Today I started my first classes...Intro. to Sociology, and Philosophy of the Person. They both sound potentially interesting...I hope I don't get bored and that I can get into it and work hard and get good grades...we'll see...I have a 20-page chapter to read for Soc.; for Philosophy I have a reading assignment that Dr. Gregor said he would email us. *sarcasm* FUN!!! XD
Before lunch today I went running with some friends...Sebastian, Sophia, Theo, Gabe, John, Christian and I think a few others whom I can't recall now. Later, at dinner, a group of us decided we wanted to do some kind of service. We had done an Αγιασμό (sp?) (blessing of the waters) instead of Vespers this evening, to kick off the school year. So our options for prayer were Vespers, Paraklesis, Compline, Akathist, or a mixture of two or more. We decided to skip Vespers, and do Compline with the Akathist to the Theotokos, the Russian way (where the "Rejoice"s are sung rather than read), at Gabe's request. That was a fun time.
After that I went to the CAB meeting (Campus Activities Board), where we talked about various things...I ended up being in charge of cleaning up the Πανυγύρη (sp?) (Panigiri/Festival/cookout/Greek dance party/etc) next Saturday. My task now is to find people to help clean up. (Any HC'ers reading this, PLEASE, I can use all the help I can get...please see me to help clean up after the Πανυγύρη). (My Greek spelling (as well as my speaking) is horrible).
After CAB, I went back to the dorm, where they were nearing the end of Anchorman in the JC room (the basement lounge). Sophia was there and I offered to go to the gym and work out with her in half an hour. Then I stumbled across Theo on my way up to my room, and he said he was going to the gym, and to meet him there. I did stuff I had to do, and headed over to the work-out room. Sophia had gone back to the dorm to play Scattergories (we just missed each other...we actually probably passed each other, but in different hallways and therefore didn't see each other), but Theo worked with me on exercises...pecs, upper abs, lower abs, triceps, biceps, shoulders, etc...I have a feeling I'll be sore tomorrow.
Then I went back to the dorm and watched the end of Scattergories, in the girl's first floor lounge. At 10:00, all the guys had to leave, because here everyone is allowed in the first floor lounge of the opposite sex from 6-10 on weeknights and 6-11 on weekends. I went down to the ping pong room in the basement and watched Theo and Gabe play ping pong.
While watching ping pong, Christian asked me if I wanted to do Compline tonight. I replied that we had already done Compline and apologized for not including him. I suggested doing the Midnight Service (Μεσονυχτικόν) at 10:30, and I also said that we could do Paraklesis, as we had not chanted it earlier today. Christian opted for Μεσονυχτικόν, and Gabe and Theo opted out because they were tired, and were going to bed (supposedly) soon after ping pong. I told Christian and Sophia I would meet them upstairs in ten minutes, stopped by my room, and headed upstairs to the dorm chapel.
As Christian and I were deciding how we were going to divide up the very long Psalm 118*, which is read nightly at the Midnight Service, a slew (wrong spelling) of people walked in (including Theo and Gabe), ready to do Paraklesis...I guess we had decided separately to pray, at the same time, and that was a good conflict to have :) I asked Sophia and Christian, who were fine with it, and we picked up the Paraklesis books and started reading/chanting...I bet there were 15 of us, chanting "quietly," because after 10:00 it is "quiet hours" in the dorm, and "sound carries."
We were finished around 11:00, and on my way out I ran into Catherine, a fellow-CrossRoader, who was standing in the entrance-way, and whose favorite service is Paraklesis. I had invited her to Μεσονυχτικόν, and she had said maybe, but I hadn't had a chance to tell her about Paraklesis. She was a little irritated (not in a bad way, though), because the past few times we've done Paraklesis, it's been semi-spontaneous and she hasn't gotten word.
Side note: I just thought of my very good friend Mariam, a fellow-CrossRoader, who does not attend Hellenic College. She has told me that when she is talking to me she feels like she's watching a sports match because she gets the play-by-play. I think I may be going into too much detail...I don't know. Why don't YOU let me know how much detail you want in the blog? CampNazFanatic@verizon.net. DO IT!! :)
When I left, some of the people who were there decided to do Compline. Some of us, who had done Compline earlier, left to "go to bed." I showered, then stopped by the chapel again. Nick, Photi, John and Anthony were having a discussion about sin, relaxing the rules in certain situations (οικονομία/economia), and specific instances. It was interesting so I joined in, then came back to my room. I'm here now...I've been blogging off and on during my short breaks in between stuff.
