Turtle! Turtle! (aka Brent and I go for a walk and meet loads of turtles)

I have now completed 5 weeks of summer Hebrew.  We got thrown a curveball this past week by getting a new professor.  Our first professor, Dr. Jeremy Hutton, has departed for UW Madison.  How weird is that?
Our new professor is the polar opposite of Prof. Hutton, which isn't bad, just another thing to get used to.  It's not like I ever know what's going on in lecture anyway.  Okay, there is one bad thing.  The new professor will be our preceptor once a week or so since our preceptors are now going to be leading lecture once a week.  Precept is more of a group therapy session most days than a classroom (though we do learn a lot).  So, taking our "therapist" away once a week and letting a new one grade our quizzes is just not cool- especially when the new one is our professor so we can't complain at all and are slightly intimidated (or a lot intimidated). 

Needless to say, by Friday, I was losing it.  I almost skipped lecture because I was so frusterated after precept (mainly with myself).  First we got the quizzes back that the professor graded (a 14 out of 20 for me), then I completely blanked on the new quiz and was so frazzled I just gave up and turned it in with several blanks.  It doesn't help that I picked last week to quit coffee cold turkey after waking up with a caffeine headache over the weekend.  Also, I was wearing my new glasses, which made me feel woozy the whole day.

New glasses. (and junk...we are still unpacking).

I was in a terrible mood.  Then, lecture ended up being fine, especially since our neighbor was leading it and before I knew it I was free!!

Brent and I really made the most of this weekend.  Friday after class we took the campus connector downtown, checked out a record shop, a coffee shop, and some other neat stores.

On Saturday, we slept in, went for a walk (more on that in a minute) and finally, FINALLY, saw the last Harry Potter.

Our walk down by the canal ended up being the highlight of the weekend.  Why?
Because we saw a ridiculous amount of turtles.  Apparently that is all it takes to entertain me!  They were all in one small area, which made it even more strange, like all of them decided to have a sunbathing party.

We watched them for quite awhile.  Okay, Brent watched and I took loads of photos.

Some were about a foot long, others were babies!

There was also this cool monument.

The D & R Canal was to one side and this nature reserve was on the other.

Turtle-y cool.  Eh?

The Bent Spoon

As a treat for surviving another week of Hebrew, I marched myself downtown to The Bent Spoon and had some delicious ice cream.  It was only a few blocks from campus, but in 100+ degree heat, it felt like miles.  Lucky for me, a table opened up right as I got there so I didn't have to take my ice cream outside.  I was joined by two lovely ladies from the local professional symphony orchestra for some nice chatting while we cooled off. 

The Bent Spoon is known for their creative flavors.  I spotted sweet corn and cucumber basil.  With so many choices, it could be hard to pick, but I was instantly set once I saw Bourbon Vanilla Sea Salt Caramel made with Jim Beam...I'm a sucker for sea salt sweet anything and bourbon is my second favorite liquor (Jameson being the first).  Even with a small size, you can have two flavors, so I also tried Lavender Mascarpone, made with local organic lavender.  Lavender is my favorite scent, one of the only ones that doesn't send me into a sneezing fit.  Lately, I've taken a cotton ball with a few drops of lavender essential oil and placed it under my pillow at night.  However, I've never eaten anything flavored with it.

Both flavors were fantastic.  The Bent Spoon doesn't mess around... The bourbon was absolutely present in the vanilla and the lavender was light, refreshing, and just simply delightful- not at all like eating dryer sheets, which is how I imagined it might be...

 
My only problem was that it was gone before I noticed what happened!  At $4.50 for a scoop and a cone, this was a bit indulgent, but I know I'll be back within the next few weeks, especially if the heatwave continues.

Here's a couple pictures I snapped along the way:

Trinity Episcopal Church...still hot and hazy today.

Just a shot of the downtown.

I'm so blessed to finally have some plans this weekend.  Some people from class invited me over to the dorm tomorrow night for a movie, and tonight I have plans with some people in our apartment complex.  Everyone has continued to be amazingly kind.  Too bad I have a crazy amount of Hebrew homework, including way too many vocabulary words :(

A walk in the woods...

I've been taking walks in every possible direction to get my bearings and to get out of the apartment.  With no social activity this weekend, I could have easily never left.  One of the last directions I had to explore was down behind our apartment on the path past the public golf course.  I knew the Delaware and Raritan Canal was back there somewhere, dividing us from campus, so I decided to check it out.

All of this is just a few minutes from my door:

A bridge over the Canal.

Another bridge over the Canal.

The Delaware and Raritan Canal was built/dredged in the 1830s to connect the Delaware River and the Raritan River, along easier, faster travel between Philadelphia, PA and New York.  Today, most of it has been declared a state park.  It really makes me wish Brent and I had invested in some kayaks last year when we were toying with the idea...Except it would have been a pain to transport them out and we would have been too broke to move :(

Here's the first picture of me in New Jersey.  I thought maybe seeing it would make it seem more real to myself!

Proof I was there?!

The Dupree Center for Children

This last one is of the Dupree Center for Children- a daycare center for PTS and the local area that shares a building with the study lounge and computer lab on campus.  It looks as though they have a vegetable garden.  Cute!  I walked past it on my excursion.  Probably won't be needing the center, but it is good to know about.

