SNAS Journal Entry - 6/22/11

Day 1 - I arrived at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary today.

Brief background: In 2004 I relocated from Troy, NY to Charlotte, NC in order to attend Southern Evangelical Seminary where in 2009 I earned an M.A. in Philosophy. My faith journey has since led me to the Armenian Orthodox Church where I am currently pursuing the priesthood. Yesterday, I left Charlotte and today I arrived in New Rochelle, NY (a couple hours from where I grew up in Troy) where I will be spending the next few years.

My last few weeks in Charlotte have been bitter-sweet. I have spent a lot of time with friends, and a lot of time preparing for my move. I am grateful for the friendships I made in Charlotte, and I will never forget my experience there. I often refer to my move to Charlotte as "the best thing I ever did". Why? Due to my circumstances, including the people I met, my worldview, faith, and other ideas have been extremely challenged and formed in a way that I don't think would have happened had I stayed in NY (yes, I give credence to counterfactuals), and in a way that I can visibly trace.

Anyway...after I partied with friends, gave away and sold my possessions, and made an 11 hour drive to New Rochelle...what's next?
1) Tomorrow is the start of a 9 day Deacon's Training program held at the seminary, at which I will be both staff and participant. (This training includes a trip the Jersey beach on Tuesday).
2) Unpack.
3) I will be heading to my hometown for the 4th of July weekend.
4) Starting July 5th, I will be temporarily living at the Eastern Diocese in Manhattan (34th and 2nd), where I will intern, take Armenian language lessons, liturgical music lessons...etc. This will last until the end of August, or whenever the fall semester begins at St. Nersess.

So how was my first day? Well, I have been in "moving mode" for 2 weeks straight, and I'm still in it, so I'm not even sure what's real yet. One thing I do know is real, and that is the fact that I am wearing the same exact clothes from Tuesday morning. I watched a couple paranormal reality shows, which I don't know how to fit into my current theological paradigm, but I would like to have something to say about it someday. Lastly, highlights today included having lahmajoun, cheese boreg, armenian string cheese, and middle eastern style lemonade. What were once sporadic treats are now common staples. I think I'll stick around. Stay tuned...

ev
New Rochelle, NY