I just love how snow is much a more common occurrence in the UK. This morning during Humanities, it was raining, and a second glance out the window provided a view of dainty white flakes falling where they may. Although it didn’t last long, the rest of the day has proved to be dreary, cold, and wet. Which is all fine and well, until you make a class trip to the outdoor market and cannot feel your fingers as a result. Supposedly, there is usually a better turnout for partaking in the weekly Wednesday market, but we enjoyed wandering around the stalls, eyes wide in awe of all of the pretty fruit. I bought some apricots and a sweet potato, and would have purchased more, except I was afraid that all my fresh produce would go bad during the weekend journey to Bath. Next week, I’m going to put a major dent in my money. Just saying.
Not much else has really happened today. I enjoyed the quiet grey weather with a nap and a reading session in the common room downstairs, and was glad when people came in and joined me to watch a bit of Persuasion. Tonight was Allison and Becca’s night to cook, and we celebrated our completion of a week here in Oxford with some delicious tacos. They also made a chocolate pie which I am currently drooling over in anticipation, so I am passing the wait by typing here. Tonight.. is probably still going to be frigid. I’m probably going to chip away at my mountain of looming projects, and hopefully take a walk if anyone wants to come along! Otherwise, back down to the common room it is.
I’m still stressed with this adjustment as I find my place in the house and am trying to get to know everyone. It’s not my forte to be really outgoing or talkative, but I’m managing the best I can. This weekend should be amazing and relaxed, so I’m not getting too anxious about my shy moments.
Until we meet again.
P.S.- Internet is still dead.. currently sharing with the neighbors.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The clouds came back, but it’s okay.
Incidentally, the internet went out yesterday evening just as I finished this post, so my apologies for the tardiness. Here you have it.
I survived my second class, and so excited to get the ball rolling! One of our grade requirements is that we complete 20+ service hours. I'm signed up to do meal prep for an event called Alpha Courses that are hosted by St. Aldates church. Each week, people with the course and church extend an invitation to dinner and discussion for anyone (Christian, Jewish, Agnostic, what have you) who would like to ask questions and talk about the Christian faith. It's supposed to be really deep and powerful. What an awesome ministry, and I am so anxious to be a part of the cooking team! I don't think it would hurt to improve my cooking skills either. Ha.
Today was perfect. The main cause of this was probably due to the run I took through Oxford this afternoon. Yes, Mom, I was very careful when crossing streets, don't worry. 45 degrees is prime running condition for me- warm, but cool enough that I don't get drained quickly.. as opposed to Texas summers. Killer. For an hour, I trotted around a generous chunk of the city. The most interesting part? This time, I didn't feel like an American. I was alone, quiet, dressed in mostly black, didn't stare at anyone, and was thus treated as a Brit. People changed their paths for me, as opposed to the times they had blatantly indicated that they expected ME to do so. Cars noticed me waiting to cross and actually stopped for me. For one blissful hour, I fit in. I was in the English world, free from comments stemming from the stereotypical baggage I normally feel as a burden.
Cailee and Kelly made dinner for our floor tonight - almond chicken. I cannot say enough how happy it made my tummy. I'm five. :]
A group of us are going to Bath for part of the weekend! Super pumped to spend more time having fun with everyone, as opposed to the antisocial homework mode I've been in since dinner. Should be a nice adventure.
I know I haven't posted any pictures. I'll try to get on that soon. Tomorrow is my last day of class for the week (only Monday through Wednesday?), and I feel so spoiled with my schedule. So maybe I'll do it then.
Off to bed to continue my British adventure. All my love.
I survived my second class, and so excited to get the ball rolling! One of our grade requirements is that we complete 20+ service hours. I'm signed up to do meal prep for an event called Alpha Courses that are hosted by St. Aldates church. Each week, people with the course and church extend an invitation to dinner and discussion for anyone (Christian, Jewish, Agnostic, what have you) who would like to ask questions and talk about the Christian faith. It's supposed to be really deep and powerful. What an awesome ministry, and I am so anxious to be a part of the cooking team! I don't think it would hurt to improve my cooking skills either. Ha.
