All Grown Up: And Doing Fine, Issue One

8/14/2019 All Grown Up: And Doing Fine, Issue One

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All Grown

UP...and doing fne

Edition 1, Volu

Stories of

Life After

Graduation

Featuring:

Eliza SwedenborLaura Groenjes

Luke GarrisonDanielle HarmsGreg Boone

Laura Groenjes

Eliza Swed

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IimagineIwasnottheonlyonewondering,whilestandinginthesunoutsidethechapel,lineduptowalkintoHollingsworthStadium,

onthatateuldayweallgraduatedhow,IwasgoingtosurvivebeyondtheconnesandwithoutthecomortsoGustavusAdolphusCollege.IimagineIwasnottheonlyonewonderingtowhomIwasgoingtotalk,withwhomIwasgoingtoeatlunch,arguepolitics,andtalkaboutbooksandbigideas.IimagineIwasnottheonlyonejustalittleworriedaboutwhatlieOutTerewouldbelike.Somethingtoldmeitwouldallworkout,thatitwouldbeasurvivableadventure,andthatIwouldmakenewriendswithwhomIwoulddoallthosethingsIwasconcernedaboutmissingrommydaysasaGustie.

WhenweletHollingsworththatday,weallembarkedonourown

adventures.SomeouswentontolawschoolslikeWilliamMitchellandmedicalschoolslikeTeUniversityoWisconsinMadison,otherswentintotheLutheranVolunteerCorps.andotherserviceorganizations,startedtheircareers,orrelocatedtootherpartsotheglobe.

AllGrownUpisapublicationtokeepusintheloopwitheach

other.Itisacollectionostories,poems,photographs,andarticleswrittenbyourriendsandclassmatesromourcollegedays.alesromtheRealLiebeataboutthestrugglesandrewardsopost-collegiatelie.Inthisissuewehavevestoriesromarmers,teachers,andnewsiesromtheclasso2009,andseveralphotographs.Wehopetomakethispublicationasaccessibleaspossible,andareplanningonlaunchingawebsitetomakeallothearticlesavailableontheweb.Inthenextissue,

wehopetoalsoincludeapageobriestories,shout-outs,andothershortsnippetsromreaderswhodonothavethetime,means,desire,orenergytowriteaullarticle.

IyouwouldliketosubmitanythingtoAllGrownUpintheuture,

[email protected],orcontactmesomeotherway.Iitcanbeprintedwecanacceptit.Tanks,andenjoytherstissueoAllGrownUp.

Greg BooneEditor

Whats Inside?

What its all

About:

Teacher in TrainingLarua Groenjes, Page 3

How to Tell Time on the FarmEliza Swedenborg, page 2

I have learned how beautiful time is inthe shape of an egg in my hands, fresh

out of the coop (who wants pancakes forbreakfast?)

ElizaisaworkingonanorganicarminMinnesota.ShewasanEnvironmentalStudiesmajoratGustavusandwastheCommentaryEditorortheGustavianWeekly.Shewasalsotheco-ounderothestudentarm.Shewritesabouthertimeworkingathernewarmonpage2.MoreinormationabouttheBigHillFarmatGustavuscanbeoundonlineathttp://adventuresatbighill.blogspot.com/

Welcome to the life of a kindergartenteacher.

LaurawasanEnglishmajorduringhertimeatGustavus.ShewastheEditorinChieotheGustavian

Weekly.ReadmoreaboutherlieasateacheroreachorAmericaonpage3.Sheisdocumentingtheups,downandpleasuresobeingateacherintrainingathttp://lauragroenjes.blogspot.com

Its all (News) To MeLuke Garrison, page 4

I walked across the stage to receive

my diploma and before I knew it I wasmoved out and on my way back home.

LukeGarrisonwasaCommunicationStudiesmajoratGustavus.HealsoanchoredandreportedorGACVandwasaGustavusStudentSenateco-presidentwithShawnGrygo.LukeisnowproducingorKSP-VinSt.Paul,MN.Hewritesonpage4abouthisnewcareerandrefectsonhisouryearsatGustavus.KSP-Visonlineathttp://kstp.com

Im Not Mad, Just DisappointedDanielle Harms, page 5

Thus far my time in the Republic ofKorea...has been fraught with revelationsand realizations.

