Full Retreat

• I've been at the Wesley Statewide retreat this weekend and it's just been great :) I was definitely sad when Mandy (and Katie) told me they weren't going to be there :( But almost as soon as I walked in, I realized that I was surrounded by people I knew or people who knew people I knew. This helped me feel so much more comfortable introducing myself to others. I met lots of great people, especially from WMU and MSU, and I finally met Lisa Batten (the person in charge of WMU Wesley), who basically knows all of "my" camp people. I got to hang out with Kaitlyn and Keeley, who were in 8th grade the last time I spent a significant amount of time with them (they are pretty fantastic humans now :)). I got to hang out and get closer with UM Wesley friends - we played lots of Fluxx and Euchre, baked cookies, went to Meijer, had deep talks and made each other laugh. We watched Hercules and, after I told everyone that my favorite line (1:55-2:07) was at the end of the movie, they all made sure I didn't miss it :) Plus, tonight we had the place to ourselves! Literally, everyone else went home (even the CMU people - who were hosting us), so we just made ourselves comfortable! We got all the good places for sleeping and could be crazy all we wanted :) It has been a wonderful weekend...plus it makes me ridiculously excited for BKC! (I definitely woke up with morning and just wanted a Brophy hug :))
• We also had a very interesting trip to a local Indian museum. The museum was very well-done and had a lot of information about the tribe that lives in this area. The guide was very knowledgeable but it was also clear that he inherited his family's/ancestor's anger towards white people. It was frustrating to hear his tones (and sometimes words) imply that I personally made bad assumptions about his people, knew nothing about their history and was somehow responsible for the actions of the 18th and 19th century white men and government. For example, he made a point to tell us about the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which was the first time that Indians were allowed to vote. Yeah, that sucks - but OH HEY women only got the right to vote 4 years earlier. It was also very interesting to note the changes in the exhibits as they related to the information that was being relayed and the feelings we should have been having. At the beginning of the tour, we learned all about the history and daily workings of the tribe. The exhibit was colorful, open and used many different mediums to create the outdoor feel, as well as to communicate the information. As we moved into the part of their history that was influenced by Europeans, the halls/passages became more narrow, the walls formed more corners, the color of the walls was a dull brown, and exhibits were mostly pictures and paintings. It was clear (to me, and to others to whom I explained these details) that they wanted us to feel trapped, overwhelmed and anxious, as they told this part of their story. (Thanks for knowing to look for that stuff, Carlee!) It was a well-done museum for sure.