I haven't even unpacked yet. Just got back from a relaxing trip with some Sociology friends to Purdue. I can't even tell you how much fun we had. Great talks on the way over and fun food. But There is nothing I can say to do rights to what I have experienced this weekend. A lot become much clearer for me in terms of career paths.
When we started pulling into campus, I was in shock of the look the campus has. The campus was enormous, but still tight together. Big big buildings everywhere with light, medium, or dark red brick. Some newer and some with vines climbing from corner to corner. People walking everywhere, to the Student union for coffee, or to one of the libraries in the area. This was still nothing to me, as I thought this is how it would be like before, I just assumed that no one cared about anyone else.
Then I met the faculty. I had the chance to meet Jim Davidson, who my professor, Dave Caddell learned under, while he was working for his degree at Purdue. I also had the chance to meet the head of the Sociology Department Viktor Gecas, who specializes in Sociology of the Family. Finally Dan Olson joined the discussion on what life is like as a grad student at Purdue, and gave a lot of helpful visualizations and characterizations about what exactly you are doing when you're there.
They all emphasized the mentorship, that will be happening throughout the course of the work. Also the class sizes as small as 4 and 5 where you'll be growing close to those you are
studying with. Then they told us that we are lucky to have a professor like Dr. Caddell, who will brings us there, to see the only school with 4 full professors in the specialty, Sociology of
Religion, all of which well-written.
I also learned that I don't want to be a sociologist. I don't want to be spending my days
doing stats, and taking polls, and making calculations, and all that stuff. I love Sociological theory. I love what framework it gives to look at the world. I love even more applying that imagination to the gaps we have in scriptures, and the process of interpretation. I have come to love Dr. Varughese' classes, that push me to the library, in commentaries, and challenges even
more my ability to write something that he wants to read.
I also learned what I want to find in a seminary. I love tradition. I love the bigness, and the availability of a college town that's not in a nowhere, but not necessarily in a huge city either.
Basically I'm excited. rejuvenated to go somewhere that the professors are doing
academic research and scholarly work. I have one professor personally, who I have no idea if he has ever written a single published article. All i know is that he used to be a pastor and he gives the same lectures he has been giving for the past
15 years. The same books. The same reading quizzes. The same tests. Am I learning, yes. But it's because of the involvment of professors who want to push me to be a better person and a better student, that has fueled my passion for
education.
In one class Dr. Caddell asked a question and was awaiting a response. And waiting, and
waiting. He wasn't going to answer it for the class. So he called on a young man near the middle of the class. The student said, "I don't know what you want!"
Caddell replied, "I want you to think."
"I don't pay you to make me think" answered the student
Ha. Loving it all right now.
