Monday: Quote of the day (Meghan talking about the Accommodation Office): "I feel like the fires of Hell start licking at your ankles as soon as you walk in there!" Rubbish day (Yes, I said rubbish) but finally sorted out I believe. Ran on the canal to de-stress! It's getting pretty chilly outside in the evenings and night. My lungs were shocked by the cold air!
Tuesday: Got my first email reply ever from the Accommodation Office, finally confirming my early arrival. I can move into my dorm on the 20th. Praise God! Worked on job applications. Ran on the canal.
Wednesday: Walked around doing some errands with Jamie and Meghan but not before a "Dynamite" dance party to get us started. Absolutely exhausted for some reason. Laid down for a nap in the conservatory. Had a late lunch, read, and napped again. Chatted online with Jennie in Senegal for a good while, which was really nice. I definitely miss her. Went to CBC for Wednesday night Bible study. The topic was the preeminence of Christ (Col 1:15). Found out they like to sing Christmas carols all year long which is more than okay with me! Finished The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis on the tube ride there. I highly recommend it. I'll definitely be reading it again. Had a late dinner afterwards. Reread my post "Home." Funny how you can preach at yourself.
Thursday: Read and napped until lunch. Still felt exhausted. Got myself moving around, talked to Jennie in Senegal again, and corresponded with Laura as she left for Togo today. Also got to chat with Katie in TX. Eventually went out for a run. Ran to Regent's Park and crisscrossed Primrose Hill a few times. I think it's the first proper hill I've come across! Discovered an adult playground of sorts where I did upper body and core work, then ran back. Must have been a good workout because I felt like a noodle. Grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner. Researched some PhD programs. Chilled with Jamie and Meghan. First video Skype call since I've gotten here belongs to Sarah M. in VA. Chatted a bit with Ashley T. and Kristyn, who are FL and CO respectively. Good day for talking to people! Man we're scattered all over the place!!
Friday: Limited on my options due to not wanting to be locked out of the house. Meghan picked up a German friend from the airport today and was out all day with her. Jamie had work and research things to do so she was also out, but was coming back sometime and leaving again by 4:30ish. So this left me with the option of walking around and coming back by like 4 so that I wouldn't be locked out until who knows when at night. I wandered back into Chinatown, drank some coconut juice, and continued around Piccadilly Circus, over to Holdborn, back through campus and to the flat. Also picked up peanut butter, bananas, and yogurt from the store. I had been a day without peanut butter and that's long enough. Second video Skype belongs to Ashley T. and the FSU XA office :)
Saturday: Jamie ran out the door this morning. Meghan and her friend had already left. So there I was with no idea of when anybody would be coming back, no key to a door that automatically locks behind you when you leave, and no phone to contact anyone. I was stuck and frustrated that I couldn't even go for a run. But that's when the post before this one ("Into Place") happened and as you can see it helped me sort a lot of what I've been feeling. So of course God had better plans for my time than me.
Sunday: Didn't feel so great when I woke up. I had gone to bed not feeling so well since about dinner time. Couldn't find my shoes, but eventually made it out the door to CBC. Almost turned back because I started feeling worse. Sat down in the service, praying that I would at least feel well enough to get some spiritual food. I had committed last week to eating at Battina's for lunch as well and I really didn't want to back out. By the end of service I felt much better than I had when I arrived and during Emily's birthday tea downstairs I gulped down some ginger tea I had brought from China in hopes that it would make me want to eat lunch. Battina had Norma, Agape, Joe, Esther and I over for some homemade French food. Praise God by the time we got to her flat I felt like eating and it was very good! We fellowshipped around the table for a while and then some returned to the church for choir practice. Yes, choir practice haha Esther had cornered me the week before. During the evening service we continued in our study of Philemon. We are equal in Christ, profitable and useful in Christ, and we have a purpose in Christ. The morning service had continued in 'dying to self.' "Live is not to live for tomorrow; Live is to live for God today." - Pastor Steve
Monday, September 19, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Into Place
I cried out to the LORD,
"I have no purpose here!
My hands are idle
and my heart is all alone.
Why did you bring me here?
You couldn't possibly want me away
for this length of time
in tears of sorrow over what may.
I long for days yet to come.
And I cannot see how I got here.
Could Have Been and Could Be
seem to have better ideas."
But the problem is that
Could Have Been and Could Be
trap and haunt.
They are not my friends.
They say, "You made the wrong choice.
You're just running away.
Back out now.
Before it's too late."
Try as I might,
I couldn't make them leave.
So the LORD locked me in saying,
"SIT. READ."
So I read through Isaiah,
and my struggle began to cease.
My heart grew warm
as I renewed my friendship with Peace.
We spoke of many things,
for Peace is so patient.
For to Him time has one point,
everything has already and will happen.
Peace gave me fresh eyes,
the more I read His Word,
releasing me
from the fiend called Lies.
For Lies likes to visit
anytime he can.
Though he is unwanted,
he's good at finding a way in.
He likes to say,
"What are you doing here?
This can't be right!
You're not in the right place - just go hide.
In fact, you're never in the right place.
And you never will be,
so just give it up now
and settle for mediocrity.
Are you really actually worth something
in the LORD's sight?
Surely He made you,
but He doesn't truly care!
Others are more useful than you.
Others don't get afraid.
Others are more willing.
They know the LORD more than you ever could!
You see, others understand way more than you.
Others are more secure in who they should be.
They are important in God's plans -
way more than you could ever be."
But Peace socks Lies
right between the eyes
because Peace has many names,
and they include Truth.
Truth also brings tears,
but these are tears of joy
as He reassures me
and rebukes Lies.
He reminds me of secrets
He told me in the past
about my own special future
He so carefully planned.
Oh how amazing it is!
That He would care so much
as to give me special purpose
and to pick me up out of the dust!
That He would use these things
to help me deal with the unknowns
for with every answer
there is always more to know.
That He would hold me and guide me
changing my heart
For His other name Love
also does a part.
Love renews and restores
even the most troubled of hearts.
Love's reviving work
is some amazing stuff!
I hope you know them,
Peace, Truth and Love,
for They don't play favorites
or bring you down.
They give you courage
to step out in faith
and purpose
to live out your days.
For They are the LORD
and He is full of grace
with which to firmly yet gently
nudge us into place.
Monday, September 12, 2011
London Adventures: September 5-11
Monday: Went to the Natural History Museum with Meghan. If you like the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum then you would like this one, too. And I was obsessed with the Gothic architecture with gargoyles as you can tell if you've seen the pictures on Facebook. I also wanted to laugh as I imagined how John would be geeking over all the mounted/stuffed animal specimens and wanting to hunt every single one of them.
Tuesday: Totally worn out with all of the site-seeing, so Meghan and I both chose to be bums. Jamie's graduation was today, but you have to be registered to attend. We went out to eat with her and her parents and Flick (lives with Jamie and Meghan and showed up briefly this week) at Jamie's Italian (one of Jamie Oliver's restaurants). It was really good and the cook sent my leftovers out in a very oddly shaped tin-foil wrapping. It was like a foil ring or bag. Pictures of that and everything else going on are up on Facebook. I didn't end up being a bum the entire day though. I got stir crazy by the afternoon and housing hadn't responded to my email about not being able to log into their website to accept their accommodation offer, so I went for a run. I braved the gale force winds to run to campus and around campus once they made me go to their IT people. It had sprinkled some earlier in the day, but hadn't really rained. Then on the way back it POURED. Seriously. Like I haven't seen rain that hard in a long time. And my jacket that I've never had water penetrate was soaked through as well as there being oceans in my shoes. CRAZY. Kind of fun though once you get over the initial natural instinct of "nooooo..."
Wednesday: Walked 10-11 miles around London with Meghan. Checked out Covent Garden, Big Ben/Parliament area again except the bridge side, the London Eye, a long walk along the river front, the Tate Modern, and the Strand. Some things in the Tate Modern are really cool and some of it I'm not a fan of and reminded me of some interesting moments in Devine's History of Modern Art class to say the least. It was really cool to see a lot of the stuff in person though. Made a grilled cheese with tomato soup for dinner and boy did it hit the spot. I'm totally craving hot things so much more here than at home. There was a street performer in a kilt playing bagpipes on the bridge we crossed next to Big Ben. He played Amazing Grace and it so nice to hear.
