It has been more than five months since I have been in Oxford, England or even across the Atlantic. My trip home went exactly as planned. I remember a week before leaving Oxford that I was preparing myself to be ready for what I was going to face back in the states. I knew that my summer would consist of either living at home or in Minneapolis, wherever I would be able to find a job! To make a long story short, my one hope for a job opportunity was not what I expected and my pocket dry from living in the UK led me to make the smart decision of heading home. When I returned to good ole' Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, I got connected with a track group and then later joined a swimming group at the Y. My friend Jessica was training for the Madison Ironman and so I decided to shoot for the stars and train for an Olympic Triathlon. It was tons of fun and I have continued to swim and run. Now I am training for a Marathon that will be in a little more than two weeks! I am only hoping that I run under a 3:35 so I can qualify for the Boston Marathon.
Other than training and shedding some of the weight I gained in England, I have been looking for a job. The search for a job is best represented as a roller coaster. One position would give me hope of securing a job but either with time or instantly it is shattered with either a rejection e-mail or no response at all. But I know that God has been good to me and has a plan for my life. It just is the wait that I am becoming more and more impatient with. But I must not complain.I have a roof over my head and have made enough money at a temporary place for work to pay off my car payments, and I am home with family and baking food!
So how do I not forget my time in Oxford? It is easy, I have it all stored in pictures, essays and wonderful memories. Do I use it on a daily basis? To tell you the truth, yes I do. In one way or another I am reminded of my time in Oxford and enjoy holding conversations with people about either my trip or a topic we talked about during the Oxford term. I also am reminded about my time in Oxford when I read books from English authors and know exactly what they are talking about. It is quite amazing how going one place and experiencing the culture can make such a difference in understanding who people are. I love it! I miss Oxford and Eynsham so much but also know that it was a season of my life that I will never forget. I have been fortunate to stay in touch with some of the ladies in the program and get little reminders from friends as to how the guys are doing. I just cannot wait until we all get to be together in one room once again! It would be a blast.
Now, the reason why I am writing this final entry to my Oxford blog is because I have been thinking about it for more than months of expressing how much I appreciated the program and living in England. I would move there is a heartbeat, it is was up to me. My other reason for writing this final entry is to let any readers know that I am going to start another blog about Food, Faith and Life. I am not sure where I am going to head with it, but that too has been on my mind and it makes me happy to think that I can continue writing into the abyss.
When I have the blog up and running, I will post a link. Pray that I can make the wise discernment of where I should go with my blog and that I am able to find a job!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Summit Intensive
Yesterday was the last day of our four week Summit Intensive here in Oxford. I am sorry that I did not make more posts but with these past four weeks, time has flown. The days started to blur together as we would meet in Eynsham for eight hours and then head home and have some readings due for our next day of class. I cannot say that I did not enjoy spending time with the flat mates, but time just ran away. To encapsulate all that I have been learning here would make this blog much more longer than I think my viewers would like to read. But I will give a short synopsis of what we have covered.
During our first week we started talking about Spiritual Warfare and the story of Jesus when tempted by Satan while on a 40 day fast. The interesting aspect about our discussion is how Satan uses Bible passages to tempt Jesus and promises to give him all the "kingdoms of the world and their splendor" (Matthew 4:8). Jesus does not fall into the temptation and by the end of the book of Matthew, Jesus has resurrected and is given "all authority...in heaven and on earth" through God (Matthew18). I just found the connection so amusing and rewarding for Jesus. (This is just one example of the many topics we covered in Spiritual warfare.) Later that week we moved into Ephesians and dissected the meaning and understanding of the Armor of God written in Paul's letter in Ephesians 6. If I have learned anything from this semester is that "Context is King," so when looking at the full armor of God, it is just a concluding reinforcement of what he is talking about from Ephesians 1-5. At the tail end of the week we talked a little bit more about the book, Idols for Destruction by Robert Schlossberg in the chapter written about humanity and history. If you have not heard or read this book I would strongly advise it. It is not an easy read but holds a lot of facts about history and the Bible in relation to the current US culture. The book was written a while ago but all of Schlossberg's information still pertains to today.
