Thursday, September 5, 2013

What a great week!

Wow!  What can I say about the first week of classes that adequately depicts what I'm feeling?  As of writing this at 11:12pm on Wednesday, September 4th, I have had all but one of my classes.  Introduction to Christian Religious Education falls to next week due to the long weekend.  My schedule is as follows for those who enjoy tracking my whereabouts...

Mondays from 2:00 to 5:00pm I will be in Introduction to Christian Religious Education
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:00am I will be in Reading the World
Tuesdays from 11:00 to 12:00pm I will be with my discussion group for Reading the World;  from 5:00 to 6:30 you'll find me rehearsing in Marsh Chapel with the Seminary Singers
Wednesdays from 11:00 to 12:00 I'll be in Wednesday Worship (followed by community lunch!); from 1:00 to 3:30 I'll be in Practicing Faith followed by my plenary group from 3:30 to 4:45; from 6:00 to 9:00pm I'll be in Introduction to the Hebrew Bible.
Thursdays will also hold my discussion group for Introduction to the Hebrew Bible from 4:00 to 5:00pm. 

I know, I know... It's a great schedule!  I see plenty of time in the library in my future, and I like it!

I have officially ordered all of my text books, and they should begin arriving shortly.  Did you know that through Amazon Prime for students you can get free two-day shipping for six months?  DEFINITELY making use of that!

Okay, so this week has been an absolutely wonderful whirlwind of information.  I've met so many great people in this first week that I fall short of expressing my excitement that comes with having new friends!  I so look forward to the great connections we will make in the coming years.  I'm thinking back fondly of my time in Cortland's Adolescent English Education program and the great connections I made with people as we slogged through work and learned about ourselves, (this may sound strange, but..) I'm looking forward to doing the same with a new group of people as we interact with the scriptures in today's world, as we grapple with what we believe and how we make this world a better place, as we challenge each other to look inside ourselves and present an authentic interpretation of our hearts and minds in these times. 

I'll admit to already being just a tad intimidated by the number of papers and amount of readings that will need to be completed.  My agenda for tomorrow includes parsing all of the papers, projects, and readings down into an organized schedule.  I have a perfect spot in my room where I can hang such a calendar to keep myself on track.  Organization is key!  I'm also going to be set up with a mentor of sorts, someone in either year 2 or 3, who I think will be a great asset as I continue my studies.



Here I am on my first day of school!


Let's see... let's see... I'm trying to think of anything that may have happened in the past week that I wanted to be sure to write about.  I found myself noting things in my sleep, but neglected to make a note in the real world.  There is so much that I am forgetting, but I can't possibly trick my brain into retrieving it at this point in the night. 
One thing that is for certain is that mail is gold to me.  I felt such love and relief when I received my first piece of mail from home.  All correspondence is greatly welcomed!  Don't get me wrong, I'm finding that I'm adjusting quite well now that there's school work and new friends, but I still miss the family, friends, and home I left behind.  I actually found myself disoriented last night when I awoke at 2am... I thought I was back in the apartment at the Interfaith Center.  It took me about thirty seconds to realize where I was and why my bed felt strange.

Okay, enough of this 'I miss home' junk.  Tonight at the Walker Center there was a BBQ for all residents, staff, and board members.  I couldn't attend because I had class, but Wanda the gardener put a plate in my fridge for me so that I would have something to return home to.  And Bill the maintenance manager tried to turn the fog lamps off on my car when they came on partway through the day.  There's a wiring problem which turns them on at random, and then they're stuck on until the battery dies.  Anyway, although he was unsuccessful in his attempts to get the lights off, I was very appreciative of his efforts.  It speaks just a bit to the great community that I now belong to.  I know that my car is looked after during the day when I am in class, and I know that I have people who will help me when things go wrong.  I am so thankful to be part of such a great place!

I know I'm forgetting a bunch, but the brain is starting to close up shop for the night.  I know this is a bit of a messy message as you follow my stream of consciousness, but it simply goes with the theme of my day.

If you get nothing else from this, know that I am adjusted, I am healthy, and I am loving life!


No comments:

Post a Comment