Feeling the Love in Your Home Away From Home

This blog post was created by Audrey R., a member of the Tivnu 11 cohort from St. Louis, MO. She enjoys reading, kayaking, teaching, and helping kids. A fun fact about Audrey is that she knows every Taylor Swift song ever created (trust us, you can quiz her). She interns with Tivnu construction and in a 1st-grade classroom at Boise Eliot Humboldt Elementary School. 

For many of us, Tivnu is our first exposure to being away from home. There are a lot of little things that you miss about being away from your home and family – your bed, home cooked meals, and celebrating your birthday with loved ones. But whether it’s your birthday or not, Tivnu is dedicated to making everyone feel valued and seen. But this time, it truly was someone’s special day—and we made sure it was unforgettable.

There are a few things we do to celebrate our Tivnuniks and make sure they feel the utmost love and appreciation. A large part of the Tivnu birthday experience is getting to pick a dessert of your choice, to share with the rest of the cohort. Whether it’s a decadent cake, cookies, brownies, or even cheesecake, you get to pick the treat that you love the most and share your enjoyment of it with everyone else. A special moment for many people is that their dessert is often homemade, by a fellow Tivnu member. Baking in general, but specifically someone’s birthday treat, is a way many of us in T11 show our endearment and support for each other. A few homemade birthday items so far this year are tres leches, chocolate strawberries and cream cake, and espresso ice cream. Not only are you sung to with this birthday item (because who doesn’t love that?) but it’s a chance for you to have a sense of normalcy in what can feel like an abnormal birthday; bringing a piece of home– your favorite dessert– into your birthday celebration space. Another thing we do to celebrate our Tivnuniks is an appreciation and blessing circle. Here at Tivnu we recognize the power of our words, how we can use them to bring people down, but in this situation how we can use them to uplift each other and share in our affection for each other. We often go around the table and share a few words in the form of a blessing for the next year/phase of their life or an act of appreciation for everything that person does. It’s a moment to remind them how and why they are so special to us.

While being away from home can bring a sense of longing, Tivnu fosters a space where those feelings are met with care, celebration, and a sense of community. Birthdays in particular are a chance to bring a little piece of home into the Tivnu experience– whether it’s through a beloved homemade dessert or a heartfelt blessing circle. These traditions create a comforting environment where each person feels seen, valued, and appreciated. It’s these small but meaningful gestures that help transform a potentially lonely moment into one of connection; reminding everyone that while home may be far away, the love and support we share at Tivnu makes it feel just a little closer.