Well, it occurs to me that some of you may enjoy knowing a little more about me. At the very least, people who do not know me can read this and get some context for the things I say and why I say them. Specifically pertaining to my trip to Guatemala, it may be helpful to know a little about my past and interests to see why I chose to go on the trip and how I will respond to it.
I'll start with the present:
I am currently a full time student and I'm trying to make learning something that I love doing rather than something that I have to do to get a little further in life. I am studying business administration and Spanish at Spring Arbor University. I enjoy both subjects greatly. I have worked a few jobs: I have worked as a lifeguard, housekeeper, and business intern at a camp called Maranatha Bible Camp in Nebraska. I have worked there three summers and have attended since I was a kid. I have worked as a custodian and a campus safety officer at Spring Arbor University.
I am a Christian. I am trying my best to live for Jesus and spread His word. If you have questions about this, please feel free to email me!
Past: I was born in Lansing, Michigan on July 17th, 1990. I have two brothers, whom I love and currently miss. I have two parents who have been nothing but the best my whole life. I grew up in a performance arts ministry called Out of the Box ministries, comprised of my immediate family. This gave me a few unique opportunities: First, I have been traveling all over the United States and a little bit beyond since I was born. Second, I have a few unique talents such as juggling and fire eating. Finally, I was home schooled for about half of my career as a student (the first).
Traveling is a joy to me. Although all travel has its fair share of frustration, expense, and demand on energy, I gladly take the cons in order to experience the pros. I like going to sleep in one place and waking up in another. I like the feeling of moving toward something. I also greatly enjoy seeing new place, eating new/weird food, and meeting people along the way.
I have been able to go out of the country on a few occasions, once to Nogales, Mexico and once to Trinidad.
I have been studying Spanish for over six years. I enjoy every opportunity, no matter how nervous I may get, to speak to a native speaker. I am very excited to go to Guatemala this coming semester, as it is a good opportunity to become immersed in the language and culture, a major reason for my picking the trip.
Being home schooled was a very important part of my life. I will not expound too deeply because it will probably bore you, but I will explain a little. I believe in home schooling. I believe in it, however, only in the situation where the parent (or whomever is doing the teaching) is capable and determined to make the learning experience valuable. My parents chose to home school my brothers and me because they were not impressed with the academic aspect of the school in our area or the behavioral aspect of the kids that attended. They believed that they could do a better all-around job of educating us at home. In addition, because we traveled so much, it was necessary for us to be able to travel with our studies. We purchased curriculum and material to facilitate the process and this was quite successful. As far as the social aspect and misconceptions that commonly follow it, my brothers and I were not awkward introverts. My parents made sure that we had many opportunities to be social in a public setting. To be completely honest, however, there was a degree awkwardness that had to be overcome. The key, in my opinion, to the success of my homeschooling experience, and that of my brothers, is that when my mother came to the point where she felt inadequate in her teaching to continue (as we started learning more advanced mathematics, specifically), she enrolled us in a more public type of school. My younger brother and I started in a private middle school and my older brother started in a high school. Now, each of my brothers and I are experiencing success in college, both academically and socially.
Future: I am coming to the end of my college career and I am not completely sure what the future holds for me. I am very interested in the Spanish language and I am going to incorporate that in whatever field I enter. I am hoping to go into non profit work of some kind.
Interests: I will try not to ramble here.
First and foremost, I am a fan of anything that involves hanging out with people and having new experiences with friends. I find that the activity is not nearly as important as the company.
I love spending time, especially, with my lovely girlfriend!
I am interested in learning. I am. I AM! I'm trying. ;-)
I like music quite a bit. I like going to live shows.
I am interested in technology. Although I'm an expert by no means, I like getting functionality out of my smartphone and computer. Just fun to dabble. I don't play a lot of video games, but I like them a lot in a group setting.
I enjoy sports. Mostly basketball and juggling. Do we count ping pong?
If you have curiosities about my interests, you can check out my Facebook (link below).
Evan