Why do I write all this detail, this play-by-play, in Mariam's words, of my evening? Because routine matters. Spontaneity is killing me (figuratively, of course). I heard a priest say once (I don't remember who or when, but I think it was an AFR podcast) that, in order to discipline yourself to pray daily, you must have a routine which includes the same prayers at the same time and in the same place, as much as possible. Routine also matters in other areas, as well, such as exercise, academics and to an extent in social life.
I have had no routine these past days...yes, I've had Orthros at 8 almost every morning and Vespers at 5 almost every evening. Aside from that, though, everything has been random...personal prayer life, small group prayer life, jogging, working out, walking, hanging out, and not reading the Sociology packet tonight to get it over with. I can't wait for the next few weeks to pass...I hope to get a job somewhere in the area, preferably on campus. Once I assess my academic workload, and allot enough time to get my school work done, I will figure out working hours, devotional hours with our small group, personal prayer hours, and spiritual reading hours...I'm in the middle of St. Silouan the Athonite by Archimandrite Sophrony. I've been in the same place for too long...all this spontaneity (which is good, to an extent) has not allowed me to read it. There are many other books I want to read, and I'm sure I can make time...it's just how I budget the time I have.
The agenda for tomorrow is: get a laundry card, put money on it, and do my first load of laundry; invite Theo over to my room to help me straighten up; read the packet for Sociology; nap; cut my nails; figure out what the weekend looks like; vacuum; and talk to several faculty about various issues...all before 2:10, when I have Algebra, then Vespers at 5.
Good night!
PS. Nick (an Arab) fell in love with Pastitsio/Παστίτσιο and Avgolemono/Αυγολέμονο at lunch...he had never had them before
*There are two ways of numbering the Psalms...Hebrew Masoretic and Greek Septuagint (henceforth LXX, roman numeral for 70, in honor of the 70 elders who translated the LXX from Hebrew to Greek). The Orthodox Church numbers the Psalms according to the LXX. Hence, in a "regular" Bible, Psalm 118, referred to above, would be Psalm 119. Being the blog of an Orthodox Christian, all references to Psalms on this page, will use the LXX numbering, unless otherwise noted.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
my encounter with homeless druggies
Today after Vespers I took a run around Jamaica Pond, the popular running/workout site down the road from campus. I wanted to go with at least one other person but no one seemed interested because it would have meant eating dinner later and everyone was hungry. When I got back, Irene was like "YOU WENT RUNNING WITHOUT ME??" and I apologized...apparently she wanted to go.
I ate dinner with George - a friend, seminarian, and fellow-Pittsburgher -, Demetri and Andrew. There was a movie tonight (Vindiction, I believe?), but I didn't watch it. Instead, after dinner, I put on long pants (it was getting a tad chilly) and went with Irene, Evan and Athanasios (a seminarian) down to "JP." It sometimes means "Jamaica Pond," but it's also the name of a town down the road (where we went)...not sure what it stands for. It was a 25-minute-or-so walk at dusk, around Jamaica Pond and to the town of JP. We went to CVS where Irene needed to buy stuff. On our way back, we came across four homeless guys...Nick, David, a guy who goes by "Country," and another guy whose name I can't remember. I smelled alcohol and David told us he was rolling cigarettes, but my friends told me later (I'm clueless about these things) that it was weed/marijuana. (Are they the same thing? see...told you I'm clueless) :)
We stopped by an Indian Bistro and got them chicken noodle soup and bread...we figured, since we don't know what they'll do with money, and the Bistro was right across the street, that was better. I told them I'd pray for them. Country asked us if we were Christian. We replied yes, we are Orthodox Christians. He said, "I'm Christian, too...I'm Baptist." We nodded and said it was good that he is Christian.
