Far yi fae?

As of this afternoon, my flatmates and I are headed to Scotland next weekend! We bought our round-trip train tickets to Edinburgh from Kings Cross (and yes, we will be taking pictures at Platform 9 and 3/4). We found a hostel, and we found a tour!

As for this weekend, it's the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, so we'll be stickin' hereabouts for the processions and parades and such. It'll also be our weekend for typical London sight-seeing, including the changing of the guard, Windsor Palace, Westminster Abbey, and St. Paul's Cathedral. Oh yes, and a tour of the Chelsea FC stadium.

Pictures will soon follow, I'm sure! In the meantime, we have a test Tuesday, so we're trying to get a bit of studying in.

Cheerio!

Tour of the Olympic Village

While the pictures may not seem like all that much, we toured the Olympic Village today in East London!

After exiting the Tube and seeing the buildings surrounding the station, my first thought was why on Earth would they choose to situate the Olympic Village here? The array of abandoned warehouses were complete with graffiti and broken windows, and old parking lots were filled with rusting, broken down cars and machinery.

I found the strategy behind the village's construction most fascinating. Our wonderful tour guide explained to us that the government wanted to avoid sinking money into the vast development and construction of the Olympic settings, for all to go to waste after 5 short weeks of use. Instead, the investment stemmed from a desire to improve the previous wasteland East London had once been. As a result, in just two years, the face of East London has begun to completely transform. New, modern housing developments have replaced acres and acres of rust and debris and empty buildings, and plans have already come to fruition to alter all of these buildings - the housing for the athletes - into residential areas, complete with schools, medical offices, and a new Tube stop. The area is now also home to Europe's largest shopping mall.

I don't have any photos of the apartments, only the various Olympic stadiums and arenas, but I appreciate the foresight the English applied in planning their reception of the Olympics.

The Brits

In addition to postings of my own design, I'll be including my daily blog posts written for one of my classes. The overall intention of those specific posts is just to think about observations, ask questions, etc., specifically with relation to the culture of London and of England. These posts may at times may not seem to make much sense, as some will be related to course concepts and terminology, but you'll have an idea the kind of work we're doing! Below is the first of these "daily journal entries."

One of the first aspects of London life that I noticed upon arriving is the prevalence of parks, and with that, the large numbers of people who spend time sitting in those parks. Truly, on their days off, people go to the park. They simply sit, rest, read, eat lunch, visit with others. The parks are also close to full during lunch hour. This park culture is fascinating, as Americans rarely take the time to slow down long enough to enjoy a break or pleasant conversation.

Walking back to the flat from the grocery store, my flatmates and I talked about if we think Americans, specifically Texans, would take the time to sit outside in a park if the weather were more like London's. We still didn't think Texans would, which leads me to wonder if this disinterest stems from a subtler factor than the hot weather. Perhaps this difference is yet another indicator of America's often cited stress and inability to rest. 

Later in the afternoon, when on our bus tour of London (tourist-y, but so worth it), I took the second photo. While characteristic of most urban areas, the diversity of those around me continues to surprise me. I wonder if perhaps this is because I've seen many diverse people groups, but rarely totally mixed as they are in London. In many urban areas it seems like the multiple nationalities still tend to remain in their own neighborhoods, while this seems to be less the case here. Or I could just be imagining things in some sort of researcher bias. 

I took the above picture while on the Tube to Bond Street. These two people are representative of about two-thirds of those around us on the train. Many appeared to be headed home from work, yet so many chose to read the news. This dedication to news reminded me very much of our readings for Media in Britain, particularly the discourse about the Brits' superior appetite for the news. I admire such commitment. To attempt to avoid the possibility of proving the "stupid American" stereotype, I made sure to catch up on The economist. Even this publication makes it clear that unlike American news, the British have a desire to remain informed about the global community, not just the United Kingdom. 

My New Spot

And yes, the chairs are as ridiculously comfortable as they look.

P.S. Best Caffé Mocha I've ever had.

When in London

I have arrived, safe and sound (and sweaty), in the beautiful city of London!

After a comparatively quick breeze through Customs, etc., I found my baggage, the Express to Paddington, and a cab with a very sweet driver to take me to my new home.

I had a little hiccup getting up to my flat on the fifth floor. In a building without elevators, my flat is at the very top. With my extremely heavy carry-on backpack, I lifted my 48-ish pound suitcase up 4 flights of stairs - only to see a door for the fourth floor and no more stairs. I then took my suitcase all the way back down to talk to the office several doors down the street. I then returned, assured that I would have to go through the door on the fourth floor to find the rest of the stairs. I then lifted my backpack and suitcase back up 5 flights of tight stairs.

Thankfully, everyone else was still in bed, so I didn't make introductions while sweaty and out of breath.

Now I'm just taking it easy, waiting to go stock the kitchen with some of the other girls. I wish I had more important or interesting news to share, but now you have the update!

and again I say, rejoice!

My departure to London has taken a few rough turns. Everything went smoothly getting to DFW and finding my gate, and despite the delayed flight that left just before mine, Flight 1274 boarded on time. We then sat in the plane for 3 hours before finally departing for Philly. The three-hour layover I was originally anticipating to precede my connection to London Heathrow was no longer sufficient; I missed it. US Airways booked me for the next flight to London - 24 hours later.

So now I'm hanging out in the City of Brotherly Love until precisely 9:50 this evening. Rather than having a weekend to acclimate to London, I'm down to about an afternoon before classes start. I'm determined not to prattle further about the inconveniences incurred by these changed plans. (See below)

I've always dreamed big, and along with that I want to be the kind of person who isn't afraid of adventure. So as I frequently had to calm myself down while waiting on the plane, flying on the plane, and speaking to the booking agent, I tried to remind myself of this aspiration. Even as my plans have changed, I will eventually arrive in London. I will eventually see a dream come true. And blessedly, the Lord has given me a peace that passes all understanding, especially mine.

I'm ashamed to admit, though, that I have still had weak moments of despair, mostly of frustration over little details, rather than the bigger picture. My prayer eventually became that whatever travel detours He had in mind, I would humbly accept, asking that He would show me and teach me what He desires and that I would continue to trust in His faithfulness and provision. He didn't promise a smooth journey, just a safe landing (pun intended). And ultimately, everything in this life is fleeting (ooh! another pun!).

I'm still not looking forward to waiting eight hours in the Philadelphia airport, but I'M GOING TO EUROPE! And, I got to stay in a really nice hotel, free of charge. And, I can now tell you from experience that true Philly Cheesesteaks are incredible.

My dream to study abroad and to see the world (cliché as they may be) has always stemmed from a desire to be a person, a servant, willing to step out of my comfort zone, to trust in the Lord's guidance and sufficiency. It's taking baby steps (although this has felt more like leaps-for-mankind to me), but I will trust in Him. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!