Year Number 4 Begins

I arrived in Halifax yesterday around 5, just a bit late, as the flight out of Toronto was delayed. I was met at the airport by a friend, who is also in the program, who had timed it so that he, who was driving from Ontario, could swing by the airport so that I could get a ride into the city. For those of you that don’t know the airport here in Halifax is about a 30 minute drive outside of the city, so having this ride in was a blessing. We arrived at the residence, unpacked our rooms and then 6 of us went out and shared a meal together, one of many to come this summer.

As I look at my residence room I am struck by a sense of contradiction, in that this room is not the same room that I have been in, as each year I have had a different room, yet they all have looked the same. Or maybe it is that they all feel the same. There is no real sense of the person that I am, although I will admit that if one were to look long and hard enough one could find hints. It is temporary and so therefore in a way feels transient. Yet I am aware of all of those others who have also come through these rooms both in the Summer Distance program, such as myself, or those in the Residential program and there is some sense of comfort in that thought. All those others who have sat and struggled at this desk as they wrestled with questions of their faith and this world in which we live. Those others who have laughed in the hallways, meeting new friends, and becoming reacquainted with old friends again. And so, I prepare to begin again, aware that this is my second last time here and that after these 5 weeks I have one more summer session. As they say “time waits for no one.” and this is true this time will come and it will go. What I have realized is important is what I have chosen to do with this time, will I engage as best as I am able in order to learn all that I can from my instructors and the other students, will I immerse myself into the life of this community knowing it will be dissolved, somewhat, in 5 weeks. These are the questions that I am asking myself.

It is raining here today, which is okay as it will most likely be a day of getting groceries and making sure everything is prepared for the start of classes tomorrow. For those of you who are wondering, no I still have not completely learned my Hebrew alphabet, that will be work for this afternoon……..as I said to one of the other students here “it’s all Greek to me!”

Peace,

Patrick