The Storm Before the Calm
Welcome to semester two of Be the Change! Last August I began a campaign of Acts of Kindness around campus at Penn State University. This spring, I will be completing and observing ten new Acts of Kindness and sharing them with all of you. I hope, through me, that you can gain a better appreciation for our community and a willingness to Be the Change.
Coming back to campus after a long, cozy winter break can feel like torture. One of my friends down the hall claimed that her mom had to physically put her bags in the car or she wasn't going to come back. You might feel like you have to start all over again; you have to make new study buddies, figure out a new schedule, and tackle a whole new set of classes while its sub-zero degrees out and the HUB Lawn is covered in five inches of snow (unless you're from Massachusetts like my roommate, this might not be the best time of the year for you). Even a week or two into the semester, you may still feel lost, just like the young man I encountered a few days ago.
I was on my way back from the Forum Building (I swear they schedule all of my first-year classes up there because they're worried I'm going to gain the freshman fifteen or something) and obviously, I didn't feel like walking all the way back to my dorm room, when I spotted the Health and Human Development Building. If you've never studied there, you're totally missing out.
I always find myself soaking in the sunlight, especially on a cold winter day. My designated spot is all the way to the right on the second floor.
I was minding my own business and watching a documentary (background: in EDSGN100H, we're redesigning toys for underdeveloped populations and I was doing research on children in Syrian refugee camps. I think documentaries are pretty nerdy, but Salam Neighbor was awesome and I'd definitely recommend that all of you take some time to watch it). Anyway, I can normally spend copious amounts of time in this spot and nobody bothers me, and I mean that in a I've never been approached in this building before kind of way. Well, out of the corner of my eye, I see this young man come up to me and stare at me for a second or two - long enough to make me a bit anxious.
Is this dude about to confront me because he has an opinion about Syrian refugees? Maybe he's angry. Oh boy, I hope he's not the angry type.
I looked up and my stomach dropped a little.
Oh no, that face looks angry, even fretful. Ugh this is just a project. I don't do confrontation. Oh no. Oh no.
I think I had a slight panic attack.
"Was there a phone on this table when you got here?"
A phone?! What does a phone have to do with refugees??
"Uhh no?" I replied.
The young man ran his hand through his hair, obviously having a horrible day.
"Can I use your phone to call it?"
WHAT? My phone is mine and he wants it? What if he steals it?
"Uhhhh, I guess." He could obviously see my hesitation.
"Hold on. I just got this phone yesterday. Let me go find the number."
That's odd. He just got a new phone yesterday?
The young man pulled one of those prepaid phone cards out of his backpack. It didn't have the number on it. I waited patiently while he found the receipt with his new phone number. My heart had softened significantly as I realized this student was probably struggling financially and he just spent a good amount of money on his new phone. He also gave me the sense that he hadn't been in the United States for a long time due to a strong accent.
He handed me the receipt and I called the number.
The phone was in his backpack. Embarrassment and relief flooded over this guy's face. I gave him a smug smile.
"Ahh it's in my backpack. Thank you so much. I'm so sorry for bothering you."
"No problem at all. I'm glad I could help!" I gave him the sweetest little princess smile I could conjure up and left him on his way.
We've all had that flustered moment when we can't find our phone. We run around our dorm rooms acting like crazy people, only to realize that the phone is in our hands.
Sometimes, we all just need to take a second to slow down and relax before we panic. Once I realized the panic this young man was going through, I knew getting angry or not helping would only make this situation worse. All I could do was sit back and let him take his time to figure out that the solution was right in front of him.
Many times in our lives, we just take things way too fast. We look way outside the box when the answer is looking us right in the face. Appreciating this lesson early on in the semester has reminded me that everything is going to be okay. There's no real reason to panic. It's better to take a step back from ourselves and let the situation figure itself out.
