Life These Days
Right now my life is busy yet unremarkable. I'm working as a college minister, which has been challenging and rewarding. And the rest of my life consists of school--10 hours of class, 8 hours as a grad assistant, and countless hours reading, writing, researching, and praying.
On an interesting side note, for one of my classes I'm taking part in an accountability group that is striving to be perfectly Christ-like in our speech. The theory behind the group is that we will go out and wrestle with this task, meeting weekly to reflect on and share our efforts, thereby gain insight into what all our task--Christ-likeness in speech--really requires and entails. So far, it's been only a little productive, but we're still early in the process and haven't reflected as much as needed (not on my part anyway).
What else?
I'm progressing along nicely in Greek, though the process is a little more prosaic than I'd like. It's all about cramming in vocab and mastering paradigms--rather formal and lifeless things. Alas, I think my time in Japan has spoiled me, for there, I studied language (and a dang hard one at that) not with academic intentions, but with the purpose of communicating, of becoming conversational. In Japan I used books, for sure, but they were merely maps keeping me from losing my way on the exciting and precipitous terrain of the language itself. But now, it's only maps. Even so, part of me secretly enjoys the academic approach. Besides, once we actually start studying the New Testament, the language will come alive for me in ways impossible to all others, I'm sure--though I still won't be able to speak of lick of it!
Odd point about all this language stuff (then I'll leave it!): I could never really read anything beyond little-kid or textbook Japanese, and those poorly enough. When I did read it, I almost always had to translate it back to the language as I spoke it in order to understand. Now, however, I sit down and read textbook sentences of Greek, and my mind, with a little concentration, quickly translates to English. But if I hear it? Nada, nothing--can't understand a lick. And reading aloud is arduous at best. Same information, different approaches--and the result is drastically changed.
Well, this may have been my most boring post... ever? (unless you love languages) And it's utterly autobiographical and utterly true to my current life. Alas, I am a grad student, and I am a bore. But life is good. Next time I'll try to be a little more amusing!
On an interesting side note, for one of my classes I'm taking part in an accountability group that is striving to be perfectly Christ-like in our speech. The theory behind the group is that we will go out and wrestle with this task, meeting weekly to reflect on and share our efforts, thereby gain insight into what all our task--Christ-likeness in speech--really requires and entails. So far, it's been only a little productive, but we're still early in the process and haven't reflected as much as needed (not on my part anyway).
What else?
I'm progressing along nicely in Greek, though the process is a little more prosaic than I'd like. It's all about cramming in vocab and mastering paradigms--rather formal and lifeless things. Alas, I think my time in Japan has spoiled me, for there, I studied language (and a dang hard one at that) not with academic intentions, but with the purpose of communicating, of becoming conversational. In Japan I used books, for sure, but they were merely maps keeping me from losing my way on the exciting and precipitous terrain of the language itself. But now, it's only maps. Even so, part of me secretly enjoys the academic approach. Besides, once we actually start studying the New Testament, the language will come alive for me in ways impossible to all others, I'm sure--though I still won't be able to speak of lick of it!
Odd point about all this language stuff (then I'll leave it!): I could never really read anything beyond little-kid or textbook Japanese, and those poorly enough. When I did read it, I almost always had to translate it back to the language as I spoke it in order to understand. Now, however, I sit down and read textbook sentences of Greek, and my mind, with a little concentration, quickly translates to English. But if I hear it? Nada, nothing--can't understand a lick. And reading aloud is arduous at best. Same information, different approaches--and the result is drastically changed.
Well, this may have been my most boring post... ever? (unless you love languages) And it's utterly autobiographical and utterly true to my current life. Alas, I am a grad student, and I am a bore. But life is good. Next time I'll try to be a little more amusing!
posted by Peter Rice at 9:52 PM
2 Comments:
Hey Pete!
I think "precipitous" is a good way to describe Japanese, although I can´t agree with "exciting". :)
And I did find this blog interesting, but I fall into the qualifier of loving languages.
It´s interesting to learn a language for communication vs. learning a language strictly for translation, huh? I feel the same comparing Hebrew to Japanese and Portuguese.
Hi Peter!!
It's me your long lost love Holly!! Hey one of my good friends is going to ACU (no its not you!) J/K Her name is Melissa Ferguson you should look her up. ;) bye for now!
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