Merry Christmas Eve!

I hope you are all having an amazing Christmas Eve! And I hope you don't see this for awhile which would mean you're having a great time with family and friends! Here's my family- taken earlier today in Oxford.

We've been really busy the last few days- ok, I know I've said that before - but we're really keeping busy!!! Just got back from a one night trip up to Coventry so I could show my family where I've been living. On the way up we stopped in Stratford-upon-Avon, and on the way how we stopped in Oxford. Lots of touristy things to see! And the night we were in Coventry we were invited to my host counselor's home for dinner. It was the best food we've had in a long time- it was amazing to have a home cooked meal after so many days of restaurants and take out!!! :-) And the company was just as good as the food. :-) It was great for me to be able to introduce my family to the people I've been telling them about!

At this point you should ask me how we got to Coventry.... and the answer would be: I DROVE!!! :-) We rented a car, and I successfully drove nearly 200 miles up to Coventry and back. No accidents, no driving in the "wrong" lane... and only two very minor missteps (wrong exit on roundabouts most often due to the four of us all counting which one we should go to and, amazingly enough, all of us coming up with a different idea of where to go. Thankfully, I had already been on those two roads, so I was able to just go through the roundabout again and find the right exit... :-) haha. Oh, and I must add, I am the Queen of the Coventry Ring Road. Hahahahahaha. I mastered it. hehe.

Anyway, back to the family... Have a great Christmas, everyone!!!

Unbelievable.

That's the only word I can think of to describe what has been going on!

In no particular order:
1) Is the world ending? What on earth did I do to have my first white Christmas ever WHEN I'M NOT AT HOME???? Last I heard from friends about an hour ago, there were 8 inches on the ground back home, and steady snow still falling. Seriously? Unbelievable.

2) Guess where I've been? The reason this blog hasn't been updated in awhile? I was in Paris. :-) As you know from my last update, my mom arrived safely last week and we'd been seeing the sights in London. Well, my dad and sister arrived last Thursday, and we went straight to Paris.

In the 34 hours that we were in Paris, we saw so much! We took the Eurostar, which takes just over two hours headed through the Chunnel and French countryside. After we checked into our hotel, we headed for the Eiffel Tower. The view from the top was amazing. Little chilly, though. :-)

After the Eiffel Tower, we took the Metro (subway) to see Notre Dame. I hate to say it, but as amazing as that cathedral is, it was so commercialized that I really didn't appreciate it. There were machines throughout the church with lights advertising the commemorative coins you can buy. There were boxes strewn about in one part that looked like they used to contain items the gift shop was selling. Seriously, folks, can't you dispose of those properly rather than just throw them on the ground? It didn't feel like anyone actually treated the church with any respect. Sad.

After Notre Dame we walked to the Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportationate which remembers the 200,000 people deported from France to concentration camps during the second world war. It's right on the River Seine, and was very poignant. We then ate an early dinner at a cafe in the Ile Saint Louis neighborhood, and headed back to Notre Dame. There we caught a cab, and headed to our evening bus/river cruise tour. We got to see all the famous Parisian sights lit up in the really beautiful, crisp evening. The Eiffel Tower, for a few minutes on the hour, lights up with white twinkle lights. It's amazing. The river cruise was great, although it did make me feel quite stupid. One of the tour guides kept saying things in five different languages, and, while I'm certainly no expert, her pronunciation sounded perfect. I can barely manage English sometimes. :-) The perfect end to this crazy day was a crepe with nutella. Mmm. :-)

That was all on Friday... Saturday was even crazier. We started with breakfast, as any sane person should... and I must say, a croissant with nutella is heavenly. :-) Then the mad rush through the museums began. We started at Musee de Orsay, where I found many Monet paintings, which was really exciting (including this one, on the right, of the Japanese bridge at his gardens in Giverny). For those who don't know, I'm seriously addicted to Monet (by the way, I was just chatting with my godmother, we're staying with them near London now, and she's just given me an awesome early Christmas present- glasses cleaning cloths in a Monet pattern. She knows me too well. hehe). Once we finished at Orsay, we headed to the Louvre. It was too big for my taste. So many awesome things, but I was so overwhelmed. And, to make matters totally worse, none of us grabbed a map before we headed inside. We just followed the signs to the Mona Lisa, then, when we realized none of us knew how to find the Venus de Milo statue, we realized that we had no idea where we were. In my very broken, tourist-guide French, I was asking museum employees "ou est Venus de Milo s'il vous plait?" To which we got terrible directions. About 45 minutes of wandering aimlessly later... we found our way out. Without having seen Venus. :-) Oh well. I was happy to head to our next stop: Musee de Orangerie. This is where you can find Monet's water lilies!!! Only something I've dreamed of seeing ever since I saw my first Monet painting years and years ago. They were breathtaking. Absolutely amazing. One of the panels of water lilies is below. There were two huge rooms with four panels each, specially designed for these panels. I didn't want to leave.

After Orangerie, we ate lunch at a cafe near the Louvre, and I headed out on my own afterwards for my FOURTH museum of the day- the Musee de Marmottan, which has the largest collection of Monet's work of any museum in the world. Yes, I was in heaven. Water lilies, Giverny, the Houses of Parliament in London... the list goes on, and on, and on. Every one of them was more spectacular than the previous. I couldn't take photos here, but you can trust me. Amazing.

I met back up with the family later that afternoon, grabbed one last nutella crepe, and we headed to the train station for our trip home. A great start to the family vacation.

We pick up our rental car today... wish me luck remembering to stay on the left side of the road. :-) London on Monday, then Stratford/Coventry/Oxford on Tues/Wed. More later.