During week two Diana and Callie departed for the US. Our weekend trip to Ireland was great. There were some minor hick-ups along the way but overall, it was quite enjoyable! By the time they left, our unit of Islam was in full swing as we started learning more about the Islamic culture, the history of Islam, and Shuria Law and what that really entails if we continue to allow parts of the Shuria law creep into US and UK law. We also read the book The War Against Jihadism by George Weigel and have had some discussions with people in Oxford who have been studying Islam and with an Imam, a high priest if Islam. Our interview with Sheik Ramzy (the Imam) was not what I expected. I was hoping that he would be open to our questions about what we had read in the Qur'an and the Hadith (holy texts about the life of Muhammad and is as important in their religion as the Qur'an, this is where the Shuria laws come from), but all the answers we received were very surface level and contradictory. He later gave us some content about Islam and the reasons why they have certain practices. It was not until we read in one of the booklets he gave us about eating pork that I realized how tainted Muslims see Christians/ Western Culture. We are the "infidels" to them and they, according to Qur'an and Hadith writings, will kill us. That sounds harsh, but it is their word from Allah. Since western culture is considered "Christian" their view of Christians is that we are hypocrites and only want to party and "swap wives." (According to their reasoning for not eating pork, people who eat pork will act like pigs. Pigs after a dinner parties will swap wives. According to them Christians do the same. Have you heard of anything so stupid?) It makes me very frustrated to hear that people think that way about Christians, but they are no farther from the truth when they talk about western culture. To them Western culture = Christianity. Not to add anymore about this topic, but what I find even more boggling is why they want to come to the western culture. In Muslim countries, Shuria law and Islam make up the country, yet they want to run away from it? Something does not make sense. Last thing about this topic, after our interview with the Imam, we had a couple days to write our papers and I chose the topic of the role and treatment of women in Islam and Christianity. There are so many examples of this in the Bible, and their Qur'an and Hadtih that I feel like I did not do enough justice for faiths, but the theme throughout the Qur'an and the Hadith is that women are under men and can never be their equal because they do not spend enough time is the mosque because of their monthly periods. In the Bible, however, this is clearly not the case. I will post my paper when I receive feedback from Kevin.
During the third week we started off with Romans 1 and learned about Kevin's dissertation for his PhD. His view of the first chapter of Romans is a little different than how I have interrpeted the chapter but has been a guide for my own discoveries of what is said in the chapter. What I like about Kevin's teaching is he first has us read the chapter and then show us all the connections there are from the Old Testament in what Paul says. The connection with the Old Testament is quite impressive. That week we were also able to have a phone interview with Theodore Dalrymple who wrote Life at the Bottom. We read a couple other essays from him before the interview and had a great time talking to him. Dalrymple (a pen name) is a doctor who writes about his experience with patients of the lower class. What is amazing about his writing is how strongly he holds to keeping morals as a basis to our government system and how important it is to lower the delinquency from society. Dalrymple is an atheist. From all of his experience (20 plus years) he has noticed that the welfare system of the UK has been a stronger culprit of maintaining a lower class than anything. Women will buy into the welfare system because they will get paid to have children. But what do you think the children grow up to becoming? Their parents to love from government welfare. From his experience, it seems like the majorityof his cases end up being a summation of this family cycle. People wanting a better life but not really striving for it because they have free income from the government that defeats their purpose for looking for a job and doing hard work. I could go on and on about this problem, but I think you should read his book or at least look at one of the essays below.
"What the New Atheists Don't See."
During our forth week we started with discussing global warming and all the implications that have to do with what the earth is really doing, what energy is left for people to use and if the price of energy will increase. It was quite a discussion and it did make me think twice about what we hear about how we are going to run out of energy in the near future and the global climate change. Later that week we talked about Matthew 24, and had several interviews with Nick Breiner (alumni to program), Robert Spencer (PIG: Islam and the Crusades), Michael Licona (Apologetic Coordinator at the North American Missions Board), Paul Copan (Christian Theologian in Old Testament Laws), and James Kim (Pioneers Missions). Along with interviews we covered the reliance of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 8-10, a little on the New Age movement, and the debate about Calvinism and Armenianism.
It has been a long journey but well marked. I am going to miss this chapter of my education so very much. But it is not over, nor will it ever be! I have been so equipped with new ways on analyzing the Bible, books to read to furthur my knowledge on the topics we covered, learning about Islam and having such a strong bond with the people on this course with me.
To all who have supported me on my trip, I thank you from the heart. These past four months have gone by too fast and yet the journey of knowledge seems very long. I cannot tell you how much I have changed because I am not the outsider looking in, but what I can say is that I do feel more equipped with my faith and understanding the world that surrounds each one of us. All wonderful things must come to an end until we are in heaven.