Thursday: Toured Buckingham Palace with Meghan, Jamie and her mom. I really don't find the outside that impressive but inside it is amazing! Didn't sleep well last night so I felt pretty crappy and really just wanted to crawl back into bed, but I wanted to go with the others and I had to go out to go to housing again. And I was freezing even with a scarf on. When that was finally through I bummed out on the couch the rest of the day.
Friday: Meghan went with Jamie and her mom to see things that again I'm not paying for yet. I finally almost caught up on uploading pictures to Facebook. Then I went back to Borough Market to find that gluten free bakery vendor. I was there earlier than we had gotten there last week, so there were more vendors still out to look through. I had ridden the tube down, but I walked back to Camden from there, crossing the Thames on the London Bridge (which didn't fall down!). When I got back I went for a run on the canal, which I found to be a nice break from the street because of not having to deal with intersections every few hundred feet.
Unfortunately I got back and discovered that the key to the house was not in my pocket. There is a pouch in the lining of my running shorts where I keep my iPod, a little money, ID, and my key when I run. I've never had anything fall out of it before and everything else was there, so I'm still at a loss as to what happened because we didn't find it when I got back into the house.
It was 6:30pm when I got back and I had just received a Facebook message from Jamie saying Meghan would be back around 10:30pm right before I had left. So with four hours to kill I went for a walk. Fortunately, it was a warmer day and not rainy. Not only did I not want to sit on the stoop for four hours, I also was afraid that if I stopped moving I would get cold as the sun went down since I was in sweaty shorts and a T-shirt. I explored a bit more of Camden and saw my first gas station since I got here. Such a weird thing to make note of, but it was weird to me that I was surprised to see one! I got a gingerbeer there as I was pretty wiped out from my run and needed something in my system. Yes, the world ended. I drank a soda. The ginger beer is so much more yummy and spicy than our ginger ale. I had tasted Jamie's the other day.
At 8:30 I was on the stoop with two more hours to go. I was hoping either she would get back early or the mysterious Alice would show up. She's one of the four girls living there and was supposedly coming that day. One of our neighbors came outside and saw me. He asked if I was alright and he and his wife ended up having me come in until Meghan got back. They were really nice and, in true British fashion, served me tea and randomly had gluten free biscuits (cookies) in their cupboard!
Saturday: Played in my first British hockey game! We won 4-1. Those silly Brits drink tea first thing afterwards and complain that 70 degrees is hot LOL. They should come to preseason in Virginia. They most certainly won't be drinking something hot after that!!! This was the Surbiton hockey club. They were nice, but I'm not sure that's who I'm going to stick with due to their distance from me. I got some names of three clubs closer to my part of London to check out. I also need to see how the UCL team is. If anything, I can probably bank on the UCL team being much more convenient for my schedule but I haven't met them yet and I have no idea how well they play. We'll see what happens.
Sunday: Went back to Chiswick Baptist. Learned my lesson about checking if there's any maintenance going on, particularly on the weekend, on the underground because I discovered on the way that the normal line that stops there wasn't running past a certain station and had to hop around a bit. I'm glad I came back and it still amazes me how I found this church. Proof of God's provision. I was praying to find a good church home and bingo someone knows someone in London who recommends his church and I go and find that it isn't all crazy and postmodern. I was nervous that I would spend a long time church shopping to find a good, living church rather than one filled with ritual and no heart or twisted by postmodernism. So far so good at Chiswick!
I brought my computer and a book I'm reading with the intentions of finding some wifi, catching up on the blog, looking up the hockey clubs, and just getting some chill time. When I mentioned finding wifi Pastor Steve hooked me up with Internet at the church, so after spending some time in the sunshine (Yes, the sun came out!!) on a town green (sticking my toes into the grass and reveling at the almost nature) reading I headed back to the church and am now getting some things done with the choir practicing in the background and a cup of tea. Right now I'm overwhelmed with the atmosphere here. It's so refreshing to come into a place of God and just reflect and recharge after running around all week. Honestly I see no point in looking around for another church because I feel at peace here. So blessed to have found a good one right off the bat!
Now I'm back at the flat ready to go to bed and still feeling supercharged inside. I just received a message from Laura about her visit to Farmville this weekend and that people were asking about me and that I've become part of Dr. Coles' former student lore. I don't mean to sound conceited, but I mention it because it really made my day that much better and it was already a really good one! I think it really makes missing people easier when you know that they miss you, too. Pastor Steve talked about Philemon being a refresher of the saints at the evening service. I want to thank Chiswick and Laura for refreshing me today :)
Tuesday: Totally worn out with all of the site-seeing, so Meghan and I both chose to be bums. Jamie's graduation was today, but you have to be registered to attend. We went out to eat with her and her parents and Flick (lives with Jamie and Meghan and showed up briefly this week) at Jamie's Italian (one of Jamie Oliver's restaurants). It was really good and the cook sent my leftovers out in a very oddly shaped tin-foil wrapping. It was like a foil ring or bag. Pictures of that and everything else going on are up on Facebook. I didn't end up being a bum the entire day though. I got stir crazy by the afternoon and housing hadn't responded to my email about not being able to log into their website to accept their accommodation offer, so I went for a run. I braved the gale force winds to run to campus and around campus once they made me go to their IT people. It had sprinkled some earlier in the day, but hadn't really rained. Then on the way back it POURED. Seriously. Like I haven't seen rain that hard in a long time. And my jacket that I've never had water penetrate was soaked through as well as there being oceans in my shoes. CRAZY. Kind of fun though once you get over the initial natural instinct of "nooooo..."
Wednesday: Walked 10-11 miles around London with Meghan. Checked out Covent Garden, Big Ben/Parliament area again except the bridge side, the London Eye, a long walk along the river front, the Tate Modern, and the Strand. Some things in the Tate Modern are really cool and some of it I'm not a fan of and reminded me of some interesting moments in Devine's History of Modern Art class to say the least. It was really cool to see a lot of the stuff in person though. Made a grilled cheese with tomato soup for dinner and boy did it hit the spot. I'm totally craving hot things so much more here than at home. There was a street performer in a kilt playing bagpipes on the bridge we crossed next to Big Ben. He played Amazing Grace and it so nice to hear.
Thursday: Toured Buckingham Palace with Meghan, Jamie and her mom. I really don't find the outside that impressive but inside it is amazing! Didn't sleep well last night so I felt pretty crappy and really just wanted to crawl back into bed, but I wanted to go with the others and I had to go out to go to housing again. And I was freezing even with a scarf on. When that was finally through I bummed out on the couch the rest of the day.
Friday: Meghan went with Jamie and her mom to see things that again I'm not paying for yet. I finally almost caught up on uploading pictures to Facebook. Then I went back to Borough Market to find that gluten free bakery vendor. I was there earlier than we had gotten there last week, so there were more vendors still out to look through. I had ridden the tube down, but I walked back to Camden from there, crossing the Thames on the London Bridge (which didn't fall down!). When I got back I went for a run on the canal, which I found to be a nice break from the street because of not having to deal with intersections every few hundred feet.
Unfortunately I got back and discovered that the key to the house was not in my pocket. There is a pouch in the lining of my running shorts where I keep my iPod, a little money, ID, and my key when I run. I've never had anything fall out of it before and everything else was there, so I'm still at a loss as to what happened because we didn't find it when I got back into the house.
It was 6:30pm when I got back and I had just received a Facebook message from Jamie saying Meghan would be back around 10:30pm right before I had left. So with four hours to kill I went for a walk. Fortunately, it was a warmer day and not rainy. Not only did I not want to sit on the stoop for four hours, I also was afraid that if I stopped moving I would get cold as the sun went down since I was in sweaty shorts and a T-shirt. I explored a bit more of Camden and saw my first gas station since I got here. Such a weird thing to make note of, but it was weird to me that I was surprised to see one! I got a gingerbeer there as I was pretty wiped out from my run and needed something in my system. Yes, the world ended. I drank a soda. The ginger beer is so much more yummy and spicy than our ginger ale. I had tasted Jamie's the other day.
