Wow. It's been a while since I've written, and life has gotten crazy!!! I'm already five and a half weeks into my first semester at Georgetown. On my first day of class, I picked up my books--a total of 28! Of course, I was totally overwhelmed by this mountain of reading, but by the end of the day, I also had about 36 essays (over the semester) to worry about. If that's not overwhelming, I don't know what is!
Since that day, I've read and read and read and read... I've also written and written and written and written!!!! My life has been a constant whirlwind of work, but I've enjoyed it! Unlike my classmates, I am motivated by the fact that being a student is what God has called me to do at this point in my life. Therefore, I believe it is my duty to be a student to the best of my ability.
Classes have been amazing! I can honestly say that my professors are brilliant even though I disagree with them on so much of what we study! Theology class has been eye-opening for several reasons. My professor is a Catholic Priest, and while we may both be Christians, our differences in Theology are many! We have disagreements almost every class. We argue over the depravity of man, free-will, purgatory, the sacraments, exclusive vs. inclusive Christianity, "confession", and so much more. Learning about Catholic views on all of these issues has been interesting, but its made me even more convinced about Reformed, Calvinist doctrines!!!
The great thing about Georgetown, is that we don't save our theological, ethical, or political arguments for the classroom. The Student Lounge is always a lively floor for discussion. Yesterday, we had a heated argument over Islamic justification of polygamy. Many of my male friends insist there is nothing wrong with having multiple wives and plan on having several themselves. Personally, I think this is absolutely revolting (and I didn't hesitate to tell them). Discussions like this are plentiful...when its not about polygamy, its about Lebanon/Egyptian relations or Islamic works-based justification. We argue over anything and everything, but we have a great time!
I've made a ton of friends from all over the world--Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan (or, as she insists, Nubia), Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Oman, India, Pakistan, and Afganistan...just to name a few. :-) It has been a BLAST learning about their cultures and traditions. This past weekend I attended a traditional Qatari iftar. We are in the middle of the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan, so the Muslims are fasting all day every day from sun-up to sunset. When they break their fast at sunset, they have "iftar", a traditional meal usually eaten with friends and family. One of my Qatari friends invited me to her iftar party, and it was SO MUCH fun! Of course, since men and women don't mix very much in this culture, the party was only for women. We ate Qatari food and sat on the floor on "majlis" cushions--a very exciting experience for me! :-)
I've got to go to bed because I have a huge Economics test tomorrow, but I'll write more soon! I assure you, I have many more stories to tell... :-)
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2 comments:
Lizzy! I can't wait to hear your "other" story! lol!! Everything sounds very interesting!!
~Hannah~
Oh please hurry and write more soon. I love hearing your stories and also glimpsing insite from your views. I pray mu children will grow up with such courageousness. You have a thirst for life that is almost contagious...wish you were here to mentor them! :-)
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