It's been 5 weeks. 5 weeks since I drove across 5 states and moved into a little room in a seminary. Since getting here, I've taken copious amounts of notes, committed to 3 jobs, made friends, and learned the area. Now I'm a third of the way done with my first semester, and that's super difficult to believe.
My classes are going well so far. I'm being pushed to think about things differently and to expand my views. It still feels a bit funny to only be taking 4 classes for 10 credits... I'm certainly not complaining, but it is taking some getting used to. I have a midterm exam coming up this week, so I suppose that will be the first test of how things are actually going. Pray for me! It'll be a hard one!
Yes. 3 jobs. Each one fell into my lap naturally and plays to my talents. I'm using different skills in each of them, so I'm never bored. And the schedules all work out perfectly, so I'm working about 20 hours a week; I'm used to that schedule from my senior year at Franciscan.
One of the best parts of living on campus is getting to know the people here. My classmates are wonderful and it's been great to get to know them, and the fact that I make food hasn't hurt, either :) We all have different backgrounds and interests, and each bring a different view to the forefront. I love being able to have discussions in class that carry over into our lunch and dinner conversations. Concepts easily flow into discussion which then gets put into practice through the Masses and times of prayer we have together each day. It's a fluid way of life, making work, study, and prayer grow in and through the others.
And the area. Oh, the area. Illinois is a different world than Virginia and Ohio. (obviously. I wasn't really expecting it to be the same.) But it's been fun and a little frustrating to have to learn a whole new area. My first few days were spent driving aimlessly around the surrounding towns and trying to make my way back to campus without a GPS. I failed more times than I'd like to admit, but I have finally learned where things are. I'm still confused by the 3 Targets and 38 Starbucks and 57 Dunkin Donuts, but at least I know they exist. I think I've found a parish to join, and I have a library card (cue library card song), so I can't really ask for more than that! The only thing left is to find a young adult group, but I'm fairly positive that as fall hits us, groups will become more active.
[sidenote: Illinois likes a lot of one-way parking lots. They throw me off every single time.]
[sidenote 2: It was über complicated to get a library card, and after all the trouble, I had to register separately at each library I want to use! I now have a great appreciation for my local Virginia library system... it's so easy!]
All in all, its been a good start to my time here. This upcoming week, I'm looking forward to fall break, during which I'll visit with good friends, see my family, and even write a 15-page paper. It will be nice to get away for a bit, but it'll be just as nice to have a beautiful campus to come back to.
My classes are going well so far. I'm being pushed to think about things differently and to expand my views. It still feels a bit funny to only be taking 4 classes for 10 credits... I'm certainly not complaining, but it is taking some getting used to. I have a midterm exam coming up this week, so I suppose that will be the first test of how things are actually going. Pray for me! It'll be a hard one!
Yes. 3 jobs. Each one fell into my lap naturally and plays to my talents. I'm using different skills in each of them, so I'm never bored. And the schedules all work out perfectly, so I'm working about 20 hours a week; I'm used to that schedule from my senior year at Franciscan.
One of the best parts of living on campus is getting to know the people here. My classmates are wonderful and it's been great to get to know them, and the fact that I make food hasn't hurt, either :) We all have different backgrounds and interests, and each bring a different view to the forefront. I love being able to have discussions in class that carry over into our lunch and dinner conversations. Concepts easily flow into discussion which then gets put into practice through the Masses and times of prayer we have together each day. It's a fluid way of life, making work, study, and prayer grow in and through the others.
And the area. Oh, the area. Illinois is a different world than Virginia and Ohio. (obviously. I wasn't really expecting it to be the same.) But it's been fun and a little frustrating to have to learn a whole new area. My first few days were spent driving aimlessly around the surrounding towns and trying to make my way back to campus without a GPS. I failed more times than I'd like to admit, but I have finally learned where things are. I'm still confused by the 3 Targets and 38 Starbucks and 57 Dunkin Donuts, but at least I know they exist. I think I've found a parish to join, and I have a library card (cue library card song), so I can't really ask for more than that! The only thing left is to find a young adult group, but I'm fairly positive that as fall hits us, groups will become more active.
[sidenote: Illinois likes a lot of one-way parking lots. They throw me off every single time.]
[sidenote 2: It was über complicated to get a library card, and after all the trouble, I had to register separately at each library I want to use! I now have a great appreciation for my local Virginia library system... it's so easy!]
All in all, its been a good start to my time here. This upcoming week, I'm looking forward to fall break, during which I'll visit with good friends, see my family, and even write a 15-page paper. It will be nice to get away for a bit, but it'll be just as nice to have a beautiful campus to come back to.