At 8:30 I was on the stoop with two more hours to go. I was hoping either she would get back early or the mysterious Alice would show up. She's one of the four girls living there and was supposedly coming that day. One of our neighbors came outside and saw me. He asked if I was alright and he and his wife ended up having me come in until Meghan got back. They were really nice and, in true British fashion, served me tea and randomly had gluten free biscuits (cookies) in their cupboard!
Saturday: Played in my first British hockey game! We won 4-1. Those silly Brits drink tea first thing afterwards and complain that 70 degrees is hot LOL. They should come to preseason in Virginia. They most certainly won't be drinking something hot after that!!! This was the Surbiton hockey club. They were nice, but I'm not sure that's who I'm going to stick with due to their distance from me. I got some names of three clubs closer to my part of London to check out. I also need to see how the UCL team is. If anything, I can probably bank on the UCL team being much more convenient for my schedule but I haven't met them yet and I have no idea how well they play. We'll see what happens.
Sunday: Went back to Chiswick Baptist. Learned my lesson about checking if there's any maintenance going on, particularly on the weekend, on the underground because I discovered on the way that the normal line that stops there wasn't running past a certain station and had to hop around a bit. I'm glad I came back and it still amazes me how I found this church. Proof of God's provision. I was praying to find a good church home and bingo someone knows someone in London who recommends his church and I go and find that it isn't all crazy and postmodern. I was nervous that I would spend a long time church shopping to find a good, living church rather than one filled with ritual and no heart or twisted by postmodernism. So far so good at Chiswick!
I brought my computer and a book I'm reading with the intentions of finding some wifi, catching up on the blog, looking up the hockey clubs, and just getting some chill time. When I mentioned finding wifi Pastor Steve hooked me up with Internet at the church, so after spending some time in the sunshine (Yes, the sun came out!!) on a town green (sticking my toes into the grass and reveling at the almost nature) reading I headed back to the church and am now getting some things done with the choir practicing in the background and a cup of tea. Right now I'm overwhelmed with the atmosphere here. It's so refreshing to come into a place of God and just reflect and recharge after running around all week. Honestly I see no point in looking around for another church because I feel at peace here. So blessed to have found a good one right off the bat!
Now I'm back at the flat ready to go to bed and still feeling supercharged inside. I just received a message from Laura about her visit to Farmville this weekend and that people were asking about me and that I've become part of Dr. Coles' former student lore. I don't mean to sound conceited, but I mention it because it really made my day that much better and it was already a really good one! I think it really makes missing people easier when you know that they miss you, too. Pastor Steve talked about Philemon being a refresher of the saints at the evening service. I want to thank Chiswick and Laura for refreshing me today :)
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
London Adventures: Aug 30 - Sep 4
Tuesday: Flew out of Dulles for London Heathrow at 6:40pm. Met Meghan at the airport. She graduated from Longwood this year and is also doing her masters at UCL, but in bio-archaeology. As for luggage, I had one suitcase, a backpack, a purse, and... a field hockey goalie bag. I expected to have to pay for the goalie bag and had some serious thoughts of leaving it at home and becoming a field player. However, the chance to actually play for real again won over and I'm very glad I didn't leave it because guess what - Virgin Atlantic flies sporting equipment for free! Yes, FREE! Gratis! 不要钱！ I was so excited!!!!
Wednesday: At some point on the flight it turned into Wednesday. Tried to sleep since we were due to arrive at 7am local time (2am EST), but unfortunately it didn't work. Gave up and watched a couple movies, read, etc. Seven hour flights seem so short to me after so many Asia trips. We arrived 40 minutes ahead of schedule somehow, but then waited in a very long line at immigration. Once we cleared that and customs with no problems, we found the Underground and headed into the city. It was very good that we arrived early because we were supposed to meet Jamie outside the Camden Town tube stop at 9:30 and got there at 9:20. Jamie also studied at Longwood. She graduated with me in 2009, but went straight into her masters at UCL (Public Archaeology) and is now going into her second year as a PhD student at King's College London. I'm thinking the UCL Institute of Archaeology just needs to merge with Longwood lol. Meghan will be sharing a flat with Jamie and two British students Jamie knows. I'm staying with them until I get my housing assignment from UCL. Federal loans can only be used for university housing.
Jamie's parents are also visiting right now. Her UCL graduation is next week. It's held a year after you finish! Crazy! I wonder if I'll even be able to come to mine? I had been a little confused as to our end date. Classes technically end June 8, but the course is listed as being a full calendar year, going until September 25 of next year. Since graduations are held at the beginning of September, the masters students hold their graduation ceremony the following year. That's all thesis writing time. So I guess it just depends on how fast you write your thesis. I think I'm going to have to write fast if I were to apply to an American PhD program because US schools start at the end of August. Jamie said it can be done but to make sure you talk to your adviser about it at the very beginning. I'll definitely be doing that because right now I'm thinking that is my number one choice for next year. Or maybe I'll have to take a gap year and get a job or do a UK doctorate program (which only takes three years by the way) or maybe just stop at the masters and get a job... Right now my goal is to be a professor, which means I would definitely want that doctorate, but we'll just have to see how this year goes and where the Lord leads!
So Jamie and her mom met us and we took our stuff to the flat. Then we walked to UCL and found the finance people so I could sign my loan paperwork that I didn't get in the US. Then we went to housing to pester them about not knowing my assignment yet and to make sure I was getting one. They said that I should be getting one and know it by Friday.
Jamie gave us a bit of a tour around the campus and showed us where some monks hand out free lunch everyday on the University of London (UL) campus which is pretty much merged with our campus. We ate their lunch, which they apparently do to promote their vegetarianism. It was a vegetable curry and it was very delicious! I'm told that they tend to serve something with a lot of vegetables and potatoes or rice, meaning gluten free! I'm totally making a point of being there as much as possible!
The lunch perked me up a bit after not sleeping all night, walking all morning, and having not eaten since a PB&J when I got on the plane. Then we walked to the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons - totally up Meghan's alley! It was definitely interesting for me, too, after taking anatomy last year. The Science Museum was open for special late hours (no children allowed), so we went there as well. Both of these were free! Meghan and I ended up leaving before Jamie and her mom though to go crash for the night... We had be up waaaay too long!!!
All in all, my first impression of the city is that I can totally live here for the year no problem. It's got a good feel to it. I feel comfortable so far.
Thursday: Meghan got an email that her letter from UCL that is needed to open a bank account here was ready (I can't get mine until I have an address), so we went back to the Institute to pick it up, to the bank, back to the Institute when the bank wanted it addressed specifically to them and not 'To Whom it May Concern', back to the bank, and then to a different bank Jamie uses to exchange cash
From there we walked to Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St. Jame's Park, Piccadilly Circus, and Chinatown. We didn't go into Westminster or the Palace because you have to pay and we don't have our school IDs for the student discount yet. So that's an adventure for later. Plus, you can only get into Buckingham Palace once a year!
We planned to have dinner in Chinatown at a restaurant Jamie claimed to be authentic. I was a bit skeptical at first because I've never had food I felt was truly authentic outside of China itself, but when she said that a Chinese student is the one who showed it to her and that Chinese people actually eat there my hopes rose. It turned out to be really good! The only thing that I can say wasn't authentic was that they had removed the bones from the meat and I was okay with that! They also had my favorite spicy green bean dish. I'll definitely be returning. From there we went to a gelato place called Scoop that Jamie said is the best around. Oh man it was sooooo good. We were going to walk around the riverfront, but Meghan and I were cold (I feel like I skipped a season and it's like the end of October or something) so we decided to head back and do that another day.
Friday: First order of business was to go back to the Accommodation Office because I hadn't received an email about my living assignment. We were told to come back at 3:30 because the guy in charge would be in by then. In the meantime we went to the British Museum, which is right next to campus and free! There we got to rant about how the Elgin Marbles were damaged when they were forcibly removed from the Parthenon and should be returned to Greece. It was really cool though because I felt like I was literally walking through my survey of art history book. So many of the standard artifacts are there. I thought it was particularly cool to see the Mesopotamian art.
Once back at the Accommodation Office, I was given the choice between an expensive single en suite on campus or a cheap single a 40 minute walk away from campus. I said I'd walk. It's ten minutes past Meghan and Jamie's place, so I'll be near them, getting exercise, and not paying an arm and a leg! It's also a building full of graduate students. Jamie lived her UCL year in a single on a hall full of freshmen (called freshers here as opposed to our term freshies). SO glad that didn't happen to me!
