So this is my final blog post for
the semester, and I think in honor of that I want to do somewhat of a recap. A
recap of what I learned and experienced, and the stuff that’ll stay with me
long after I leave the course.
Honestly, that really is not
possible to cram into this blog post. I could write books about what I’ve
gather on my Peers for Pride journey. Instead I will narrow it down to five
main points revolving around my gained knowledge and realizations. Here it
goes…
1)
Language sucks. Omg. I think every time I come
out of a PFP class I wonder what words are and why they exist if they are
consistently failing us. Thankfully I discovered a decent way to combat how
terrible language is. Usually people know the language they like using about
themselves and that they like others to use regarding them. If you respect
that, and in the end the person and possibly all people, you may just be all
right.
2)
Checking in is super awkward for me. AND super
important. Every class we start off with a “check in.” Everyone in the class
goes around and gives their highs and lows of the week, and it really puts
things into perspective. Sometimes you are having a rough week and everyone
else is doing great. Sometimes you are on top of the world and the atmosphere
of the room is sad and glum. Either way, it was one of my favorite things we
did. Checking up on each other really brought us closer and work out our rough
moments.
3)
I’m in a bubble. The people I hang out with are
not representative of the entire UT population. Not everyone has the same
feelings as me, and not everyone is accepting as me. This seems like a “duh”
kind of thing, but trust me. Peers for pride made me realize just how protected
I had made myself.
4)
Breathing. I learned just how important it is to
breath. I’m not talking about the kind we don’t think about that keeps us a
love. Well, actually, I am. Sometimes I get lost in my nerves or worries or
stressors and my mind loses its focus. Sometimes just taking a deep breath and
centering ourselves can do a lot more than we realize. Nifty tool, and sooooo
much easier said then done.
5)
Be wary of expectations. I can honestly say I
don’t really know what I was expecting from PFP, but whatever I had in mind was
not the case. The class is not traditionally structured, and that was super
beneficial to the learning environment. It was also fun, and I looked forward
to every class. Same with my expectations of other classmates and facilitation
experiences. I think it is better to just live in the moment than focus too
much on how you envision the future to play out. Expectations don’t really get
you too far. Peers for Pride really solidified that for me.
Like I said, I could go on forever.
Peers for pride was so important for not only my knowledge surrounding the LGBTQ community, but life
in general.
I’m really glad I took this class.
-Heath "Thomas-the-choo-choo-train" Fowler
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