(no subject)
Thanksgiving was good times. It was my first away from family and there was a strange corollary that occurred to me as we were lining up for the food--it was my first Thanksgiving with all white people. This should not be such a big deal as I have spent most of my life since I moved to Arkansas surrounded by primarily white people, but for some reason it really jarred me. The food was not of the same variety (I don't know how much of that was ethnic or regional, but still); the conversation had a different dynamic, volume, and topics; the music was different. I'm not one for perpetuating stereotypes and the like, but there is a certain feel to a Puerto Rican or black Thanksgiving that was missing on Thursday.
Nonetheless, it was a great time and I'm thankful for this guy opening his home to me and other wanderers who had no family in town. A guy named Nate was there who I had met in a coffeeshop earlier that week. He is in the community development program at Portland State, and I plan to get a feel from him as to whether or not this is a path I'd like to pursue in further education (more on that in a minute). There was another guy named Michael who lived in the JPUSA (Jesus People USA) commune in Chicago for three years. Hippie values transferred into Christian community...the way life should be! In all honesty, I love how seriously they take living in community. I hope to live that way one day and not be seen as cultish.
Later that night a couple students from Reed joined us and we engaged in some serious shuffleboard action at a bar called the Black Cat. I'm terrible at shuffleboard. I'm also terrible at Texas Hold'em, which I got owned in later that night. But, the entire afternoon/night had good food, good people, good conversation. The only complaint: my first Thanksgiving without having leftovers filling my fridge for the next few days. Man, I'm greedy...
So, regarding that earlier sentence and further education...I'm thinking about grad school semi-seriously. I say semi-, because I still hate writing papers. This is a very big problem in further education. But, here are the three options I'm considering (and hopefully this is not repeating something I've written previously):
1. Two year MALS program at Reed. It's an odd degree that does not focus in on any subject, but almost seems to get more broad. A Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies would complement my Religious Studies degree in utter uselessness. But, it would also be a chance to stay in the incredible environment at Reed, and to basically create a direction I want for my graduate studies. Apparently the cost is not as big an issue as I thought either, as the grad program is the same cost as the MSW program at PSU.
2. Masters of Social Work at Portland State. I would want to focus specifically on holistic community development. I am really drawn to this area, but it's hard to acquire the tools to do this without formal training. If I entered this program, it would specifically be to gain these tools and to have a degree that would open up some options for me. The best part is that more important than papers are hands on internships--very cool. I have many friends who have just finished such programs are are in them now, and I am so in love with the things they are doing.
3. Seminary. I'm still mostly inclined to see seminary as perpetuating the institutional structures that I feel called outside of right now. However, there is such a wealth of theological knowledge out there, and I think it can be useful if I study in an environment where I'm allowed to question any and everything, including the applicability of what is being learned. Unfortunately, the kinds of seminaries that create this type of environment are top-notch, and my scraping by GPA after 7 years in undergrad would most likely not cut it for me to get in. Here in Portland there are three major seminaries, two of them pretty conservative and one that is somewhere in the middle between liberal and conservative. I like middles; I like balance. I don't, however, like seminaries that are mono-cultural along ethnic and economic lines. Again, I am not super familiar with seminaries that do not fall into this model.
So, that is what is stewing in the brain. I think I'd have to apply now to get in for the fall, and with the graduation stuff still going through, I will get to wait a bit before making a decision. In the meantime, I will keep auditing classes at Reed, and maybe sign up for a language class somewhere. I don't know why I keep torturing myself with school.
Alright, I'm out. It is finally cold and rainy in Portland, so it really feels like November. Funny, since it is only officially November for two more days. I need a good raincoat...
Nonetheless, it was a great time and I'm thankful for this guy opening his home to me and other wanderers who had no family in town. A guy named Nate was there who I had met in a coffeeshop earlier that week. He is in the community development program at Portland State, and I plan to get a feel from him as to whether or not this is a path I'd like to pursue in further education (more on that in a minute). There was another guy named Michael who lived in the JPUSA (Jesus People USA) commune in Chicago for three years. Hippie values transferred into Christian community...the way life should be! In all honesty, I love how seriously they take living in community. I hope to live that way one day and not be seen as cultish.
Later that night a couple students from Reed joined us and we engaged in some serious shuffleboard action at a bar called the Black Cat. I'm terrible at shuffleboard. I'm also terrible at Texas Hold'em, which I got owned in later that night. But, the entire afternoon/night had good food, good people, good conversation. The only complaint: my first Thanksgiving without having leftovers filling my fridge for the next few days. Man, I'm greedy...
So, regarding that earlier sentence and further education...I'm thinking about grad school semi-seriously. I say semi-, because I still hate writing papers. This is a very big problem in further education. But, here are the three options I'm considering (and hopefully this is not repeating something I've written previously):
1. Two year MALS program at Reed. It's an odd degree that does not focus in on any subject, but almost seems to get more broad. A Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies would complement my Religious Studies degree in utter uselessness. But, it would also be a chance to stay in the incredible environment at Reed, and to basically create a direction I want for my graduate studies. Apparently the cost is not as big an issue as I thought either, as the grad program is the same cost as the MSW program at PSU.
2. Masters of Social Work at Portland State. I would want to focus specifically on holistic community development. I am really drawn to this area, but it's hard to acquire the tools to do this without formal training. If I entered this program, it would specifically be to gain these tools and to have a degree that would open up some options for me. The best part is that more important than papers are hands on internships--very cool. I have many friends who have just finished such programs are are in them now, and I am so in love with the things they are doing.
3. Seminary. I'm still mostly inclined to see seminary as perpetuating the institutional structures that I feel called outside of right now. However, there is such a wealth of theological knowledge out there, and I think it can be useful if I study in an environment where I'm allowed to question any and everything, including the applicability of what is being learned. Unfortunately, the kinds of seminaries that create this type of environment are top-notch, and my scraping by GPA after 7 years in undergrad would most likely not cut it for me to get in. Here in Portland there are three major seminaries, two of them pretty conservative and one that is somewhere in the middle between liberal and conservative. I like middles; I like balance. I don't, however, like seminaries that are mono-cultural along ethnic and economic lines. Again, I am not super familiar with seminaries that do not fall into this model.
So, that is what is stewing in the brain. I think I'd have to apply now to get in for the fall, and with the graduation stuff still going through, I will get to wait a bit before making a decision. In the meantime, I will keep auditing classes at Reed, and maybe sign up for a language class somewhere. I don't know why I keep torturing myself with school.
Alright, I'm out. It is finally cold and rainy in Portland, so it really feels like November. Funny, since it is only officially November for two more days. I need a good raincoat...