ME and LIL JOE!!!

always wearin jsu colors!!!

ohhhh....so thats what it feels like

last night was the first time that hatred/misunderstanding of me was acted out...im sure there are plenty of people here that wonder why im here or that dont like me simply because of the color of my skin, but no one has said it or acted in a way that would let me know. Last night however, i went out to a club with some girls after the football game. Its delta week, one of the girls in the house is a delta so we've been busy with events and they were holdin somethin after the game...
Anyways, i went and yes i was the only white person there but i didnt feel that i stuck out all that much until a man asked me to dance...i kindly declined...then he tried to grab me and i threw his hand to the side and turned to walk away...next thing i know he is pouring his beer on my head!!! half of me was mad and half of me wanted to laugh(i hear beer is good for your hair!!! haha)...and i guess a little part of me wanted to cry! The girls i was with were just as upset as i was...i was thankful they had my back...but heres the interesting thingg....one of em said "he knows better than to do that to a black woman" and i thought he should kno better than to do it to ANYONE!
but everything here is a race thing and i know im not gonna change the world while im here but a good discussion came out of it with the girls and i guess thats all i wish while im here; to talk about the tough stuff that no one wants to say! Now mom, dad, grandpa, grandma...whoever read this and got nervous or scared for me, that's not why i wrote this...i am not any more afraid or scared as i was before this happened. If anything i feel enlightened...just wanted to share the experience!

Delta pageant...Mr. Esquire

i cant load the video for some reason:( but the pageant was fun/funny! there were 8 contestants...there was an opening dance, formal wear, question and answer, "male physique"-no this wasnt swim wear or boxers, haha, each person was assigned a sport and they had to dress the part! and lastly there was a talent portion. Some of the guys that were in it are involved in R.U.F so it was fun to see them! At intermission the dance ensemble performed and that was actually probably my favorite part! i'll continue to try and get some videos up because i feel like the best way to tell you guys what im experiencing is to show you!

Me, Shalonda and Jasmine at the Mr. Esquire pageant!!!

picnic cont..

delta picnic

when i was talked into coming to this little did i know that it was a female affair! which is great, im all for sisterly bonding but it has taken a little longer for the women down here to warm up to me...so i walked up with my other roommate, shalonda, and we were gettin the evil eye from some folks! luckily jasmine came running up and hugged me and introduced me to everyone as her roommate, which turned some of the frowns upside down, haha! it was SO fun to watch the girls...the sisterhood means so much to them and they really enjoy eachother! It was just unlike anything i had ever seen tho! all females, loud music and dancing to EVERY song! but not everyone could dance...if you noticed, the dances are choreographed so only the line sisters know the moves! i was however dragged onto the dance floor for the electric slide! haha

INHALE...

FINALLY, i can breathe! (im not talkin about the heat...its still too hot!) but i can walk around campus and not feel like a complete outsider...it seems to have happened almost overnight. Yesterday and today someone has stopped me in the hallways or in class just to talk. And on the plaza people have started yellin out "katie!" instead of "Yo white girl!" I think part of it is the campus and students embracing me and partly me starting to embrace them and having my spirit be at peace with my surroundings and circumstances! i met with the "pastor" for R.U.F this morning and that was also just SO helpful...he is a peice of home for me! he had a lot of encouraging things to say and a lot of good insights for me so im feeling very uplifted! doesnt mean i dont have my weak moments or times whrn i feel lonely, depressed etc...right now iv been especially sad because zach gets home in 2 days and i wont be there...iv been missin the whole family (friends, that includes you!) but z...you've been in my heart these last couple of weeks, wish i could be there when you get home! im just tryin to keep busy tho, tryin to just get my foot in the door of a lot of things, just to experience and see new stuff, so i have some videos and pics to put up of the last coupel of events i'v been to...ill put em up soon, pretty funny! love to you all!

this "bug" more like a miniature dinasour landed on our car today...what the heck!!!

a little peice of home...

me and kelley(one of the house managers) went on a little date today and went through downtown jackson! we stopped at a light and i look to my right and there it is...a reminder that home is never that far away!

 It is kinda funny tho because this is right after the train tracks and it seems like once you cross the tracks you enter a whole different world...downtown is the business district, more upscale (one of the guys compared it to seattles "nordstroms feel" haha! ) and on the other side, where i live, is still in its development stages!

just a little observation i thought i might throw out there! haha!

R.U.F...just a little taste

HALLELUJAH!!!

some of the crew!

john, me, mike, and kebia!

Lunch in the student union...i am prob here more often than class...not necessarily by choice! haha

school or no school...that is the question!

