Activity Posting 5: New Perspectives

The bright yellow house on the corner of East Houghton Drive and Townsend Drive always stood out to me (as pictured below). I noticed it my first time at Michigan Tech. The colorful exterior and prime location always made me wonder what its purpose was.

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It wasn’t until this semester that I decide to check it out. I built up the courage to do so after career fair as I was just in an environment where I was outside of my comfort zone, talking to new people. I decided to build upon that feeling. I embraced ambiguity and contacted the Canterbury house for information on some of their events. That night I went to one of their Wednesday night dinners, not knowing anyone there, or anything about it. That night I experienced something unlike anything else I have ever been to.

I was uncomfortable when I first walked in as I was an outsider to this group. At first, I tried to fit in by watching other’s actions and following them. At this point in time I had made no connections and didn’t even know what the purpose of the Canterbury house was. I realized that the quickest way to answer my growing questions would be to start interacting directly with everyone there. Once I sat down by someone an introduced myself, I quickly made a friendship and learned all about the Canterbury house through asking questions. One connection led to more as they began to integrate me into their group. I met people from all over the world. I met people from all different backgrounds. I met people that spoke different languages. I met people that didn’t even go to Michigan Tech. And all these people were working towards a common goal. At first, I thought of myself as an outsider, but by social interactions I discovered similarities between myself and the other people there.

The meal itself wasn’t anything like I expected. That night we had Seoul food. It was unlike anything I had tasted, but it was delicious. I found out that each week, the dinner is a food from a different culture to promote diversity and allow international students to share recipes. There was a lot more people at the event than I thought there would be and it was very informal. Everyone was sitting on the floors, back of chairs, at the table. This was very unusual to me. I followed suit and sat on the floor next to a group of people. This spot was also where I ate my dinner as they didn’t eat at the table, just wherever they found room. Whenever you were handed a plate you could begin eating as the food was hot and there was “no point in waiting till it gets cold”. This was also different to me because I was raised where you had to wait for everyone to get their food before you begin eating the meal. I didn’t like the feeling that I was eating while others were still waiting for food. I kept looking around to see how other people would react, but to them it was normal. Nobody seemed to mind the scattered mealtime or waiting for their food to arrive. The dinner was only an hour long, but I ended up staying much later, helping clean up, meeting more people, playing games, socializing, and learning about those that I had met that night. Throughout my life, I have come to value the conversations after a meal as people are often more open and share stories from their lives during this time.

In no time, I had learned that the Canterbury House is a resource for students at Michigan Tech provided through the Episcopal Church. However, it does not press their religious affiliation within the house. They don’t have anything religiously based at the house. Anyone is welcome there as it was established as a welcoming and supportive environment to provide a service to students and the local community. It is meant to be utilized for their resources and provide a safe space where you are surrounded by people in an open and accepting space. Their core values include providing resources, sustainability, promoting diversity and inclusion, and helping members in the community community. The Canterbury House is not very recognized on campus, but they host a lot of events and activities, provide language lessons for international students, have a food pantry, have study and social spaces, and provide Wednesday night dinners such as the one I went to. Everyone I met there was very welcoming and insistent that I come back for following Wednesday night dinners. And I definitely want to. The environment created at the House is very comfortable. Their shared goal of creating an inclusive, diverse, welcoming, and supportive environment become more and more evident the more time I spent at the house. They aren’t the largest of groups, but they are a part of a social movement on campus.

I have seen a lot of the individuals I met that night throughout campus, in classes, in the library, or at other events. I learned a lot from going to the Canterbury house that night and hope to return and learn more. Their mission to create an inclusive campus is a beautiful one and I believe that with their influence and the help of others that it can be reached.

Sources:

https://www.involvement.mtu.edu/organization/canterbury-house-council