Today was perfect. The main cause of this was probably due to the run I took through Oxford this afternoon. Yes, Mom, I was very careful when crossing streets, don't worry. 45 degrees is prime running condition for me- warm, but cool enough that I don't get drained quickly.. as opposed to Texas summers. Killer. For an hour, I trotted around a generous chunk of the city. The most interesting part? This time, I didn't feel like an American. I was alone, quiet, dressed in mostly black, didn't stare at anyone, and was thus treated as a Brit. People changed their paths for me, as opposed to the times they had blatantly indicated that they expected ME to do so. Cars noticed me waiting to cross and actually stopped for me. For one blissful hour, I fit in. I was in the English world, free from comments stemming from the stereotypical baggage I normally feel as a burden.
Cailee and Kelly made dinner for our floor tonight - almond chicken. I cannot say enough how happy it made my tummy. I'm five. :]
A group of us are going to Bath for part of the weekend! Super pumped to spend more time having fun with everyone, as opposed to the antisocial homework mode I've been in since dinner. Should be a nice adventure.
I know I haven't posted any pictures. I'll try to get on that soon. Tomorrow is my last day of class for the week (only Monday through Wednesday?), and I feel so spoiled with my schedule. So maybe I'll do it then.
Off to bed to continue my British adventure. All my love.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Gone, like yesterday is..
Staying up late laughing is pretty much the best thing ever.. until you feel it in the morning. I don't know WHAT the game was called, but last night, a group of us played in the common room of House 9 until 2 am. Trust me, it was that good. The basic idea is, everyone competes to create the best caption for a one-paneled cartoon. Pure genius. And THAT, my friends, is what happily replaced my blog-writing session last night.
Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous. The sun came out for the first time since we've been in England, and it was like a completely different city! Church at St Aldates was really cool, although the speaker was quite long-winded. The building was really neat fusion of old-style architecture with airy, arched ceilings along with contemporary glass walls composing the entry area. When church first started, it threw me for a loop - it had so many similarities to Kingdom Life (the church I attend in Abilene) that I felt like I was sitting in on the service of its English clone. During worship, everything just.. fell into place. Here I was: safe, living in England for a semester, praising my Lord, with so many opportunities ahead of me. Each little process that brought me here was executed perfectly. My life has been prepared so that this experience will bring me..experience. God has blessed me extravagantly, and the feeling that I was still at home in a worship service in Oxford really spoke loudly to me about how pervasive the hope is that salvation brings. Just wow.
Really, how could my day be bad at all after that? We found a cute pub, The Four Candles, and a little group of girls went shopping together. Primark, the cheap British version of Forever 21, (I know, you're salivating) is fantastic. We also found this indoor/outdoor market. My favorites were the flower shop (daffodils for my kitchen for one pound?!) and Ben's Cookies, which I had today. Ooohh. I paid my very first visit to Ali's Kebab Van, which is cheap and good, but I ordered the wrong thing. I'm giving it another go round this week. Both houses combined for our weekly Sunday 9 @ 9 worship, and then the aforementioned cartoon caption game began. Some of the funniest three hours ever.
Today was the first day of classes, which for me is just one: Humanities. In previous experience, I have loathed History with every ounce of my being, but this class is legitimately interesting. And we're reading Jane Austen's 'Persuasion', so at least I have an excuse to read a book by a renowned author. My roommate Katie and I cooked up some spaghetti and tomato sauce, sauteed vegetables, and bread for dinner with the rest of our floor-mates. Delicious. After I finish this, I'm considering getting ahead on required class reading. Votes?
What I'm most excited about right now:
1. Trying out Thursday night college group with St Aldates church, which means meeting British people and other study-abroaders! Love it.