I've been putting off studying all day since my brain has hurt since I woke up.  Not a good start to the week, but I'll manage.

Hebrew update:  I got my first D on a quiz on Friday.  I was expecting as much and am thankful it stumped me so I had one final push to turn in that pass/fail form.  I got an A- on today's quiz, so it all works out.  Word has it they are going to let us drop a couple low scores.  Here's hoping.

Blessings,

Cal

Hebrew Day 3

Tonight I'm nowhere near as hopeless as last night.  People keep telling me that this week is the hardest, so I have room for optimism.  I got my first two quizzes back today- an 87.5% and a 82.5%.  Normally, I'd be somewhat horrified, but I've taken the advice I've received to let go of my grades to heart (or at least really tried to).  I was actually elated with those scores.  It would be different if we weren't cramming so much into every day.  My brain can only handle so much, so I'm satisfied with my B's.  I am going to the registrar tomorrow to switch to Pass/Fail though!

I'm still adjusting to this weird transitional period I'm in.  It isn't adjusting to seminary, because this isn't really what the next 3-4 years will look like.  For one thing, Brent will eventually be here.  So will the rest of my belongings!  Not only that, but we are in temporary housing while the new apartments are being built, so I can't get too cozy here. 

Here's some snapshots of my new life:

 This is how I've been studying.  My desk is too small for all of these papers and I don't have a table right now, so I have re-purposed my yoga mat as a study mat.  No worries, I'm still using it for yoga too.  I've been doing yoga on yogaglo.com and last night there was a free, if very intense, yoga class on campus.

I only have one small pot, two small frying pans, and a pizza pan, so I have gotten very creative with my cooking.  It's very humbling.  This is how I made broccoli tonight.  The pot was being used for canned goodness, so I had to use a frying pan with the pizza pan as a lid.   

This is my room.  It may look like a real bed, but that's an inflatable mattress that is ruining my back.  I relinguished my TV tray to the plants, so everything else goes on the floor.  Notice the study materials all over the place.  I'd be ashamed if I had any time to pick them up and any place to put them.  Brent packed the Christmas lights for me half jokingly, but they actually brighten my mood.  I have them in the living room too.  I'm too lazy to hang them up and one of my favorite yoga studios has them like this on the floor.

This is what I eat!  Canned goodness with some real goodness on the side.  I'm really trying not to gain any weight because my wedding dress will not fit if I do.  However, eating is a fantastic distraction from studying.  It's a hard adjustment though.  Brent and I split cooking duties, but both of us love to cook really good and mostly healthy food.  With limited kitchen equipment, time, and resources, it's hard to come up with a convenient meal that is satisfying, nourishing, and not terrible for me.  I'm doing my best :)
My folks insisted on getting some paper plates when we went shopping.  I haven't used them in the past few years but I'm thankful for them now.  I have enough dishes to do as it is.  I promise I won't buy more, but they are giving me more time to review my Hebrew nouns and prepositions. 

I'm trying to remember how I survived the first two years of my undergrad as a single student.  First, I lived in a sorority where we had a chef and a cleaning lady.  Then, I had an awful year getting by on "free" bagels from my work study job.  Hopefully I can do better this time around.

My new mantra = This is only temporary.  (Say it over and over until it sinks in).

Hebrew Day 2

Ugh!  Tonight I'm only 1/3 with my homework but I am calling it quits.  My brain has reached capacity and I'm very tired.  I have 'til Friday to decide to take the class Pass/Fail- something I've never done before.  I have the approval of my Committee on Preparation for Ministry (CPM), the group that is overseeing my ordination process.  I really think it may be a good idea, and not just because an A seems out of reach already.  I really want to learn Hebrew, not just ace my quizzes.  In fact, I need to learn Hebrew because to become ordained in the Presbyterian (USA) church, it's a requirement.  Plus, how can I truly study the Scriptures without it?  Trust me, a lot gets lost in translation.  Right now, I feel lost in translation.
It may be a good lesson for me to take it Pass/Fail because I need to learn to let go of my grades.  It won't be easy.  My undergrad was all about doing the work to get the grade since I was so busy working.  Time to switch gears I guess.
It's a year's worth of classes in 8 weeks.  Yesterday (Day 1), we were expected to learn the characters, the vowels (which Hebrew didn't have until something along the lines of 900 years after Jesus), how to transliterate, and also several vocabulary words.  Much to my surprise, I think I did okay on the quiz today. 
Tonight is a different story.  I went to the tutoring session today, but the tutor learned Hebrew a different way and was pretty much unable to help.  She's been studying for a final and unable to attend our class the last two days, so I'm hopeful that once she's done with that she can get on the same page as our professor.  I really feel for her.  I could tell she knows her stuff and was genuinely frustrated.  So am I!
I've decided to call it quits tonight and start fresh in the morning. 
Here are some pictures I snapped around Princeton University's campus yesterday.

I readily admit I have no idea what any of those buildings are. (Take that anyone who says the seminary students all pretend they go to Princeton.)  If I were pretending, I'd at least do my homework.


This beauty below is on MY campus.  It's the inside of Miller Chapel.  At one point I really wanted to get married here (until my stepmom pointed out that nobody would come... She's mostly right!).  Just look at those pale yellow walls!  Gorgeous!