My Roomie!

I have been meaning to make a post about this since August, but you see how well that went! I have yet to tell everyone about the one person who has become a constant in my life for the moment: my roommate, Carissa. You have probably read a little bit about her already (as I mention her in the majority of my posts...because we're usually together), but here is just a little bit more about her.

Carissa is a Sophomore here at NOC, so she is older than I am. After she finishes her NOC classes in the mornings, she drives over to Vo-Tech to take some classes over there. Her NOC major is business, and her Vo-Tech area of study is computer networking, so the two majors complement each other nicely. She has lived in Fairview for all of her life, and, of course, graduated from there in 2010. The fact that she is a Sophomore is nice because she is showing me the ropes of campus life.

The most interesting fact about Carissa is that she is a Holderman Mennonite. Rather, she is a member of the Mennonite Church of God in Christ. Holderman Mennonites are probably best known as being the sect of the Mennonite church that requires its women to wear the traditional head covering and dress. So, yes, Carissa really does wear dresses and the black head covering every day. She has not always been a member of this particular sect, as she was born and raised Mennonite Brethren, which is much akin to the Baptist religion (so I've been told). During the past six months, Carissa made the decision to convert to her current sect, much to her parents' dismay. However, she felt that that was what God wanted for her life, and so she decided to convert.

Other than the fact that I am Catholic and Carissa is Mennonite, we are practically one in the same. We get along splendidly, as I have probably already mentioned. We see eye-to-eye on virtually everything, and were raised with the same morals. She also grew up on a farm, so we have that in common.

I could go on about everything we have in common, but I will spare you and suffice it to say that she is an awesome roommate, and I am beginning to think of her not just as a roommate, but also as a close friend. To have a roommate like her somewhat makes up for the fact that I have none of my best friends close by.

Although I mentioned that we have a difference in religion, we both ask questions about each other's faiths, and it has definitely been a learning experience for both of us. I have learned about the art of sewing a traditional Mennonite dress, that they don't watch TV, listen to music, or keep pictures (they can be in other people's pictures, though), and I have also learned about their wedding traditions. Carissa has learned all about rosary making, Catholic weddings, and other random Catholic trivia. It seemed quite ironic the other night, as Carissa was sewing a dress and I was making rosaries.

Overall, I have been blessed with an awesome roommate, and she has helped me to have a good Freshman year so far. I think that the best is yet to come!