First Week in the Mitten

This past week has flown by. 

My family and I flew out August 26 and arrived at the home of some family friends about ten minutes away from Calvin. Thursday was spent shopping at Meijer, Costco, Target, Nordstrom Rack, and getting a suitcase full of my bedding that I sent to a cousin (thanks Kristen!). On Friday, my family and I were able to visit my roommate at her home in Grand Haven. We went on a hike to Lake Michigan and on a trolley ride around Grand Haven. It was so great to meet Christa and her family before going to Calvin. Sunday night, I was able to move into my dorm with the other students from Passport 3. Students attending Passport 3 were mainly from out of state or other countries. Passport is an orientation program that all new students at Calvin participate in with their parents and/or families. I learned about college life at Calvin and was able to meet with an academic advisor and plan my schedule for this semester. My family left Tuesday night and Quest, Calvin’s other orientation program, began Wednesday. A group of about 20 students were placed in a group with an orientation leader for four days. This year, Quest was focused on Place. Our group spent a day talking about “Engaging Place”, a day on “Understanding Place”, and the last day on “Renewing Place”. On Thursday, we all participated in StreetFest, serving and learning in Grand Rapids. My group went to the Calvin gardens and rode our bikes to a retirement home to see the gardens that are used to produce fresh fruits and vegetables for the residents. Our small group had so many great discussions about where we’ve come from, our identity, and learning about each other. On Saturday, we wrote down our hopes on a lantern and gave our fears up to God, knowing that He holds our lives in His hands.




I could write so much more on what this past week has consisted of but I'm going to save those stories for another time. I am so grateful for the friendships that are beginning to form with the girls on my floor and my Quest group. I couldn't have picked a better school to spend these next four years. I’m eager for school to start Tuesday and am so excited to begin my journey at Calvin.

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