Over the summer, one of my education professors had our class do a project that she did with her high school students in English. The project was titled the "I" Bag. In it, we were expected to fill the bag with 5 things that mean something to us, whether that would be a keepsake from a trip, an old letter from a friend, a symbolic item used to represent you, a picture that means something, etc. It's a pretty personal project, but at the same time is one that really gets people to look at the things in their lives and discover the meaning. So, for my English class, I decided to assign this project for next week.
I think the project is contingent on the fact that the teacher needs to do one to as a sort of ice-breaking example. But in a way, it's a good way for people to get to know other people, and for the students to learn a little something about me. So, for the few people that read this thing, here's my "I" Bag (sorry, no pictures... maybe I'll post them soon)...
The first and most obvious item in the bag is a Canadian flag. I bought this flag (okay, maybe I stole it from the basement in my parents house) before making a four-month backpacking trip to Europe in 2002. After a year of university at the University of Lethbridge, I decided that I needed to do something that was unrelated to school. So, I took two years off from university, saved up about eight thousand dollars, and flew to Europe with a close friend, leaving my girlfriend and family at home. The names of every city and town I visited over the four months were recorded on this flag and recall a great variety of memories. It also represents the first moment in my life that I took my future into my own hands and did something I was truly passionate about. It was this decision that ultimately led me to Victoria and now here.
The second item in the "I" Bag is a t-shirt with the name "Mangrt" on it. This is actually the name of the highest paved road in Slovenia, located in Triglav National Park. Although I have not actually been on this road, this shirt was given to me by a distant relative that I met while I was on my trip. My grandparents immigrated to Canada from Slovenia in the late 1940's, and the fact that I made it to Slovenia (not speaking a word of Slovene and knowing little about what to expect) was a very important thing for me. I was very close with my grandparents, and have spent hours listening to stories from the "Old Country" that my grandmother so endearingly (and often tearfully) recalls. The shirt represents not only a part of my heritage, but provides me with a connection to my roots, my family, and the manifestation of my "pilgrimage". While I was there, I visited the homes in which my grandparents grew up (in Naklo and Skofia Loka), met many distant family members, and truly developed a sense of person to which I could connect my experiences.
The third item found in the bag is a picture of my wife, K, and myself. We were married just over a year ago, but she has been by my side as I chose to travel through Europe, when I took time off from school, when I moved to Victoria (even without her for a year!), and pursued my education and my love of literature. She's the most important person in my life, and challenges me daily to be a better person.
The fourth item is a small keychain bearing the logo of the AVA (Alberta Volleyball Association). This represents both my love of sports (particularly volleyball), as well as my connection to Alberta, where I spent the first 20 of 24 years in my life. I received this keychain about 8 years ago while playing competitive club volleyball for the Lethbridge Volleyball Club. It also reminds me of my family... particularly my brother, who I've played with on numerous occasions and who is going to be my coaching mentor now that I'm coaching a team at my host school.
The final item is a pen. It may seem banal, but connects me to my love of literature and my need to write as a way of dealing with the world... my catharsis, if you will. Through my teens and to now, I've always turned to pen and paper to deal with emotions and work out ways to interact with the world. Likewise, it represents my interest in learning about a variety of things, as well as my love for reading. There is a Biblical Proverb that reads, "It is the will of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of Kings to search out a matter". This is indicative of my pursuit of knowledge and self, and is very much a mantra that I attempt to live by.
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