Post Orientation

Orientation in Chicago is over. I have made lots of friends and gotten very close to a lot of people going to many different countries. It was hard leaving everyone in Chicago, but I know that this is not the end. We will see each other again and catch up on shared cultural experiences.

At orientation, the YAGM program put emphasis on the concept of being vulnerable in small groups. They did this by giving us a small group (not with our country) and had us share our personal stories to how we got here. This allowed us to share much information very fast and got very deep and emotional expediently. All volunteers told stories of trials and tribulations in their lives. There was a lot of crying. I found myself becoming more comfortable with sharing stories of my weaknesses. I think they had us do this to be more open with our host communities and promote that sense of vulnerabilities. I want to be able to take this openness back into US culture too. The YAGM program also put value of storytelling as a method to build relationship and pass time together. I do not know why I have ever thought of this; it makes perfect sense. When you trace the human race back to its existence, there were no books, just storytelling. This is how people bond and build relationships. I am eager to try it out and get to know people in different ways.