Mín Englisc Blog

Just finished with my last assignment for my last class of my first semester of grad school.

Most of today was spent in various kinds of research: I worked nearly eight hours on paid market research as part of the job, and well over an hour after my evening class went to items of personal interest (entirely unrelated to my studies) in the main library. I'm happy to see so much Ohio history in this Indiana library, and I'm not making small use of it :-) Tomorrow will be my first time to get a paper or a test back from a professor — both are to be returned, although I know from Monday's session of the same course that both went rather well. I was surprised how fast she returned them, since she's had only about a week to do several dozen papers and several dozen tests, all while attending an academic conference out of state.

Hmm, I really need to use this blog more often...
One thing that I won't miss about this first semester is the class load — although I may well be busier with homework and/or paying work in later semesters, I don't plan to take more credits. A full load for students in my program is nine credits (three classes), but because this semester's courses are so basic, I'm taking twelve credits (four classes). Even if next semester is busier, I'll not actually be in class for as long as I am now.

Today saw two more successful trips through the IU Memorial Union. I'm just thankful that it's far wider than it is long — it's easy to get through when you can just almost see the doors on the other side. Very odd, however, is the front handicapped entrance. Since the main doors are accessible via steps, there's a small door to one side marked for handicapped entrance. And inside, as soon as you go through the change, you have to go up or down stairs.

I have no Thursday classes, and I've not yet been assigned much homework, so I've been otherwise busy — I've made three job applications, and I'll be turning in a fourth before dinnertime.
One minor highlight of the day — I entered the Indiana Memorial Union (one of the biggest student unions in the country) by myself for the first time, and I exited where I wanted to, without getting lost at all :-)

Well, I'm in the classroom for my first class of graduate school, waiting for the start time of 1 PM. I parked at least one mile away at Bloomington RPC, as I'm planning to do normally, walking up Grant Street for most of the way. It struck me as I walked north — how great the difference between Grant Street in downtown Bloomington and Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh! Here, it's lined by houses and small shops, while Pittsburgh's Grant Street lies at the heart of the commercial district and is the address for such significant buildings as major corporate headquarters and the National Historic Landmark-designated Allegheny County Courthouse.

I'm somewhat settled in at Bloomington, having been here for part or all of seven days now. My first few days were rather difficult, as I hadn't expected some rather difficult discoveries, such as the fact that many library jobs are only for undergraduates. By this point, I'm doing somewhat better; I understand that part of the problem is that I wasn't trusting God sufficiently well.
Throughout the week, I'd been looking forward to yesterday and being able to go to worship, and it greatly encouraged me. Dr. Holdeman, the pastor here, preached from Ruth 2 — if God took care of Ruth and Naomi in a situation far worse than mine, why should I doubt htat he will take care of me? We sang part of Psalm 77, which also was encouraging:

Then I replied, "Such questions show
That I my weakness need to know.
The Most High has a firm right hand
That through the years will changeless stand."

The psalmist is in great distress earlier in the psalm, asking whether God has entirely forgotten his grace and replaced his mercy with anger; I know that my case is much less distressing, and I've never been driven near to the point of wondering whether I have God's love.

About to leave for Bloomington. I'm moving in today, and my orientation begins on Thursday.