“If the only prayer you said in
your whole life was,
‘thank
you,’
that would suffice.”
~Meister Eckhart
The Holidays are now upon us! In my family, this time of year means that our menorah
candles and Christmas tree lights will warmly illuminate the living room in our dual-faith home. But for me, unlike in past
years, the end of the 2010 calendar means malaria pills, headscarves, and mosquito netting. This year, I will spend Christmas
and New Year’s Eve on the island
of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania. I will be in East Africa to study human trafficking and maritime crimes with 29 or so
other students from all over the globe as we participate in the Seton Hall Law Study Abroad Winter Intercession Program.
I anticipate feeling at least a tinge of loneliness
as I celebrate an African December. I will miss my “White Christmas,” I will be absent for several birthdays,
and I won’t get to watch the 24-hour marathons of “A Christmas Story” or the yule log on Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day. I know, however, that the loneliness will be replaced with the excitement found in learning about important
international criminal law topics on a continent I’ve never visited, in a culture I’ve never experienced, and
with people I don’t know. The entire trip will be a blessing in pushing my comfort boundaries, or in my father’s
famous phrasing, it will “build my character.”
Given that my preparations for Africa will coincide with the busy exam period at Seton Hall Law, I will not have an opportunity to drink in the Holiday experience that I crave during December. Therefore,
I am celebrating the Holidays over Thanksgiving!
To celebrate, I extend my gratitude to everyone who has been instrumental in building my strong foundation for a
successful year as Miss Mercer County. Thank you to everyone in the Miss Mercer County Scholarship Organization, namely my wonderfully supportive director
Kelly; my beautiful and kind “little sister” teen queen Ashlyn (& her fabulous family); all of my incredibly
generous sponsors; Richard Krauss Photography; my local pageant judges; the Miss New Jersey volunteers; and all of the other
magnificent Miss New Jersey local titleholders. You have all welcomed me so warmly into your Miss New Jersey family, and I am so appreciative for that.
I also wish to thank my friends and family members who
have been my biggest fans; especially those who now call out to me from across my law school or address me in emails not as
“Carmen” or “CJ,” but as “Miss Mercer County.” I love all of you and I extend a grateful prayer to God
every day for your presence in my life.
Last, I thank my NJ LEEP mentee, Tara Morales, who is a constant reminder to me of why I go to law school—to
improve the world. Tara teaches me to
treat every day as an opportunity for self-improvement. She is a stunning representation of hard work in action.
To all of those mentioned, you provide me with
a comfort in my heart that I will carry with me when I am halfway around the world. I am so honored and blessed to know you,
and I anxiously await returning to the USA
to continue my work as Miss Mercer County.
Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year!
Joyfully,
Carmen Jewel Bloom
Miss Mercer County 2011