After that we went to Borough Market. It's an open air market full of various vendors selling things such as cheese, wine, baked goods, homemade jams, fresh fruit and vegetables, and meat pies. I found a gluten free bakery vendor! That was exciting. I got a chocolate ginger cake and it was delicious. She said next week she would have bread, so I plan on going back. We had a glass of wine and a cheese board at The George, a super old tavern, London's only surviving galleried coaching inn. Then we headed back to Camden Town.
Saturday: Meghan went to the races with Jamie and her family, so I was left on my own. Until my loan money comes in I'm only doing the free stuff! I enjoyed getting to explore by myself. I'm the kind of person that will just wander around everywhere until I figure the place out. I walked down to Trafalgar again, so that I could go in The National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. I definitely recommend both! Then I wandered around the area of Piccadilly Circus and Chinatown. I got to actually explore Chinatown this time. A couple days ago we ate dinner, but that was it. I was very pleased to find some authentic Chinese food marts! They have my favorite coconut juice!! Then I walked back to campus and explored it more before walking back to Camden.
I did a little grocery shopping and cooked for the first time since we got here. I also finally found a gluten free section in the store! It's really small, but at least it's something. I'm told that there are other places to go with more stuff but they're more expensive. There was one kind of gluten free cereal, so I bought it to try and thankfully it was good! It's like a cocopuff but made with quinoa so it's healthier! I think I'm going to be eating a lot of potatoes, eggs, and yogurt because they're cheap!
Sunday: A couple weeks ago at Mouth Ararat, Pastor Todd told me he has a friend named Mark in London and connected us on Facebook. Mark spoke very highly of Chiswick Baptist Church so I decided to pay it a visit. It's a small congregation. They were quite welcoming and the preaching was on point. They also sing traditional hymns. I have a feeling my mom would love it. Mark couldn't be there that morning because he was traveling back from another part of Britain, but he said he was going to tell the pastor I was coming. When the service ended and someone across the aisle shook my hand and asked my name and then responded "Oh, Erin from Virginia?" I realized he had told more than one person! Turns out this person, Joe, is from Kentucky and the pastor and his wife are from Maryland! I stayed for lunch (they eat lunch in the basement after Sunday morning service) and realized just how international the congregation is. I had Joe on my right, a French lady to my left, an Italian man across from me, and a bunch of Philippinos cooked the lunch! The fact that the Philippinos are the cooks is very good for me because it means rice!
They invited me back for the evening service at 6, but since it had taken me an hour on the tube to get there I was thinking I probably wouldn't make it back. Then on the tube I realized I was going to pass through South Kensington Station, which is where a ton of museums are (It's actually called Exhibition Road!) so I got off and went to the Victoria & Albert ("the world's greatest museum of art and design" as they call themselves). It was awesome!!! Definitely my favorite so far. And I'm such a nerd that I actually took notes. In my defense, there's a bunch of stuff there that I know will be part of my research!
Next I realized that I could go back to Chiswick for the evening service because I was still closer to there than to Camden. This would be good because I could get a further feel for the church, so I went. Mark was at the evening service and everyone there thought it was funny that I hadn't met him yet. Turns out he had met Pastor Todd when Todd came to GB on a mission trip several years ago and then Mark had spent time in the US staying at Todd's house, going to Mount Ararat and teaching (I think kind of like Longwood's partnership or practicum) at Garrisonville Elementary! This was in the spring of 2004, so it was my senior year of high school and was still around. I vaguely remember someone staying with Todd, but Mount Ararat is a very large church.
Again, the preaching was great and the people fun to be with. That night they didn't have set hymns to sing but asked people to choose them as they went. I only knew one of them (Come Thou Fount)!! So weird! Oh and I forgot to mention they preach from the King James Bible. Double weird!! But I still felt that I wanted to come again, so I expect I will. There is a genuineness there.
When I got back to the flat, Meghan was the only one there and said Jamie was staying with her parents, so we ate dinner and chilled. I had some leftover chicken roast Jamie's mom had left for me and I finished off my chocolate ginger cake!
Wednesday: At some point on the flight it turned into Wednesday. Tried to sleep since we were due to arrive at 7am local time (2am EST), but unfortunately it didn't work. Gave up and watched a couple movies, read, etc. Seven hour flights seem so short to me after so many Asia trips. We arrived 40 minutes ahead of schedule somehow, but then waited in a very long line at immigration. Once we cleared that and customs with no problems, we found the Underground and headed into the city. It was very good that we arrived early because we were supposed to meet Jamie outside the Camden Town tube stop at 9:30 and got there at 9:20. Jamie also studied at Longwood. She graduated with me in 2009, but went straight into her masters at UCL (Public Archaeology) and is now going into her second year as a PhD student at King's College London. I'm thinking the UCL Institute of Archaeology just needs to merge with Longwood lol. Meghan will be sharing a flat with Jamie and two British students Jamie knows. I'm staying with them until I get my housing assignment from UCL. Federal loans can only be used for university housing.
Jamie's parents are also visiting right now. Her UCL graduation is next week. It's held a year after you finish! Crazy! I wonder if I'll even be able to come to mine? I had been a little confused as to our end date. Classes technically end June 8, but the course is listed as being a full calendar year, going until September 25 of next year. Since graduations are held at the beginning of September, the masters students hold their graduation ceremony the following year. That's all thesis writing time. So I guess it just depends on how fast you write your thesis. I think I'm going to have to write fast if I were to apply to an American PhD program because US schools start at the end of August. Jamie said it can be done but to make sure you talk to your adviser about it at the very beginning. I'll definitely be doing that because right now I'm thinking that is my number one choice for next year. Or maybe I'll have to take a gap year and get a job or do a UK doctorate program (which only takes three years by the way) or maybe just stop at the masters and get a job... Right now my goal is to be a professor, which means I would definitely want that doctorate, but we'll just have to see how this year goes and where the Lord leads!
So Jamie and her mom met us and we took our stuff to the flat. Then we walked to UCL and found the finance people so I could sign my loan paperwork that I didn't get in the US. Then we went to housing to pester them about not knowing my assignment yet and to make sure I was getting one. They said that I should be getting one and know it by Friday.
Jamie gave us a bit of a tour around the campus and showed us where some monks hand out free lunch everyday on the University of London (UL) campus which is pretty much merged with our campus. We ate their lunch, which they apparently do to promote their vegetarianism. It was a vegetable curry and it was very delicious! I'm told that they tend to serve something with a lot of vegetables and potatoes or rice, meaning gluten free! I'm totally making a point of being there as much as possible!
Free lunch! (Jamie left, Meghan center)
The lunch perked me up a bit after not sleeping all night, walking all morning, and having not eaten since a PB&J when I got on the plane. Then we walked to the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons - totally up Meghan's alley! It was definitely interesting for me, too, after taking anatomy last year. The Science Museum was open for special late hours (no children allowed), so we went there as well. Both of these were free! Meghan and I ended up leaving before Jamie and her mom though to go crash for the night... We had be up waaaay too long!!!
Tours given at the Science Museum are done in cockroach costumes. Don't ask. I didn't.
Just outside the Camden Town tube station.
All in all, my first impression of the city is that I can totally live here for the year no problem. It's got a good feel to it. I feel comfortable so far.
Thursday: Meghan got an email that her letter from UCL that is needed to open a bank account here was ready (I can't get mine until I have an address), so we went back to the Institute to pick it up, to the bank, back to the Institute when the bank wanted it addressed specifically to them and not 'To Whom it May Concern', back to the bank, and then to a different bank Jamie uses to exchange cash
(Check out the upper right... hehe)
From there we walked to Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St. Jame's Park, Piccadilly Circus, and Chinatown. We didn't go into Westminster or the Palace because you have to pay and we don't have our school IDs for the student discount yet. So that's an adventure for later. Plus, you can only get into Buckingham Palace once a year!