During our first week we started talking about Spiritual Warfare and the story of Jesus when tempted by Satan while on a 40 day fast. The interesting aspect about our discussion is how Satan uses Bible passages to tempt Jesus and promises to give him all the "kingdoms of the world and their splendor" (Matthew 4:8). Jesus does not fall into the temptation and by the end of the book of Matthew, Jesus has resurrected and is given "all authority...in heaven and on earth" through God (Matthew18). I just found the connection so amusing and rewarding for Jesus. (This is just one example of the many topics we covered in Spiritual warfare.) Later that week we moved into Ephesians and dissected the meaning and understanding of the Armor of God written in Paul's letter in Ephesians 6. If I have learned anything from this semester is that "Context is King," so when looking at the full armor of God, it is just a concluding reinforcement of what he is talking about from Ephesians 1-5. At the tail end of the week we talked a little bit more about the book, Idols for Destruction by Robert Schlossberg in the chapter written about humanity and history. If you have not heard or read this book I would strongly advise it. It is not an easy read but holds a lot of facts about history and the Bible in relation to the current US culture. The book was written a while ago but all of Schlossberg's information still pertains to today.
During week two Diana and Callie departed for the US. Our weekend trip to Ireland was great. There were some minor hick-ups along the way but overall, it was quite enjoyable! By the time they left, our unit of Islam was in full swing as we started learning more about the Islamic culture, the history of Islam, and Shuria Law and what that really entails if we continue to allow parts of the Shuria law creep into US and UK law. We also read the book The War Against Jihadism by George Weigel and have had some discussions with people in Oxford who have been studying Islam and with an Imam, a high priest if Islam. Our interview with Sheik Ramzy (the Imam) was not what I expected. I was hoping that he would be open to our questions about what we had read in the Qur'an and the Hadith (holy texts about the life of Muhammad and is as important in their religion as the Qur'an, this is where the Shuria laws come from), but all the answers we received were very surface level and contradictory. He later gave us some content about Islam and the reasons why they have certain practices. It was not until we read in one of the booklets he gave us about eating pork that I realized how tainted Muslims see Christians/ Western Culture. We are the "infidels" to them and they, according to Qur'an and Hadith writings, will kill us. That sounds harsh, but it is their word from Allah. Since western culture is considered "Christian" their view of Christians is that we are hypocrites and only want to party and "swap wives." (According to their reasoning for not eating pork, people who eat pork will act like pigs. Pigs after a dinner parties will swap wives. According to them Christians do the same. Have you heard of anything so stupid?) It makes me very frustrated to hear that people think that way about Christians, but they are no farther from the truth when they talk about western culture. To them Western culture = Christianity. Not to add anymore about this topic, but what I find even more boggling is why they want to come to the western culture. In Muslim countries, Shuria law and Islam make up the country, yet they want to run away from it? Something does not make sense. Last thing about this topic, after our interview with the Imam, we had a couple days to write our papers and I chose the topic of the role and treatment of women in Islam and Christianity. There are so many examples of this in the Bible, and their Qur'an and Hadtih that I feel like I did not do enough justice for faiths, but the theme throughout the Qur'an and the Hadith is that women are under men and can never be their equal because they do not spend enough time is the mosque because of their monthly periods. In the Bible, however, this is clearly not the case. I will post my paper when I receive feedback from Kevin.
During the third week we started off with Romans 1 and learned about Kevin's dissertation for his PhD. His view of the first chapter of Romans is a little different than how I have interrpeted the chapter but has been a guide for my own discoveries of what is said in the chapter. What I like about Kevin's teaching is he first has us read the chapter and then show us all the connections there are from the Old Testament in what Paul says. The connection with the Old Testament is quite impressive. That week we were also able to have a phone interview with Theodore Dalrymple who wrote Life at the Bottom. We read a couple other essays from him before the interview and had a great time talking to him. Dalrymple (a pen name) is a doctor who writes about his experience with patients of the lower class. What is amazing about his writing is how strongly he holds to keeping morals as a basis to our government system and how important it is to lower the delinquency from society. Dalrymple is an atheist. From all of his experience (20 plus years) he has noticed that the welfare system of the UK has been a stronger culprit of maintaining a lower class than anything. Women will buy into the welfare system because they will get paid to have children. But what do you think the children grow up to becoming? Their parents to love from government welfare. From his experience, it seems like the majorityof his cases end up being a summation of this family cycle. People wanting a better life but not really striving for it because they have free income from the government that defeats their purpose for looking for a job and doing hard work. I could go on and on about this problem, but I think you should read his book or at least look at one of the essays below.
"What the New Atheists Don't See."
"The Frivolity of Evil"
http://www.city-journal.org/During our forth week we started with discussing global warming and all the implications that have to do with what the earth is really doing, what energy is left for people to use and if the price of energy will increase. It was quite a discussion and it did make me think twice about what we hear about how we are going to run out of energy in the near future and the global climate change. Later that week we talked about Matthew 24, and had several interviews with Nick Breiner (alumni to program), Robert Spencer (PIG: Islam and the Crusades), Michael Licona (Apologetic Coordinator at the North American Missions Board), Paul Copan (Christian Theologian in Old Testament Laws), and James Kim (Pioneers Missions). Along with interviews we covered the reliance of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 8-10, a little on the New Age movement, and the debate about Calvinism and Armenianism.
