Summer Language Program!

Greetings! So, as you can tell, I've pretty much taken a break from this blog all summer.  But I've decided it's time for an update.  May and June were wedding season.  First was Andy and Christen's wedding, followed by Katie Mac and David's.  They were both soooo much fun! It was great seeing so many old friends all in the same place again.  And Perry got to come to Andy and Christen's, so I was able to introduce her to lots of new people.

Perry left for Nicaragua on June 1st and I started the Summer Language Program at the Divinity School.  So for the past two months, I've been studying German.  Officially, it's German for Reading Knowledge, so we're not learning to speak it.  We learn to translate it with the aid of a dictionary.  So basically, we've learned German grammar all summer, which is much different than spoken language.  I have my final on Thursday.  I've been doing well all summer, so I'm pretty sure I'll do fine on it.  So no worries there.

Today I went to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.  I got in free with my Harvard ID, so that saved me from the $20 student price -- Woo!  They had a special exhibit, Chihuly Through the Looking Glass.  Dale Chihuly specializes in glass sculpting with an organic feel.  It was really cool.  And though it has nothing to do with it, I did just finish reading Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass. 


Check out some images. Pretty cool.

On Saturday, I'm flying to Memphis and will be back and forth between there and St. Louis until the end of August.  Then back to the books.  Tschüss!

The Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR)

It is beautiful outside today.  I actually don't need a coat!  I finished my classes yesterday and only have two more papers to work on.  I've already written them, but need to edit them.  This might be the first time ever that I'm not completely stressed at the end of the semester! So, that's a nice feeling.

I've been working part-time this semester at the Center for the Study of World Religions.  I applied for the job and started working there in either late January or early February, I can't remember.  I'm really enjoying the job though.  The CSWR is affiliated with the Divinity School and provides various lectures and events relating to the study of world religions (obviously).  I staff the front desk a few afternoons a week and do lots of other office projects for the staff.  It's very similar to the office work I did when I worked at SLU's Office of Undergraduate Admission.  I also created and am the admin for the Center's Facebook page.  You should become a Fan!

The Center has a lot of artwork around it, so I've been tasked with researching every piece and creating artwork labels we can mount next to each piece.  So, that's been fun.  We also have lots of events with food and drink, so I get lots of free meals which is always a plus in any job!

The staff is a great group of people and I'm really enjoyed working here.  And it's nice not to see the bank account get perpetually lower.  I'll also be working over the summer and next year.

And as a final note, the Center's director, Frank Clooney, happens to be a Jesuit and knows Fr. JJ, my theology mentor at SLU.  Such a small world!

Spring Break & Other Adventures!

This semester has been moving entirely too fast.  The term didn't even begin until the end of January, followed by February, which is already a short month.  And now, here I am, with the semester on its descent.

Classes are going well.  I'm taking four courses and auditing another, so my schedule is a bit busy.  On Mondays I have a seminar on Martin Luther King, Jr.  It is great! I love the readings.  Having taken my Gandhi seminar the previous semester, it's great following it with MLK.  By reading all of King's writings, the Gandhian influence is blatantly apparent.  In fact, over winter break, Perry and I went to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis and they even had a special section on Gandhi and his Indian campaigns because of the vast influence it had on the American Civil Rights movement.  When President Obama visited India last fall, he pointed out to the Indian Parliament that without Gandhi, he probably wouldn't be president right now, which is a pretty significant statement.

I am also taking Introductions to the New Testament by Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza.  She's pretty much one of the most famous feminist theologians in the world.  It's a really good class.  I'm learning a lot about power structures, identity, and how these affect different parties in hierarchical relationships.  As it's not in my area of focus, I'm only taking it Sat/Unsat instead of for a grade.  We have small groups we meet in every week.  My group had to present in class last week on the "Queer Bible Commentary."  I have not had much experience in this area, so it was interesting to learn about it.  I really enjoyed the introduction in it.

I'm auditing Intermediate Latin this semester to get a review on some grammar, but am also taking an advanced Latin course for a grade.  It's focusing on "Writings by and about Penitent Women in Medieval and Renaissance Italy."  Perhaps the nerdiest class name ever, I know.  It's pretty good though.  It's good for my Latin and introduces me to medieval culture and practices.  A penitent woman is kind of like a nun, but a woman who never took vows or formally joined a convent.  Such examples are Catherine of Sienna or Margarita of Cortona.  Many are saints or unofficial saints in various Italian cities.  It was a cause of tension within the institutional church because these women were effectively preaching (a no no!) and were under no supervision.  So, there's a little church history lesson for you.

