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.
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| A rack of freshly made zwiebach or "two bakes" |
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| My deep map entitled "Purple Peace" |
Josh,
ReplyDeleteI liked that you concentrated on your cultural and religious aspects of your identity. I can tell that is important to you. I also thought it was funny that you made fun of entertainment speakers! :)
I like how you are so willing to express your religious beliefs!
ReplyDelete