It has been a long journey but well marked. I am going to miss this chapter of my education so very much. But it is not over, nor will it ever be! I have been so equipped with new ways on analyzing the Bible, books to read to furthur my knowledge on the topics we covered, learning about Islam and having such a strong bond with the people on this course with me.
To all who have supported me on my trip, I thank you from the heart. These past four months have gone by too fast and yet the journey of knowledge seems very long. I cannot tell you how much I have changed because I am not the outsider looking in, but what I can say is that I do feel more equipped with my faith and understanding the world that surrounds each one of us. All wonderful things must come to an end until we are in heaven.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The Start of Summit Intensive
After a week of travel with Renee and Berenike, I started the Summit session of my semester a bit sleep deprived and anxious for my sister (Diana) and friend (Callie) to arrive that night. Our week of travel was great. We had some challenges, but overall I enjoyed going to London, Amsterdam and Copenhagen to see the cities and learn about their cultures. There were several distinct factors I noticed in each country. London felt a lot like New York City and there is a lot to see and visit. I still have places and museums I have yet to visit in London. Amsterdam is very pretty but spiritually dark and the people not as friendly as I anticipated. Copenhagen is a nice city as well, but the cold weather made the walking not as pleasant. Spending time with Renee and Berenike was great and I had a fun time sharing interesting train experiences with them.
The morning Renee left was our first day of our Summit Intensive where we started to compile a list of questions we had about Christianity, the Bible and the Islamic faith. Most of our meetings follow this format. We arrive a little before 10am, start around 10:15. During our meetings Kevin will start us off with a topic and pull in information about what other people have said about the topic, books that talk about the topic and then we refer to the Bible for what it says about the topic. Throughout this process the students and I make comments and ask questions. Sometimes our questions will lead us into a different direction and we start to talk about another topic for a half hour and then all of the sudden we get back to the original topic. Quite amazing I must say. At the end of the day we either get a reading assignment from Kevin or we get an e-mail later that evening of what we have to have read before the following day or in two days. The start of last week consisted on talking about Spiritual Warfare and what that looks like in life, later we moved to a couple of students sharing their term at Oxford and how they were either challenged or enjoyed the term. We also covered a couple of chapters in the book Idols for Destruction and later started discussing Islam and the fundamentals of the religion. Next week our papers are due about Islam and I am a little nervous as to what I chose to talk about for my paper. The topic will be on Women and Islam, but the details I have yet to specify. As Diana and Callie were with me last week, we were able to see each other in the evenings because of my class and their travel to visit London and Oxford. Last Friday and until Sunday I was able to travel with Diana and Callie to Ireland. Our trip was fun but we too had many mini hurdles to overcome when in Ireland. What the three of us did notice right off the bat was the economic situation of Ireland. It was not as nice as England but the people were friendly and really wanted the money of tourists! I was able to fulfill one of my life-long dreams of seeing the Cliff of Moher. The weather was great which really did help with keeping the weather quite nice. My time with Diana and Callie was great. It was nice to see both of them after three months and spending time with Diana who is normally busy when I am on vacation.
Yesterday our class met at Blenheim Palace where we spent the day learning about the place and spending some time with Kevin's daughters Katherine and Emeline. The palace was beautiful. It reminded me a lot about Versailles in France. Today we are coving the topic of Lying and what that means to Muslims and Christians. Later today we are covering more about Islam. The Summit Intensive is great but our long sessions are sometimes taxing. Please be praying that my group and I can have the strength to concentrate and get as much as we can from the readings and discussions. On Thursday we are interviewing the Imam from Oxford which should be really exciting and interesting because we will finally be able to ask questions to a person who is practicing the religion we have been studying for so long!
I only have a little more than three weeks left here and I am going to miss it so very much.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Last week at Oxford University :-(
It is amazing to think that this is my last week at Oxford University. The time has gone by so fast and I have learned so much. Today during my tutorial with John Dowling, I handed in my last paper about the trades of the world (with only one more to go) and we spent our two-hour tutorial talking about China and his opportunities to meet important political people of Poland, Burma, the UK, Italy and Canada throughout his life. John always has my attention during our tutorials and the time passes so fast.
