Holiday Newsletter, Part 2

In keeping with the tradition I started last year, I wrote another Holiday Greeting this year.  Below are excerpts, with some edits for privacy:

December 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas Season and are looking ahead to the New Year with hope.  As 2015 closes out, I am struck by how much has happened since last Christmas—in our crazy world, in the life of my family, and in my personal development.  Here are some things I’d like to share:

Changes in the life of our Family:

Last year, 3 days after Christmas, our very dear neighbor passed away from cancer.    Our neighbor and his wife have been there for us since we moved to our home in A. in 19--.  Since our grandparents live in Asia, He was the closest thing we had to a grandfatherly figure in the States. Our family was able to see him the day before he died, to play some music for him, and to say goodbye.

Just a few months later, on Valentine’s Day, my paternal grandmother passed away in Asia, quite suddenly.  Her passing made me all the more grateful that I had taken a trip to Asia that previous summer.  During that visit, we had spent some quality time together at home and in the hospital (she was a dialysis patient).   My grandmother’s unconquerable spirit lives on in my heart, and I think about all the opportunities I have been afforded that she never had.

Student Life at Yale Divinity School:

From January to April of 2015, there was snow (in some form) on the ground in New Haven.  What a long winter!  To cope with the dreary weather, my community of friends banded together for plenty of meals, sing-a-longs, and celebrations.  Because I lived alone, I was able to host several parties in my apartment and share life with Divinity School students from all over the world.

Over the summer, I worked in New Haven as a Yale President’s Public Service Fellow, serving as a Special Projects Assistant at the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven.  It was good to get out of the academic bubble and to get to know the underprivileged neighborhoods of New Haven better.  In the fall, I started a new role as Community Life Coordinator at the Divinity School.  This job entails planning school-wide events, sitting on the Executive Committee of Student Council, and meeting regularly with the various Deans of the Divinity School.  It has been very challenging to step into leadership as an introvert and a racial minority, and I have had to be assertive, manage conflict, and work to address the needs of a very diverse (and opinionated!) student body on a weekly basis. 

My favorite class at Yale this semester involved working with a playwright and writing my own dramatic scenes and plays.  I have loved having this creative outlet and look forward to working more closely with this playwright in the coming semester.  Other highlights include:  singing in Gospel choir, playing soccer, swing dancing, blogging, church life, spiritual direction, and last but certainly not least: observing firsthand the student movement toward diversity and inclusion that has been happening at Yale and across other universities.

“In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek..male nor female…”

Diversity is a beautiful and sometimes challenging thing, pointing us to our need for unity through faith.

There are at least 10 countries represented here!

Staying active is an important way to combat stress and take a break from studying.

I was thrilled to be able to score a goal during my last soccer game as a 20-something-year-old!

Looking Ahead to 2016:

                  In January, I will turn 30 while living in an environment surrounded by 20-somethings.  While it has been really fun and a rare opportunity be a student again and to interact with and learn from/with so many brilliant young friends, I am also looking forward to getting back into the “real world” and being around some older adults!  In May, I will graduate from Divinity School with a Master in Religion and go on a study tour of Estonia, Finland, and St. Petersburg, Russia with the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.  At this point, I have no idea what happens after I return from that trip.  Lord willing, I will find some form of employment and take a “year of transition” to work out more long-term goals and plans.

May your New Year be filled with meaningful activities, strengthened relationships, and a sense of faith and purpose!  May you experience health and happiness in the midst of whatever life brings your way!