SO today at school 3 of my 4 classes were canceled! health class we got there and there was a note on the door (which i was bummed about....today if we brought a banana and showed the class how to put a condom on we got extra credit points, haha...i had no idea schools actually did that!) Biology the door was locked and the person who had the key couldnt be contacted. and my art class the teacher just didnt show up. so i dont know if you can sense it, but there is not a huge sense of urgency here...which in some ways is a breath of fresh air but in other ways can be frustrating! i got up at 8 and stayed on campus til 3 when really the only class i had was from 12-12:50:( but i guess its somethin that keeps me guessin, keeps me on my toes!)
I have met some special friends on campus as well...lil joe (ill try and get a pic one of these days) is on campus a few days outta the week passin out fliers or what not...he is an african american man, prob close to 4 ft.tall and has some sort of mental disability, but is the nicest man! today we talked about all the bills he had to pay...he had them right in his pocket, so of course i got to see them! haha! and i'v managed to become friends with one of the campus police men, david, every once in awhile we sit down and have a nice long convo...not necesarily by choice, but he seems like a lonely man and he's had some cool experiences with traveling being in the army so i listen! and i also get a chance to talk to the football coaches...in fact i got an offer to come coach the boys one day(long story short: after their first game one of the coaches asked my opinion, and i gave it to him...made a few suggestions and what not...haha,so he told me to come by practice one day) i declined the offer but thought it was funny! i hope to get pictures of the campus and some of my friends up soon...r.u.f and church stuff-want ya'all to see it! until next time...

Ok, im ready for this heat to be gone! the last couple of days iv had to take 3 showers a day...COLD showers, i have yet to turn on the hot water! Third week of classes just ended- i can tell this semester is gonna FLY by so fast!
If you've talked to me recently, you know i'v been havin a rough time...not with anything specific, but i think just the perspectives and the beliefs of people down here (for the majority) are just different! And i obviously already stand out visually, but then to feel out of place in the way i think and feel about certain things is a whole nother experience. That said, i think thats why im down here...i was interested in meeting new people, seeing new things and broadening my horizons and thats what im doing! sometimes that doesnt necessarily make it any easier! but god has constantly been finding ways to keep me encouraged! someone will say something, a friend from back home will call or text, ill get an e-mail from my mom, or a letter from my dad,or a call from my brother! (called from prague the other day!!!) or ill hear somethin at church or bible study that just hits home! an extra little gift has been  the speaker for R.U.F, he is home for me! i dont know what it is, but i am so thankful for it! haha! so i dont doubt that gods in this with me and im not doin this alone...but if ya'all think about it, leep me in your thoughts/prayers!
There are not a ton of new developments...classes are pretty easy, the community is still awesome (dont know how my time here would be if i wasnt livin in the perkins center!), i may be helping lead worship at r.u.f starting next week, we have a leadership retreat next weekend, so ill be sure to update ya'all on that, i may or may not have volunteered myself to be in a play, HAHA...i think thats it tho!
still learnin tons and tons...in fact im thinkin about carrying a journal around with me and writing down all the things i learn on a daily basis...the big picture things but also the little things, like yesterday i learned what a "shotgun" house was (yes, i was the only person in class that needed clarifying! haha) so be on the lookout for a publishing party in the near future! haha

me, Kari (left) and Latasha (right)!!!

hangin after a house meeting...you cant really see it but the right corner of the picture is a box full of hair supplies, oils, teas (yes, apparently they put tea in their hair!) etc...funny enough, they didnt understand why i put baby powder in my hair sometimes...so we're all in the same boat! haha

The Sonic Boom!

i just attended my first JSU football game! (we WON 32-17) It was a whole different ball game from what im used to! first of all the stadium itself is about 1/8th the size of husky stadium. Second, the game started and i didnt even notice because everyone's attention was on the BAND(aka: sonic boom of mississippi)!!! I felt like i was in the movie drumline! there were dancers and cheerleaders and the band itself took up as much of the rows as the fans! (ok, thats an overexaggeration...but thats what it felt like) At one point the game had to stop because the band was playing too loud...and the fans began to boo the refs! and the half time show...oh my goodness...so different than the pac 10! I would bet that 90% of the fans were up and dancin! (if you get a chance look up the band, do it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K4c7QXtcZg) Also, all the fraternities sit together, wearin their colors and when the band starts to play, they have dances and steps already made up! It was quite the experience...next games in Memphis, heard its one of the funnest games to go to, so i'll keep ya'all posted!

STOMP the YARD!

i wish i would have gotten pictures or a video for you all but you'll have to take my word for it...stomp the yard is not just a movie...it lives on through the jackson state campus! haha! today there was a "hot spot" on the plaza-which is the main walk way to get to classes-there was a dj and people were "steppin" all over the place! (our equivalent at UW is swing dancing in red square! haha!)
OH...and the first home football game (GO TIGERS!) is this saturday so the campus is husslin and busslin with school spirit! Actually, there is more anticipation to see the band at half time than the football game, haha, so that should be fun to see and experience!
Even in all the excitement tho today was a harder day than normal...i dont know why in particular but today i have just felt the pressure of my "job" here and the goals that i am trying to reach and when i think about that i feel that i am so far from where i want to be that i am feeling a little discouraged! I think overall there is just this feeling that i need to defend myself 24/7 and im just exhausted! which is why i miss home....i def miss each individual but also i miss feeling known and being able to let my guard down! SO that said...i would ask for your prayers! but i would also like to thank you...(it sucks that sometimes you have to be deprived of something to realize what you had...so know that i dont take your love and support for granted!)