Frustrated with Fair Trade

I am desperate for a new pair of shoes.

At the beginning of the summer, I needed a pair of black shoes for working in a kitchen. It was also my first time buying new shoes in a very long time, and I wanted to make sure they were sweatshop free. So from store to store we went, looking for the label "Made in Canada" or "Made in the USA." We found a pair eventually, after exausting three malls and several other shoe stores. My shoes are ugly as sin, a men's pair of runners that I actually had to go over in permanent marker to make entirely black, but at least they are functional and (I assume?) exploitation-free!

Now I'm looking for nice shoes to wear out and about, especially for the Fall. I've been bumming off my Mom and sister for months now, and that's not fair to them nor is it good for my feet.

Knowing what I was up against, I was in an apathetic mood the other day and my Mom and I went shopping for just any pair of shoes I would like, sweatshops involved or no sweatshops involved. We went to our local outlet mall.

I am actually desperate for a lot of different articles of clothing, especially clothes I don't feel comfortable buying second-hand, like socks and pajama shorts. So, the first store we went into, I got some socks and pajama shorts there.

After that, we had ZERO luck finding anything. I would find shoes that I loved, but they wouldn't be in my size. I don't have overly large or small feet so that doesn't usually happen to me, but it happened over and over again that day.

I was in such an apathetic mood that I even began trying on new clothes from various stores, regardless of where they were made. *ITS JUST TOO DAMN HARD TO FIND ANYTHING ETHICAL!* I justified. Also, my Mom was paying, and its a lot easier to buy new when someone who can afford it is paying for it. Even still, I never found anything that fit properly or that I liked.

Frustrated and tired in one of the last shoe stores in the mall, one of us realized I was no longer carrying the bag of pajamas and socks. Apparently I had set it down somewhere. My Mom went off to find it while I tried on more shoes, but came back empty handed about 25 minutes later. It seems my socks and pjs had been stolen. (Seriously, who steals something like that?)

So, the day was actually counter-productive. And I still have nothing.

There is a fair trade clothing store in town, but the quality of clothes that it sells is low. I've had several articles of clothing fall apart on me now.

Later that night, still apathetic and also annoyed now, I was listening to the song, "Waking Up in Vegas" by Katy Perry. And, as odd as this sounds, I feel like God used that song to speak to me about my apathy. Words like, "Shut up and put your money where your mouth is / That's what you get for waking up in Vegas" totally spoke to my heart.

And so, I still need new shoes, but I'm learning that I need to not give up on the pursuit of justice, even in decisions as small as my choice of shoes for the Fall. Because God's heart is with the oppressed, and even though I live in the privileged part of the world, a part of the world that partially got so rich by exploiting the other majority of the world, that doesn't mean I need to be a part of that!

To Facebook or Not To Facebook...

Pros:
1) Its easier to stay in touch.
2) You get invited to a lot of events / find out about a lot of open events. And it even has a nice convenient spreadsheet of what's going on and who's going.
3) Hours of "keeping in touch" with people you don't want to know that you actually care about knowing what's new with them.
4) Easy photo sharing.
5) I had a nice number of friends, once upon a time. I looked like I was popular without being one of those people who obnoxiously adds every person they've ever encountered. Why this is important to me I don't know.
6) Its a nice way of saying, "Hey! I acknowledge your existence! Lets be friends!"
7) A LOT of e-mails to check when you sign in to your e-mail address. I had forgotten about that.

Cons:
1) It robs us of our youth. There are better ways to spend life than in front of a screen all day.
2) It shouldn't matter to me what so-and-so from Grade One is up to, even if he did turn out to be hott.
3) Its a collosal waste of time.
4) E-mails and letters make people feel more special.
5) Its kind of awkward now to be like, "Hey, can I have your e-mail address?"
6) Now I youtube a lot more.
7) I miss stalking people.

Tony Campolo has a Special Place in My Heart

At camp when I was 16, we had a choice of several different seminars to attend. I attended one on homosexuality. The leader introduced the topic saying, "I may say some things that your parents wouldn't agree with..." and then he pulled out a book by Tony Campolo called Speaking My Mind which talks about a whole slew of awkward topics, homosexuality included. I was introduced to a lot of new thoughts. Not too long after I went out and bought the book myself. Now its one of my favourites.


And thus began my awkward stumbling towards a belief system that was less about abstinence (Ironically I chose that seminar over the one my friends were going to - one on sexual purity.) and more about getting my hands dirty.