Some may have a bone to pick with me when they hear what happened next...(first of all, I shook all their hands, including David, who was "rolling cigarettes." Evan told me later that my hand smelled like weed, but I didn't smell anything. I washed my hands back on campus, though) the guys asked us where we lived. We replied that we go to college in Brookline, at Hellenic College (it took Country some time before he understood "Hellenic with an H"). Country asked us, if you are Christians, where do you worship? I told him, "go down Pond Street, go around Jamaica Pond, turn left up the hill, and it's right there." He was still having trouble remembering "Hellenic," so I told him that the sign also says "Holy Cross." He said that was easier to remember. I told him he was welcome to come to our church any time (we do have an open-door policy, as much as some would like to deny it, right??)
Irene wasn't happy that I gave him directions to the school because she doesn't want a homeless person coming into her dorm room or something. While I know there is enough security on campus that that won't happen, I realized I should have told Country that the chapel is in the center of the campus, on top of the hill, and our Sunday service starts at 8:00, rather than basically telling him (in other words), "COME ON CAMPUS ANYTIME!!!" Ok, I didn't do it completely right...I'll remember for future reference, if someone asks where we worship, to give them details.
I've decided never again (never say never, though...right?) to go to Jamaica Pond at night...ESPECIALLY alone! Our group was so scared coming back...it was very dark, we saw a grand total of one other person jogging (it's usually thickly populated), and we realized we should have walked on the side of the road instead. We chanted hymns and Evan rediscovered his love of "The Angel cried" (Russian style).
Tonight was movie night and a basketball game. We randomly decided to do Compline afterwards, and then that turned into Paraklesis and Compline. That turned into Paraklesis and Compline with the Akathist to the Theotokos. THAT turned into, "Melissa's grandfather died...we should do an Akathist for the Departed instead." The final schedule, beginning around 10:35 in the main chapel (as opposed to the dorm chapel), was Small Paraklesis and Small Compline with the Akathist for the Departed in the middle of Compline. At the end we chanted Αγνή Παρθένε. There were seven of us, if I recall correctly.
We have been randomly deciding to do services the past few days...Compline, Paraklesis to the Theotokos and other saints, Communion Prayers, Morning Prayers, etc... After talking with Gabriel (henceforth referred to as Gabe), we decided that this cannot continue. No more "HEY! let's do a Paraklesis in five minutes!" Instead, after assessing our academic/chapel/work life, we then add the extra devotions, with the advice of a spiritual father or two on campus or nearby. Tomorrow classes start, so hopefully it'll start a semi-regular schedule for us...it's been crazy the past few days, but fun!
It's 12:30 and Orthros is at 8:00 tomorrow, followed by breakfast, and my first class!!!!
Καλή νύχτα!
I ate dinner with George - a friend, seminarian, and fellow-Pittsburgher -, Demetri and Andrew. There was a movie tonight (Vindiction, I believe?), but I didn't watch it. Instead, after dinner, I put on long pants (it was getting a tad chilly) and went with Irene, Evan and Athanasios (a seminarian) down to "JP." It sometimes means "Jamaica Pond," but it's also the name of a town down the road (where we went)...not sure what it stands for. It was a 25-minute-or-so walk at dusk, around Jamaica Pond and to the town of JP. We went to CVS where Irene needed to buy stuff. On our way back, we came across four homeless guys...Nick, David, a guy who goes by "Country," and another guy whose name I can't remember. I smelled alcohol and David told us he was rolling cigarettes, but my friends told me later (I'm clueless about these things) that it was weed/marijuana. (Are they the same thing? see...told you I'm clueless) :)
We stopped by an Indian Bistro and got them chicken noodle soup and bread...we figured, since we don't know what they'll do with money, and the Bistro was right across the street, that was better. I told them I'd pray for them. Country asked us if we were Christian. We replied yes, we are Orthodox Christians. He said, "I'm Christian, too...I'm Baptist." We nodded and said it was good that he is Christian.
Some may have a bone to pick with me when they hear what happened next...(first of all, I shook all their hands, including David, who was "rolling cigarettes." Evan told me later that my hand smelled like weed, but I didn't smell anything. I washed my hands back on campus, though) the guys asked us where we lived. We replied that we go to college in Brookline, at Hellenic College (it took Country some time before he understood "Hellenic with an H"). Country asked us, if you are Christians, where do you worship? I told him, "go down Pond Street, go around Jamaica Pond, turn left up the hill, and it's right there." He was still having trouble remembering "Hellenic," so I told him that the sign also says "Holy Cross." He said that was easier to remember. I told him he was welcome to come to our church any time (we do have an open-door policy, as much as some would like to deny it, right??)
