Canyon :)

The family on this trip minus dad! Sara, mom, me, Aunt Carrie, Rachel.

We hiked about 2 miles of trails into the Canyon, which was definitely rewarding. If I ever go back though, I'm going all the way in and spending some time down there. Like I said about the red rocks in Sedona - I want to be a part of it.

Preeeeetty crazy. I have an overwhelming desire to be able to be invincible and never get tired, so I could just climb around in things like this and explore every inch.

Yes. This sums up how the week made me feel.