DanielleHarmswasanEnglishandPoliticalSciencemajoratGustavus.ShewastheFeatureseditororTeGustavianWeeklyin2009andswamortheGustavusSwimeam.Shewritesonpage5abouttheprocessoadaptingtoanewcountryandanewjob.DanielleisateacherataprivateacademyinSouthKorea.DanielleisbloggingwithGregBooneathttp://kgsm.gac.edu/rok

Danielle Harms

Laura Groenjes

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Tis morningIwokeuptocolorsLisaFrank would drool over.Pinksandpurplesswamovertheoutstretchedskylineomybig-skyprairiecountry,myhomeuntilthisOctober.Tesunisrisingnoticeablylatereverydaynow,andImstartingtogetthatalleeling,thoughthisyearIrealizeithasnothingtodowithareturntoschool.Ithaseverythingtodowiththatguteelingotime.Ihaveletthe9to5orawhileandamlearningabouthowtoliveonarmtime.Farmtime,asIhavebeguntounderstandit,demandsthatyoulivein

thepresent,butitisalsoaboutacknowledgingthecyclesotimewelivein.

Ihavelearnedhowbeautiultimeisintheshapeoanegginmyhands,reshoutothecoop(whowantspancakesorbreakast?).Ihavelearnedtoreplacethetickingoa clockwiththe lightplunkogreen beansdroppedintobigblackcrates.InowknowthatjustbecauseIamcakedinmuddoesntmeanpappablack-birdwillagreeitsagoodtimeormetowashointhepondIdontblamehimorbeingprotectiveohisbabies,butIwishhewouldntswoopsoclosetomyhead.Ihavealsolearned

thattherearemanythingsthatjusthavetobedonewhentheyhavetobedone;plantinganewsuccessionocarrotswateringthegreenhouseandharvestingwildraspberrieswhenthewildraspberriesareripe,orexample.Terealso things like addressing the presence o the rougechicken,housewrenorthemulti-bodily-disunctionalcat

thatisinexplicablyinmycabin,regardlessowhatmyplanswerebeoreIdiscovered

it.Techickensespeciallyalwayskeepmeonmytoes.

Ontopothis,Iamlearningaboutpeopletime.Ihaveknownorawhilethatthemoonkeepsthetimeinmybelly,andIambeginningtounderstandwhatthatmeansExpelledromtheexclusiveworldothecollegestuden(early-twenty-something-year-oldsonly,please),Iamnowsurroundedbymenandwomenoallages.Ihaveriendswithbabies.Ihaveriendswithgrandkids.Ihaveriendswhopreparingorthebirthotheirrstchild.AndIamwatchingmyowngrandparentsmoveintoahomewhertheycangetmorehelp.Itsdifcultormetoadmithowold theyarenow;I cant imaginehowdifcult itis othem.

Whatabout me? Well, Imstillworkingonthe armRight now its cricket-tomato-rst acorns-oclock. Iam very much looking orward to wool sweater-hochocolate-applepie-oclock,nottomentionstartingmyownamily-oclockIvegotsomethingstodobeoreIgettothelatter,ocourse.Startingwithsomesleep.Goodnight,riends!Sweetdreamsandmoonbeams

Sweet dreams and

moonbeams...

How to tell time...

...on the Farm

Eliza Swedenborg

Te beauty of time in the shape of an egg in her hands. Eliza Swedenborg

Background photo: Sundials by Carmichael. Creative Commo

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Teacherin

Training

Laura Groenjes

Welcometo the life of akindergarten

teacherer...

Ispent most o last night coloring with markers. Te nightbeore, I spent hours cutting out circles or a days o theschool year caterpillar. In the background: Jack Johnsons songs

rom the Curious George movie.Welcome to the lie o a kindergarten teacher.Its been a whirlwind summer.