Big Ben
Westminster Abbey
We planned to have dinner in Chinatown at a restaurant Jamie claimed to be authentic. I was a bit skeptical at first because I've never had food I felt was truly authentic outside of China itself, but when she said that a Chinese student is the one who showed it to her and that Chinese people actually eat there my hopes rose. It turned out to be really good! The only thing that I can say wasn't authentic was that they had removed the bones from the meat and I was okay with that! They also had my favorite spicy green bean dish. I'll definitely be returning. From there we went to a gelato place called Scoop that Jamie said is the best around. Oh man it was sooooo good. We were going to walk around the riverfront, but Meghan and I were cold (I feel like I skipped a season and it's like the end of October or something) so we decided to head back and do that another day.
Friday: First order of business was to go back to the Accommodation Office because I hadn't received an email about my living assignment. We were told to come back at 3:30 because the guy in charge would be in by then. In the meantime we went to the British Museum, which is right next to campus and free! There we got to rant about how the Elgin Marbles were damaged when they were forcibly removed from the Parthenon and should be returned to Greece. It was really cool though because I felt like I was literally walking through my survey of art history book. So many of the standard artifacts are there. I thought it was particularly cool to see the Mesopotamian art.
Straight out of my first art history textbook.
Notice it has five legs. This was so it would look normal from both the side and the front!
Once back at the Accommodation Office, I was given the choice between an expensive single en suite on campus or a cheap single a 40 minute walk away from campus. I said I'd walk. It's ten minutes past Meghan and Jamie's place, so I'll be near them, getting exercise, and not paying an arm and a leg! It's also a building full of graduate students. Jamie lived her UCL year in a single on a hall full of freshmen (called freshers here as opposed to our term freshies). SO glad that didn't happen to me!
Just inside the UCL main gate.
After that we went to Borough Market. It's an open air market full of various vendors selling things such as cheese, wine, baked goods, homemade jams, fresh fruit and vegetables, and meat pies. I found a gluten free bakery vendor! That was exciting. I got a chocolate ginger cake and it was delicious. She said next week she would have bread, so I plan on going back. We had a glass of wine and a cheese board at The George, a super old tavern, London's only surviving galleried coaching inn. Then we headed back to Camden Town.
Hmm good thing I didn't have a horse... lol And it was rebuilt in 1676. I think there was something that said the original inn on the site was sometime back in the 12/1300s!
Saturday: Meghan went to the races with Jamie and her family, so I was left on my own. Until my loan money comes in I'm only doing the free stuff! I enjoyed getting to explore by myself. I'm the kind of person that will just wander around everywhere until I figure the place out. I walked down to Trafalgar again, so that I could go in The National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. I definitely recommend both! Then I wandered around the area of Piccadilly Circus and Chinatown. I got to actually explore Chinatown this time. A couple days ago we ate dinner, but that was it. I was very pleased to find some authentic Chinese food marts! They have my favorite coconut juice!! Then I walked back to campus and explored it more before walking back to Camden.
Trafalgar Square
Chinatown
You're not in Farmville anymore!
I did a little grocery shopping and cooked for the first time since we got here. I also finally found a gluten free section in the store! It's really small, but at least it's something. I'm told that there are other places to go with more stuff but they're more expensive. There was one kind of gluten free cereal, so I bought it to try and thankfully it was good! It's like a cocopuff but made with quinoa so it's healthier! I think I'm going to be eating a lot of potatoes, eggs, and yogurt because they're cheap!
Sunday: A couple weeks ago at Mouth Ararat, Pastor Todd told me he has a friend named Mark in London and connected us on Facebook. Mark spoke very highly of Chiswick Baptist Church so I decided to pay it a visit. It's a small congregation. They were quite welcoming and the preaching was on point. They also sing traditional hymns. I have a feeling my mom would love it. Mark couldn't be there that morning because he was traveling back from another part of Britain, but he said he was going to tell the pastor I was coming. When the service ended and someone across the aisle shook my hand and asked my name and then responded "Oh, Erin from Virginia?" I realized he had told more than one person! Turns out this person, Joe, is from Kentucky and the pastor and his wife are from Maryland! I stayed for lunch (they eat lunch in the basement after Sunday morning service) and realized just how international the congregation is. I had Joe on my right, a French lady to my left, an Italian man across from me, and a bunch of Philippinos cooked the lunch! The fact that the Philippinos are the cooks is very good for me because it means rice!
They invited me back for the evening service at 6, but since it had taken me an hour on the tube to get there I was thinking I probably wouldn't make it back. Then on the tube I realized I was going to pass through South Kensington Station, which is where a ton of museums are (It's actually called Exhibition Road!) so I got off and went to the Victoria & Albert ("the world's greatest museum of art and design" as they call themselves). It was awesome!!! Definitely my favorite so far. And I'm such a nerd that I actually took notes. In my defense, there's a bunch of stuff there that I know will be part of my research!
Next I realized that I could go back to Chiswick for the evening service because I was still closer to there than to Camden. This would be good because I could get a further feel for the church, so I went. Mark was at the evening service and everyone there thought it was funny that I hadn't met him yet. Turns out he had met Pastor Todd when Todd came to GB on a mission trip several years ago and then Mark had spent time in the US staying at Todd's house, going to Mount Ararat and teaching (I think kind of like Longwood's partnership or practicum) at Garrisonville Elementary! This was in the spring of 2004, so it was my senior year of high school and was still around. I vaguely remember someone staying with Todd, but Mount Ararat is a very large church.
Again, the preaching was great and the people fun to be with. That night they didn't have set hymns to sing but asked people to choose them as they went. I only knew one of them (Come Thou Fount)!! So weird! Oh and I forgot to mention they preach from the King James Bible. Double weird!! But I still felt that I wanted to come again, so I expect I will. There is a genuineness there.
When I got back to the flat, Meghan was the only one there and said Jamie was staying with her parents, so we ate dinner and chilled. I had some leftover chicken roast Jamie's mom had left for me and I finished off my chocolate ginger cake!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Home
When you think of home, where do you think of? Most of you probably either think of where you live right now or your parents' house or town. For me, that answer has become complicated.
I didn't spend my childhood moving around, unlike most of my military neighbors. I was born in Fairfax and my family has been in Northern Virginia ever since, moving into the same house they/we live in now when I finished preschool. But the majority of the last seven years since high school has been elsewhere. Most has been in Farmville. On top of that, I'm pretty certain that over the last four years I have spent more time in China than at 'home.' So I hope you understand when I say that the answer has become complicated. I feel really weird referring to my mom's house as 'my' house. Yes, it's where I grew up and where I can always come back to, but I haven't really lived there for years. And I have no part in owning it.
Home isn't what it used to be. It used to be the only place I had a connection to. Now it's scattered. Scattered amongst people and places. To help explain this I'm going to borrow a poem written by my friend Rebecca:
Now I'm about to add another place and more people to the list. I think that's definitely playing a role in why I've suddenly gotten nervous. Many people seem to be under the impression that moving around all the time doesn't bother me. That's not true. While I do love exploring, meeting new people, and seeing new places, I also long to have a place to call my own, to sink my roots into and call home with a consistent group of people around me. The time for that just hasn't happened yet, so I have to remind myself that I'll never be truly home until the day I meet Jesus. And in the meanwhile, I'm following the Lord's leading. If He wants me in another city or country right now, then that's the way it is and it'll be better than anything I can dream up for myself.
With a citizenship in heaven, it doesn't matter if I buy a house and take up permanent residence, never having to move my stuff again, something will still be off. And that will be the imperfection in the world, waiting to be redeemed. Waiting for restoration. Waiting for the return of the King who brings completion.
We'll never be truly at home until that happens, so there's really no point in wasting time longing for a permanent residence here. Not that a permanent residence is a bad thing. It just doesn't complete you or me and longing for it distracts us from the present. C. S. Lewis puts it this way in The Screwtape Letters (keep in mind this is from the point of view of an experienced demon writing advice to his novice demon nephew, so for example, the Enemy = God):
For the next nine months London is home. Eventually I'll have to make a decision about next year. Perhaps I'll be settling down. Perhaps not. There are a world of possibilities, but I can't fix my hopes and happiness on future treasures or homes that may or may not happen. I can, however, know that I have a God that will never abandoned me, is with me wherever I go, and has given me this wonderful opportunity for a new adventure that I can enjoy in the present.
