New Kid on the Block

I remember when I was in elementary school and word got out that there was a new student, it was like crazy big news. Everyone was excited to see who this “new kid” might be. The more and more I think about it, everyone I knew got excited when a they heard there was a new kid at school even when I was in high school. I think we all just fell in love with the mystery of who that person might be. It seemed that once a week or so went by and everyone met the new kid, the anomaly wore off, and they were just a normal student like all of us. If you were a new student, you had all the pressure in the world to give off a strong first impression.

As Faith said, I will be I guess you can say “contributing” to this great blog every now and then. Faith and I met back two summers ago in Chicago. I was working for YouthWorks! mission trips, and she came to our site for a mission trip with her church. It's crazy to think that months after we met, we reconnected and have been friends since. It's amazing, I met over 500 students that summer, and some how we are still friends now and share our faith stories (God made sure of it!). I personally never get tired of hearing her stories from Nicaragua, they're like super awesome. So about me, first off I'm not usually one to talk about myself so I'll keep my introduction brief. My name's Andrew (obviously), I'm 21 years old and a junior at Western Michigan University. I'm in the School of Social Work here with a minor in Alcohol and Drug Addiction Studies. I love football, basketball, music, you know the usual. I love to write too but I've gotten away from it recently (being a college student can be so freaking busy I'm telling ya). So when Faith said that I should start contributing to her great blog, it was like a perfect opportunity. I now have motivation to start writing again; at least creative writing.

In a way, I'm kind of like the new kid in town at least to this blog. I somehow tried to describe myself in a few sentences so you guys would be familiar with who I am, and want to keep reading. Are first impressions over rated? I can tend to see both sides of an argument to that one. I know I catch myself putting so much stock into first impressions and then later I realize that person is nothing like I thought they were. Anyone ever have that? What I'm getting at is that if you were the new kid at the school, how would you want everyone to see you? Would you change anything about your current self, and why? I often times think to myself and ask would I like me if I met me. I know its crazy, but it's a great way to examine yourself and see if there are some things you really need to work on (I know I've got plenty to improve on). Also, would people know right away that you were a Christian, or is it something you'd hide for a little bit? You only get one first impression, and while they may be a little over-rated there is no doubt people put stock in them. So when you give off your first impression are you 100% you?

I look forward to being a part of this blog, and I'd like to thank Faith for letting this new kid sit at the cool table at lunch.