Pergola & Hill

This is the place that I was talking about in one of my earlier posts - a delightful garden that I will have to return to when everything is blooming. Enjoy!

Market Day

I think that yesterday was the best day I have had since arriving here. I spent the entire day with Kristy, a fellow student in accomodation at my hall. She was good medicine for me; she encouraged me to remove my watch (haha!) and just go with the day. And we definitely had a very fun day with no ties on our time! We spent 11 hours wandering through markets and shops!

We started out in Borough Market spending hours sampling breads, olive oils, cheeses, fudge, turkish delight (which I found out is not too bad tasting!) and pastries. I had the best baklava I have EVER eaten - cinnamon something or other that will definitely have to be a repeated experience in a few months time!

We then made our way to Spitalfields Market which happened to have just finished for the day (now on my list for next Saturday's outing!). Not to be deterred we hopped back on the tube and headed for Covent Gardens on the spur of the moment. What a fun surprise to find that there was a huge market there! We then spent several hours going in and out of stores, stopping at little booths and sampling more delicious sweets.

After many long hours of shopping and acting the tourist we lounged in a cool little venue with a glass of wine. I am SO excited about this little place and cannot wait to return!

We then headed back to our hall where I made a delicious spaghetti meal. We sampled more food (haha!) - cheese with fig spread on crackers, chocolate and a portuguese custard tart.

Needless to say, I was exhausted and actually slept in past 7:15 this morning! All I can say was that I hope my pictures give you a little taste of my day and let you share in the experience!

Love you all!
R

To date...

Today is one of those beautiful, mild days where the sun shines so brightly and you cannot help but feel happy to be alive. I spent the afternoon with two new friends wandering through borough market, tasting delicious foods (namely a good hamburger!), and having good conversations. We strolled along the Thames and meandered through the courtyard at St. Paul's Cathedral. I spent the rest of the day walking in my neighbourhood, dropping in and out of little shops, sipping on a refreshing mango passionfruit smoothie...my new favourite drink. I definitely am living a blessed life!

Unfortunately I forgot my camera today, but I have managed to snap a few photos on my last few day trips; some of the pictures are from the Imperial War Museum (absolutely incredible!!), the Victoria & Albert Museum, Kensington Gardens and my neighbourhood. There is so much character and history and beauty in the bit I have seen that it is kind of intimidating to think what else London has in store!
I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do!

Pros and Cons to London

I am constantly being reminded (and reminding myself:) that it is an tremendous opportunity to study and live in England. HOWEVER,.....

There are a few things that I am consistently frustrated by:
1. my painful feet as a result of constant walking on PAVEMENT!
2. the difficulty of finding good footwear.
3. the amount of air pollution
   a) from all the cars/buses/motorcycles
   b) the large amount of people smoking EVERYWHERE - there is NO consideration. People just blow smoke into your face. they smoke in front of you, upwind of you,.....
4. delicious carbohydrates and fat: scones, hot cross buns, pastries, cakes that are covered with cream (just for the sake of it!), and the list goes on and on....and on....
5. the beautiful weather that suddenly changes into chilly breezes (NOT so good for the cold I've been nursing)
6. the HORDES of tourists - DON't EVEN SAY IT! I am NOT a tourist. technically I am a student who in her spare time wanders around the city
7. increased cost of living...due to...
8. our "lovely" cdn to gbp exchange rate

However, there are certain things I do love about London that we could definitely learn from:
1. EXCELLENT transportation links and even better directions on buses/in bus stops/everywhere
2. only 1 transport system to pay for
3. refined English accents
4. turkey breasts at REASONABLE prices available at ALL stores
5. old buildings and history
6. free access to so many museums
7. old pubs
8. TONS of markets to browse through for hours

Tropical Nursing in ?England?

So today was my second day of school. It still makes me laugh inside to think I only have class one day a week and have so much free time to really enjoy the beautiful museums, parks, and markets London has to offer.

I have to say, though, it is nice to have some direction and purpose here. Today, I felt (at last!) that I finally learned something. I'm excited (in a nerdy way) to head off to the library/museum tomorrow and buckle down and do some research! I feel I now have some purpose!

For those of you who don't know, my course is called a Diploma in Tropical Nursing. Basically it briefly introduces us (nurses & midwives) to issues we would face if we worked in the Tropics and gives some direction on how to deal with them. It is expected that the lectures are a stepping stone for our own studies. Plus we also spend a few hours each week in the lab learning to diagnose tropical disease with microscopes. Cool, eh?

My course director is an amazing woman named Claire Bertschinger who is extremely friendly and who is constantly interacting with us. I think that is what really makes this program stand out - there is a lot of interaction between staff and students.

And YES!, my course is in London, England of all places! One may ask, "Why?!"
My guess would be that: a) there are a large group of people who immigrate from the tropics to England and as a result the UK see many people with tropical diseases, b)proximity to Asia, Africa,
c) I actually have no idea :)  - - - - - haha. I guess I will have to find out!

MY SCHOOL - There are bugs ALL over the building (inside & outside) which is pretty cool!

A Place of Prayer & Answered Prayers

I cannot help but share two answered requests that I have had since I arrived here on March 4th.

ONE ~
request: March 4 - to find a place to live with a good price & good location
answered: March 7 - found a place to live with a good price & good location AND a friendly face

TWO ~
request: March 10 - for healing of my painful feet
answered: March 15 - healing of my feet!