Irene wasn't happy that I gave him directions to the school because she doesn't want a homeless person coming into her dorm room or something. While I know there is enough security on campus that that won't happen, I realized I should have told Country that the chapel is in the center of the campus, on top of the hill, and our Sunday service starts at 8:00, rather than basically telling him (in other words), "COME ON CAMPUS ANYTIME!!!" Ok, I didn't do it completely right...I'll remember for future reference, if someone asks where we worship, to give them details.
I've decided never again (never say never, though...right?) to go to Jamaica Pond at night...ESPECIALLY alone! Our group was so scared coming back...it was very dark, we saw a grand total of one other person jogging (it's usually thickly populated), and we realized we should have walked on the side of the road instead. We chanted hymns and Evan rediscovered his love of "The Angel cried" (Russian style).
Tonight was movie night and a basketball game. We randomly decided to do Compline afterwards, and then that turned into Paraklesis and Compline. That turned into Paraklesis and Compline with the Akathist to the Theotokos. THAT turned into, "Melissa's grandfather died...we should do an Akathist for the Departed instead." The final schedule, beginning around 10:35 in the main chapel (as opposed to the dorm chapel), was Small Paraklesis and Small Compline with the Akathist for the Departed in the middle of Compline. At the end we chanted Αγνή Παρθένε. There were seven of us, if I recall correctly.
We have been randomly deciding to do services the past few days...Compline, Paraklesis to the Theotokos and other saints, Communion Prayers, Morning Prayers, etc... After talking with Gabriel (henceforth referred to as Gabe), we decided that this cannot continue. No more "HEY! let's do a Paraklesis in five minutes!" Instead, after assessing our academic/chapel/work life, we then add the extra devotions, with the advice of a spiritual father or two on campus or nearby. Tomorrow classes start, so hopefully it'll start a semi-regular schedule for us...it's been crazy the past few days, but fun!
It's 12:30 and Orthros is at 8:00 tomorrow, followed by breakfast, and my first class!!!!
Καλή νύχτα!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
PS
Last night, in Boston, I met Gary, a homeless guy. I told him I'd pray for him and his family. Please do the same ... he told me his wife's name but I forget. He is older (probably 60s) and is a veteran.
half an hour later
I finished Compline Conference Call with Manoli A. and Alicia and was planning on going to bed. I had to go talk to Gabriel for a grand total of ten seconds, so I set out for his room with the intent on coming back minutes later. His room is on the other side of the dorm, and I have to pass by the dorm chapel on the third floor to get to his room. As I came up the stairs and entered the "narthex," I heard powerful chanting...About ten to fifteen students were in the chapel singing their hearts out, nearing the end of Small Paraklesis. I ran to Gabriel's room, told him what I had to tell him, let him know about the Paraklesis (which he could hear from his room and already knew about), and bolted back to the chapel. I stood in the entry-way and practiced holding ison [for those of you not familiar with Byzantine chant, this is the base note - or drone - of the melody, often held on an "ooo", which changes periodically, and is quite tricky to master.]
There are services held very frequently in the dorm chapel, and there is almost never a priest present. The beauty of Orthodox worship is that, aside from the Sacraments, any service can be done without a priest, as a "reader's service." That said, where the last set of petitions would be, at the end of Paraklesis, one of the students read a prayer from a prayer book, asking God to heal Yiannoula. I don't know who that is, but please pray for her. I will find out tomorrow if there is any information that is any of my business.
As the last hymns were being chanted, I went up to venerate the Icon of the Theotokos, along with everyone else. Coming from the back of the chapel and being on the outside of the student choir, to the front of the chapel and being surrounded by chanting in every direction ... I felt so blown away! The chanting was amazing and I could tell it was coming from the heart!
