Wednesday

Jumpin' יְהוֹשָׁפָט: Today was a Long Day

Today started like any other: I hit the snooze button nine times, rolling out of bed with a disgruntled expression and a cowlick--forty-five minutes later than I should have.

8:10 AM arrived, and along with it, Biblical Hebrew II.

I absolutely love my Biblical Hebrew class. We have been meeting since last semester (same professor, same classmates, just easier--although once the soul-destroying final exam was over, several people dropped). Today we focused on using our BDB (The Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon). We've been working on three very difficult translations outside of class, and some of us had complained to our professor (Chris, a doctoral student working on his dissertation) that we had difficulty using it. We also read through some passages in what I can only guess was 1 Kings; there was a lot of death and dying--and eventually God issued a "lying spirit" which was intended to deceive. I can only wonder how certain Bible literalists can get through God's explicitly killing certain people, hardening certain people's hearts, and issuing spirits of deception without wondering if they need to contemplate this "interpret everything literally" thing.

We never fail to have a good time during Hebrew. When we translated the Book of Ruth, we made it through that awkward threshing floor scene only by choking on our laughter. Then Boaz told Ruth to cover herself and sneak back home under the cover of darkness, before anyone was awake. I whispered to Kitty that it was an ancient equivalent of the "walk of shame." Apparently my voice carries, because the entire class heard. During Job, we came across a particularly hazy verse that made translating next to impossible. Even our professor was a little perplexed by it. He said, "It's kind of getting across the idea of... you know... you take the good, you take the bad..." The rest of the class chimed in, "You take them both and there you have the facts of life--THE FACTS OF LIFE!!!" And then there's Jane. Jane is a southern mother with an immaculate sense of humor. Today, as Evelyn was reading she came across the word "יְהוֹשָׁפָט" (Yehoshafat). Jane screamed, "YEAH!!!" excitedly, followed by a meek, "That's Jehosephat, right?"

After class, I raced upstairs for what I presumed would be a 9:00 AM meeting with my field education advisor. After knocking twice on the door and confirming that the light in the room was not on, i wandered downstairs to the cafeteria scratching my chin. A quick check of the e-mail on my cell phone verified that the 9:00 AM appointment had been the one she had proposed on Monday, but I had rejected because of a meeting with the dean. I was actually scheduled to meet her at 4:00 PM today, meaning I had no reason to still be on campus.

I quickly got sidetracked when I ran into some friends (Andy and Ben) from my Hebrew class, who seemed a little shocked that I wasn't "at Starbucks" (blast--I really am giving them all my money!). We quickly got carried away, discussing our favorite episodes of "South Park" and "The Simpsons." I had just seen the Easter bunny episode of "South Park," which I felt bore high theological relevance in an establishment like a divinity school.

I also showed them this little gem from FailBlog.



After going home for a few hours to work on translations and have lunch, I returned to Vanderbilt and met with Viki, my field education coordinator. She explained to me that there are generally two field placements throughout the MDiv track--one in a congregational setting and one outside of one (although if I was uncomfortable with a congregational setting, it wasn't set in stone). She asked me to tell her about myself: my prior education and work experience, my time at Vanderbilt, and where I wanted to go.

I explained to her that my interests are all over the board: I graduated with a BA in English, writing, and philosophy/religion. I could see myself going into fields related to any of those. I was heavily involved in ALLIES while I was at Drury (I have a thing for social justice).

When I mentioned Drury, there was a quick segue way.
Viki: "Drury? So you know Teresa Hornsby?"
Me: "Yes! I love her to death. She is one of the most amazing professors I have ever had."
Viki: "I know! She's fantastic. Are you taking her class this summer?"
Me: "Yes! I can't wait!"
(Dr. Hornsby's name has that effect on pretty much everyone at Vanderbilt, students and faculty.)

Viki quickly honed in on a job for me. Apparently, Vanderbilt has opened a new center for GLBTQI life called the K.C. Potter Center. Only moments after I left my meeting with her, she shot me an e-mail saying that the director had agreed to allow me to work under her. We'll be scheduling a meeting very soon to plan out my schedule. I couldn't be more excited! This is right up my alley.

I also got two major paper grades back today. One was for my religious pluralism class and the other was for my seminar on the canon of French existentialist Albert Camus (although I would argue that he does not fit the classical definition of "existentialist").

I was highly satisfied with the Camus grade; the pluralism one left a lot to be desired.

Let me warn those undergraduates out there: I'm not entirely sure if all graduate schools are this way, but when you go, be prepared to get lower grades than you're accustomed. It's definitely not "pay your fees, get your Bs." You've got to work exceedingly hard just to scrape by with a B sometimes, and if you get an A, your material is probably publishable. Be forewarned. ;)

Alright. I've spent enough time procrastinating. Time to get some work done.

Love life. Live love.

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