Building Bridges

Happy Thanksgiving fellow Mat-Su College students!

Lindsey Shelley here, your veteran blogger from my solo venture the "Non-Traditional".  That blog is still up and running, though I'll be phasing it out this year as my spring graduation draws nearer.  I hope you enjoy this new blog created by the 2011-2012 Student Ambassador team.  We are all very excited to continue interacting with you via this fun medium.  There are five Ambassadors this year and they each have a unique perspective on student life.  So, check back often because we're posting new stories on a regular basis.


Now to my story about "Shelleytown".

This Thanksgiving I'm paying homage to the original Thanksgiving held at Jamestown, Virginia.  It seems that the famed first American colonial village has re-created itself in my own household this year.  And I'm not talking about the elementary school Jamestown of Pilgrims, fat turkeys, and friendly "Indians".  No, I mean the college American History 101 kind of Jamestown with starving colonists, failed intentions, and merciful local natives.

You see, my family landed on the shores of "Shelleytown" at the beginning of this Fall semester, when I became a full-time student with classes at Mat-Su and UAA four days (and nights) a week.  Like the original Jamestown experiment, our modern endeavor was a joint venture that my family and I knew would be challenging.  I would not be home to fulfill my usual duties as a "stay-at-home" mother and wife.  I would not be home for dinner.  And when I would be home, I would likely be enslaved by studying or writing collegiate papers most of the time.  But we faced this brave new world with optimism and dedication to each other.  Also, like the original Jamestown colonists, it soon became apparent that we might have bitten off more than we could chew. 



The colonists of Shelleytown, my husband and 10 year-old son, were immediately put out of their comfort zone.  They were foreigners in a foreign land.  Husband without a wife.  Child without a mother.  Eaters without a cook.  There were no females around to make meals, wash clothes, clean floors, or provide good cheer.  In my absence, they foraged in the refrigerator but were unfamiliar with the vegetation they found there.  Further, they lacked knowledge of recipes, food groups, and operating many kitchen appliances.  So, they fell back on their primal instincts and went in search of meat and microwave dinners.  They went into survival mode.

And, y'know, it's amazing what people can do when they have to.  My colonists adapted, unlike those poor chaps in Jamestown.  The elder one learned to cook meat and rice dishes (through constant repetition).  The young one learned to pack his own lunch with just enough food to sustain him through the school day.  Clothes and dishes got washed when they needed too, and that was alright.  The colonists problem-solved together and established a new functional level of living.  Maybe Shelleytown wasn't completely sustainable, but it got along alright through August, September, October, and most of November.  But as Thanksgiving approached, endurance waned. 

One day last week, my mother (our "local native") stopped by the Shelleytown colony unannounced.  When she discovered dirty dishes spilling out onto the counter, dust bunnies running amok across the floor, laundry bins overflowing, the dog left unattended outside, and not a human soul inside the house, she assumed the worst.  She made a call to the elder colonist and asked, "Is everything okay?"  She must have thought our colony was on the brink of collapse and needed rescuing.  The next day she asked if we had plans for Thanksgiving and invited us to her place.  Just like the Jamestown pioneers who received life-saving sustenance from the Wampanoag natives, the Shelleytown colonists have been saved from their busy lives with an offering of free food.

Hope all your Thanksgivings are as merciful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lindsey Shelley