I let or Colorado the morningater graduation and was throwninto each For America inductiontraining literally 30 minutes aterarriving in Denver. Ater our dayso Denver-specic orientation,I ew down to steamy Atlanta,Georgia, where I spent most omy summer in FAs institute (akateacher bootcamp) teaching 2nd

grade summer school.Te ve weeks I spent in

Atlanta were the most stressul andchallenging weeks o my lie, butalso the most rewarding. Qualityteaching is a dicult skill to learn in a matter o weeks and theschedule FA put us on allowed or only 3-4 hours o sleep pernight. Oten, it was hard to see the light at the end o the tunnel,but I survived and can condently say it was worthwhile. I grew as ateacher in the span o ve weeks and ormed such a close bond withmy teaching partners and our adorable 8-year-old students. Onestudent in particular drenched my shirt in tears on the last day oschool all because he didnt want to see me go.

Ive been in Colorado or about our weeks nowand spent almost every day in Denver Public Schoolstraining. Ill be teaching ull day kindergarten at SabinInternational Elementary School in Southwest Denver.Sabin is an International Baccalaureate Primary YearsProgram School (http://sabin.dpsk12.org/IBPYP), whichbasically means we teach inquiry based instruction,encouraging our students to become critical thinkers even in kindergarten! When I was applying or jobs

back in January, Sabin was my top pick. I eel so lucky tohave ended up here. Te IB program means that I havea lot more training and expectations than most rst yearteachers, but Im really excited to learn more about IBand implement the strategies in my classroom. I denitelythink itll make me a better teacher overall.

As with most schools that FA places teachers in,Sabin is a school that serves primarily students rom lowerincome households. Almost 80% o our students qualiyor ree or reduced cost lunch. Academically, our studentsperorm ar below the state average in Colorado, but wereclosing in on district averages.

Denver Public Schools typically graduates about

50% o its seniors each year. Te achievement gap is hugeand the majority o students who dont graduate are romminority populations. Colorado Govenor Bill Ritter hasset a goal o halving the achievement gap in the nextdecade and the legislature last year allocated $1.8 millionto develop a pilot program to assist six school districts

in closing achievement gaps associated with race and/or income.Colorado believes that each For America can be part o thesolution, which is why the Colorado corps was able to expand romjust 50 corps members in last years corps to 125 in 2009.

Although many people may brush kindergarten ofacademically, believing the misconception that kindergarten is onlyabout playing games and making art projects, this is denitely not

the case in todays educational environment when even kindergartenis high stakes. I I dont develop in my students a love or education

and a healthy curiosity, i Idont provide them with theundamental reading, writing,and math skills they need, theywill leave my class even moredisadvantaged than when theyarrived.

Im extremely nervous aboutthe year to come, about thepressure on me as a teacher tosucceed in this all-too-important

job ater only 3 months otraining. However, Im alsoabsolutely giddy to meet myadorable 5 and 6 year olds this

week. Te benet o kindergarten is: even i I bomb a lesson, iI umble my words, add incorrectly at the end o the day, mystudents will probably still love me.

Lie is shaping up quite nicely here in Denver. Galen has takenup the hobby o home brewing beer and will be starting his secondbatch this week. As soon as we get settled into our own apartment,Ill be a bread-making end again. I youre ever in the Denver area,let me know. I can promise homemade beer, bread, and a spare bed!

A Kindergarten Teacher WearsOh So Many Hats

Footwear Latticing Engineer: ying approximately 20 pairso shoes a day (some several times each day).

Search and Rescue Professional:Helping stranded 5 yearolds down rom the high monkey bars since 2009.

First Aid Responder:Applying band-aids to every wound,rom severe to nonexistent.

Relationship Expert:When so-and-so doesnt want to be myriend, Im there to oer sage advice like, did you try askingso-and-so to be your riend? I bet theyll say yes!

Ms. Groenjes,I like you even

more than I likechocolate!

From top to bottom: Te cubbies are labeled, the class mascot is lookingriendly, and the pretend kitchen is assembled. Tis room is ready orstudents to fll it.

All photos by LauraGroenjes

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I didnt know how I would feel followinggraduation. Gustavus was a place where I thrivedand felt very comfortable. I knew most everyone

there and I felt like I had a pretty good graspon what I was doing. Well, May 31came around and I really didnthave time to process all I wasgoing through. At 4 a.m. thenext morning I would start anew life at KSTP-TV in the TwinCities.

