Beyond Work

To be real for a moment, the experiences that we would’ve had beyond our site and in our interactions with the cohort, the city, and the community of Detroit have been substantially limited by the circumstances surrounding COVID-19. But that’s not to say that these experiences outside of my placement are gone. I’ve still been able to learn more about the city and the community and my fellow fellows. Here’s a couple highlights:

As several other fellows have pointed out in their blogs, I’ve been encouraged by how supportive this cohort has been despite the challenges that we’ve faced in our connections being limited to video calls and instant messaging. For the most part, we all seem to enjoy the work we’re doing and learn what we’re learning. It’s been particularly nice with my learning group to spend extra time with them and get to know them better

Though somewhat connected to my placement, I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve been able to talk with Tiffany or Jen about our lives outside of work. Never spending much time in Detroit for me, this has been a window into understanding the city and the ways of life inside of it. I’ve been thankful to be placed with people who are open to chat about their personal lives a little.

Finally, I’ve really enjoyed the many guest speakers that have presented on a wide variety of topics during our Tuesday night meetings. These have given me perspectives on the diversity of experiences and beliefs within the non-profit world of Detroit. This has further helped me understand the city.

Though it’s certainly been a bummer that we couldn’t be together in Detroit this summer, I still feel as though I’ve been able to learn lots about the city and develop some relationships among the fellows.