Moreau Integration 2 Moreau Integration 2 3 December 2021 New Horizons Through Encounters In the first couple days and weeks at Notre Dame, not only did I feel lonely, but I also felt slightly out of place. However, as I grew into my new home, the idea of “fitting in” decreased in importance to me. I saw that as I went through my days being myself, friendship and comfort came more easily. I began to relate more to people around me and realized that mostly everyone was feeling the same way as I was. Developing a community takes time and what is really important is that you stay true to yourself in the process of finding your place in a new environment. In Emery Bergmann’s New York Times article, she says, “It was overwhelming in the most beautiful way, and was further proof that I wasn’t alone in my experience… Loneliness is too often paired with self-blame and self criticism” (“Advice from a Formerly Lonely College Student” by Emery Bergmann - Moreau FYE Week Nine). She shared her experience of loneliness in her transition to college. When people feel lonely, it is common that they interpret that as a product of their own flaws. They might think that their lack of connections with people is due to the faults they see in themselves. It is important to break through that thinking pattern and to develop a more positive mindset and self-image. Even when I feel lonely or disconnected, I now try to look inward for love and support instead of immediately searching for it in other people. In being kind to myself and seeking out positive interactions, I now feel at home and at peace at Notre Dame. Throughout the semester, I have experienced setbacks that made it harder to look at things in a positive light. Whether it is roommate troubles, doing badly on a test, or being https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/well/family/advice-from-a-formerly-lonely-college-student.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/well/family/advice-from-a-formerly-lonely-college-student.html homesick, no one's life is always completely together. When I watched the video on Kintsugi, I thought the message was very applicable to my own life. The woman says “the piece is more beautiful than having been broken” (“Women Find Healing Through Kintsugi Workshop” by Grotto - Moreau FYE Week Ten). I often ask myself why I can’t always stay on top of things or how I let myself mess up. Instead of doing this, I should be focusing on how gracefully I come back from difficulties and deal with problems. The way that the people in the video used Kintsugi as a sort of therapy to work through their problems can be helpful for other people to realize that everyone is struggling with something and no one's life is perfect even if it looks like it is. Looking forward, I will be less hard on myself and try to see my shortcomings as something I can grow from. Things being “broken” like the Kintsugi does not mean that good things can come from them. Another special thing about coming to Notre Dame was the new people I was surrounded with. I had never been so closely intertwined with people of so many different backgrounds. Getting to go to school with people from all over the country and even the world has opened my eyes to the way that so many people live differently and have different cultures/traditions. In the video by the Klau Center Archive on Race, someone says, “understanding it begins with listening” (“With Voices True Snapshot Summary” by Klau Center Archive on Race - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). As someone who loves to hear what people have to say, coming to Notre Dame and getting to listen to so many people talk about themselves and where they come from was so exciting. Through listening, I have learned so much about the people around me. Something I learned is that it is always important to listen before you assume things. For example, at first, I was ignorant to the ways that international students had such a different way of coming to school than I did. When talking to some people from my Moreau class, I assumed https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/heal/find-healing-through-kintsugi-art/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau https://voicestrue.nd.edu/ that everyone was going home for Christmas break. It wasn't until I listened to everyone’s winter plans that I realized that my classmates from Guam and Brazil maybe could not go home over the break and that I was very lucky to not have to worry about not seeing my family. Even though I thought I was someone who had no problems with understanding and listening to people, I realize that I can always work to be a better listener and better understand the ways that we are all different. During week twelve of Moreau, it was so interesting to see the overlap between the focus of this week and what we were learning in my foundations of theology class. In one of the readings for our QQC, it said that “Striving for completeness means spending one’s life as a citizen of this world imitating the person of Christ as the gateway to citizenship in heaven” (“Hope - Holy Cross and Christian Education” by Fr. James B. King, C.S.C. - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). If I had read this and had not been learning about it in theology, I would have been very confused. Being asked to imitate Christ seems impossible and if that is what it takes to get to heaven, it makes it sound even more difficult. However, I now see that imitating Christ does not mean offering to die for the people around you or preaching to huge numbers of people. To me, being like Christ is having unconditional love for everyone on earth with us. If we think about what is actually being asked of us, responding to this call is a lot more manageable. Just as Christ loved everyone, the same thing is asked of us. He questioned nothing and did as God told him to. Our trust in God helps us to not be afraid. As we live together on earth and live in imitation to Jesus, we can look forward to being reunited with God in heaven. https://campusministry.nd.edu/assets/105621/