Stress Relief

Today was a particulary stressful day. We were all really struggling with the paper topic this week had to put in a lot more hours than we expected. At about 9:00, after we'd all been working for at least 8 hours straight, we stopped for a time of prayer, realizing that none of us would be able to see our papers through to any decent amount of completion without God's help. After praying, we just started to sing. It was a really incredible moment and exactly the boost that we all needed. I managed to record a bit of it...I only wish I had recorded more.
Disclaimers: none of them knew they were being recorded, I just used the basic "sound recorder" and tiny little built in mic on my laptop, and since the laptop was on my lap, I'm a lot closer to the mic and I didn't quite the know the words to the verse.



I love my girls! (and my God :D)

Sunday

It's really hard to believe that it's been over a week since my last post. Time is really starting to pick up speed.

The British food party was really fun! My favorite items were the Cadberry bars and cream crackers. Least favorite: mint and ham crisps - they really are just too creative sometimes. This flavor wasn't beyond belief either. The crisps here all come in really bizarre flavors, including: roast beef and onion, fried chicken, prawn and sea salt, and chive and vinegar.

The academic highlight of my week was the British Library. It was a nasty day, weather-wise, and we go lost a few times coming out of the tube station, but once we reached the library, it was worth it. We got to see the Magna Carta, originals of Beowulf, Jane Eyre, Handel's Messiah, and the Aeneid, handwritten Beatles' lyrics, Capt. James Cook's diary, and Beethoven's tuning fork...all in the same gallery! The British Museum is also a fantastic resource. As far as I know, we'll be visiting at least once a week. I'll add pictures from the British Museum to the album.

Here is our paper topic for this week, AKA- my life for the past 72 hours:

As far as fun goes, it was great to get out and play Ultimate on Wednesday afternoon and then football yesterday evening. Amy dyed Cecily's hair black. We hid Christine's key in her breakfast roll and Bethany's in her shampoo. Storytime each night is getting more and more elaborate, and I have a feeling the fairytales will soon become full-stage productions. A few of us found a mall and tried on £400 formals and leather jackets. But my favorite "funtivity" thus far is just the time that I get to spend with my friends late at night when our brains have exploded and we go through therapy together using the necessary recovery tools: Cadberry Eggs, card games, and low-budget British VHS tapes.

(I've added pictures of the hair dying, museum excursions, and storytime to the album)

Tomorrow we're going on an overnight trip to Bath. I know I should be excited about the Abbey, or Jane Eyre's house, or you know..the baths, but all I can think about is the hotel. :)

Oh, looks like it's time for the paper-editing party! To this our social life has been reduced...

Saturday

I just finished my first paper! Now I'm just waiting for somebody to have to time to read it for me. A bunch of them just came back from a shockingly muddy football game and they are black from toe to shoulders. I'm pretty jealous of them, but I wasn't feeling well enough to play. Hopefully next week. :) I spent the time they were gone drinking tea (which is a given here...almost like breathing), writing my paper, and staring out my enormous window. I discovered that the tree outside my window is a popular spot for doves.

I also just love watching the people and hearing their accents through the drafty panes. There are also a lot of interesting dogs. The most striking thing is that none of them are on leashes, even those being taken for walks.

Yesterday, Olivia, Christine, Sheri, and I discovered a mall a few blocks away from the LICC (where our plenaries are held). It is huge and a little too cosmo (aka-cool and expensive) for us, but we had fun taking in all the fashion, and we even took some time to try on some formal dresses that we'd never in our wildest dreams be able to afford.

Grocery shopping is a pretty common occurance here because we all have to share one not-so-full-sized-fridge. It's nice chance to get out of the house for awhile...and they have a self-checkout with a british accent, so that's worth a trip any day of the week. On our last visit we found some pretty awesome granola bars, but because we really only prepared to buy store brand, I had to settle for a picture:

(if you don't understand the awesomeness, ask someone who has read/seen Lord of the Rings)

Since we had to wait in line for awhile, I had time to snap a shot of a sign that made me smile.

And you have to admit...that guy's hood is pretty sweet.

At the end of a long day, some genuine kebobs were necessary. I think these faces prove the need:

After being fed:

Tomorrow afternoon we are invited to our professors' flats after church for a Taste of Britain party. I can't wait. :)

Thursday

Paper day!
We got our first paper assignments today at colloquy. The actual prompt is a couple paragraphs long, but basically we have to "analyze and describe how writers and artists in the Greco-Roman period addressed the tension between the individual and the community" using evidence from the art pieces we've viewed and the writings we've read. I'm fine with the authors, but I'm having a hard time gleaning information about the tension from a 4th-century clay pot.