I walked across the stage to receive my diplomaand before I knew it I was moved out and on myway back home. Now I am a news producer for

Channel 5, and I love it. I also moved into a newapartment on Grand Avenue in St. Paul withtwo fellow Gusties, and I love that too. The weirdthing is, I havent missed Gustavus as much as Ithought I wouldalthough I am going back for thefrst time this weekend to see a wedding, and that

might change my feelings.

The one thing I have noticed is thatGusties really do stick together. We havea great network that seems to always

appear (in Minnesota anyway). Even inthis new life that we all are embarkingon right now, I really feel aconnecting point.

Even though now I do not feel like I have agreat grasp on all that Im doing, I feel comfortknowing that Gustavus prepared me for thispoint. I actually think its kind of exciting to beout on your own, paying your own bills, and beingaccountable for what you do. I have learned thisthe hard way.

To give you a sample, my car got towed indowntown Minneapolis and I had to pay $250to get it back. My second roommate (who willremain anonymous) had two rent checks bounceand we had to fght with our landlord to stay in

the apartment. Just a coupleof real-world events, but eventhough they suck at the time

you live to see another day.

And those dayshave beengreat overall.

I have a blastgetting a beer with

friends after work, or meeting upfor coffee and catchingup with whoever, and playingin an old mans beer league

for softball. I have a blastbeing accountable for writingnewscasts that reach thousandsof Minnesotans each day.

Gustavus gave us a sample ofthe real world, but I like that

my bubble is now popped.Each day brings new

challenges andexcitement, but we

are here and we areworking hard to putour skills and talents

into good use.

I hope all of you areenjoying post-collegelife as much as I am,and please, lets stay intouch. This is a greatway to do so.

Its AllNews To MeLuke Garrison

One thing I havenoticed is that

Gusties really do

stick together.

I have a blast being accountablefor writing newscasts that reachthousands of Minnesotans each

day.

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hus ar my time in the Republic o Korea (which is the onein the south, lest there be any conusion) has been raughtwith revelations and realizations. Some were o a practical nature,like my discovery that watery bathroomoors actually indicate cleanliness andnot a combination o neglect and badaim. Some made me scratch my head,like the many ways the English languageis misused and then illuminated onsigns or stitched on shirts, like the tailoradvertising costume-made suits and thestore selling Boston, Massachubatts hoodies. Some have taken time,like my ull awareness o the many ways or-prot education can bea pain in the backside. Others have been down-right disturbing, likethe stark realization that I am, really and truly, no longer a collegestudent, and that perhaps all o lie does not organically unold likemy experience at Gustavus Adolphus College.

I admit, lie since May 31, 2009 has not been the pits. Inact, its been a pretty exciting adventure. I moved to a charmingsuburb northwest o Seoul with the quaint population o just overa million people. I started teaching elementary students Englishin a hogwan, and I gured out what a hogwan was (I admit, theorder o events was not ideal). I moved into an apartment, receiveda piece o paper I am told indicates I have health insurance, andeven received a couple paychecks. I learned how to use chopsticks,explored ancient palaces, listened to Buddhist monks meditate ina serene temple surrounded by skyscrapers, and joined a group oexpat writers publishing a literary journal that will soon include oneo my poems. Last week I even got my second graders to sing along

to Schoolhouse Rock. All in all, its been a pretty decent couple omonths.

Despite that, Ive been plagued by the nagging eeling thatsomething is amiss. Initially I chalked this up to a mild case oculture shock, but I think more accurately what I have elt could

arise in all countries and cultures, whether amiliar or new, andshould more accurately be called joining-the-real-world shock, adierent illness altogether.

Settling into lie in Korea has been smooth, surprisingly

smooth, moving at a business-as-usual pace, like a canoe quietlypushing away rom the shore. Even as part o me is proud oa relatively easy transition rom one stage to another, a moreresistant part o me wishes I were on a boat making a ew moreripples. I suppose I have been unconsciously awaiting the bignale to my real-world arrival.

