Oh, the Places You'll Go

I really should have had this up last week, but you know what they say about time and how it gets away from you. Anyway, my semester is over, but I’m not quite finished with traveling yet. I believe I’ve mentioned that my mom was coming out to see me and that we were going to spend roughly two weeks together in the southwest part of England.

I feel like I’m a bit behind, so let me catch you up on what we’ve been up to:

·         Wednesday, I said goodbye to my Study Abroad friends. I was able to ride to Heathrow with them all, so I saw them through to security. Definitely a bittersweet moment. I didn’t want them to leave without me, but I am glad to still be in England. Besides, though it won’t be exactly the same, it is comforting to know that this isn’t really goodbye. I’ll see them all again in Abilene at some point. My mom landed late that morning, so we spent the day walking London. We went to the Victoria and Albert Museum as well as the Natural History Museum. I must say, it was wonderful to stay in a hotel and not a hostel. I met up with my friend, Dana, late that night as she was just arriving from her semester in Germany. The three of us went out to dinner, and it was great to see her again.

·         Thursday and Friday, we left London to tour my home away from home one last time. I showed Mom round Oxford, taking her to all of my favourite places, the houses, and the Quaker meeting house where we met for classes. I took her by Christ Church cathedral where I’ve been volunteering and got to say a brief goodbye to the friends I’ve made there. It wasn’t quite the proper goodbye I was hoping for, but hopefully, like those I left at the airport, this is just the beginning to those relationships I’ve made and not a permanent goodbye.

·         Saturday, I said my last goodbyes to Oxford, and we started our way south. We stopped in Glastonbury, visiting the very famous Glastonbury Abbey. Why is it so famous? A few reasons: one, it was (or still is depending on how you look at it) the longest church in England, but two, it claims to be the burial place of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. The tomb was destroyed (and no one is quite sure what happened to the remains), but the site is still marked. As our tour guide said, you can decide for yourself if you think it actually is where Arthur was buried (if you do in fact believe Arthur to have actually existed). Until proven otherwise, I choose to believe both are true.

Apparently, almost every continent has claimed his remains...

·         Sunday, we continued on our way, stopping in Tintagel to climb around the castle ruins. For those who don’t know, it’s the site of the castle that supposedly King Arthur ruled from. It was a great place to spend Mother’s Day. We spent a lot of time in the car that afternoon, but the views were stunning! England is such a beautiful country. I’m so glad to be seeing more than just the bigger cities while I’m here.

·         Monday, we took the morning to hike up St. Michael’s Mount. What a pretty place. I have two requirements now for my future house: a library and a garden. They don’t have to be grand or ostentatious, but my goodness, I need them in my future! Afterwards, we drove into Carbis Bay, where we’ll be staying for these next few days. We walked the coastal path into St. Ives. So far, St. Ives seems like a nice place…except for its vicious pests! A seagull dive-bombed me and stole my ice cream less than 30 seconds after I had bought it. I never had a chance…

Mom by "the family house" as she called it

The garden - you know, just something small will do

Outside St. Michael's Mount

·         Today, the weather was ugly, so Mom and I made a unanimous decision to make it a lazy one. Fortunately, that gave me the time I needed to get this post up!

Ok, so you’re caught up so far, but what I really wanted to share with you were some things that I’ve learned over these past four months. I have done so much and grown over time that sometimes I hardly even feel like myself anymore. Being with Mom has shown me that too. I’ve made several of the decisions on this trip (and if I didn’t have the final say, I at least had more input than before), especially while in Oxford and London. If you knew me before this semester, you’d know that is weird. I’m one of the most indecisive people ever. Even my new friend, Nathan, figured that out within a few weeks of knowing me. I’m becoming more vocal about my own opinions, more confident, I guess, that what I have to say matters. There’s nothing like traveling and having to fend for yourself to give you more self-confidence.

I’ve learned a lot about myself (what makes me tick, what my limits are, etc.) and about other people. It can be stressful being around the same 34 people, but you’re not always going to enjoy every situation you’re in, are you? You’ve got to learn how to cope with both the positive and the negative. It’s been a challenge sometimes, but most importantly a great learning experience. I’ve made some really great friends as well as had to learn to deal with conflict. Some people are going to hurt you, and others will make you feel like you’re the most important person in the world. That’s just part of life. You just have to take it all together and learn to accept both.

I’ve mentioned some in other posts how I’ve grown spiritually as well (perhaps grown more confused or open-minded, but grown all the same). Religion is a messy concept. It always has been, and I would stake a lot on a guess that it will continue to be in the very distant future. I’ve known about the messiness of religion, but I don’t think I ever really stopped to think about the ways Christianity falls into the messy category (maybe even topping the charts), or I just haven’t really allowed myself to mull over the implications of what I knew to be the messier parts. Partly because it’s easier to not have to criticize your own religion. It’s so much easier to think that it’s those other people that have the problems and the inconsistencies that they have to work through. Obviously, the group you’re a part of has it all figured out…which is why there are so many factions and denominations of Christianity. Right. Anyway, there’s still a lot to figure out, but I’ve got plenty of time.

I’ve still got a week left in this country, so I’m not going to sign off yet! I don’t like to say goodbyes before I need to. For now I’ll simply say, until next time!