mikao's world

Interview

Thanks to Jake for my questions.

1) If given the choice where would you most like to do ministry? Why?

Hmm… I think if you asked me that question, right now, which you did… well, I would say in Ontario.

I really have nothing concrete to tie me anywhere geographically, my family doesn't live where I grew up any more (I've never lived where they live so I don't know anyone there), I have been at school in Saskatchewan for almost 5 years but my friends here are transient so they wouldn’t be around long, and I have lived somewhere different every summer for all my summers while doing my post secondary schooling, except for the past two summers, which I spent in Ontario (my other summers were spent in Illinois, the Yukon, Maine, and Alberta).

I choose Ontario because I like the people I have met there and I miss them. Of course, something ministry does is give you new contacts, new friends. But I hate starting from scratch. I like meeting new people, but in the context of already knowing some.

When I did my internship in Illinois (I was a youth intern at a church) I went there knowing literallyno one. I had spoken to the youth pastor I was going to be working with only a couple of times on the phone and via email for a few months. I wouldn’t do that again. The job I took in the Yukon, working at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere, also involved me going and not knowing anyone, as did the job in Maine (working at a private girls’ camp).

I like knowing people and having established contacts. I’m a people person. For me, the past two summers have helped me realize that I’m not an introvert (despite always being told I was one!).

Well, that was a long answer. I think the proper answer would be wherever Christ leads me. I think too much in terms of "safety net."

2) What made you want to begin to blog?

The first blog I ever saw was kathleen's, in May 2002 I think. Then in September last year I found a few more and eventually started my own.

I always wanted to journal, but keeping a paper journal never lasted long for me. I like the internet, and typing, so typing online made logical sense.

I love the community aspect of blogging. I love reading what other people have to say, and also leaving comments and recieving them. I love the interactive community feel of blogging. I think that's what keeps me going at it.

3) What has been the biggest difference or change for you from college to graduate school?

That's easy.... the lack of a daily schedule. All of my classes are modular format, which mean they only last a week, 9-5 every day. And each semester I only take three classes, so really I'm only in class for three out of twelve weeks. The rest of the time is technically for homework (there are pre-course assignments due the first day of class, and post-course assignments due two months after the class is over). And, while there are people who do do homework 9-5 every week day they are not in class, I'm not one of those people.

I do try to get things done. But I'm not going to spend forever on them, I'm not that committed to my studies.

4) When did you first know that God existed? and (borrowing a question from Jen at Meditatio) what was your most powerful spiritual experience?

To the first question, I don't have any recollection of that. I can remember attending church with my older sister when I was about 3 or 4 years old, and I can also remember going to Vacation Bible School around the same time with her and a friend of ours.

I went through a time of doubt that God existed in junior high, and went to a youth retreat in grade 8 (eighth grade for you Americans!, age 13 for everyone else), coming to realize that in fact God truly did exist.

And, what was my most powerful spiritual experience? I think I would probably have to say being silenced by God at a worship service I was once at. I don't remember when it was, sometime in the last year or two.

5) When you lived in the United States did you notice many cultural differences between the US and Canada?

The first time I lived in the U.S. I was in Maine, working at a private girls' summer camp for 9 weeks. I was 21. The majority of the staff was from overseas, so we didn't really interact with many Americans our age.

The second time I lived in the U.S. was summer 2001 when I worked as a youth intern in Illinois for 3 months. Someone I worked with always asked me if there were any major cultural differences and I could never really think of anything at the time!

However, specific to the part of Illinois I was in, and the Western Canadian culture I have grown up in, I would say that the following things are the major cultural differences I noticed:
- the US has a higher emphasis on excelling in sports at the high school level. Canadians don't, for the most part, get scholarships for playing sports.
- Americans tend to have less of a knowledge of other countries/customs/cultures than Canadians, and don't care about it at all really.
- you Americans don't know the wonders of donuts like we Canadians do. Tim Horton's is seriously the best donut chain, hands down! Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' Donuts, etc... they aren't really that great. The city I lived in in Illinois only had one bakery, no donut shops. It was a tragic situation to be in. ;)
- Interstates. We don't have Interstates. Some of the 400-series highways in Ontario remind me of Interstates, but they aren't really the same thing.
- Toll-Roads. We only have one in Canada. Your eastern states have them everywhere!
- Our Smarties are better than your "smarties".
- Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate and Nutty Bars... we don't have those. I have been thinking about starting an importing business that imports them into Canada.
- You guys are also missing out on the fact that you don't have ketchup flavoured potato chips. No, they don't really taste like ketchup! but you can't really describe the flavour. they're good. especially Old Dutch brand.

Hmmm..... that's all I can think of. Canada and the US are similar in many ways. We mostly speak the same language. We mostly watch the same television shows.

It's mostly just colder up here.

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The Interview Meme
1. If you want to participate, leave a comment saying "interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions — each person's will be different.
3. You will update your journal or blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.