Letter from New Orleans

Sara Brabec

Dear Mark,

Your email was such a nice surprise! I¹m sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I work during the day and I¹ve been trying to finish up a paper for a class I just finished.

Thank you for taking the time to track me down, although I apologize for the difficulty…that was not at all my intent in writing you. I had just finished reading an email from a friend (actually, I think you know Rachael Hoffman) suggesting that I re-read a section from The Book of Mev and then I had an email from you! What a great coincidence.

What do I love most about Creighton? It might be somewhat cliché, but I love the people there. People at Creighton care about each other and challenge each other. That’s probably not true of everyone, but it is of the people I’ve been able to get to know.

What makes me come alive? I love journaling and being with people, not “with” in the sense that I’m in a room with someone, but in the sense that I’m really present and open to others. I enjoy writing and journaling because I seem to be able to get my thoughts out best when I put them on paper. My good friends and I have started this habit of exchanging journals and reading each other’s. It’s very scary and liberating at the same time.

I just got back from a class/immersion in El Salvador where I did the same thing with two of my classmates. Being in El Salvador made me come even more alive than I knew I could be. I’m still reflecting on and processing the experience. I was in Guarjila and the community there is just unbelievable. It’s so welcoming and nurturing. It was a sacramental trip. Right now I would like to go back to volunteer/accompany the people for a year or two after I graduate.

Again, thank you for your email. It really brightened my day. I’m in New Orleans right now and I had been having a rough couple of days. I don’t generally mind being alone, but my experiences here (coupled with the fact that I came here right after getting back from El Salvador) have me feeling a little overwhelmed and lonely. Rachael had emailed me suggesting that I reread the part of The Book of Mev from when Mev came back to the US early after being in Brazil because I’m going home earlier than I had been planning. So your email was perfectly timed in reaching me.

I, too, hope that we can talk more in the future.

Peace,

Sara

Sara Brabec is a student at Creighton University in Omamha.