Its been awhile.
Do you remember me? It's okay if you don't. My name is Katy. I like down comforters, coffee mugs, long hikes, and my camera. Good. Now we are friends again I can do this blog-ity blog thing.
The semester is just about half way through, and it gives me a gut check every time I think about how fast the time is going. I have a joke with my team at the start of every month I say well this month is almost over. You probably don't know this but I am planning on leaving FOCUS after this semester. It's bitter sweet to say the least. It hit me this past weekend on the Catholic Midshipmen Spring Retreat, that it is indeed time to take the next step in life. Not exactly sure what that entails, only God knows at this time...
The Naval Academy has been a huge part of my life these past two years, and I can say I wouldn't trade it in for anything. It was through undercooked fish that made me realize this. Let me explain. As Catholics we don't eat meat on Fridays during Lent, well actually, if you want to get technical we shouldn't be eating meat any Friday. As I choked down the fish dinner (since I was raised to always eat the food on your plate) at the retreat center, I thought about what my Grandmother would say about the fish. She is a fresh fish connoisseur, she taught me how to smell the fish and taught me you should always go behind the counter and get the stuff right off the boat. This caused many embarrassing sights at the fish market on the Jersey Shore, so much that my Father would stay in the car. What am I talking about, this still happens. As I walked out of the dining hall someone said "It will be a contest to see what cabin throws up first, that fish was way undercooked. I'm pretty sure we all have salmonella." They must have seen the look on my face of sheer terror. The stomach bug is one thing that I cannot handle. If you want to make me anxious just start saying your stomach hurts or you just threw up. So before I knew it, I had people coming up to me saying "Kattttyyy, my stomach hurts..." One after another, in my head the midshipmen were dropping like flies. I was trying my best to remain calm and not jump in my car and head home. I am not going to lie that was my first thought, and knew that I could make it home before the bacteria reached my large intestine. "There are only 4 bathrooms for every 20 people in each cabin," I thought in my head. I saw the panicked scene play out in my head, and it wasn't pretty. I tried to hide my fear with laughter, but soon, my stomach started to hurt too...
Long story short, no one got sick, because they all played a SICK [pun intended] joke on me. They all knew, somehow, that my weakness was salmonella and stomach viruses. No, one's stomach was really hurting and this one student whom shall remain nameless told a selected group of Mids to come up and tell me their stomachs were hurting.
You're probably wondering why this made me realized I am so blessed to be here. Most people wouldn't make that connection.
These Midshipmen have been my family for the past two years. Only my family would know that I have a deep-seeded fear of stomach viruses. It's ironic when you come and give your life to those around you, you expect to change their lives, but in fact, they change yours. I am facing the fact that even though these have been some of the best times and harest times of my life, God is calling me elsewhere. This elsewhere hopefully will bring me as much joy, love, and peace as this place has. Here's to the last few months of being a FOCUS missionary!
