The Clock is Ticking

It's 1:17pm central time. Wilkerson Dining Hall served traditional wings and celery (my favorite special lunch item) and the hot weather of the past few days has broken to a lovely high 70s. I've finally figured out how to circulate air in our enormous dorm room with four fans and I'm starting to talk to more people back home in preparation for the journey two weeks from now.

This time is always bittersweet: two weeks left in this nine week trail of blood, sweat, laughter, and tears. I've soaked in every possible moment of this experience. Yes, it has been my heaviest summer work load since Package A (first summer) and my attention span is now short and my apathy level has risen, but SIL is so much more than classes. It's linguistics. It's community. It's a spiritual journey. It's field preparation. It's beneficial. It's hard. It's exhausting. It's refreshing.

It's hard to leave. Some of us are going home, wherever that is. Some of us are going far away for work or research. Some of us will be living in limbo for a few weeks until our next phase starts. Some of us are getting married. Some of us will never return to SIL. There's a part within me that doesn't want to leave and a part of me that can't wait for it to be over. I look forward to being home and seeing family, friends, and co-workers. I don't want to forget what I've been learning here or go back to a mundane routine.

I'm simultaneously excited and terrified about what life will be like when I go home. Before this summer, I was sad I wasn't going to get my summertime in Indiana (which I haven't had since 2010). Now, I'm considering returning to North Dakota next summer as well and pursuing a masters degree.

Yes, a masters degree. I'm currently enrolled as a non-degree seeking graduate student at the University of North Dakota and I'm taking 9-credit hours. It just so happens, that 9-credits is the limit a grad student can transfer into their program. For SIL, the total credit requirement is 32-credits, 4 of which are supposed to be thesis credits. That leaves 19 other credits which I could cover with two full-time summers. Plus, credits are good for seven years. Mine will be good until 2020 (scary!). Theoretically, I could return to SIL for one of those summers next year, do a 4yr term with Wycliffe, return afterward for my last summer at SIL and then write and defend my thesis the following summer. It seems so simple! (notice the word 'seems'). So that's one thing I've been thinking about.

This has been my first summer here without the lovely London Cline (now Brumleve). God gave me such a priceless treasure in her. Not that God hasn't provided a super cool roommate for me this summer. The illustrious Beth Gray has been awesome. At her wedding, London and I agreed we needed to Skype sometime before I went back home. It didn't happen until earlier this week. I anticipated our Skype session to last for an hour and a half or so and to be somewhat about life stuff and somewhat about spiritual stuff. After our first Skype session, we had only covered some life stuff and hadn't even scraped the surface of what we wanted (and probably needed) to share. We scheduled for the next day at the same time. Again, almost two hours of life and getting into deep stuff mixed with spiritual stuff. Our third Skype session is scheduled for Monday afternoon. I can't wait to see what we can share with each other. From my first day of SIL ever, she's been such an encouragement to me and I've been so blessed by her. Thank you, Lord.

As much as I love pouring my heart for the world to see on this blog of mine, I do have a test in Ethnographic Methods today at 4. Your prayers are much appreciated. Ethnography isn't exactly my strong point and there are so. many. terms. agh.

I have more things to tell y'all about, but they will have to wait for later. ;)

<3