I didn't spend my childhood moving around, unlike most of my military neighbors. I was born in Fairfax and my family has been in Northern Virginia ever since, moving into the same house they/we live in now when I finished preschool. But the majority of the last seven years since high school has been elsewhere. Most has been in Farmville. On top of that, I'm pretty certain that over the last four years I have spent more time in China than at 'home.' So I hope you understand when I say that the answer has become complicated. I feel really weird referring to my mom's house as 'my' house. Yes, it's where I grew up and where I can always come back to, but I haven't really lived there for years. And I have no part in owning it.
Home isn't what it used to be. It used to be the only place I had a connection to. Now it's scattered. Scattered amongst people and places. To help explain this I'm going to borrow a poem written by my friend Rebecca:
In Tribute
This is a tribute to all the MK's and TCK's. To everyone who has struggled with the knowledge that no matter where you go you'll always be missing a time, a place, a friend, a memory.
There are no goodbyes, only see-you-laters
But sometimes later seems to take forever
Seems like it will never arrive
There are no true farewells, only til-we-meet-agains
But meeting again can be even harder
When there's parting at the end
There are no permanent partings, only temporary leaves
But even temporary can be tough
And the parted friends will grieve
Because with every place you come to
There's a place you leave behind
And for every friend you meet
There's another in your mind
This is a tribute to all the MK's and TCK's. To everyone who has struggled with the knowledge that no matter where you go you'll always be missing a time, a place, a friend, a memory.
There are no goodbyes, only see-you-laters
But sometimes later seems to take forever
Seems like it will never arrive
There are no true farewells, only til-we-meet-agains
But meeting again can be even harder
When there's parting at the end
There are no permanent partings, only temporary leaves
But even temporary can be tough
And the parted friends will grieve
Because with every place you come to
There's a place you leave behind
And for every friend you meet
There's another in your mind
Now I'm about to add another place and more people to the list. I think that's definitely playing a role in why I've suddenly gotten nervous. Many people seem to be under the impression that moving around all the time doesn't bother me. That's not true. While I do love exploring, meeting new people, and seeing new places, I also long to have a place to call my own, to sink my roots into and call home with a consistent group of people around me. The time for that just hasn't happened yet, so I have to remind myself that I'll never be truly home until the day I meet Jesus. And in the meanwhile, I'm following the Lord's leading. If He wants me in another city or country right now, then that's the way it is and it'll be better than anything I can dream up for myself.
"But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives..."
-Philippians 3:20
"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.
There is more than enough room in my Father's home.
If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
When everything is ready, I will come and get you,
so that you will always be with me where I am."
-John 14:1-3
-Philippians 3:20
"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.
There is more than enough room in my Father's home.
If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
When everything is ready, I will come and get you,
so that you will always be with me where I am."
-John 14:1-3
With a citizenship in heaven, it doesn't matter if I buy a house and take up permanent residence, never having to move my stuff again, something will still be off. And that will be the imperfection in the world, waiting to be redeemed. Waiting for restoration. Waiting for the return of the King who brings completion.
"... we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.
For the things we see now will soon be gone,
but the things we cannot see will last forever."
-2 Corinthians 4:18
"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down
(that is, when we die and leave this earthly body),
we will have a house in heaven,
an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.
We grow weary in our present bodies,
and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing...
we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord."
-2 Corinthians 5:1-2, 6
For the things we see now will soon be gone,
but the things we cannot see will last forever."
-2 Corinthians 4:18
"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down
(that is, when we die and leave this earthly body),
we will have a house in heaven,
an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.
We grow weary in our present bodies,
and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing...
we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord."
-2 Corinthians 5:1-2, 6
We'll never be truly at home until that happens, so there's really no point in wasting time longing for a permanent residence here. Not that a permanent residence is a bad thing. It just doesn't complete you or me and longing for it distracts us from the present. C. S. Lewis puts it this way in The Screwtape Letters (keep in mind this is from the point of view of an experienced demon writing advice to his novice demon nephew, so for example, the Enemy = God):
"It is far better to make them live in the Future... thought about the Future inflames hope and fear. Also, it is unknown to them, so that in making them think about it we make them think of unrealities. In a word, the Future is, of all things, the thing least like eternity. It is the most completely temporal part of time - for the Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays... Hence the encouragement we have given to all those schemes of thought such as Creative Evolution, Scientific Humanism, or Communism, which fix men's affections on the Future, on the very core of temporality. Hence nearly all vices are rooted in the future. Gratitude looks to the past and love to the present; fear, avarice, lust and ambition look ahead... To be sure, the Enemy wants men to think of the Future too - just so much as is necessary for the now planning the acts of justice or charity which will probably be their duty tomorrow. The duty of planning the morrow's work is today's duty; though its material is borrowed from the future, the duty, like all duties, is in the Present. This is now straw splitting. He does not want men to give the Future their hearts, to place their treasure in it. We do. His ideal is a man who, having worked all day for the good of posterity (if that is his vocation), washes his mind of the whole subject, commits the issue to Heaven, and returns at once to the patience or gratitude demanded by the moment that is passing over him. But we want a man hag-ridden by the Future - haunted by visions of an imminent heaven or hell upon earth - ready to break the Enemy's commands in the present if by so doing we make him think he can attain the one or avert the other... We want a whole race perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow's end, never honest, nor kind, nor happy now, but always using as mere fuel wherewith to heap the altar of the future every real gift which is offered them in the Present."
-p. 76-78
-p. 76-78
For the next nine months London is home. Eventually I'll have to make a decision about next year. Perhaps I'll be settling down. Perhaps not. There are a world of possibilities, but I can't fix my hopes and happiness on future treasures or homes that may or may not happen. I can, however, know that I have a God that will never abandoned me, is with me wherever I go, and has given me this wonderful opportunity for a new adventure that I can enjoy in the present.
"Now listen, daughter, don't miss a word:
forget your country, put your home behind you.
Be here - the king is wild for you.
Since he's your lord, adore him."
-Psalms 45:10-12
forget your country, put your home behind you.
Be here - the king is wild for you.
Since he's your lord, adore him."
-Psalms 45:10-12
Friday, August 26, 2011
Pre-London Adventures: Aug 22-25
Monday: Completed a four mile run. First run since being sick so that was exciting! Waited all day for my loan documents to arrive. They never came. Worked on the room all day. Threw a bunch of stuff out and bagged up stuff for Goodwill. Called UPS because when I set the pickup up online it said it would be here by the end of Monday. I had only been given a collection number and they couldn't track it without a tracking number. They said UCL probably had the tracking number, but by that time it was 1am there so I couldn't call. I had planned on leaving early Tuesday morning so that I could visit the Bantons and then stay at David's sister Nikki's house in Connecticut. Without the documents this wasn't happening. Hoped they would show up in the morning so that I could still leave and be able to see people. Skyped with AG missionaries in Kyrgyzstan.
Tuesday: Waited all day again and couldn't leave the house. It STILL never came. Talked to Kristyn on the phone in the morning since she moved to CO. Good time of catching up and discussing the current predicament. So glad for friends like her. Older and wiser and known me for a long time! Embraced the possibility of having to change my plane ticket. If I had to delay departure for two weeks, then there would definitely be a reason for it even if I never knew what it was. Maybe something still needed to be done.
Kept working on room. And the earth shook!! I was in my room sorting things when it happened. First thought: Bobby's bass is up too loud (his room shares a wall with mine). Second thought: Quantico is blowing something up. Third thought: Quantico is crashing a helicopter into my house. Fourth thought (as things fell): This is an earthquake!! We got down the stairs and out of the house just as it was ending. The whole neighborhood was out there just as flabbergasted as we were and were asking if it was Quantico or an earthquake. It was actually quite disorienting. It was more freaky than scary. My hands were shaking for several minutes afterwards though I think because it's just not something you expect around here! I had been in one other earthquake, but it was with the Longwood hockey team out in San Francisco and it wasn't as strong (though I was in an elevator so that was interesting). It was also more of a one jolt and a quick settle than a continuous, building rumble. Strange!!
When the documents didn't arrive by late evening I figured I was staying, forgoing the visa appointment, and decided to go sleepover at Kelly's house since she was recovering from getting her wisdom teeth out and I had baked gluten free brownies for her. As I'm leaving mom decides I should still go to NYC. Figured going and maybe getting it was better than not going at all. Especially after I called and tried to move my ticket and was unable to. After much debate, I ended up packing, gathering the documentation, and going to bed.