As the last prayer, "Δι ευχών," was said, I prepared to leave. All of a sudden I heard a girl's voice chanting "aaah-naah-nesss," an "επίχυμα" (sp?), or starting pitch, for certain Byzantine hymns. The whole choir then started chanting "O Pure Virgin" in Greek (Αγνή Παρθένε). I moved to the inside of the choir and stood next to a guy holding ison (base note/drone), to help me practice. It was amazing...I had flashbacks of CrossRoad last summer, when we all chanted that together.
As Αγνή Παρθένε finished, people venerated the Icon of the Theotokos once more, and started leaving, while a few took out a cell phone and said "hello, Mary," and proceeded to talk to Mary on speaker. I heard something about just getting back from ICU, and both Mary and the people talking to her were all crying because Paraklesis was so beautiful. I don't know who Mary is, but, again, I will ask tomorrow, if it is any of my business. Please pray for her.
So, after going to talk to Gabriel for two minutes, half an hour later I am back in my dorm room blogging, and now it's been almost an hour since I left. Oh well...I just hope I can manage time when classes start on Thursday. I'll have to be more disciplined then and not just chant and chat whenever I feel like it, as I've been doing.
God bless.
Good night for real! (I hope!)
Pray for me!
There are services held very frequently in the dorm chapel, and there is almost never a priest present. The beauty of Orthodox worship is that, aside from the Sacraments, any service can be done without a priest, as a "reader's service." That said, where the last set of petitions would be, at the end of Paraklesis, one of the students read a prayer from a prayer book, asking God to heal Yiannoula. I don't know who that is, but please pray for her. I will find out tomorrow if there is any information that is any of my business.
As the last hymns were being chanted, I went up to venerate the Icon of the Theotokos, along with everyone else. Coming from the back of the chapel and being on the outside of the student choir, to the front of the chapel and being surrounded by chanting in every direction ... I felt so blown away! The chanting was amazing and I could tell it was coming from the heart!
As the last prayer, "Δι ευχών," was said, I prepared to leave. All of a sudden I heard a girl's voice chanting "aaah-naah-nesss," an "επίχυμα" (sp?), or starting pitch, for certain Byzantine hymns. The whole choir then started chanting "O Pure Virgin" in Greek (Αγνή Παρθένε). I moved to the inside of the choir and stood next to a guy holding ison (base note/drone), to help me practice. It was amazing...I had flashbacks of CrossRoad last summer, when we all chanted that together.
As Αγνή Παρθένε finished, people venerated the Icon of the Theotokos once more, and started leaving, while a few took out a cell phone and said "hello, Mary," and proceeded to talk to Mary on speaker. I heard something about just getting back from ICU, and both Mary and the people talking to her were all crying because Paraklesis was so beautiful. I don't know who Mary is, but, again, I will ask tomorrow, if it is any of my business. Please pray for her.
So, after going to talk to Gabriel for two minutes, half an hour later I am back in my dorm room blogging, and now it's been almost an hour since I left. Oh well...I just hope I can manage time when classes start on Thursday. I'll have to be more disciplined then and not just chant and chat whenever I feel like it, as I've been doing.
God bless.
Good night for real! (I hope!)
Pray for me!
Class scheduling
Today I got up at 6:40 to go running at 7, and no one showed up. :(
I found out later from Irene that she and Cody decided to run earlier - 6:45 - and had texted me (but my phone was off) so when I showed up at 6:55, they were long gone. Oh well...in the future there will hopefully be better organization of running times.
Today we scheduled classes...I am taking fifteen credit hours with my classes bing World History I, Philosophy of the Person I, Biblical Heritage I, and Introduction to Sociology, all of which are required for Religious Studies B (my major). English Composition I is also required, but thanks to Miss Vent's AP Brit Lit in 11th grade, I placed out of that, so in that slot I have College Algebra (blech!) which I would normally take next year. I wanted to move up Byzantine Music I (which is a sophomore course) but the class time conflicts with Philosophy of the Person, so I can't :(
Each of the above classes is three credits, which adds up to fifteen.
