What its like to be an itinerant camper

What its like to be an itinerant camper

So I started seminary a few weeks ago. I am attending Drew Theological in Madison NJ and I am already loving it and know it to be a second home for me. Its my first semester in my first year of an M.Div (Masters of Divinity) program hopefully with an MSW in there also. This year for housing I split my time between campus and my home in Westchester County NY. So this has led to some interesting revelations already;

1. you may not have what you need at the place you are at. Case and point over the weekend I desperately needed a stapler. I own two but both where in New Jersy on my desk in my room at school, well I and my papers that need the staple where in New York. So I ended up going out and getting a new one on clearance mind you just so that one can live in NY and the others can live in NJ. Maybe one will live in my car.
2. On the note of my car, just incase it did not appear that I lived in it anyways, it does now. I love my car dearly and it and I have been on my glorious adventures from camp to undergraduate, to field placement, to home visits, to a run in with a tractor trailer. But now it looks like a cross between a closet and a tent. I love that it is good on gas because it’s a good distance between school and home
3. Traveling, I do not mind driving if its during the day, but this now takes up a significant portion of my week. Yea for books on tape!
4. Sometimes my family calls me, to ask me things that I have no clue about like where is the pasta. Family I have not been home in four days I do not know! I love them anyways
5. There are some perks with this situation.
6. 
   

Perks you say, well yes I do! I have an awesome roommate who this week made our cave of a basement room look like home! We now have almost wall to wall carpeting consisting of a rug that someone shared with us and the rest that she bought. And its like Joseph and the coat of dreams, its all kinds of different carpet textures, and colors, and sizes. It’s a good metaphor that we all need to just work it out for the greater good of covering the linoleum. I also have hot water at school and we at home currently do not. This is due to our hot water heater/oil burner/something in the closet next to my bed at home, not working. Its been 25 years since it was new, gosh the craftsmanship*. So I do enjoy some non eco friendly showers well I am here. Darn it I earn them!

Its also fun to come home on the weekends and sort of hit and run with my family and life at home in Westchester. I enjoy seeing Addy my niece on the weekends also because her grouchiness is usually gone and she’s all smiles and play time. Besides Aunty Betty is just awesome** so there is no need for grouchiness. I also because I split my time do not need to find new doctors, car care people (I love my car care people very much BTW), pharmacy, library or mall. Not that in the future I won’t need to but this is cool for now. I also enjoy meal planning now, yes I am a huge dork or nerd I’m not really sure what I am with regards to this. Anyways I sort of have no money so I’m making better food choices, it’s a side perk of a seminary education.

Also with drew being the university in the forest, its all green! Green in both senses of the word. Green because there are so many trees and the campus is a medium size. Drew also especially the theological school is super committed to being green in our actions. So they encourage us to use CFL’s, take shorter shower (opps on that front), and have started the practice of not having mammal based meat products in seminary hall. So I have not yet eaten my ham sandwege in the atrium or anything like that…

But why the title of itinerant camper. Being from the United Methodist tradition clergy move or itinerate through there time in ministry, and well I’m itinerating a lot each week. And the camper part because well I am not in a tent I feel like I am always moving my stuff that gets me through the week from one place or another, maybe it should have been itinerant sherpa. But campers only set up at one place for so long before they move on to different things.

On my first day of orientation a presenter stated a quote by a Christian bishop about ‘only setting your tent up in one place for as long as was ordained by God’. So well I may be not living in a physical tent its important to realize well I am setting roots maybe they are not the roots of mighty oaks but rather wildflowers full of color and joy that spread all over.