Life Updation

About six weeks ago, I was feeling very alone in the world. Since I hadn't been to church in, well, months, I decided it was time I started going back. So, I went to a student church called The Embassy. I didn't know anybody who would be there, and because of that I almost didn't go. Anytime I've ever gone before I've gone with friends, we've shuffled in and then immediately shuffled out at the end, only ever talking amongst each other. Occasionally I'll see a few people I knew from camp and I'll awkwardly catch up with them for five minutes. But that has always been the extent of it. So I wasn't expecting much.

I was really intimidated at first. I chose a seat in a row where nobody was sitting yet and I sat right in the middle. Then some guy came and sat on the very end of the row on one side and another guy came and sat on the other end. Goody, I thought, pretending to read the book I happened to have with me. I figured I'd be sitting alone all night.

But then! Then a girl and her friends came in late and for some reason they all split up. She sat near me, and at "mingle time" (that awkward hand-shaking time that I usually loathe) we really hit it off! She introduced me to her friends afterwards and I ended up meeting like nine people that night! I stayed for an extra hour or so meeting various people! It was excellent.

And now, long story short, I'm going to be one of the leaders in The Embassy Student Association (ESA) at the University of Waterloo come the Fall. I'll be one of three people in charge of the missional aspect of the ESA, the mission being to serve the students of the univesity emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Among other things, we're going to attempt to set up communities of students, where everyone who wants to participate will be notified of the other students in their area and we'll all have an open-door policy towards each other. And we'll be intentional about using that open-door policy too. The focus will be to do life together - boring life, like eating and reading and studying and fixing stuff and making stuff and whatever! As well as doing exciting life together too, obviously. The goal is, more or less, to set up Christian communities (where people who aren't Christian are also very welcome) who live out redemption together. We're kind of basing the idea off of this sermon, which, though long, and slow to begin, is totally worth the time it takes to listen to it.

To me, this is pretty exciting, because my friend (coincidentally the head of the ESA) and I want to start a Christian community house the following year, so this is very much a step in the right direction for that!

I've also met another girl at church passionate about homelessness. We've decided that this year, every week we're going to find someone homeless and take them out for lunch. I love it!

In conclusion, I'm really looking forward to the Fall, and the explosive potential of everything I'm getting involved in.

There is also much more that is new with me, but that would take a lot to type out.

Ta ta for now!

Adventures in Port Burwell

The "Dinosaur Tree" (because it looks like the bottom of a dinosaur, no?)



Drying the dishes!



Umm... yes.



An Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind kind of day



Matt thoughtfully reading



A kerfuffle waiting to happen



Me and some girl I met at camp once with Port Burwell's infamous lighthouse in the back



Pretending we don't know how to smile because that's just our sense of humour.



Port Burwell's Summer Festival



Summer Bliss



Shortly After pretending to be Venus in Botticelli's Birth of Venus

Wedding Dress

As a bridesmaid to my former roommate who is getting married in November, the two of us have discussed wedding ideas a LOT. My favourite idea of ours is an LOTR themed wedding, complete with elvin cloaks for the wedding party and the use of a fog machine as we all walk down the isle to Enya at a midnight ceremony. Obviously the wedding ring would have elvish on it and would be presented by two small men dressed like hobbits. She likes this idea but only in theory.

Anyway, all this talk has got me thinking a bit about what I would like one day.

My friend wanted "fairy sleeves" on her wedding dress and when I googled that, I found a dress I fell in love with!

Here it is:



Now, all I need is a groom.

Not Tiptoeing... Or Something

In a word, I want to do something crazy.

Having just gotten back from a wonderful week of camping, I've had a lot of time to reflect on who I want to be.

I want to be counter-cultural. I want to be radical. I want to appear insanely awkward by following my convictions with absolute purity.

Part of this is my selfish desire to show off, to shock and awe while spitting in the face of convention. But I also really do want to follow a Savior who was known for being offensively counter-cultural too.

I have a very strong urge to:
1) Be homeless for a while.
2) See if I can arrange to live with an Old Order Mennonite family for an extended period of time to see what extreme unapologetic simplicity looks like in action.

But I think realistically that all needs to wait until I finish school.

But I want to be insanely awkward NOW!

And I can be insanely awkward now.

Bah. I have commitment issues.

Basically, what I'm saying, is please pray for me.