What shocked me was at the end of our tutorial today, John took my hand, looked me straight in the eye and said, "You, my dear, I have shown to you culture. Now it is your turn to use it for the future..." John worked for the foreign services a while back and has commented to me about how my open mind to understanding culture has made my papers great, but he has never been so forward as today to tell me that I should join the foreign services. Once he said I should join, he quickly added, "well you need to think of all the implications with it, like if you have a boyfriend or would want to take the risk of going into a dangerous country." I understood what he meant, but it did leave me thinking about it. Who knows...
Prior to my meeting with John, I went to a girls' breakfast at St. Ebbe's church. I have been attending a college Bible study at this church and have gotten close with the ladies in my group. They are all so sweet and I fit right in with them.
After my tutorial with John, I went to New College to eat lunch in the bell tower because we had such a sun today. It was so beautiful and I could see all of Oxford and the suburbs. It is really hard to think that my time in Oxford is almost over. Next week I have a break, then after that I start my Summit Intensive course for three weeks. During the intensive I will have to study but I will not be able to study in the Radcliffe Camera anymore. I am going to miss it.
On a positive note, my roommate from Minneapolis, Renee, is coming to visit me for my week break! I am so excited to see a familiar American face and spend time with her showing her around Oxford (I like being a tour guide ;) ) Renee arrives this Thursday and I will show her around and we will dine at Christ Church! It will be a formal dinner and this dinning room has been made famous recently with Harry Potter as the Hogwart's dinning room. Friday she will spend her time with me in my last tutorial and the Summit group meeting from 2-6pm. On Saturday we will tour the rest of Oxford, Sunday we will head to London until Tuesday when we will leave for Amsterdam and meet up with my long-time friend from Germany, Berenike! From there we will spend a couple days in Amsterdam. Thanks to my tutorial with John, I actually know the history of Amsterdam so it will be great to be there. Later the three of us will make our way to Copenhagen for several days and then make our way back to London, leaving Berenike to make her way to Germany. I am so excited to see the two of them.
The day after Renee leaves, Diana (my sister) and Callie (my best friend) are coming to visit as well! I will not get to spend all my time with them because I will be in the Summit Intensive at that point, but I am excited to see them as well. Once again, I get to play tour guide!
*Please pray for safe travels for all of them!*
This past weekend I went to the Spring Regatta rowing race with one of my friends from the Bible study, Felicia. The race was of the different colleges of Oxford competing against one another Along the River Thames each college had their own boat house, music playing, grills going and were selling random foods and drinks. The race is odd in how a college can win. The point of the race is to bump the boat in front of you to knock them out of the race. When you get bumped, you have to row the rest of the distance but win nothing. The race takes about several days and can last for quite some time. I only went on Saturday, which was the last day of the competition. All I can say is I usually run a route that goes by the boat houses and I have never seen the river or the boat houses so lively.
Speaking of running, I started running last week for several days, but I am in no shape like before. I have been having minor muscle problems, but my friend from Oconomowoc, Robert Hannon, has been good to me and is giving me tips and stretches to get back into perfect shape, once again. Sorry to say this, but I am only 22 and I feel like sometimes my body acts like it is older than that (I wont say an "old" age, so I do not hurt anyone's feelings).
I have not talked about one of the things enjoying doing here, and that is eating!
My diet here is nothing like the one I had when I studied abroad in Spain. Here a high portion of my diet (as of last week, I am trying to cut down) was yogurt, many kinds of cheese, chocolate, tea, bread and broccoli (trying to get my greens). The yogurt, cheese, tea and chocolate is amazing compared to the US. I have been gaining some weight, but hey, it is a part of the experience of being abroad ;)
With this said, I must leave you until next week, or maybe the next.
What shocked me was at the end of our tutorial today, John took my hand, looked me straight in the eye and said, "You, my dear, I have shown to you culture. Now it is your turn to use it for the future..." John worked for the foreign services a while back and has commented to me about how my open mind to understanding culture has made my papers great, but he has never been so forward as today to tell me that I should join the foreign services. Once he said I should join, he quickly added, "well you need to think of all the implications with it, like if you have a boyfriend or would want to take the risk of going into a dangerous country." I understood what he meant, but it did leave me thinking about it. Who knows...
Prior to my meeting with John, I went to a girls' breakfast at St. Ebbe's church. I have been attending a college Bible study at this church and have gotten close with the ladies in my group. They are all so sweet and I fit right in with them.
After my tutorial with John, I went to New College to eat lunch in the bell tower because we had such a sun today. It was so beautiful and I could see all of Oxford and the suburbs. It is really hard to think that my time in Oxford is almost over. Next week I have a break, then after that I start my Summit Intensive course for three weeks. During the intensive I will have to study but I will not be able to study in the Radcliffe Camera anymore. I am going to miss it.