2. Our group trip to London in about a week and a half. I think we're all going to stay the weekend.. and I might get to see Wicked! Yeah for discounted group rates :]
3. Our SingSong act. I cannot get over how hilarious our Study Abroad crew is.
All my love.
Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous. The sun came out for the first time since we've been in England, and it was like a completely different city! Church at St Aldates was really cool, although the speaker was quite long-winded. The building was really neat fusion of old-style architecture with airy, arched ceilings along with contemporary glass walls composing the entry area. When church first started, it threw me for a loop - it had so many similarities to Kingdom Life (the church I attend in Abilene) that I felt like I was sitting in on the service of its English clone. During worship, everything just.. fell into place. Here I was: safe, living in England for a semester, praising my Lord, with so many opportunities ahead of me. Each little process that brought me here was executed perfectly. My life has been prepared so that this experience will bring me..experience. God has blessed me extravagantly, and the feeling that I was still at home in a worship service in Oxford really spoke loudly to me about how pervasive the hope is that salvation brings. Just wow.
Really, how could my day be bad at all after that? We found a cute pub, The Four Candles, and a little group of girls went shopping together. Primark, the cheap British version of Forever 21, (I know, you're salivating) is fantastic. We also found this indoor/outdoor market. My favorites were the flower shop (daffodils for my kitchen for one pound?!) and Ben's Cookies, which I had today. Ooohh. I paid my very first visit to Ali's Kebab Van, which is cheap and good, but I ordered the wrong thing. I'm giving it another go round this week. Both houses combined for our weekly Sunday 9 @ 9 worship, and then the aforementioned cartoon caption game began. Some of the funniest three hours ever.
Today was the first day of classes, which for me is just one: Humanities. In previous experience, I have loathed History with every ounce of my being, but this class is legitimately interesting. And we're reading Jane Austen's 'Persuasion', so at least I have an excuse to read a book by a renowned author. My roommate Katie and I cooked up some spaghetti and tomato sauce, sauteed vegetables, and bread for dinner with the rest of our floor-mates. Delicious. After I finish this, I'm considering getting ahead on required class reading. Votes?
What I'm most excited about right now:
1. Trying out Thursday night college group with St Aldates church, which means meeting British people and other study-abroaders! Love it.
2. Our group trip to London in about a week and a half. I think we're all going to stay the weekend.. and I might get to see Wicked! Yeah for discounted group rates :]
3. Our SingSong act. I cannot get over how hilarious our Study Abroad crew is.
All my love.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
And on the third day, God created..
Saturday. Oh, wonderful Saturday. Today I woke up to gloomy gray skies (the sun doesn't rise here apparently) a little later than my record-breaking 8:30 yesterday. I managed to push my mess of a self together and a group of us went to University Parks! The snow is practically gone, save for two large mounds of snow in the middle of the field. We had a snowball fight, girls vs. Jacob and Grant.. they had better aim. After a little frisbee throwing, the group explored the rest of the park, like the cricket facilities. Pretty neat. Then we found the pond. Ice was covering most of it, and so a couple of us poked it with our feet. Soon enough, I was testing it out one foot at a time, then with both. Then I got a little gutsy and started bouncing with one foot on the ice. You know what happens next, obviously. The ice broke, and my foot fell in, while Kelly was supporting the rest of me, thank goodness. Mid-calf down was submerged and frigid. Needless to say, I hightailed it back to the house, a little embarrassed that I had done something so stupid. I did laugh the entire time, though. A quick shower fixed my developing hypothermic state, and then Kelly, Cailee, and I had a nice pita lunch in the kitchen. Let's see.. we chilled for a while, and then explored this little area of Oxford called Summertown. As cute as it sounds, shops were hard to come by, with the exception of some solid grocery stores. All the walking wore me out, and somehow I passed out in the common room of House 9 while everyone else made a rumpus, or so the story goes. Dinner was fish & chips from Posh Fish- delicious, but enormous portions. So glad we split, Kelly. I felt really gross after that, and got a group together to take a walk, which turned into a trip to G&D's. Back at the house, I had my first overseas Skype call with the fam, which was fun. I miss y'all so much!
