Bustin’ My Butt

It is week nine in my first semester at Duke Divinity. I am having the time of my life. It is one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life and I love it. I’ve got a little bit of time to share a choppy update of my life right now so let me give you a small peek into my weekly schedule.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and its effects on in-person classes, I decided to delay my move to Durham and remain in Greensboro at my parents’ and commute on the days I have in person classes. It is a weird feeling being in limbo. I relate to the out-of-staters who rely on social media and GroupMe to stay connected but I also have the privilege and opportunity to be in Durham to make face to face connections with new friends and professors.

Every Monday, I get up and pack my bag with my laptop, my notebook, my Bible, and my Hebrew flashcards. I make sure my podcasts are downloaded and I head out the door with coffee in hand to Durham. I spend the afternoon in with my spiritual formation group working our way through the Lord’s Prayer and then spend a couple of hours on the patio with my friends either working on papers or laughing about a professor’s jokes. Due to the hybrid nature of our classes, some of my friends will head to their in-person Church History lecture while Emily and I find an empty classroom to watch the lecture. After class, I mosey back to my car to head to small group with my Greensboro friends. I take my homework with me and sit outside at a brewery for about an hour in my downtime between class and small group. It’s all about balance, ya know?

Tuesday mornings I spend at the store allocating shipment or merchandising the new arrivals before running home to log on in time for my Intro to Biblical Hebrew class. Hebrew intimidates the living snot out of me and I hate being called on to read out loud but then I hear references to the original language in sermons or lectures, I am so excited to recognize the definitions and the grammar and the nuances that have been lost in translations and interpretations of the text. That makes the awkward fumbling through the language worth it. Tuesday afternoons are meant to prepare for Wednesdays so I spend a majority of the afternoon and evening reading and annotating texts like St. Augustine’s Confessions.

Wednesdays are my long days. And I mean long. I wake up at 5:30 to shower and get ready for the day. Of course, my mask has to go with my outfit. Class in Durham starts at 8:30 so I leave around 6:40 to give me enough time to stop at Starbucks if I want and still beat the RTP traffic before climbing the hill to the Chapel from the parking deck. I’m glad I have my jokester of a professor for my morning class because sometimes, by 9am, I already want to go back to bed. I have an in person discussion section right after lecture and we always go over time because we are so interested in interpreting and discussing the Old Testament. From there, I grab some lunch and head to my friend’s on-campus apartment where she is a Graduate Resident and my core group and I log onto a prayer session. I really appreciate that mid-week reset because it reminds me of why I’m doing this whole thing. After prayer and lunch, I head back to the Div school for an afternoon of Church History discussion and lecture. Sometimes, I’ll stay in Durham for the evening for dinner and more homework with friends before heading back to Greensboro around 9pm.

Thursdays, I have class in the morning under the direction of Bishop Will Willimon. We talk about our call to ministry and what it means to be an ordained leader, especially in the United Methodist Church. I have a break for lunch before I’m back online for another class meeting for Hebrew. Thursday afternoons are another opportunity for naps and preparing work for the next week.

Friday mornings, I’m back at the store before, again, running home to log on for Hebrew and then I end my week with my Old Testament lecture.

My weekends are devoted to working at the store and finding time to sleep. Sunday mornings are hit or miss for homework or spiritual care. A lot of times, I sleep in to the very late hour of 8:30am. I log onto virtual Sunday School and leisurely watch worship on Sunday mornings before heading into the store.

Somewhere in the midst of all this, I try to spend time with my family and I’m not very good at it some weeks. I eat dinner with them most nights and fill them in on what I’m up to and what I’m learning. I love to bounce ideas off of them and have a sounding board to vent. Apparently, I’ve done a crazy thing and have done all the reading so far. I don’t think it’s that much if you do a little at a time. I commit about two hours or so a day to homework and reading. Some days it’s more and some days, less. Again… balance. I’m trying to maintain relationships too.

Through it all, I’m very grateful for the love and support offered by my church family and my Greensboro friends. I’m learning a lot about the church, myself, and God. I’ll share a bigger run down of my semester after finals next month.