Where am I?! This is a question that one
generally asks when they are lost when trying to get to a place they
have never been to before. Yet in the context that we have been asked
to contemplate, it has a different meaning. I think it is where we
are right now in the world. The question “Where am I?” seems
fairly straight forward so I will attempt to answer by first looking
at my state, then school and community and finally my home.
The
Corn husker state or more commonly
known as Nebraska is the state I live in. I am
very proud to live in this great
state. My love of agriculture fits perfectly with the state because
one of every three jobs is related to agriculture. Nebraska has such
a varied landscape from the fertile farm grounds of the east to the
sand hills and almost mountainous regions of the west.
Unfortunately when people started to fulfill manifest destiny,
Nebraska became known as the Great American Desert. There are quite a
few ignorant people along the east and west coasts of the United
States still think Nebraska is stuck in the pioneer days. They will
often ask questions like “Do you guys
have Internet? Cell phones?
Electricity?! Running water?!” They just seem so shocked to hear
that people in Nebraska are just as modern as they are.
Now
Nebraska is also known for a couple of other things, tornadoes and
Husker football. Nebraska lies in tornado alley which allows us to
receive warm air from the gulf and cold air from Canada which is what
creates tornadoes. When I was little I remember being terrified of
them and now that I am older they fascinate me. Husker football is
the one thing that can unite everyone in the state for one day a week
during the fall. Everybody remembers the glory of the 90’s and
hopes that we can regain that glory. There is just a pure passion for
the huskers that runs in every Nebraskan’s blood.
Chimney Rock is one of the great symbols of our state
The Tunnel Walk is a great tradition of Nebraska football
More
specifically I am located within the school and community of Aurora,
which I believe to be one of the greatest small towns in the nation.
Aurora has so many good things going for it, a great school system,
plenty of jobs, excellent recreational facilities, and most
importantly, citizens who care about the town. Aurora high school has
top notch teachers and administrators who care about their students
and those students care about learning. Our athletics and
extra-curricular are
also amazing. The football team is annually one of the best teams in
the state and is known for its physicality, fundamentally sound
technique, and class. The band is also one of the best in the state
and is known for its pride, class, and dedication to always being the
best you possibly can be. The one thing about my school that I do not
like is the cafeteria. I am sorry but it is just not good food.
Aurora High School home of the Huskies
The Marching Huskies perform at Harvest of Harmony
The Hamilton County courthouse looks a lot like a castle
The Fidelity Building which once stood proudly on the northeast corner of the square
But
when I say am from Aurora that just means I have an Aurora address.
My family is listed in the Stockham phone book. In all actuality I
live on a small farm about twenty minutes south of town, near the
clay county border. I live in a real middle of nowhere nestled
along the west fork of the big blue river. and I absolutely love it.
In the country it is peaceful and relaxing when compared to my daily
life. Except when the animals decide to be loud and make noise that
is. Sometimes it's the pigs, sometimes the goats, or chickens, but it
is almost always the miniature Mediterranean donkeys. Those things
are so loud! I guarantee that they can be heard at least a mile away!
Good thing our nearest neighbor are two miles away! In all honesty, I
really that "old McDonald" song was really made for me,
they just took out my name because it wasn't catchy.
My home
A new born litter of piglets snuggling under a heat lamp
Well
I am a Nebraskan, An Auroran,
and just a plain old country kid who lives on a farm. Each one
of these places make up not just where I am from, but also have
helped make me who I am. They are so special to me. I am proud to be
from here and i wouldn't rather
live anywhere else than where I am right now.
Who am I??? Well to begin I know
that my name is Joshua David Janzen,I
am the older brother of Jacob Janzen, and I am the son of Mark and
Shelley Janzen. I am from Aurora Nebraska and I am a senior at Aurora
High School. Those are just the basics of me, maybe I can go deeper
and explore myself.
Well growing up on a farm every
single day of my life I am a complete country. I have crops and all
different kinds of livestock. My total list of animals include
goats, chickens, pigs, turkeys, two purebred miniature Mediterranean
donkeys, lots of cats, and one black lab. I’ve always grown
up with animals which has fully developed my love for working
with animals. All throughout high school I have planned on
becoming a veterinarian. But my career plans may be changing but I
will talk about that a little later.
But even though I am a country boy,
that does not mean I am a dumb hick from the backwoods. I am a
scholar, a life long learner. I am passionate about learning new
things and I always want to continue learning. I love challenging
myself with difficult classes and I love earning that A. Also being a
scholar comes the stereotype of being a nerd. Admittedly yes I am a
nerd. I play the trombone in the band, I love history, science,
reading, and I compete in Forensics in the Category of Extemporaneous
(A.K.A. I compete in the greatest speech event ever) If someone tries
to tell you that the best speech event is entertainment, they are
lying through their teeth and they should never be trusted. Competing
in speech has trained me to be an excellent speaker and I am never
afraid to talk in front of a crowd.
However, the most important of me
is that I am a Christian. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. More
specifically I am a Mennonite. Mennonites are a denomination of
Christianity that originated in Holland in the 16th
century. Some of the things Mennonites emphasize on are anabaptism,
pacifism, and truly following the teachings of Jesus. From a
Christian viewpoint, I know that I am a sinner, I know that Jesus
died on the cross to save me from my sin, and I know that I am God’s
child and He loves me no matter what. Another part of me is my
calling into ministry. This is the idea in my heart and mind that has
taken over instead of being a veterinarian. I have felt God's calling
and now when I go to college I plan on exploring and testing this
call.
Now Mennonites aren't your normal
folks. For starters, we've never really had a place to call our own.
We started in Holland and when things got bad there we fled to
Prussia. When things got bad in Prussia, we fled to the Ukraine. When
things got bad in the Ukraine, we fled to different places like the
United States, Canada, and
Paraguay. Another unique things about the Mennonites is that we have
own language. Plautdietsch, or Mennonite Low German, was the language
use in everyday discussions and around the home while High German
(standard German) was spoken in school and at church. Plautdietsch is
a combination of the Dutch, German, and Russian languages. The food
of the Mennonite culture is also unique. There are
zwiebach which are rolls.
Verineke are cottage cheese dumplings drenched in ham gravy.
Personally, my two favorites are deserts.
Peppernuts which are a type of small cookie and New Year's
Cookies. Now new year's cookies are not cookies at all. They are
balls of dough filled with raisins, then they are deep fat fried, and
finally coated in sugar or smothered in glaze. Now some people will
confuse Mennonites with the Amish. Often times when I have told
people that I am Mennonite they automatically ask, “Oh where is
your horse and buggy?!”Well let me just say that even though that
our religious beliefs are synonymous, really nothing else between our
cultures are. I don't have a horse and buggy and I do have all the
“wonders” of modern technology like cell phones, the Internet,
etc.
So now that I have asked the question, "Who
am I?" I searched myself and I have found some answers. I am a
good 'Ole country boy. I am a scholar and a nerd. But most
importantly I am a devout Mennonite, my faith in God is never failing
and my culture is so diverse. And apparently yes my name is still
Joshua Janzen.