Seriously, the only reason I am still awake is to write this dang account of my day.. I can't get behind this early in the game. The next ones will probably be more concise. Enjoy.
Seriously, the only reason I am still awake is to write this dang account of my day.. I can't get behind this early in the game. The next ones will probably be more concise. Enjoy.
Friday, January 15, 2010
I'm a popsicle
The rumors are true - this is the coldest winter in the UK in 30 years. The snow on the ground is beautiful, and the city has so much history. Our houses were built in the mid-18th century! Practically as old as Britain's separation from the United States. Crazy.
Our second day here was just lovely. Some of the girls on my floor woke up around 8 and we ate breakfast together- my first attempt at using a French press was successful! Yum. After a tight squeeze in the shower, a group of us took a walk to find the larger Sainsbury's grocery store. Cailee screamed at a fat chap of a pigeon (you should ask her about that) and before we knew it, it was time to get back to the house! Cailee, Kelly, and I stopped by On the Hoof for some sandwiches (chicken tikka with mango chutney for me) and powerwalked back to the house just in time to leave for our afternoon orientation at St. Andrew's Church. Once the business was over with, a few of us chilled in the kitchen on my floor. We decided to go to the Jericho area of Oxford for dinner, and after a little wandering, we found Pepper's Burgers. Delicious. If you ever go, only order the 'small' order of chips (french fries). It could feed an army. During our previous detour, we found a treat shop called D&G's, which was promptly visited after the burgers. The brownies looked delicious! Despite a few little issues crossing the street (ahem, girls.. haha) we made it back to the house in one piece to watch some TV. I guess we love American television, because all we've watched is 'Friends' and 'She's the Man'. Feels like home.
I think I'm finally getting the hang of the town.. yesterday I had no sense of direction. Now that I am having to look at my feet less (to avoid the slippery snow, which is now slush) there will be more opportunity to take pictures and explore the city! My sense of time has honestly disappeared- I was shocked today is Friday. Classes don't begin until Monday, and we don't even have class on Friday, with the exception of make-up class time. I can't wait until our Oxford Through The Ages course, which will include a lot of our tours through the city.
Sorry nothing super exciting has happened, but we're taking a trip to London next Friday, so I should have plenty to talk about after then for sure!
Cheers
Our second day here was just lovely. Some of the girls on my floor woke up around 8 and we ate breakfast together- my first attempt at using a French press was successful! Yum. After a tight squeeze in the shower, a group of us took a walk to find the larger Sainsbury's grocery store. Cailee screamed at a fat chap of a pigeon (you should ask her about that) and before we knew it, it was time to get back to the house! Cailee, Kelly, and I stopped by On the Hoof for some sandwiches (chicken tikka with mango chutney for me) and powerwalked back to the house just in time to leave for our afternoon orientation at St. Andrew's Church. Once the business was over with, a few of us chilled in the kitchen on my floor. We decided to go to the Jericho area of Oxford for dinner, and after a little wandering, we found Pepper's Burgers. Delicious. If you ever go, only order the 'small' order of chips (french fries). It could feed an army. During our previous detour, we found a treat shop called D&G's, which was promptly visited after the burgers. The brownies looked delicious! Despite a few little issues crossing the street (ahem, girls.. haha) we made it back to the house in one piece to watch some TV. I guess we love American television, because all we've watched is 'Friends' and 'She's the Man'. Feels like home.