On a positive note, my roommate from Minneapolis, Renee, is coming to visit me for my week break! I am so excited to see a familiar American face and spend time with her showing her around Oxford (I like being a tour guide ;) ) Renee arrives this Thursday and I will show her around and we will dine at Christ Church! It will be a formal dinner and this dinning room has been made famous recently with Harry Potter as the Hogwart's dinning room. Friday she will spend her time with me in my last tutorial and the Summit group meeting from 2-6pm. On Saturday we will tour the rest of Oxford, Sunday we will head to London until Tuesday when we will leave for Amsterdam and meet up with my long-time friend from Germany, Berenike! From there we will spend a couple days in Amsterdam. Thanks to my tutorial with John, I actually know the history of Amsterdam so it will be great to be there. Later the three of us will make our way to Copenhagen for several days and then make our way back to London, leaving Berenike to make her way to Germany. I am so excited to see the two of them.
The day after Renee leaves, Diana (my sister) and Callie (my best friend) are coming to visit as well! I will not get to spend all my time with them because I will be in the Summit Intensive at that point, but I am excited to see them as well. Once again, I get to play tour guide!
*Please pray for safe travels for all of them!*
This past weekend I went to the Spring Regatta rowing race with one of my friends from the Bible study, Felicia. The race was of the different colleges of Oxford competing against one another Along the River Thames each college had their own boat house, music playing, grills going and were selling random foods and drinks. The race is odd in how a college can win. The point of the race is to bump the boat in front of you to knock them out of the race. When you get bumped, you have to row the rest of the distance but win nothing. The race takes about several days and can last for quite some time. I only went on Saturday, which was the last day of the competition. All I can say is I usually run a route that goes by the boat houses and I have never seen the river or the boat houses so lively.
Speaking of running, I started running last week for several days, but I am in no shape like before. I have been having minor muscle problems, but my friend from Oconomowoc, Robert Hannon, has been good to me and is giving me tips and stretches to get back into perfect shape, once again. Sorry to say this, but I am only 22 and I feel like sometimes my body acts like it is older than that (I wont say an "old" age, so I do not hurt anyone's feelings).
I have not talked about one of the things enjoying doing here, and that is eating!
My diet here is nothing like the one I had when I studied abroad in Spain. Here a high portion of my diet (as of last week, I am trying to cut down) was yogurt, many kinds of cheese, chocolate, tea, bread and broccoli (trying to get my greens). The yogurt, cheese, tea and chocolate is amazing compared to the US. I have been gaining some weight, but hey, it is a part of the experience of being abroad ;)
With this said, I must leave you until next week, or maybe the next.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Trades
Now approaching my seventh week in the UK. It is amazing how fast my time is going. I have finished one of my tutorials and have doubled up my work for the other. This means that my work load has gotten a little larger, but only for the next two weeks. In the tutorial that I still have, I am learning about the history of trade. I started out with learning about guilds and then moved towards the history of France, Germany, and Russia. Later I did a paper on the Jewish and Islamic culture and their impact on trade, and last week I did a paper on the spice trade of Portugal. The trade of Portugal really interests me. A lot of the history is sad, but it is incredible to think that the reason why the Americas were discovered was to find a fast route for the simple ingredients of black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and cloves! Isn't that amazing? Well, it is for me and my time reading about the history of Portugal last week made it my favorite week yet. As for this week, well by Tuesday, I am writing on the Dutch and English trade in Asia and moving toward the Americas.
What I forgot to mention in my last blog is that two weekends ago I went to Portsmouth. This was the popular sea port of England during the time of trade. That day I was able to go on a couple of ships where they have left them as they were during their time at sea in the 1700s and 1800s. I was surprised as to how well they were built. The engineering and precision for each ship catered to the captain and the crew. That evening a couple of friends and I watch Master and Commander to finish off our day at sea. I had not seen the movie and really enjoyed it, but what I enjoyed the most was the music. The soundtrack to that movie is quite good, there is a nice mix of strings.
Yesterday I went to Cambridge, the rival university of Oxford. It is nice, but not like my Oxford. I am biased. The town is smaller and the appeal is different. There are more stone buildings in Oxford, Cambridge had a lot of bricks. What is nice from Cambridge is King's College, Great St. Mary's church, Trinity College and Queen's College. The church of King's college was very beautiful, it had large stained glass windows that made up the majority of the walls of the church. The cool thing about the windows is it told the story of Jesus on one half and a the stories of the Old Testament on the other half.
Spring comes early here, flowers started blooming at the end of January and the country side stays green. The weather has been rainy but with some vitamin D, it does not really phase you.
I have been trying to run a little, just to see if the pain comes back to my foot and it has not quite yet, but I am trying to be very cautious about it.