Wednesday: After four hours of sleep, I got up at 3am to beat DC and Baltimore rush hour. Left Kelly's brownies in her mailbox :) Thankful mom had readied the coffee pot the night before. Left at 3:45. Five hours later I was in line for the Lincoln Tunnel toll. An hour after that I was actually in the city and on 3rd Ave, where the consulate is, looking for parking. At 10am I entered the consulate, 21 minutes early. Whew!! And, yes, that is 21 and not 20 haha the appointment was for 10:21! They were really friendly and hardly blinked when I said the loan papers from UCL hadn't been delivered yet when asked about them. The lady just took what I had and told me to pick the visa up at 4pm! Crazy!!
So then I was faced with what to do until 4pm. I decided to walk to the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art. I had wanted to go there for a long time!! Certainly as a history major it is a must-see! And it did not disappoint! AWESOME. My favorite parts were the Egyptian, Medieval, and Italian Renaissance exhibits. Surprise, surprise, the Asian area wasn't my favorite! I think after seeing so much of that stuff IN Asia and having just come from there I was particularly fascinated in seeing other things. Plus, of course, the Met is particularly known for it's Egyptian exhibit! They do a really good job there. If you haven't been, you should go!
I've estimated that I walked about 10 miles that day. And then at 4, I got my visa!!! God is good!!!! Then I grabbed a Starbucks since I had been up for like forever at that point, fought rush hour traffic, and crashed at Nikki's house in CT. I didn't realize Connecticut is so hilly! It was really weird. Like narrow, winding, hilly country roads in the 'suburbs.' Nikki's house has a creek running right behind it. Sleeping with the window open listening to it was really relaxing. Her friend's dog was staying at her house and was very sweet. So weird how I like dogs now. But they can't lick my face! It hasn't gone that far!!
Thursday: See the Bantons Day!! Drove 1.5 hours to where they're staying. Grabbed coffee at Dunkin' Donuts on my way out. Fun fact: CT has a DD on every corner instead of a Starbucks. Forgot that you have to specify black coffee there because they put the cream and sugar in for you. "A medium coffee, please." "Regluar?" "Yes, regular." Then I got the coffee and it was white. Oh, well. I had Gil coffee later! Spent the morning with Lindsay, Emma, and Adi. We went to a local store where they could do a craft and play with various toys. Emma was obsessed with 'cooking' and Adi just wanted to play a musical 'recital.' Then we went to the post office and drove by their potential house before heading back to their current residence. At one point when we were discussing where we were going to go, Emma said we should go to the mall. Lindsay said, "She's seen a mall before, Emma." Emma, "But she's never seen a CONNECTICUT mall." And she calls ME silly!
After lunch we all went to the Dairy Bar. It's this really, really amazing ice cream place run by the UConn. They use fresh milk from their own dairy to make the ice cream. While I was still eating my ice cream, Laura texted me that she was jealous I was at the Dairy Bar. For a freaky second I thought her spy/stealth skills had gone to the next level because I couldn't remember texting or posting anything about being there. But then I remembered Gil has a phone, too, and asked if he had posted anything about it and he had. Mystery solved!
After the Dairy Bar, we stopped in the UConn stables to see the horses and then headed back to their place for coffee, chatting, and coloring. I had one or both of Emma and Adi holding my hand or sitting next to me the whole time. On multiple occasions I carried both of them because they both wanted to 'hold' me. It was sweet. And it was really, really great to spend time with Gil and Lindsay and get a peek into their new life. Students were just beginning to show up for move in when I left. I can't wait to hear about the new fruit to be produced there!!
I headed out at 4pm. There was traffic soon after and it got really bad once I got into New York, despite crossing the Hudson on the Tappan Zee Bridge instead of the Lincoln Tunnel. I ended up getting off of the highway and taking Route 9 into New Jersey to the turnpike. As the sun set on the NJ Turnpike, I realized that it had been just the morning before that the sun had risen on the Turnpike, but it felt like so much more time had passed! It was amusing how the NJ and DE Turnpikes shouted hurricane warnings on their marquees. I would have hoped people knew by then and would be still going in that direction because they HAD to! I was very thankful to have been traveling south though because nearly the whole way the northbound lanes were backed up. Brief hold up at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge as it was lowered and on 95 in VA when roadwork narrowed it to one lane briefly, but really not a bad trip. Arrived home around 12:15am.
Tuesday: Waited all day again and couldn't leave the house. It STILL never came. Talked to Kristyn on the phone in the morning since she moved to CO. Good time of catching up and discussing the current predicament. So glad for friends like her. Older and wiser and known me for a long time! Embraced the possibility of having to change my plane ticket. If I had to delay departure for two weeks, then there would definitely be a reason for it even if I never knew what it was. Maybe something still needed to be done.
Kept working on room. And the earth shook!! I was in my room sorting things when it happened. First thought: Bobby's bass is up too loud (his room shares a wall with mine). Second thought: Quantico is blowing something up. Third thought: Quantico is crashing a helicopter into my house. Fourth thought (as things fell): This is an earthquake!! We got down the stairs and out of the house just as it was ending. The whole neighborhood was out there just as flabbergasted as we were and were asking if it was Quantico or an earthquake. It was actually quite disorienting. It was more freaky than scary. My hands were shaking for several minutes afterwards though I think because it's just not something you expect around here! I had been in one other earthquake, but it was with the Longwood hockey team out in San Francisco and it wasn't as strong (though I was in an elevator so that was interesting). It was also more of a one jolt and a quick settle than a continuous, building rumble. Strange!!
When the documents didn't arrive by late evening I figured I was staying, forgoing the visa appointment, and decided to go sleepover at Kelly's house since she was recovering from getting her wisdom teeth out and I had baked gluten free brownies for her. As I'm leaving mom decides I should still go to NYC. Figured going and maybe getting it was better than not going at all. Especially after I called and tried to move my ticket and was unable to. After much debate, I ended up packing, gathering the documentation, and going to bed.
Wednesday: After four hours of sleep, I got up at 3am to beat DC and Baltimore rush hour. Left Kelly's brownies in her mailbox :) Thankful mom had readied the coffee pot the night before. Left at 3:45. Five hours later I was in line for the Lincoln Tunnel toll. An hour after that I was actually in the city and on 3rd Ave, where the consulate is, looking for parking. At 10am I entered the consulate, 21 minutes early. Whew!! And, yes, that is 21 and not 20 haha the appointment was for 10:21! They were really friendly and hardly blinked when I said the loan papers from UCL hadn't been delivered yet when asked about them. The lady just took what I had and told me to pick the visa up at 4pm! Crazy!!
So then I was faced with what to do until 4pm. I decided to walk to the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art. I had wanted to go there for a long time!! Certainly as a history major it is a must-see! And it did not disappoint! AWESOME. My favorite parts were the Egyptian, Medieval, and Italian Renaissance exhibits. Surprise, surprise, the Asian area wasn't my favorite! I think after seeing so much of that stuff IN Asia and having just come from there I was particularly fascinated in seeing other things. Plus, of course, the Met is particularly known for it's Egyptian exhibit! They do a really good job there. If you haven't been, you should go!
I've estimated that I walked about 10 miles that day. And then at 4, I got my visa!!! God is good!!!! Then I grabbed a Starbucks since I had been up for like forever at that point, fought rush hour traffic, and crashed at Nikki's house in CT. I didn't realize Connecticut is so hilly! It was really weird. Like narrow, winding, hilly country roads in the 'suburbs.' Nikki's house has a creek running right behind it. Sleeping with the window open listening to it was really relaxing. Her friend's dog was staying at her house and was very sweet. So weird how I like dogs now. But they can't lick my face! It hasn't gone that far!!