Where is Koreas version o a momentous dinner withHank outain blowing a train whistle and announcing theofcial commencement o a transormative journey? Ater aguy named Eddie picked me up at Seouls airport and a daystraining at headquarters, my job started and everyone returnedto their normal routines. I have now honed in on a voice insidemy head that was sounding a naive alarm, saying, Who orgot

to push the pause button? Cant you see that I am jumping intothe real world? Shouldnt there be streamers and an orientation

week, or goodness sake? But o course or nearly everyone aroundme, this is lie as usual, and the Real World certainly wouldntoperate very well i it paused whenever a new member joined theranks.

I suspect the presumption that every new start will inevitablybe as ceremonious and communal as the one Gustavus created orus is a dangerously wide-eyed expectation. I now see how much wehave to owe to the tireless planning that resulted in our welcome toGustavus, a ramework diligently designed to provide us each withour pick o situations engineered or strong relationships to orm

impressively ast. It turns outthe real world does not oerthe same service (althoughmuch o it does oeruniversal health insurance,

which is nice).So I really did graduate

rom college, and there are no Gustie Greeters lurking in the busheswaiting or the right moment to pounce with whistles, the rouser,and 15 assigned riends. Nor are there dorms with open doors,campus centers requented by those employed to enhance my dailyenrichment, or academic buildings packed with highly trainedproessionals under orders to give me a whole person education.

Tere is no PJs Pizza on production night o the Weekly or longpre-exam nights in the library that buzzed with the eeling youthat we were all in this together. Luckily South Koreas situated ina small corner o a big world, with lots o people, many o whom Ibet enjoy good riends, quality conversation, shared experiences, andoccasional un. But college was a sweet ride, one I am going to miss.Im just glad Gustavus set the bar high.

And thats my revelation or today. As or the soggy bathroomoors and merits o non-prot education, well, those will have to

wait or another day. Tis boat might be leaving the port, but on theway out, Im taking my time.

Danielle Harms

Im Not

Just Disappointed

MA

D

Where is Koreas version of a momentousdinner with Hank Toutain blowing atrain whistle and announcing the ofcial

commencement of a transformative journey?

Photos by Danielle Harms

Above: Te ancient palace of Chandeokgung in Seoul. Below: Seouls skyline at

dusk seen f rom Namsan ower.

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Snippets and Shouts:Brief dispatches from the real life beat

Dateline: Goyang, Korea:Since this publication isall about us keeping in touchwith each other, we wanted tomake it as easy as possible or allo us to do it. Whether it is law,medical, or graduate school, ulltime teaching or the frst time,

or the sheer business o everyday lie out there in the realworld, we know that some o you do not have the timeor energy to write something as long as the articles on

pages 2-5 but may still want to contribute. Tis page isor you. On this page you can contribute short stories,under 100 words, to say a quick hello, tell someone ora group o people, you are thinking about them or thatyou hope to see them soon or just report in that you arealive and well wherever lie has taken you.

While we will defnitely execise editorial control indetermining what we publish on this page, it is, or themost part, totally open or whatever you want to post.o submit a snippet or this page, send an email withAll Grown Up Snippets in the subject line, and yourcurrent location in the text to [email protected] well do our best to get you in the next issue. Eachsnippet entry will look something like this.Greg Boone

Image: Google Maps

We all met so many wonderul people during our timeat Gustavus,All Grown Up is a hand-crated way okeeping up with all o them at the same time. We hopeyou ound something in the stories here, and most oall, we hope you were able to get a window o insightinto the people and things you may miss rom our almamater.

o submit an entry or a snippet or to let us knowsomeone who wants to subscribe to this magazine pleasesend an email to Greg Boone. We can take poetry, non-fction, fction, photos, and anything else that can beprinted. Tank you or reading this frst edition oAllGrown Up. See you next time.

Geilo, Creative Commons

Joe Lencioni, 05 http://shiftingpixel.com

Nancy Harms

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Thanks for Reading...

And wherever in the world this may fnd yo

Happy Adventure

Danielle H

Greg Boone