Tuesday

A small group of us just got back from the British Museum. It was exhausting, but sufficiently enlightening. To catch up...on Sunday we went to St. Augustine's Church. It was a gorgeous church, and it was a great service. We played ping-pong after the service with a few of the children. I still can not get over their accents (especially the little black kids :-P)! We took a bus to Oxford after church to get ourselves the phones that we'd need to keep in touch for the upcoming museum assigments and such.
Monday, we got up early and walked to the underground in the wind and rain, which took us to the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC) where our plenaries (lectures) are held. I barely noticed the 3 1/2 hours pass...our professors are incredible! I took 6 pages of notes and was actually able to hold a moderate amount of concentration! We took a short break for tea and cookies (crackers) half-way through, which helped to keep our focus. After plenary, a few of us walked down the street to Urban Outfitters - we just couldn't resist. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent reading our brains out. Though we did manage to sneak in some youtube, m&ms and a card game after story-time with Dara.
This morning we woke up according to our colloquy (small-group discussion) time-slot. I had the later one, so I fit in some reading and giggling in the Blue Room (I'll try to remember to take a picture next time I'm in there.). Professor Mills-Woolsey lead our discussion on Antigone and Thucydides' account of the history of the Peloponnesian war. After colloquy we took the tube to the museum...which brings me back to now. I'm just going to read some Plato before dinner...not very exciting, but I think I'll get over it. I'm in London. :D

CRAZY Day

Yesterday I had a pretty big unplanned adventure. As we were touring the sights (St. Paul's, The National Gallery, Big Ben, The Millenium Bridge, Buckingham Palace, etc.) I got seperated from the group for about an hour. I first realized I was lost at the changing of the guard, after they locked the gates, of course, and from there wandered around downtown London, stopping to wait at certain landmarks, and praying like crazy. As it started to get dark I realized that I wouldn't be safe much longer and had to find a way home. I knew where to get off the tube, I just had to find a station. By the grace of God, when I was searching Green Park a couple stopped me and asked for directions. I certainly couldn't help them, but they had a map that showed me where the station was. I hurried to the tube station, checked all the entrances, and having still not found any recongizable face, I decided to just board the train and hopefully call one of the professor's cell phones when I reached home. At least I still had my Oyster card (pass for the tube), right?? ...wrong. I frantically checked all my pockets and retraced my steps in the station, on the verge of tears. I ended up having to buy a new ticket, with no small amount of difficulty since the card reader didn't work. Finally, having reached the other side, I asked a police officer if he could make a page for my professor. He graciously took me into the security office, got some more info from me, and made the page. I was then ushered back outside, next to a girl sitting on a suitcase and weeping. I then thanked God for the peace that He had given me and for the ability to still make rational decisions. All my anxiety built up to that moment and I got a splitting headache and everything went blurry. Out of the fog, I heard the best sound that has ever reached my ears. My TA, Susanna, called my name, came running through the swarm of strangers, and grabbed me. Later I learned that Dr. Woolsey, she, and Dara, had just about to step foot on the train when they heard the page and came racing back. AND, not only did they find me in one piece, but Ben had found my Oyster card on the path (which is when they realized I was missing). Overjoyed and dizzy with emotion I told them the whole story on the ride back. They were all so kind to me and took away all my guilt and fear.

Tomorrow I hope to be put on a leash.

Pre-Day 1, Day 1 & 2 (aka - the longest 43 hrs. of my life) ...Part 1

Our first stop was the Wellington Hotel in NYC,



















Then, Dad and I hit up Broadway and Times Square.



We experienced an incredible performance of The Lion King and then stopped at a nearby deli for a late dinner. The food was huge.






And our meals involved a LOT of meat.















The next morning, we walked over to the taping of the ABC morning show, which we followed with bagels, a view of Rockefeller center, a drive around Manhattan, and a really cool tour of the NBC studios.



It was then time to head over to Newark for my flight to London. Goodbyes having been said, we all settled in for 3 straight hours of Dutch Blitz and general waiting around.



Once boarded, individual movies, games, tv, and seat-to-seat messaging made up for the turbulence and terrible food. Though onboard an overnight flight, my internal clock failed to experience night. Just as I began to feel tired, the sun began to appear. Groggy and motion-sick from the bouncy ride in, we stumbled into Heathrow.



It is a miracle that we all made it through passport control. One of the students couldn't remember why she was going to London!



Baggage claim was the next big adventure.

...Part 2

Having met our professors, gathered our things, and exchanged our foreign currency, we boarded a bus which took us to the Highbury Centre.

We arrived at the centre in a very groggy state and the professors had a pretty difficult time keeping us awake enough to hand out room assignments. They even managed to convince (force, in some cases) us to join them on a walking tour of Highbury. We all stumbled out onto the street and made our way through Highbury Fields. Lunch and fresh air did us good, and we arrived back home with enough vigor to keep our heads up for dinner. I dragged my suitcase up a winding and seemingly endless staircase, banged my wall through the narrow hall to room #35, and collapsed on the bed. I then proceeded to sleep for 13 uninterrupted hours. :D
LINK TO ALL LONDON PICTURES