I have been attending Hillsong London the last two Sunday evenings and I am looking forward to next week Sunday. The service is a wonderful time for me to let loose and completely surrender myself to my God. It is a time of praise and an incredible time of prayer.

This past Sunday I was reminded that God has a great love for you and me. We often tell ourselves that, "Yes! God can do this!" but when we have to apply it to ourselves we tell ourselves, "But not for me.." It's not that we don't believe He can, but we don't believe He will for us - and yet it is unbelief. That is Satan's greatest lie. God DOES and WILL DO for you and me because He loves us so much in His Son! I struggle with that thought tonight and praise the God who declares this as true.

So in relation to answered prayer, I saw this past Sunday evening while meditating and praying that God answered MY prayer the previous week - and SO quickly too! He gave me a place to live the next day. So I figured that He could heal my feet as well - and He did!

I cannot help but declare God's goodness towards me! Psalm 145

"My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord." Psalm 145:21

A Day in Oxford

So, I spent a lovely day in Oxford yesterday, walking around the small city, viewing things of old.
Oxford has a certain charm: a mix of the old and the new. I was surprised at first at it's business, of the cars and buses driving around. In my head I had made Oxford out to be a town still living in the middle ages; quiet, remote, with processions of students in black robes charging to a late tutorial or hanging out in groups at an old pub.

I spent hours, in and out of museums and churches, relishing and reliving times when the Wesley brothers had lived and debated in it's buildings. I touched old walls, thinking that famous people of old had touched the same walls and walked the same halls.

Oxford can be seen in one day as it is quite small in size. But to experience the "real" Oxford of students I guess it would be necessary to live and study in those old halls. It amazes me to see students milling around in these places, able to call them their school. I mean, my school was not old (in the real sense) and not very beautiful either! :)

My favourite part of the whole experience was listening to the voices of young boys and men at evenson in Christ Church Cathedral. It amazes me to think that this has been happening daily for hundreds of years! The beauty of song, the sacred words of the Bible and the rituals of high Anglicanism were soothing to my soul (and also to my very SORE feet).
Anyway, below are some pictures - enjoy!

The pictures do NOT do this place justice.

A place to call my "own"

I have found a place to live! And in Notting Hill of all places! The community is beautiful and it is within walking distance of Kensington Gardens and Portobello Road. I am quite excited to begin exploring…

The thing that amazes me most of all is the way God works. I have been staying with my mom’s cousin (who I really did not know previously) and has been so open and inviting towards me while staying with her. Living out of a suitcase has never been that difficult for me; but this time the suitcase is quite a bit bigger and contains 5 months of clothes versus a week of clothes J. My sister’s high school friend is currently doing studies in London and is staying at a student hall. Upon hearing of my need of a place to live she gave me the contact info. I phoned up, went for a visit and voila! A place to move into…for just the right place and in a wonderful, safe location! Praise God!

I might add, that I do have a lovely roommate from Australia. But more on that later!

Below are some pics…

Hiking in the English Countryside

As an introduction to my stay in London I went on a 14 km hike from a place called Missenden to High Wycombe. I felt like I was living Pride & Prejudice. The only things lacking were the music and the skirts (as I most definitely do not hike in skirts!). It was wonderful to live and breathe the in the sweet country air, stomp in the mud (and it is VERY muddy), listen to the birds chirping and walk across green fields. It is almost a shock to the system to see so much green!

After a very long hike through forest and field under grey skies we came upon a wee pub called the White Lion. I had a lovely meal of Cod, chips and peas (a very English food apparently which I dislike greatly).

After lunch the sun was out and we trekked to a house and and an old church where a former prime minister (and great friend of Queen Victoria) lived. The church was gorgeous, built from tiny rocks which are supposedly very common in England.

We ended our day drinking a warm cup of chocolate – however, I learned NEVER to buy hot chocolate in England! It consists of steamed milk (which is only lukewarm) and chocolate syrup which is poured into the bottom of the cup. Completely tasteless and NOT chocolatey at all!

Needless to say, at the end of it all I was exhausted. I have not slept much since arriving here Thursday afternoon and I have huge purple marks beneath my eyes. My sinus infection has developed into some kind of lung problem now and I am definitely feeling the worse for wear.

But, today is a new day (being Sunday) and I am trying to take it easy – whatever that means.

An English Stile

Arrived Alive!

So, I made it! Such a wonderful blessing to be here - where there is actually green grass!
I'm staying with a relative and she has made a cozy little bed on the floor right by the screen door.
To be honest, it is a little hard to come and have to live out of a suitcase and have no place to put anything....hence my desire to start flat searching ASAP!
Plus, it probably doesn't help that I'm a bit jet-lagged. But whatever, I just need to relax a bit and take a few deep breaths and thank God that I made it here safe.


So, I will put some pics up a bit later, once I can use my own computer to access the internet!

Attempting to "Journal"

Hello All!

So, I'm attempting to start a blog in which I can share a bit about my study and travels....which means that I'm hoping that there are a lot more to come!

I hope that this blog will somewhat compensate for my pathetic lack of journaling and emailing...so, if what I'm writing isn't enough and you'd like to know more, send me an email or fb me! I'm also on ping chat - rach7777, which is some kind of free text internationally.

Love you all!