Figs

I had a fig for the first time the other day. I was shopping a class called Family and Society in Ancient Israel, which is a subject I'm passionate about, and the teacher handed out dried figs for us to eat, hoping to get us into the mindset for considering everyday life in Ancient Israel. As it turns out, I didn't like the fig very much, although I'm sure that has everything to do with the fact that I don't like dried fruit generally. I'm hoping to get the chance to try a fresh fig someday. I've never been able to find one when I wanted it.

I ended up not registering for the class, not because I didn't like it, but because I can only take 4 classes at a time, not all 17 or so that I actually wanted to take. Picking classes for this semester was a challenge because most of the classes I really wanted to take were scheduled at the same time, or involved extra paperwork because they are downtown classes. And although the subject matter of this course is my passion, the class required more general knowledge of the historical context of the Bible than I currently possess. So instead, I switched to a Hebrew class on the book of Esther (I really wanted to title this entry with a pun about this being a new sem-Esther, but even I groaned at the terribleness of it, so I decided not to share). I think being in two separate Hebrew classes will be good for me, although it means I spend most of my time translating Hebrew -- again, probably good for me. And Tony, Jennifer, Brett and I are going to meet every Sunday night and work through the books of Samuel to improve our literacy/fluency.

My other two classes for the semester are probably going to be more relaxing. One is on sexuality, theology, and ethics, which I find to be a fascinating subject. The other class is a music class, focused on improving music comprehension for future pastors. I'm really looking forward to this class because I feel music is vital and perhaps one of the purest forms that worship can take.