There is a soccer game going on now in the gym but between blogging and going to bed late last night (1:30, which, I hear, is early for HC), and getting up to go running this morning, AND taking an hour walk with Theo and Sophia this afternoon around Jamaica Pond (which was awesome), I'm pooped. I'm on the Oratorical Festival Conference Call right now with Manoli A. and Alicia, from National Oratorical 2010. We do conference calls with Small Compline on Tuesday nights as a way of staying connected. We're talking now and we will start praying shortly. There is also church tomorrow morning for the Nativity of the Theotokos. To accomodate our schedule, Orthros begins at 6:30, with Liturgy starting somewhere between 7:30 and 7:45. Good night, all! Blessed Feast day!
I found out later from Irene that she and Cody decided to run earlier - 6:45 - and had texted me (but my phone was off) so when I showed up at 6:55, they were long gone. Oh well...in the future there will hopefully be better organization of running times.
Today we scheduled classes...I am taking fifteen credit hours with my classes bing World History I, Philosophy of the Person I, Biblical Heritage I, and Introduction to Sociology, all of which are required for Religious Studies B (my major). English Composition I is also required, but thanks to Miss Vent's AP Brit Lit in 11th grade, I placed out of that, so in that slot I have College Algebra (blech!) which I would normally take next year. I wanted to move up Byzantine Music I (which is a sophomore course) but the class time conflicts with Philosophy of the Person, so I can't :(
Each of the above classes is three credits, which adds up to fifteen.
There is a soccer game going on now in the gym but between blogging and going to bed late last night (1:30, which, I hear, is early for HC), and getting up to go running this morning, AND taking an hour walk with Theo and Sophia this afternoon around Jamaica Pond (which was awesome), I'm pooped. I'm on the Oratorical Festival Conference Call right now with Manoli A. and Alicia, from National Oratorical 2010. We do conference calls with Small Compline on Tuesday nights as a way of staying connected. We're talking now and we will start praying shortly. There is also church tomorrow morning for the Nativity of the Theotokos. To accomodate our schedule, Orthros begins at 6:30, with Liturgy starting somewhere between 7:30 and 7:45. Good night, all! Blessed Feast day!
Monday, September 6, 2010
FYI
The time posted at the bottom of everything is Pacific time, so add three hours, and that's what time it is HERE (in this case 1:33 am)
For those of you following the saga with baby Leo (and those of you who haven't been following it), please keep him and his family - Justin, Anna and Nika - in your prayers. For regular updates, go to leoclement.blogspot.com.
For those of you following the saga with baby Leo (and those of you who haven't been following it), please keep him and his family - Justin, Anna and Nika - in your prayers. For regular updates, go to leoclement.blogspot.com.
Intro
I started this blog as a way of easily keeping in touch with friends around the country and around the world with whom it may be nearly impossible to maintain contact for various reasons, while at college. It will also serve as a journal for me, when I (God willing) graduate, to look back on my time here, especially since I type much faster than I write. I would like to post every day but I know it's not realistic, so check back every few days for updates, if you're interested.
The name of my blog is a dedication to my amazing GOYAns of last year at Dormition of the Theotokos (my home parish) in Aliquippa, PA. They named me superman for whatever reason (not sure that I'm really that super, but I'm going with it), and then added an "oli" on the end to make it Super Manoli haha.
I moved on campus on Saturday, midday, and went to the weekend's services - Vespers, Orthros, Liturgy - here on campus. Sunday afternoon we left for a retreat at the Metropolis of Boston's camp in New Hampshire, sponsored by the Office of Vocation and Ministry (OVM). It was a good time...we prayed, had a campfire, talked, hung out, discussed stuff, took a hike and went lake swimming - all in 24 hours. We got back today around 6pm-ish.
I'm exhausted right now because I stayed up talking last night with Sebastian, who was my roommate at the Retreat. The Hellenic College dorm rooms are singles, but at the Retreat it was a hotel-like setup with two double beds (we each got a whole one to ourself). Sebastian and I didn't know each other well so we stayed up talking about many different topics, until about 2:30...I woke up at 7:23 this morning and I am exhausted. I also am getting up to go running at 7 tomorrow, so I'm waking up at 6:40.
One last quick tidbit...we had a "Boston T-Party" tonight, where we rode the T (the Boston Subway) and became familiar with it and its various lines that go to various parts of the city. I was with a group that went to the Harvard area of Boston...we took a walk in Harvard Yard and I got a piece of chocolate cheesecake at a nearby bookstore/cafe. We met Frankie J, this black guy from the Caribbean with a cool accent. We hung out with him a little bit as he played reggae music on his guitar. It was really awesome.
