3 Weeks, My Friends

In exactly 3 weeks and 2 days, I will be on a plane to London, England. After visiting Ashland to say farewell to friends and professors, I think it's finally dawned on me that I'm really leaving. It seems like time has flown by since I've been off of work - I guess days of reading and appointments and family will do that. I'm hoping to really make the most of the time I have left here to be with my family and attempt to make them believe that I know what I'm doing. This year will be an adventure and, though they may not understand it now, it will no doubt shape me as a human being and (hopefully) help determine what the rest of my life will look like.

In other news, I have an address (yay!) and classes (yay!) for next year.

I'll be living at Feilden 04B, Feilden House Westfield Way, London E1 4NP. I'm really looking forward to the whole own-bedroom-own-bathroom idea - after two years of sharing a room and community bathrooms, ANY change would be great.

Courses I'll be taking:
Representing London: The 18th Century
Thomas Hardy and the Victorian Modern
Writing and Vision in the Romantic Period
Gladstone and Ireland
Society and the State in Britain, 1450-1720

I'll also have a class on Ulysses or Milton or Blake - any of which would be awesome and challenging.

It's been a while since I've posted, but very little has been going on worth writing about. Don't worry - from now on, I'll be posting packing lists and nervousness and excitement until I leave. :)

Funding London

This summer has been slipping away from me quickly and I'm grateful for that in some ways. However, I'm working a lot now and have little time to write and work on finding scholarships. There's not much out there and now it's crunch time.

Unfortunately, so many of the grants out there are for graduate students going abroad, not undergrads. So I'm getting creative. I'm writing an essay on Lincoln for a contest and submitting a few short stories to contests for various publications. I'm hesitant to get too set on winning anything for my work - especially my creative work. I'm not impressed by anything I've written yet and it's getting discouraging.

But I am comforted that God has a plan and it's a good one. I know that this year abroad is right - the hard road to get there is merely the hard prep work and will make me ever so grateful when I actually get there.

On a brighter note, I've acquired the Oxford Guide to Literary Britain and Ireland. It's probably the best purchase I've ever made.

The World Traveller Returns... and Prepares to Leave Again

I returned a week and a half ago from my Capitals of Europe excursion - it was wonderful. London felt like home, Paris was Paris, and Prague was a great surprise. I've got billions of pictures. Here's a few highlights.

London

Paris

Prague

Berlin

            The trip was fantastic. It would be impossible for me to describe in one short post. What I can say is this: I cannot wait to go back. September 16th, I'll be back in London - thank goodness.

            Though I look ahead with great anticipation, I'm trying to be here, in the present. Spending time with my family, praying for my grandfather, reading (the Bible and my growing library), and trying to earn some money for next year.



Preparations for Capitals of Europe Tour

       Two weeks from tomorrow, I will be leaving for a 12-day excursion to London, Paris, Prague, and Berlin. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic about leaving the Midwest and visiting four amazing cities that I have never been to before. The whole trip is quickly becoming a reality as I buy new clothes (H&M is a dream. So glad they have them in Europe!), pack up my passport, re-load my Visa Traveler card, and receive a new set of luggage from my grandparents. It's been three years since my trip to Spain, and I am beyond ready to be in Europe again.

       I'm viewing this trip as a little taster of what the next year will hold - a chance to learn a bit about traveling with friends, work the kinks out of my packing strategies (Yep, that will be quite a process, I'm sure), familiarize myself with the transportation systems, and decide where I'll need to go back to (Paris!). I hope to do most of the big "tourist-y" things this time around so that next year I can really explore and not worry about making it to Buckingham Palace just to say I've seen it.  I hope the group of students I'm going with are adventurous and willing to dive into the history and culture of each city.

       This will be a much needed break after the stressful, boring semester I've had. It's been mostly work and little play. I need some play now, and I'm really looking forward to playing in Europe.

Lawrence of Arabia

I read an article today about T.E. Lawrence (http://www.hoover.org/publications/policy-review/article/73171) that I found very interesting and sparked my curiousity. I've seen the film "Lawrence of Arabia" a number of times and find it breathtaking. This article, which reviews a new biography of Lawrence, attempts to give a glimpse of the man as he really was.

I plan on adding one of Lawrence's books to my ever-growing summer reading list. He is such a legendary figure and has such an interesting life story. I'm also intrigued by a phrase from the article above: the "brutality of dreamers" - the military careers of men such as Lawrence and Byron. This idea of the armed poet, the sensitive warrior is something that seems worthy of investigation... maybe a thesis... Hmmm....

New thesis idea -  "Brutal Dreamers: The English Warrior Poet"

Note: Add Lawrence's home is Dorset (2 hours from London) to literary tour!

The BBC

I've started counting down: 5 weeks from today, Capitals of Europe trip. 23 weeks until London. :)

One of the silly things I've really looking forward to is watching shows on the BBC. Over the past year, I've been drawn into watching (and purchasing) all 3 seasons of "Robin Hood" as well as watching the first 3 seasons of "Merlin." The geeky girl in me absolutely loved them, and I will forever have little crushes on Richard Armitage and Bradley James. While I'm in London, I will be able to watch series 4 of Merlin when the episodes premiere, and I am really excited about that.

I of course plan to spend a lot of time traveling, but those one or two nights a week that I stay in to relax will definitely involve BBC. Almost all of my favorite American shows have ended (Friends, Lost) or will be ending (Friday Night Lights, The Office?) soon, so I plan on becoming somewhat of a British tv junky who enjoys watching the quirky shows to learn all about English humor. The process has already begun. For example, I learned some new vocabulary: a "prat" is an arrogant person and  "bloody heck" is a less vulgar substitute for full-out swearing.

I'd like to share a little bit of the Bradley James love that's taken root in my too-impressionable heart. Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj__OhnbqxE&feature=related

Provision

I have not yet posted about faith. This is overdue.

With all of the unfair, unpleasant things that seem to keep popping up in my life, I am continually reminded of God's provision for us. From my daily reading - I'm working through Leviticus right now - to church talks, to the kind words of beloved family members, to random emails from my mother, this truth is placed on my heart time and time again. I have been feeling crushed by circumstances beyond my control and He keeps reminding me that these circumstances are not beyond HIS control. It is the most comforting reality and gives greater strength than anything else I can dream of.

So thank you, Father, for watching out for me always- for encouraging me not to whine, but to push onwards towards the wonderful plans you have. The hope You give is truly priceless.

"'If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them.'" - Lev. 18:5