FYE Integration Two A Less Extensive Culmination of the Encounterances that Have Been Brought About via the Quadrilateral Second Half of a Narrative and Cumulative Course Designed to Evoke Reflection and Introspection on an Individual’s Moral and Personal Journey (ALECotEtHBBAvtQSHoaNaCCDtERaIoaIMaPJ) By Mike Scanlon The second half of Moreau has truly altered my own perspective on life and specifically living at Notre Dame. I am not the same person I was when I arrived on campus in August, and weeks 9-12 have helped me reflect on where I have been, but also look forward to who I am becoming. Throughout the three months I have now spent at Notre Dame, I have developed personally more than many of my years prior to Domerfest. Life at ND has changed my133 6 perspective on many of the events that occur in my daily life, and the few major events that occur on a less frequent basis. This semester has forced me to ask new questions about myself, my life, and how I choose to live it. Back home, I often struggled with finding validation through other people in my life. I found that few truly understood me, and how best to show their affection to me in a way that didn’t leave me insecure about the true strength of our bond. I was scared to go to college. It took a small handful of people almost a decade to figure me out. How could I ever form meaningful relationships with a random roommate, and a campus full of strangers? I quickly learned that “when community is reduced to intimacy, our world shrinks to a vanishing point” ("Thirteen Ways of Looking at Community" by Parker J. Palmer - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). Thus, I have learned about the importance of not rushing into relationships. I’ve learned to take everything as it comes and not pressure myself and others into vulnerability and intimacy too quickly. My community at Notre Dame over the last few weeks has grown smaller, as is expected naturally after meeting so many people the first weeks. However, over the second half of the semester, I have truly begun to foster meaningful relationships with my friends. http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/ Likewise, college living has forced me to enjoy my own company much more than I ever have. I used to think that eating alone at the dining hall was embarrassing, antisocial, and abnormal. However, I have quickly realized that sometimes, I would actually prefer to eat alone. I have carried this idea into other aspects of my life as well. I take regular trips to the grotto to reflect and collect my thoughts before exam week, or after a long week of classes. I use these times of solitude to remind myself that I shouldn’t be “letting [my] life be ruled by the expectations of others or [my] own expectation that [I] have to perfect” because I often find myself falling short of the grades I attained in high school ("Why Letting Go of Expectations is a Freeing Habit" by Julia Hogan - Moreau FYE Week Nine). Reflecting on this notion that perfection, especially in college, is virtually impossible, has allowed me to refocus on the goal at hand: receive an education from one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, and form a new home and community for myself while I do it. Therefore, it was vitally important this semester that I learned to adapt to the assimilation of many cultures in one geographical location. Thus, another difference I have found in how I live my life at school in contrast to how I lived before Notre Dame is that I am much more accepting and interested in the many perceptions of life that come with meeting people from different cultures. Being from the Northeast, I take things like snow for granted, but watching my friend from Florida light up at the sight of the first snowfall of his life has reminded me that snow is not the only thing that people from different regions or backgrounds view differently from one another. I am becoming more aware of differing ideologies and am doing my best to use “more skill and wisdom in engaging those with other views” ("Wesley Theological Seminary 2012 Commencement Address" by Fr. John I. Jenkins, CSC - Moreau FYE Week Ten). Promoting inclusion, especially in the current political and socioeconomic climate of South Bend https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/health-and-wellness/letting-go-of-expectations/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/health-and-wellness/letting-go-of-expectations/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau https://president.nd.edu/homilies-writings-addresses/wesley-theological-seminary-commencement/ https://president.nd.edu/homilies-writings-addresses/wesley-theological-seminary-commencement/ and the greater United States, is a skill that I have honed specifically in my time here at Notre Dame. Another part of my home life which I have found to grow stronger here at school is my faith. I have always been religious. I’ve gone to mass every Sunday for as long as I can remember. I’ve never missed Christmas or Easter mass either, but at Notre Dame, my religion isn’t just recognized and practiced on holy days of obligation. Notre Dame fosters a community which puts faith first, in word and in deed. I know that on my darkest days, my friends will pick me up, because God has placed them in my life to do so. Likewise, on good days, my community is there to encourage me and show pride. In this manner, Notre Dame has shown me that “in both light and shadow,” the Lord looks upon me, and this place, and guides me through my days ("Hope - Holy Cross and Christian Education by Fr. James B. King, CSC - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). I love that the theme for this Integration is “Encountering Horizons”, because out of a lack of better words for what I have accomplished this semester, I think that is exactly what I have done. I originally thought that coming to Notre Dame would mean simply continuing my education and working towards a degree. I never would have thought that I would be introduced to so many opportunities outside of academics, and I especially never would have imagined finding out as much about myself as I have throughout this course. The last four weeks have encouraged me to reflect on how I think, feel, and behave when I encounter dissonance, brokenness, community, and hope, respectively. If we view each of these as a mountain in the distance, the horizon we encounter is quite a beautiful view. https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28311/files/188847/download?download_frd=1