Other than that, life here is going well and it is going to be hard to leave.
What I forgot to mention in my last blog is that two weekends ago I went to Portsmouth. This was the popular sea port of England during the time of trade. That day I was able to go on a couple of ships where they have left them as they were during their time at sea in the 1700s and 1800s. I was surprised as to how well they were built. The engineering and precision for each ship catered to the captain and the crew. That evening a couple of friends and I watch Master and Commander to finish off our day at sea. I had not seen the movie and really enjoyed it, but what I enjoyed the most was the music. The soundtrack to that movie is quite good, there is a nice mix of strings.
Yesterday I went to Cambridge, the rival university of Oxford. It is nice, but not like my Oxford. I am biased. The town is smaller and the appeal is different. There are more stone buildings in Oxford, Cambridge had a lot of bricks. What is nice from Cambridge is King's College, Great St. Mary's church, Trinity College and Queen's College. The church of King's college was very beautiful, it had large stained glass windows that made up the majority of the walls of the church. The cool thing about the windows is it told the story of Jesus on one half and a the stories of the Old Testament on the other half.
Spring comes early here, flowers started blooming at the end of January and the country side stays green. The weather has been rainy but with some vitamin D, it does not really phase you.
I have been trying to run a little, just to see if the pain comes back to my foot and it has not quite yet, but I am trying to be very cautious about it.
Other than that, life here is going well and it is going to be hard to leave.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Meet Emily, my new British Friend
It is Friday in Oxford and I just got back from having dinner with a friend I made a couple weeks ago while attending a church. Her name is Emily, she is from England, studying French and Linguistics and is a first year. I met her when my friend Jordan when we attended an evening service of church that was supposed to be more charismatic. Emily was just standing there, pretty close to us with no one to talk to and so I started a conversation with her. Jordan and I talked to her until the service began. I liked her. She was smiling, she was friendly and was happy to meet another "American." Jordan and I left a little early because he had a skype date with his family and girlfriend, so I gave Emily my e-mail address so we could stay in contact.
Since then we tried another church service together and tonight she invited my friend Kasey and I for dinner and authentic chai! The food was amazing and she was such a great little host. As we started talking about how the Brits perceive the Americans and vice versa we came to talking about how Emily became a Christian. Emily is of Indian decent so I was expecting this amazing conversion story about how her parents got saved or how she got saved and is living a life for Christ, but to my amazement, this did not happen. Our conversation went to Emily's belief that everyone's religion ties to the same God, that Jesus was just a "jolly" prophet with good practices, and that everyone wants happiness. My bubble of beliefs popped and my mirror shattered of what I thought my friendship was going to look like with Emily. We talked about why she believes what she believes for quite some time and after butting heads on many topics, and me being very vocal and passionate on what I believe, our conversation came to a halt, it almost broke our friendship. Kasey and I talked with Emily for some time after and then we left. Our conversation reminded me about how long it has been since I have shared my faith with anyone. When I was in Cru (Campus Crusades for Christ) it was expected of us to go sharing and I did, but I would get frustrated when I could not see eye to eye with people. What is wrong with them? What is wrong with me? Emily did ask good questions that any non-believer would ask such as, why can't all paths lead to God, what makes you so sure about the Bible and why are there contradictions, or why do Christians think they are so right about how to get to heaven? These questions are so important to understanding God's compassion but somehow we miss the point of Christianity. The frustration I feel right now and while talking with Emily is probably exactly how God feels with all of us, and yet he loves us, me! It is so hard for me to see anyone do or go in a direction I know is not right. It is just how I think. But that is something I am learnig to work on and spending time with Emily has been worth this whole trip.
Emily and I plan on going to church this Sunday together.
As for this past week, not too much has happened. On Valentine's Day the girls from the flat below invited me for dinner, chocolate and to watch a movie. I liked talking to Elena and Jenna. Elena is from Ithaca and so we reminisce about the area, and Jenna is so sweet to talk to. Later that week I simply had school work and Kasey and I went to some lectures on Christian worldviews. They were led by Micheal Ramsden from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (Kasey is a huge fan of RZIM). I enjoyed seeing a British outreach led by St Ebbes Church. Other than that, the week went by super fast and I only have three more weeks of the term before our Summit session begins.