Coming back to campus after a long, cozy winter break can feel like torture. One of my friends down the hall claimed that her mom had to physically put her bags in the car or she wasn't going to come back. You might feel like you have to start all over again; you have to make new study buddies, figure out a new schedule, and tackle a whole new set of classes while its sub-zero degrees out and the HUB Lawn is covered in five inches of snow (unless you're from Massachusetts like my roommate, this might not be the best time of the year for you). Even a week or two into the semester, you may still feel lost, just like the young man I encountered a few days ago.
I was on my way back from the Forum Building (I swear they schedule all of my first-year classes up there because they're worried I'm going to gain the freshman fifteen or something) and obviously, I didn't feel like walking all the way back to my dorm room, when I spotted the Health and Human Development Building. If you've never studied there, you're totally missing out.
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| Compliments of aiaphiladelphia.org - Just look at all of those windows!! |
I was minding my own business and watching a documentary (background: in EDSGN100H, we're redesigning toys for underdeveloped populations and I was doing research on children in Syrian refugee camps. I think documentaries are pretty nerdy, but Salam Neighbor was awesome and I'd definitely recommend that all of you take some time to watch it). Anyway, I can normally spend copious amounts of time in this spot and nobody bothers me, and I mean that in a I've never been approached in this building before kind of way. Well, out of the corner of my eye, I see this young man come up to me and stare at me for a second or two - long enough to make me a bit anxious.
Is this dude about to confront me because he has an opinion about Syrian refugees? Maybe he's angry. Oh boy, I hope he's not the angry type.
I looked up and my stomach dropped a little.
Oh no, that face looks angry, even fretful. Ugh this is just a project. I don't do confrontation. Oh no. Oh no.
I think I had a slight panic attack.
 |
| Thanks Management, and thanks qrevolution for the advice. |
"Was there a phone on this table when you got here?"
A phone?! What does a phone have to do with refugees??
"Uhh no?" I replied.
The young man ran his hand through his hair, obviously having a horrible day.
"Can I use your phone to call it?"
WHAT? My phone is mine and he wants it? What if he steals it?
"Uhhhh, I guess." He could obviously see my hesitation.
"Hold on. I just got this phone yesterday. Let me go find the number."
That's odd. He just got a new phone yesterday?
The young man pulled one of those prepaid phone cards out of his backpack. It didn't have the number on it. I waited patiently while he found the receipt with his new phone number. My heart had softened significantly as I realized this student was probably struggling financially and he just spent a good amount of money on his new phone. He also gave me the sense that he hadn't been in the United States for a long time due to a strong accent.
He handed me the receipt and I called the number.
The phone was in his backpack. Embarrassment and relief flooded over this guy's face. I gave him a smug smile.
"Ahh it's in my backpack. Thank you so much. I'm so sorry for bothering you."
"No problem at all. I'm glad I could help!" I gave him the sweetest little princess smile I could conjure up and left him on his way.
We've all had that flustered moment when we can't find our phone. We run around our dorm rooms acting like crazy people, only to realize that the phone is in our hands.
 |
| Compliments of Apple GIFs |
Sometimes, we all just need to take a second to slow down and relax before we panic. Once I realized the panic this young man was going through, I knew getting angry or not helping would only make this situation worse. All I could do was sit back and let him take his time to figure out that the solution was right in front of him.
Many times in our lives, we just take things way too fast. We look way outside the box when the answer is looking us right in the face. Appreciating this lesson early on in the semester has reminded me that everything is going to be okay. There's no real reason to panic. It's better to take a step back from ourselves and let the situation figure itself out.
I've loved reading all your posts about the amazing random acts of kindness that you carry out on a daily basis; it's truly heartwarming and inspiring. I do agree with you 100% that the Health and Human Development building is a wonderful place to study. Not too busy, nice and updated, and - as you mentioned - lots of windows. I love how you write your back and forth conversation with the young man while also adding in the humor of your subconscious thoughts. We often forget that sometimes slowing down, relaxing, and approaching things calmly is the best way to solve our problems. Especially in a world today when we're often stuck in endlessly busy routines on a daily basis, finding a chance to help someone out is something that we should all try to do to help make the world a better place.
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