(no subject)
aug. 22, 2009
I suppose that this might have to become a once a week type of journal, especially once the fall semester begins. This week has left me happy and excited, but also extremely exhausted! It was our first (and only) full week of classes for the August term (only 3 days next week and 4 the following). My daily schedule went something like this (with small variations here and there):
6:30 am running with my friend Katie
7:45 breakfast
8:10 chapel
9:15-11:30 Greek
11:45 lunch
1:15 pm practice reading scripture for liturgics
2:00 liturgics class
3:15-4:15 orientation (field education, clinical pastoral education, etc.)
4:30 sports (frisbee mainly, soccer on fridays)
5:45 dinner
And then the rest of the night was a mix between homework and socialization (mostly the latter). I often don't get to bed until 11pm or later, so you can see why I'm a little exhausted today!
I really love my Greek class, even though it is difficult learning about verb conjugations and noun declensions. It feels like I'm learning a secret code, and translating passages makes me feel like a secret agent, haha. I'm seriously thinking of taking an independent study to translate one of the books of the Bible from Greek to English. We already have assignments to translate sentences from the Bible, and I'm sure as the year progresses we will come upon some very enlightening things. For example: right before Jesus dies on the cross he says "It is finished." Well, the Greek word for "finished" is conjugated in such a way that the appropriate understanding of the phrase would be "it was finished at that exact moment and the effects of it remain for all time." I probably didn't explain that very effectively, but it really made a difference to me.
My oral interpretation of Scripture class (liturgics) has been very enlightening and humbling. I never realized how much a difference it makes when you pay attention to phrasing and pitch and tone and how to end each sentence--I thought I was a good reader, but I'm really having to work on things! Most of the materials we are reading suggest that lectors should be trained and even selected, that it is a calling. I agree that some people have a knack for it, but I don't think I would ever say no to someone who really wanted to read. It may not be their talent, but they are offering their services as a gift, and how can you deny them that offering? I will admit that some people are much easier to listen to than others.
Sports have been fun! I've been working on my frisbee skills, reveling in the opportunity to play soccer, threw a football a bit, and even learned the very basics of lacrosse (I think I did surprisingly well for a beginner, if I do say so myself)! I have decided to take my classes for pass/fail instead of a letter grade in order to humble myself and push the part of my ego that wants to be competitive aside. I figure I want to learn something to learn it, not to get a letter grade. I will use sports as my outlet for competitiveness :o)
Last night was a cookout hosted by the rosary society. It was a good sized gathering and I got to chat a little with Jody, my bishop's son and a recent VTS graduate. I was so exhausted that I left about 9pm to go to sleep. When I got to my room I decided to play a little guitar and after about 30 minutes I heard a loud banging on my door. Katie and Chris (who the upperclassmen have nicknamed Cole-train) made me change out of my pjs and into clothes again, gave me a drink to wake me up, and brought me back "into the fold." I'm really glad they did that--I ended up having a great time. At one point we sat around singing songs and just jamming, both with instruments and voices. It was marvelous! We did some of my favorites--the old time bluegrass songs like "Wayfaring Stranger" and "Angel Band"--and it made me feel content. What a great way to begin the weekend!
That's pretty much all I have for today. Think we're going to go to the mall (I realized I only have black, green, and blue shirts, so I need a little change) and will probably also watch a movie since we're tired, it's raining/storming off and on, and not everyone's in town (and we don't want to go on an adventure without them).
Some more pictures of campus:
Aspinwall (used as a hospital by the union army in the civil war)
signature of union soldier on the side of Aspinwall
chapel's backside
Miriam dancing after crossing the Red Sea
Tiffany window?
our motto
missioners in Alaska :o)
my own room!
I suppose that this might have to become a once a week type of journal, especially once the fall semester begins. This week has left me happy and excited, but also extremely exhausted! It was our first (and only) full week of classes for the August term (only 3 days next week and 4 the following). My daily schedule went something like this (with small variations here and there):
6:30 am running with my friend Katie
7:45 breakfast
8:10 chapel
9:15-11:30 Greek
11:45 lunch
1:15 pm practice reading scripture for liturgics
2:00 liturgics class
3:15-4:15 orientation (field education, clinical pastoral education, etc.)
4:30 sports (frisbee mainly, soccer on fridays)
5:45 dinner
And then the rest of the night was a mix between homework and socialization (mostly the latter). I often don't get to bed until 11pm or later, so you can see why I'm a little exhausted today!
I really love my Greek class, even though it is difficult learning about verb conjugations and noun declensions. It feels like I'm learning a secret code, and translating passages makes me feel like a secret agent, haha. I'm seriously thinking of taking an independent study to translate one of the books of the Bible from Greek to English. We already have assignments to translate sentences from the Bible, and I'm sure as the year progresses we will come upon some very enlightening things. For example: right before Jesus dies on the cross he says "It is finished." Well, the Greek word for "finished" is conjugated in such a way that the appropriate understanding of the phrase would be "it was finished at that exact moment and the effects of it remain for all time." I probably didn't explain that very effectively, but it really made a difference to me.
My oral interpretation of Scripture class (liturgics) has been very enlightening and humbling. I never realized how much a difference it makes when you pay attention to phrasing and pitch and tone and how to end each sentence--I thought I was a good reader, but I'm really having to work on things! Most of the materials we are reading suggest that lectors should be trained and even selected, that it is a calling. I agree that some people have a knack for it, but I don't think I would ever say no to someone who really wanted to read. It may not be their talent, but they are offering their services as a gift, and how can you deny them that offering? I will admit that some people are much easier to listen to than others.
Sports have been fun! I've been working on my frisbee skills, reveling in the opportunity to play soccer, threw a football a bit, and even learned the very basics of lacrosse (I think I did surprisingly well for a beginner, if I do say so myself)! I have decided to take my classes for pass/fail instead of a letter grade in order to humble myself and push the part of my ego that wants to be competitive aside. I figure I want to learn something to learn it, not to get a letter grade. I will use sports as my outlet for competitiveness :o)
Last night was a cookout hosted by the rosary society. It was a good sized gathering and I got to chat a little with Jody, my bishop's son and a recent VTS graduate. I was so exhausted that I left about 9pm to go to sleep. When I got to my room I decided to play a little guitar and after about 30 minutes I heard a loud banging on my door. Katie and Chris (who the upperclassmen have nicknamed Cole-train) made me change out of my pjs and into clothes again, gave me a drink to wake me up, and brought me back "into the fold." I'm really glad they did that--I ended up having a great time. At one point we sat around singing songs and just jamming, both with instruments and voices. It was marvelous! We did some of my favorites--the old time bluegrass songs like "Wayfaring Stranger" and "Angel Band"--and it made me feel content. What a great way to begin the weekend!
That's pretty much all I have for today. Think we're going to go to the mall (I realized I only have black, green, and blue shirts, so I need a little change) and will probably also watch a movie since we're tired, it's raining/storming off and on, and not everyone's in town (and we don't want to go on an adventure without them).
Some more pictures of campus:
Aspinwall (used as a hospital by the union army in the civil war)
signature of union soldier on the side of Aspinwall
chapel's backside
Miriam dancing after crossing the Red Sea
Tiffany window?
our motto
missioners in Alaska :o)
my own room!