Blast from the Past

This Saturday, Izzy and I went to Berkely for a Torey Honors Institute alumni event. The event included a (very good) dinner and a discussion of George's MacDonald's The Golden Key. It was a very good time.

I had a good time talking with a new alumn who was a philosophy major about the program, old professors and his future plans. I also had a good time talking with my old professors, who I haven't interacted with much in years.

I enjoyed the discussion. It has been a long time since I have had that kind of a discussion and while I didn't really have an opportunity to read the story carefully (and therefore didn't have much to say), I still learned a lot. I also enjoyed watching Izzy participate in the group.

What was really interesting was seeing Torrey through Izzy's eyes. I am glad he got to go to the event because it is really difficult to explain Torrey to someone who hasn't seen it first-hand. I love Torrey and am very glad I had that experience. I am glad that Izzy was so interested and appreciative of the experience I had, both the benefits and pitfalls of the program. In some ways, Torrey is the least diverse place ever. Nearly everyone in the program is while, upper middle class people who have been raised in Christian homes. At the same time, there is a diversity among Torrey students that is harder to capture in words, but is not something that isn't often found in too many other places.

The other high point of the day was getting to spend time with Rahime and 'Chung. Visiting them is always fun and I appreciate their hospitality because I really wouldn't have liked driving home that late in the evening.