Clarification: Only the new students are here now. A few upperclassmen can be seen wandering around, for various reasons, but the campus is by no means full. Everyone else arrives Thursday. I have made friends with just about everyone that's here so far (college and grad students) and have thoroughly enjoyed the first three days here :)
On a side note, unfortunately, I have noticed a few cliques develop within our class. I have also "clicked" with several people, among whom are Theodosi, Gabriel and Sophia, whom I knew before coming to Hellenic. A goal I want to set, though, is to not make the "click" a "clique" and only hang out with the same people all the time. I HAVE FOUR YEARS HERE, DUDE! I can spend as MUCH time with them as I want, but NOT exclude the others...I want to establish deep friendships with all my class- and school-mates and not just a few.
PS - EVERYTHING we do is OPTIONAL (except the OVM Orientation retreat)...this is college, dude! They can't make us do anything...I voluntarily went on the T-Party but I very well could have stayed back on campus. Not being a "seminarian," I don't HAVE to go to church. I don't HAVE to be at meals at a certain time, and I don't HAVE to go to bed at a certain hour. This will take a bit of getting used to, as I am used to high school/GOYA/church events that have a structure and a chaperon has to know your every move :P
The name of my blog is a dedication to my amazing GOYAns of last year at Dormition of the Theotokos (my home parish) in Aliquippa, PA. They named me superman for whatever reason (not sure that I'm really that super, but I'm going with it), and then added an "oli" on the end to make it Super Manoli haha.
I moved on campus on Saturday, midday, and went to the weekend's services - Vespers, Orthros, Liturgy - here on campus. Sunday afternoon we left for a retreat at the Metropolis of Boston's camp in New Hampshire, sponsored by the Office of Vocation and Ministry (OVM). It was a good time...we prayed, had a campfire, talked, hung out, discussed stuff, took a hike and went lake swimming - all in 24 hours. We got back today around 6pm-ish.
I'm exhausted right now because I stayed up talking last night with Sebastian, who was my roommate at the Retreat. The Hellenic College dorm rooms are singles, but at the Retreat it was a hotel-like setup with two double beds (we each got a whole one to ourself). Sebastian and I didn't know each other well so we stayed up talking about many different topics, until about 2:30...I woke up at 7:23 this morning and I am exhausted. I also am getting up to go running at 7 tomorrow, so I'm waking up at 6:40.
One last quick tidbit...we had a "Boston T-Party" tonight, where we rode the T (the Boston Subway) and became familiar with it and its various lines that go to various parts of the city. I was with a group that went to the Harvard area of Boston...we took a walk in Harvard Yard and I got a piece of chocolate cheesecake at a nearby bookstore/cafe. We met Frankie J, this black guy from the Caribbean with a cool accent. We hung out with him a little bit as he played reggae music on his guitar. It was really awesome.
Clarification: Only the new students are here now. A few upperclassmen can be seen wandering around, for various reasons, but the campus is by no means full. Everyone else arrives Thursday. I have made friends with just about everyone that's here so far (college and grad students) and have thoroughly enjoyed the first three days here :)
On a side note, unfortunately, I have noticed a few cliques develop within our class. I have also "clicked" with several people, among whom are Theodosi, Gabriel and Sophia, whom I knew before coming to Hellenic. A goal I want to set, though, is to not make the "click" a "clique" and only hang out with the same people all the time. I HAVE FOUR YEARS HERE, DUDE! I can spend as MUCH time with them as I want, but NOT exclude the others...I want to establish deep friendships with all my class- and school-mates and not just a few.
PS - EVERYTHING we do is OPTIONAL (except the OVM Orientation retreat)...this is college, dude! They can't make us do anything...I voluntarily went on the T-Party but I very well could have stayed back on campus. Not being a "seminarian," I don't HAVE to go to church. I don't HAVE to be at meals at a certain time, and I don't HAVE to go to bed at a certain hour. This will take a bit of getting used to, as I am used to high school/GOYA/church events that have a structure and a chaperon has to know your every move :P
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