Warm Fuzzies

As the school year draws to an end, I'm getting very sentimental, reminiscent and a tad sad. Watching the finale of The Real World Brooklyn, like most RW finales, has increased my emotions. I have created strong bonds with a few groups of individuals in my life. The end of the term signifies the end of one chapter and the beginning of my next one. I am sad that this indicates the end of a time in my life where I was blessed to have met so many supportive people through residence, work, Union & BB. With that said, I know that our lives with intertwine and that I've truly made some life-long friends. As I am writing down the remaining warm fuzzies to people from Union and BB, a song comes to mind: "Time of Your Life" by Green Day. Enjoy!




Warm Fuzzies: They were first introduced to me in high school when I used to be involved in numerous youth conferences. Near the end of the conferences, once everyone had gotten to know each other, time was put aside for each of us to write down nice thoughts about each person in a group. The thoughts are then collected to create a booklet of “warm fuzzies” for each of us. They had to be positive, non-physical attributes that we admired about the individual. They could be anonymous or signed comments. Ultimately, it was an accumulation of affirmations from our peers that we can look upon in the future. They created a positive and lasting impression on our experience in the conference and with our group members. Warm Fuzzies was one key element in the conferences that I will always remember. I felt that it was an important booklet for BB students to have during their next chapter: volunteering abroad. Whether we’re home sick, or sad, it will be something that we can hopefully draw strength from. I hope that this becomes a tradition for future BB/Intercordia Canada students.

Moreover, through watching The Real World Brooklyn I have discovered a way to enhance this item. In TRWB, Ryan, one of the housemates, was deployed to Iraq. His housemates wantedto motivate him to continue making plans to pursue his dreams once he was home from Iraq. Thus, they put “warm fuzzies” in a journal that he could take with him on his journey. He could read their warm fuzzies for motivation and comfort. As well, he was encouraged to use the journal to brainstorm him “bucket list” for when he comes back home.

I think it would be beneficial for future students in the program to use the Intercordia booklets as warm fuzzies/ journals for their overseas placements. Here is the link to TRWB episode. Note: it is the 8th part in the 12th episode (it starts mid-way through the clip). Moreover, to make the booklet more memorable and artistic, students can collage and laminate (or put sealing glue) on the cover of the booklet. (My friend/BB pear, Katie, gave me that idea).

http://www.mtv.ca/tvshows/realworld-brooklyn/video_content.jhtml?id=1607779

Awards Night Pictures March 2009