Closing up my last week in the program and at my placement has been very bittersweet. On the one hand, I will terribly miss the people I have gotten to know both at my placement and in the program, Detroit and some suburbs that I have gotten to know, and the easy feeling of working every day and then coming back to relax and hang out (I am not looking forward to stressing about exams!). On the other hand, I am so glad I got to have this opportunity this summer (my back up plan was working at PetSmart….) and meet so many varied and interesting people, to be able to expand my personal views and perspective, to gain valuable communication skills, to learn and grow to love a city I’ve lived so close to for my entire life but never spent significant time in until now, and to hopefully see the churches grow and prosper in the future. It’s a bit sad, but overall I am happy and hopeful.
I feel as though I have changed quite a bit since the beginning of the summer, but I think it’s for the better. I feel like this summer has contributed to a lot of really solid growth, for me, and I am so excited to see how my experiences this summer will shape what my life is like in the future! I never particularly wanted to work in a church, nor do I particularly want to work in a church now, but I think the communication and interviewing skills that I learned, the leaders of the Lutheran church I have come to meet (not only my direct supervisors, Pastor Kirstin and Minister Troy, whose conversations and encouragement have given me quite a bit to think about for my future plans, but Pastor Jack, as well, whose breadth and depth of knowledge, and passion for social change, drew me to him instantly), and the data organization skills I have learned will be invaluable to me later in life. I definitely plan on visiting and catching up!!
I completely agree I felt it was bittersweet with my organization as well! Its great because I get to leave them with something I know will be helpful in the future, but then it sucks because …. they are just so awesome and I don’t want to leave!!!
I know what you mean! I learned things from this program I never could have anticipated. I mean, moving to the middle of Detroit and working with community groups full time for ten weeks is about as immersed as you can get in the city. Do you think you would like to do more work in Detroit in the future?
I would definitely like to work more in Detroit in the future. I’ve come to love and take pride in the city and its efforts over the course of this summer and that’s one of the things I will certainly be taking with me. Do you think you would want to work in Detroit again?