My last class is on Reformed Christian Thought.  As I think I want to focus on the 16th century reformations following my masters, this class was an obvious choice.  However, reformed thought does not refer specifically to the reformation, but rather the school of thought stemming from John Calvin, aka the Presbyterian Church.  It's really good.  I do get frustrated trying to get through the readings at times, but I do enjoy it.  One of our secondary source texts is "Feminist and Womanist Essays in Reformed Dogmatics."  I'm really enjoying this book, as it is applying old theologies to modern thought and attempting to break oppressing power structures, which I'm very interested in.  So, I guess you can call me a feminist.  Or a womanist, for that matter.

Enough about school.  I had President's Day off in February, which was a Monday, and since I don't have classes on Fridays, I flew to St. Louis to visit Perry.  It was great to be in town to spend time with her and to see some friends.  Also, the weekend before my spring break, Brooke and Gary came to Boston to visit me and for Gary to attend a dental conference.  And guess what? Perry surprised me!!!  I had no idea until she walked in the door as I was getting ready for bed.  So it was a great weekend with family.  We walked around Harvard, visited the Sam Adam's brewery, checked out Fenway Park, and visited lots of the historical places along the Freedom Trail.  It was a blast.

And then the next week was Spring Break! I flew to St. Louis--it was $200 cheaper than Memphis! On Saturday night Perry, some friends, and I went to Oyster Bar to see our friend's band play.  It was a great time and I wouldn't have expected less.  On Sunday, we drove to Memphis for the week.  There we just hung out and spent time with friends and family.  On St. Patrick's Day, we went down to Beale Street with my friends Katie and her fiance David.  That was fun and it was Perry's first time to Beale!

But alas, now I'm back at school and trying to get a head start on my papers so I can finish the semester strong.

Oh, and as a final thought, the Sunday I flew back to Boston from St. Louis, it was 78 degress in St. Louis.  Wonderful weather.  Don't worry, it snowed all day on Monday in Boston.  Typical.

A new year, a new semester

Sorry that it has been a while since my last post.  I pretty much disconnected from technology while I was home for winter break.  I had a little over a month off, which was a time well spent being lazy, leisure reading, and spending time with friends and family.  Not to mention that I got to spend an entire month with Perry!

Snow at HDS!

Christmas was good.  I drove up to St. Louis and did the whole Christmas Eve thing with Perry's family and then we drove back to Memphis on Christmas morning in the snow (very early!).  Basically, most of my break was Perry and I driving back and forth between Memphis and St. Louis.  However, I enjoyed it nonetheless.  A bunch of my friends from SLU met up in St. Louis for New Year's Eve, which was oh so much fun.  Also, I happened to be in STL when everyone came back to SLU, so I got to see a lot of my friends still at SLU that I rarely get to see anymore.

Alas, I had to return to Cambridge to begin a new semester of classes.  This semester I'm taking a seminar on Martin Luther King, Jr.  I loved my course on Gandhi and I thought this would be a wonderful addition to my learnings in nonviolence.  I've even seriously considered pursing further study in this field, as I find it so fascinating.  While in Memphis, Perry and I went to the National Civil Rights Museum.  I was happy to see that at the end, they had a display on Gandhi, outlining his campaigns, as well as his influences on MLK.  This semester, as I have begun reading King's works, it's like reading Gandhi all over again.  I also didn't realize King visited India to learn more about Gandhi.  My professor for the class (even though he is slightly boring...) knew Martin Luther King, so it's cool to hear his insights.

I am also taking a class on Reformed Christian Thought.  As of right now, I'm planning on matriculating (fingers crossed!) into a Ph.D. program after I finish my MTS, in which I'd focus on the history and theologies of the 16th century reformations.  So, this reformed thought class is exactly what I'm interested in.  However, reformed thought does not imply reformation thought, but rather the tradition originating in John Calvin.

Walking to class!

Another course I'm enrolled in is Introductions to the New Testament, which dives in to different methods and hermeneutics for interpreting the Christian scriptures.  It's taught by Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza who is one of the most well-known theologians on feminist theology, so I'm excited to be in her class.  She's all about breaking down power structures.

Lastly, I'm in a Latin course.  Well, actually two Latin courses.  The first is intermediate Latin.  But, since I've already passed the Latin proficiency exam, I'm just auditing this class.  I want some grammar review, which this will aid in, as well as translating some early Christian texts (currently doing the Acts of Paul and Thecla, which obviously didn't make it into the Bible, as I'm sure most people have never heard of Thecla, ha).  I'm also in an advanced Latin course on the writings of Penitent women in Medieval Italy.  Penitent women were lay women who still chose to live lives of piety.  Pretty much like being a nun, but not taking vows and therefore not formally under the ecclesiastical hierarchy.  It's difficult at times, but I enjoy learning and this will certainly improve my Latin.

So as you can see, I have a full semester ahead of me!  It's like a never ending cycle of class, reading, and translating.  That's alright though.  As daunting as it seems, I just have to remember that I like it and that this is why I'm here.  But don't worry, I have my down time!  In fact, today being Thursday, is my TV night (Community, Parks & Rec., the Office, 30 Rock, and Outsourced)!