Since then we tried another church service together and tonight she invited my friend Kasey and I for dinner and authentic chai! The food was amazing and she was such a great little host. As we started talking about how the Brits perceive the Americans and vice versa we came to talking about how Emily became a Christian. Emily is of Indian decent so I was expecting this amazing conversion story about how her parents got saved or how she got saved and is living a life for Christ, but to my amazement, this did not happen. Our conversation went to Emily's belief that everyone's religion ties to the same God, that Jesus was just a "jolly" prophet with good practices, and that everyone wants happiness. My bubble of beliefs popped and my mirror shattered of what I thought my friendship was going to look like with Emily. We talked about why she believes what she believes for quite some time and after butting heads on many topics, and me being very vocal and passionate on what I believe, our conversation came to a halt, it almost broke our friendship. Kasey and I talked with Emily for some time after and then we left. Our conversation reminded me about how long it has been since I have shared my faith with anyone. When I was in Cru (Campus Crusades for Christ) it was expected of us to go sharing and I did, but I would get frustrated when I could not see eye to eye with people. What is wrong with them? What is wrong with me? Emily did ask good questions that any non-believer would ask such as, why can't all paths lead to God, what makes you so sure about the Bible and why are there contradictions, or why do Christians think they are so right about how to get to heaven? These questions are so important to understanding God's compassion but somehow we miss the point of Christianity. The frustration I feel right now and while talking with Emily is probably exactly how God feels with all of us, and yet he loves us, me! It is so hard for me to see anyone do or go in a direction I know is not right. It is just how I think. But that is something I am learnig to work on and spending time with Emily has been worth this whole trip.
Emily and I plan on going to church this Sunday together.
As for this past week, not too much has happened. On Valentine's Day the girls from the flat below invited me for dinner, chocolate and to watch a movie. I liked talking to Elena and Jenna. Elena is from Ithaca and so we reminisce about the area, and Jenna is so sweet to talk to. Later that week I simply had school work and Kasey and I went to some lectures on Christian worldviews. They were led by Micheal Ramsden from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (Kasey is a huge fan of RZIM). I enjoyed seeing a British outreach led by St Ebbes Church. Other than that, the week went by super fast and I only have three more weeks of the term before our Summit session begins.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Patience
The past week and a half have not been too eventful. Last week I had the regular 2 papers due along with the readings, Kevin Bywater readings, and mini adventures I find myself in when looking for a library that has a book I need to read. It is amazing how large this campus is, I only thought Minnesota was big! The university is clearly spread out across the city. I think it is nice when you have the time to walk around and discover different areas, but when in a time crunch- not so much.
It is surprising at the amount of libraries there are. Each college has a library, but also every department. Yesterday as I was looking for the Sciences and Continuing Education Library for a book about Russia during the 1910-20s, I came across three other libraries that looked like they were in a house. I also ran into a running store and had a peek of what they were selling. ;-)
About running, so last Wednesday I must have pulled a ligament in my foot because Thursday, while I was walking, I had a pain on the bottom of my foot. I did not think too much about the pain because I had done so much walking that day. Friday morning, went for a run and hated it. My foot killed! Rested the foot as much as I could-everyday there is a 10-25 minute walk to the library or anywhere-but it did not get better. I tried orthopedic cushions and they made it feel worse. So I decided to go to the General Practitioner (there is no way to see a Podiatrist without seeing the GP first) and they had nothing new to tell me. I paid 30 pounds for 10 minutes of what I was already doing and aware of, but they did give me the order of not running for a MONTH! I am not sure if I am more mad about the money I feel like I wasted or the news they told me which did not surprise me. What is done is done and I am just trying to think of this as another lesson for me to learn from. This past year I have had three leg or foot injuries and now I am beginning to wonder why. It is a little frustrating because I truly love running because of the peace and challenge it gives me. Around Oxford there are a lot of trails and some in the pasture with the horses. I guess I will just have to wait until I am strong again.
-Patience
If anyone knows more about foot injuries, let me know. It has not felt any better since last week and I am not sure how I can strengthen it!
Other than running, this week I have been learning a lot about Russia's history. It is really sad how the leaders of Russia have tortured and killed their own people. A lot of people might think of Stalin-who is responsible for about 70 million deaths IN THE 20th CENTURY- but turmoil and strife run far into their past with Ivan the 'Terrible' and Peter the Great. I have never been drawn to the Russian history or people probably because I did not want to face the facts of their history. In some ways, I feel like that is how a lot of life is in general. Why read or look for hurt in the news or in history if it makes you feel bad? Maybe because it is a duty as human beings to realize that the world is chaos and before you know it, it might be in your own backyard! Or so that you do not repeat history.
But how do you deal with the news today? I am not quite sure, but what I am trying to do is ask God for wisdom. He holds the moral standards of man and eternity, why would he not know how to guide us in our everyday walk? I hate hearing about the desperate and the inhumane treatment of people, especially innocent people. Yet, God sees our actions and suffers with us today, yesterday, all of history and into the future. How much longer will we wait for the second coming?
-Patience
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