seminary orientation?

i don't know why, but whenever anything labeled "orientation" comes along, i tend to retreat into my psyche and avoid talking to most people. i try and avoid the conversations i'm so sick of having and for a day or so, attempt to go and learn and hear information from a bunch of older people who run the school, telling me about where not to park and what to do if my financial aid money drops out on me. i'm a cynic and have a very bad attitude as you can tell. however today, i think God was out trying to prove me wrong, again. as the 10 hour was creeping up on me, and another meeting was bleeding painfully into the next (overly dramatic? yes, i am. thank you for noticing), i began to let go of my stiff, stare-at-the-wall-and-act-like-you-don't-see-this-other-seminarian-guy-looking-at-you-and-wanting-to-talk attitude and let up. the guy's name was mark and he was about 32 years old and wants to be a bible teacher. as we got to talking over a quick dinner, i realized this guy mark was one of those, "hey brother, that's great!" kind of guys and my skepticism quickly sunk in. then came my cynicism and then, of course, my critical spirit. but oddly enough, i could not not like this guy. he was one of those sincere people who hung on every word you said and always seemed to respond with "wow, our God is amazing, isn't he Neville." granted, we just met 3 minutes ago, so it struck me a little odd that we were already on first-name speaking terms. the conversations went back and forth and slowly but surely, mark got to me. by the end, i started to actually really want to know what was going on in his life. normally, i would look at a person like this and have a field day in my mind as to how too perfect they really are. yet today, as i said, i think God was getting a little sick of me acting all high and mighty and decided to throw someone who heard me and listened to me as if we had known each other for years. i normally don't like that type of approach from people i've just met, but tonight, i didn't seem to mind it.

before i knew it, i was talking to the entire table and mark seemed to have brought the other me out in the open for the first time. i was laughing and finally having a good time. call me cheesy or crazy but i was. the last hour and a half of this 12 hour+ day filled with meeting after meeting couldn't have ended more perfectly. so now, i guess i'm not completely down on orientation days. even though i still think they create some of the most awkward moments in the world. maybe that's a blessing though. i don't know. good night brothers (and sisters).