Thursday: See the Bantons Day!! Drove 1.5 hours to where they're staying. Grabbed coffee at Dunkin' Donuts on my way out. Fun fact: CT has a DD on every corner instead of a Starbucks. Forgot that you have to specify black coffee there because they put the cream and sugar in for you. "A medium coffee, please." "Regluar?" "Yes, regular." Then I got the coffee and it was white. Oh, well. I had Gil coffee later! Spent the morning with Lindsay, Emma, and Adi. We went to a local store where they could do a craft and play with various toys. Emma was obsessed with 'cooking' and Adi just wanted to play a musical 'recital.' Then we went to the post office and drove by their potential house before heading back to their current residence. At one point when we were discussing where we were going to go, Emma said we should go to the mall. Lindsay said, "She's seen a mall before, Emma." Emma, "But she's never seen a CONNECTICUT mall." And she calls ME silly!
After lunch we all went to the Dairy Bar. It's this really, really amazing ice cream place run by the UConn. They use fresh milk from their own dairy to make the ice cream. While I was still eating my ice cream, Laura texted me that she was jealous I was at the Dairy Bar. For a freaky second I thought her spy/stealth skills had gone to the next level because I couldn't remember texting or posting anything about being there. But then I remembered Gil has a phone, too, and asked if he had posted anything about it and he had. Mystery solved!
After the Dairy Bar, we stopped in the UConn stables to see the horses and then headed back to their place for coffee, chatting, and coloring. I had one or both of Emma and Adi holding my hand or sitting next to me the whole time. On multiple occasions I carried both of them because they both wanted to 'hold' me. It was sweet. And it was really, really great to spend time with Gil and Lindsay and get a peek into their new life. Students were just beginning to show up for move in when I left. I can't wait to hear about the new fruit to be produced there!!
I headed out at 4pm. There was traffic soon after and it got really bad once I got into New York, despite crossing the Hudson on the Tappan Zee Bridge instead of the Lincoln Tunnel. I ended up getting off of the highway and taking Route 9 into New Jersey to the turnpike. As the sun set on the NJ Turnpike, I realized that it had been just the morning before that the sun had risen on the Turnpike, but it felt like so much more time had passed! It was amusing how the NJ and DE Turnpikes shouted hurricane warnings on their marquees. I would have hoped people knew by then and would be still going in that direction because they HAD to! I was very thankful to have been traveling south though because nearly the whole way the northbound lanes were backed up. Brief hold up at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge as it was lowered and on 95 in VA when roadwork narrowed it to one lane briefly, but really not a bad trip. Arrived home around 12:15am.
Pre-London Adventures: Aug 15-21
Left Farmville Monday after a very nice Sunday at the Hertzler's and week at Michelle's. I will miss all of them! Got one last workout in on campus (I'll miss John and the gym, too! UCL better have a good gym!!) and spent the night at my friend Sarah's apartment in Richmond so that we could have some hangout time. We went to Chipotle and talked so long that they closed. In the morning I drove straight to the British Consulate in Alexandria for my biometrics appointment (fingerprints and photo) and then went home to my mom's house in Stafford.
Wednesday my sister Becky called me because she realized she had never asked anyone to pick her up from the airport the next day and was wondering if I could schedule my return from Farmville as to coincide with her pickup in Richmond (We both needed to be back by the weekend for our older sister's wedding). I informed her that I had already returned but that I could still come get her and where was she anyway?? Salt Lake City. O...k...? What time I ask? Midnight. Are you serious?? Yes. Oh joy. I hadn't been up that late since coming back from China. Jet lag was gone, but it had put me on an early bird schedule.
Thursday I continued work on cleaning out my room. It has basically become storage over the last seven years with only a path to the bed since I left for Longwood. And not all of the stuff is mine, mind you. It was a convenient place for people to put things they didn't want in THEIR room under the pretense that maybe I wanted it! But in order to store my things that I've actually been using in Farmville, I need to clean it out. In the evening, I went to my nephew Nick's preseason football game at the high school. This is his junior year. I feel old. I also spent a good portion of the day dealing with visa issues. I thought I was going to express my application to the NYC consulate after getting my biometrics done (apparently the visas aren't issued in DC) but was told by the school that the e-mail confirmation UCL sent me saying they would accept my Federal loan wasn't enough. Instead I would need the original documents... that were in London. So I had to arrange for UPS to pick them up and express them to me by Monday and scheduled an in person visa appointment at the NYC consulate for Wednesday.
Later I left to pick Becky up at Richmond International. My friend Jessie rode along so that we could catch up. She had returned from a mission trip to Jamaica so I got to hear all about it. I hadn't been feeling all that great for several days, but as we drove, particularly on the way back, I started feeling really bad. Becky took over driving. I must have had the flu. That night I spent several hours on the bathroom floor and then didn't move from the couch all day Friday. Missed Katherine's (niece) first birthday party that night.
Saturday I felt a lot better, but still didn't feel like eating. Went to Ann Marie and David's wedding at their house. My cousin-in-law, Stephen, performed the ceremony in their backyard and then the close family on both sides hung out all afternoon for BBQ. I didn't eat it, but had a great time catching up with Stephen about his latest missions. That night I was fed up with not eating and finally had a bit of an appetite. I went the whole nine yards and ate a piece of the cheesecake my mom had gotten for the wedding (gluten free with a fudge crust instead of graham crackers!). It was delicious. And my body agreed.
Sunday I went to Mount Ararat for the first time since Christmas, I think! Man that church has turned into it's own mini city! It was nice to catch up with people. Sad that the Raffertys had moved to Colorado. Pastor Todd connected me on Facebook with someone he knows in London. Went to Dad's grave. It's funny how you can know something in your head, but actually coming face to face with it can still be so powerful. Lazy afternoon still recovering from being sick. Got sick of sitting though and walked three miles. That felt good. Decided I would have to try running in the morning.
Wednesday my sister Becky called me because she realized she had never asked anyone to pick her up from the airport the next day and was wondering if I could schedule my return from Farmville as to coincide with her pickup in Richmond (We both needed to be back by the weekend for our older sister's wedding). I informed her that I had already returned but that I could still come get her and where was she anyway?? Salt Lake City. O...k...? What time I ask? Midnight. Are you serious?? Yes. Oh joy. I hadn't been up that late since coming back from China. Jet lag was gone, but it had put me on an early bird schedule.
Thursday I continued work on cleaning out my room. It has basically become storage over the last seven years with only a path to the bed since I left for Longwood. And not all of the stuff is mine, mind you. It was a convenient place for people to put things they didn't want in THEIR room under the pretense that maybe I wanted it! But in order to store my things that I've actually been using in Farmville, I need to clean it out. In the evening, I went to my nephew Nick's preseason football game at the high school. This is his junior year. I feel old. I also spent a good portion of the day dealing with visa issues. I thought I was going to express my application to the NYC consulate after getting my biometrics done (apparently the visas aren't issued in DC) but was told by the school that the e-mail confirmation UCL sent me saying they would accept my Federal loan wasn't enough. Instead I would need the original documents... that were in London. So I had to arrange for UPS to pick them up and express them to me by Monday and scheduled an in person visa appointment at the NYC consulate for Wednesday.
Later I left to pick Becky up at Richmond International. My friend Jessie rode along so that we could catch up. She had returned from a mission trip to Jamaica so I got to hear all about it. I hadn't been feeling all that great for several days, but as we drove, particularly on the way back, I started feeling really bad. Becky took over driving. I must have had the flu. That night I spent several hours on the bathroom floor and then didn't move from the couch all day Friday. Missed Katherine's (niece) first birthday party that night.
Saturday I felt a lot better, but still didn't feel like eating. Went to Ann Marie and David's wedding at their house. My cousin-in-law, Stephen, performed the ceremony in their backyard and then the close family on both sides hung out all afternoon for BBQ. I didn't eat it, but had a great time catching up with Stephen about his latest missions. That night I was fed up with not eating and finally had a bit of an appetite. I went the whole nine yards and ate a piece of the cheesecake my mom had gotten for the wedding (gluten free with a fudge crust instead of graham crackers!). It was delicious. And my body agreed.
Sunday I went to Mount Ararat for the first time since Christmas, I think! Man that church has turned into it's own mini city! It was nice to catch up with people. Sad that the Raffertys had moved to Colorado. Pastor Todd connected me on Facebook with someone he knows in London. Went to Dad's grave. It's funny how you can know something in your head, but actually coming face to face with it can still be so powerful. Lazy afternoon still recovering from being sick. Got sick of sitting though and walked three miles. That felt good. Decided I would have to try running in the morning.
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