Time flies when you're having... fun?

It's been almost two full weeks since my last post. I actually had to count the days to convince myself, because I was sure I had posted just last week. Oops. Sorry, everyone.

My virtual absence was not a sign that I had fallen off the face of the earth; I've just been extremely busy. The academic work here is easier than St. John's was, but there are a lot more demands on my time. From teaching parish (which has taken about eight hours each of the three Sundays we've gone so far) to time in class and doing homework, to attending chapel during the week and (in my case) choir rehearsals, my days are very full. Add on to that the fact that I'm living in an apartment for essentially the first time in my life, which means I have to take the time to do all the cooking and cleaning as well, and... well, let's just say I miss the carefree and youthful days of college. No matter how much we complained about the terrible cafeteria food, it cannot be denied that we were saved the trouble of both cooking and cleaning up. The point of all this is that I feel rather overwhelmed by all the different commitments that seem to have devoured my free time.

So what, exactly, have I been doing with myself the past two weeks? Classes have been going well, although some are certainly going better than others. Hebrew has been difficult but also rewarding; I can read (albeit slowly) the Hebrew text, and am learning the rudiments of Hebrew vocabulary and grammar. Old Testament thus far has been a rehashing of a lot of things I had learned previously, mostly in the EfM (Education for Ministry) class. Church's Worship is going well, although the lectures are much more engaging than the required readings. Early Church at the moment is the St. John's revival class, with its primary source readings and discussions of Greek philosophy. Homiletics is my least favorite class; I'm finding the required reading useful but the lectures unhelpful. Hopefully it will improve with time. As for Integrative Seminar, the field education is going great—I am very excited about working with Pastor Kevin and Pastor Martha, and the congregation is very friendly to us. We certainly have a lot to learn from all of them.

The readings, quizzes, and written assignments are coming thick and fast now. I'm staying ahead of the curve, but most of the time it feels like only barely. As a result, I'm feeling tired and overwhelmed—but not sorry to be here. There's a lot of work to be done, but I'm settling into the routine more and more each week, and I look forward to what I have ahead of me.

I'll do my best to post again more quickly this time around. Stay tuned!