I think I'm finally getting the hang of the town.. yesterday I had no sense of direction. Now that I am having to look at my feet less (to avoid the slippery snow, which is now slush) there will be more opportunity to take pictures and explore the city! My sense of time has honestly disappeared- I was shocked today is Friday. Classes don't begin until Monday, and we don't even have class on Friday, with the exception of make-up class time. I can't wait until our Oxford Through The Ages course, which will include a lot of our tours through the city.
Sorry nothing super exciting has happened, but we're taking a trip to London next Friday, so I should have plenty to talk about after then for sure!
Cheers
Thursday, January 14, 2010
God save the Queen
We have arrived in Oxford!
We left ACU around 11, and discovered on our way to DFW that our original 5 pm flight was delayed until 7, due to weather in the western UK. The airline gave us $9 meal vouchers for the airport, too! Awesome. The flight was smooth, although good sleep was hard to come by. We landed at London-Heathrow around 10:40, and waited at Customs for a good bit. Then, we were off! After an hour-long bus ride to our houses, we got to Oxford around 1:20 and lugged our suitcases up to the rooms. (p.s., I live on the third floor of House 9. and the handle for one of my rolly suitcases broke. woo.) We enjoyed some lunch in House 10, and took a little walking tour to learn the city. Found an ATM and picked up some groceries.. but by then, we were already exhausted. So some of us stayed at the house and ate leftovers for dinner, while others went to the Eagle and Child pub (a popular hangout for C.S. Lewis) for some fish and chips. Maybe I'll head in that direction after a shower. We're all moving slowly and managed to get unpacked.. and some of us are watching Home Alone in the downstairs common room of House 9. It's only 8 pm, but obviously feels like bedtime.
What a blessing it is to be here! All of the people in this group are awesome, and we've been fortunate to have such a smooth transition to England. Thanks to everyone praying for us, we really appreciate it. Cheers and goodnight!
We left ACU around 11, and discovered on our way to DFW that our original 5 pm flight was delayed until 7, due to weather in the western UK. The airline gave us $9 meal vouchers for the airport, too! Awesome. The flight was smooth, although good sleep was hard to come by. We landed at London-Heathrow around 10:40, and waited at Customs for a good bit. Then, we were off! After an hour-long bus ride to our houses, we got to Oxford around 1:20 and lugged our suitcases up to the rooms. (p.s., I live on the third floor of House 9. and the handle for one of my rolly suitcases broke. woo.) We enjoyed some lunch in House 10, and took a little walking tour to learn the city. Found an ATM and picked up some groceries.. but by then, we were already exhausted. So some of us stayed at the house and ate leftovers for dinner, while others went to the Eagle and Child pub (a popular hangout for C.S. Lewis) for some fish and chips. Maybe I'll head in that direction after a shower. We're all moving slowly and managed to get unpacked.. and some of us are watching Home Alone in the downstairs common room of House 9. It's only 8 pm, but obviously feels like bedtime.
What a blessing it is to be here! All of the people in this group are awesome, and we've been fortunate to have such a smooth transition to England. Thanks to everyone praying for us, we really appreciate it. Cheers and goodnight!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
my week
One week until I officially begin goodbyes. So what will I be doing with my time?
packing (one suitcase. right.)
writing (only because it affects my GPA)
reading (see above. pathetic.)
sleeping (maybe at a decent hour? please?)
keeping the anxiety to a minimum (it'll drive you up the wall if i don't)
What a frantic little week.
I apologize that I currently have nothing more exciting to write about than trip prep, which occupies my thoughts about 98% of the time. Excuse me if I seem a bit fixated. I never have enough to spill into a blog, regardless.
packing (one suitcase. right.)
writing (only because it affects my GPA)
reading (see above. pathetic.)
sleeping (maybe at a decent hour? please?)
keeping the anxiety to a minimum (it'll drive you up the wall if i don't)
What a frantic little week.
I apologize that I currently have nothing more exciting to write about than trip prep, which occupies my thoughts about 98% of the time. Excuse me if I seem a bit fixated. I never have enough to spill into a blog, regardless.
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