Rivercraft, Grouplove, and Bongo Bongo Dip--An Overview of the Past Few Days

The past few days have been quite busy, but some fun and exciting things happened that I feel like sharing!

Last night was the launch of one of the main on-campus literary magazines, Rivercraft, which was exciting since I had my poem, “Wings,” published in it. I submitted to the magazine both my freshman and sophomore years, but this was my first year getting into the magazine. I was one of the students who read at the launch. I don’t know why I find it so nerve-wracking to read my poetry in front of other people, but it was—even though I had already read this poem previously at an open mic of a university poetry society while I was abroad. I now have a copy of the magazine, and I’m excited to be able to look through the work of my peers when I have the time.

The night before, Sunday, I joined the honor society for Religion students, Theta Alpha Kappa. Because the Religion major is small, the society itself is also very small, so we didn’t have a big initiation like some other honor societies have. Instead, we had something that I think was preferable. The new members, as well as the one previously inducted member, went to dinner with two members of the religion faculty.

We went to BJs, which is probably the most popular restaurant in downtown Selinsgrove. Students go there a lot, but I had actually never been there before. Everyone was astounded that it was my first time and made sure that we ordered Bongo Bongo dip, one of BJ’s signature foods, as an appetizer. It was delicious, as was the Club Chicken Sandwich I ordered. During the dinner, we were given certificates of membership for Theta Alpha Kappa. While we there, the university’s president, President Lemons, also happened to be at BJs for a dinner. He stopped by and congratulated us. All in all, it was really nice to be able to have this dinner (which was free—always a big plus for a college student) with some of my fellow Religion majors and two of my professors whose classes I really enjoy.

After the dinner, a friend and I headed over to Susquehanna’s spring concert at TRAX, the campus night club. The band performing was Grouplove, who is most known for their song “Tongue-Tied.” We missed the opening act, but I’m very glad that we went anyway. I didn’t know most of Grouplove’s songs, but I was very impressed with them and enjoyed myself a lot. It was also a free show for Susquehanna students, which made it even better.

On Saturday I was a small group leader in Lutheran Youth Day, an annual event where Lutheran middle and high school students visit campus to study the Bible, worship, etc. This was my third year volunteering at Lutheran Youth Day and it was a fun experience, just like the two previous years. It was also exhausting since the day runs from about 10 a.m. to past 5 p.m. In addition to leading a small group of high school students, I was also a part of a skit with a religious life group called Acts 29 that does drama and children’s ministry.

Other than some fun events here and there, it’s that time of semester where there’s just a ton of work! Hopefully that won’t get too heavy and I’ll be able to enjoy the last few weeks as a college junior.

"Mystical Music of the Middle East"

Last week, I was able to attend a really awesome event on campus. Every year, Susquehanna has a lecture or presentation on campus concerning religion, called the Alice Pope Shade lecture. This year was the presentation “Mystical Music of the Middle East,” a performance by the Yuval Ron Ensemble. The ensemble performed music from Jewish, Christian and Muslim (particularly Sufi) traditions and included performers of Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths. The Yuval Ron Ensemble was very passionate about bridging divides through music. They applied this to their audience, as well, as they encouraged us to sing or dance along to certain songs.

It was very interesting to hear spiritual music from another part of the world. This semester I am taking a course called Music in Christian Rituals, so the idea of worship music has been on my mind a lot. It was really fascinating to hear Yuval Ron talk about how, in the Hasidic Jewish tradition, they will sometimes just sing songs on a certain syllable, instead of any meaningful words, to connect with God. This is so counter-intuitive to me because I’m used to thinking very seriously about the words of a worship song. Often times, I think the lyrics are the point.

Watching the ensemble then sing in that manner, though, I definitely came to see how that could be a way of connecting with God. There are some situations where words just fail to capture the immensity or complexity of something, and worship certainly seems like a situation that fits the bill.

The best part of the performance was definitely the whirling dervish. “Whirling dervish” is a term I had heard about before, but it's a completely different experience to see one. Basically, a whirling dervish is a Sufi mystic who does a spinning dance that is meant to bring the mystic into a religious state. This description or any description cannot really capture how enchanting that whirling is. The dervish spun with such speed, ease, and grace that it almost seemed physically impossible. While I am not about to become a dervish myself anytime soon, I can definitely see how that would be a transcendent, spiritual experience for the whirling dervish--especially since I think even those watching get a little taste of that.

In addition to promoting cross-cultural experiences through it GO program and study abroad opportunity, Susquehanna is delivering those breathtaking encounters with other cultures right on campus. I was a bit tired the night of this event, and I easily could not have gone. In retrospect, I am very glad that I did. 

Study Abroad, Service, and a Trip to the Opera

I can't believe how little I posted in March! Sorry about that!

I don't think I have much that's particularly exciting to share. I've made substantial progress on the filling-out-study-abroad forms front which is a relief. I've turned in my paperwork about the courses I want to take abroad, and I've also submitted my program contract, deposit, and a scholarship application to the program provider, IFSA-Butler. It's so strange that this semester is almost over and that next semester I won't be here at Susquehanna.

I am being completely honest when I say I love this school. This Saturday was Accepted Students Day, and as part of a service project for Alpha Phi Omega, I got to help out with this day for a little. I was directing foot traffic and pointing people out to specific buildings. A girl approached me looking for the Admissions Office. Before she followed my directions, she introduced herself and told me--beaming--that she was about to hand in her deposit. I was so excited for her.

While I didn't decide to come to SU right on Accepted Students Day, I had left feeling confident that Susquehanna would be a great choice for me. I also reconnected with a girl from the summer Writers' Workshop for high schoolers that day, and she ended up being my roommate freshman year!

I also got to do some other service this weekend. A nearby church has a preschool, and they were putting on an art show this weekend. I went with some of my other brothers to take down the artwork. Sunday, after chapel and brunch, I joined up with Alpha Phi Omega brothers again to pick up trash around Selinsgrove--our attempt to clean up after our fellow SU students. I've discovered that I really enjoy these serviec projects where I feel like I'm physically getting things done. They can get repetitive, but it feels very productive and as if my work is needed.

Another fun part of this weekend was going to see an opera on campus with my friend Karen. The opera was called Die Fleidermaus and was performed by Susquehanna students. I was amazed by the vocal talent on display! It was also fun because I had never seen an opera before so it was great to have that new experience.

Now I only have a four-day week before I can go home for Easter which is definitely exciting. The only not so exciting part is how little of the semester will be left when we come back.