Family, Day One!

Today I got up bright and early (6am!!!) so that I could be on a train to London, then ride the tube for what seemed like FOREVER to get to Heathrow Airport in time to welcome my mom to England! I made it to the arrivals area about two minutes before she got through customs- nice timing! It's great to see her, and get to watch her reactions to things like having to look to the right first when crossing a street instead of the left, and seeing cars so different than at home. And telling her the values of all the coins. :-) And, most importantly, not having to think at all about how I word sentences, knowing that she'll understand whatever I say, no matter what phrase, joke, or saying.

I certainly got her trip off on an interesting footing- less than five hours after she landed, I took her to a doctors surgery (office) here so that I could get a prescription for something to kick this cold that I've had lingering for nearly three weeks now. It wasn't really miserable until today, but the last few days I think I've been annoying all my friends with my coughing spells. Thankfully, the very helpful doctors surgery got me an appointment only two hours after I called- and they've given me a prescription for amoxicillian, which I hope does the trick. I swear, if I spend one more night (or day) coughing, I'll go insane! Hahaha.

It's been a long day, and I'm in serious need of sleep. Night, everyone!
(less than a week until I'm in Paris!!!)

Christmas Mood

I've been in a serious Christmas mood lately. I can't get enough Christmas music, and I love walking through the city centre and seeing all the Christmas lights. At Chatsworth House last weekend I saw beautiful Christmas trees and decorations. And to finish off my weekend, yesterday I went to "Carols for Christmas" at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford upon Avon. This was a carol service jointly put on by the Rotary district that I'm in (District 1060) and the local Inner Wheel District. I was so excited to get a chance to attend a carol service, mainly because a church I used to attend back home used to sing Christmas carols every Sunday of Advent- and I was really missing that!


If you don't know, Holy Trinity Church in Stratford is where you'll find William Shakespeare's grave. It's a beautiful church, dating back to 1210. There were several readings and several carols, and I was excited to see several familiar songs. But I also saw some I'd never heard of before: "Once in Royal David's City", and "In the bleak midwinter." The familiar songs were "O little town of Bethlehem," "It came upon a midnight clear," "O come, all ye faithful," and "Hark! the herald angels sing."

Now, just because they are familiar to me doesn't mean that everything was entirely familiar! The tune to all but one of those songs was different than I'd ever heard! What a cultural experience. I'm not a good singer- I'll be the first to admit, but when it comes to Christmas carols I'm not terribly shy. I started singing, and, well, no one else was saying the words in the same way I was (and no, I don't mean accents!). Hahaha. It was a great experience, but I'll admit that once I got home, I did listen to a few of the songs again, with the tune that I'm familiar with. :-)

Visiting Mr. Darcy's House

Today I took my last trip with the International Students office of this calendar year- to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. For those who don't know, Chatsworth House serves as the home to Mr. Darcy in the 2005 film "Pride and Prejudice." I'll happily admit that's the sole reason why I went to see it. :-)



The house was all decorated for Christmas- trees, lights, ornaments- everywhere! I still think if I could have gotten one of those trees out of the house without them seeing, they'd never know it was gone. I should have counted how many trees- it was at least over 30. And they were all so beautiful! You can find many more photos on my photo page... here...


Next week I'll be visiting the Birmingham Christmas Market, which apparently is the largest authentic German Christmas Market outside Germany or Austria. You can read about it here. I'm so excited!

Time for Gloves!

We've had quite the cold streak lately, and for me to admit that is saying something. Normally I welcome the biting chill of winter... but I'm pretty sure I'm still in recovery mode from my cold last week... and some taste of tropical weather would be really nice. :-)

Wait, you mean I didn't move to the British Virgin Islands? 'Cause I thought that's what I signed up for heading to Great Britain... hahaha... Just kidding, just kidding.

I broke down today and bought gloves to go with the scarf that I refuse to take off. I've been wearing a new coat the last few days- a North Face that I've been wanting to buy for years- and finally did earlier this week. It's great. Totally not suitable for daily walk around town weather during an English winter- it's built for wearing as an outer layer when running (which I'll start back up again once any evidence of me having a cold is gone). But I love it, so I'm wearing it and shivering all around town. Apparently common sense is not my forte.

Only six days until my first essay is due, and I'm only about half done. I really need to concentrate on it. But between now and the deadline, I'm off to see Chatsworth House on Saturday (an all day trip)... This is the house you may recognize from Pride and Prejudice- Mr. Darcy's Pemberly- which, ashamedly, is why I signed up for the trip. I'll post pics once I'm back! And on Sunday I'm off to sing Christmas carols in Stratford. And I also hope to fit in a trip to the Birmingham Christmas Market, too. Then mom comes! She flies in on Friday of next week!

Time is going so fast. I have a calendar on my wall that I've been marking off. I'm not counting down the days till I come home- yes, I miss my family and friends (and the water!)... but... I'm marking the days to remind myself to make the most of the precious time I've been given here- to experience as much as I can. Can you believe it, I've been here nearly three whole months already? Amazing.

***My photo webpage has been updated... to include the Thanksgiving photo I promised, among many others! Click here...

Busy Week...

Well, I've survived a very, very busy week! Two Thanksgivings... a trip to Gerrards Cross (London), helping with a dinner for 40+ people, two Rotary presentations (and another tomorrow!), all while attempting to recover from a cold. Phew. I'm exhausted even thinking about it!

I still don't have Thanksgiving photos- I know, I'm a failure. :-) But I do have a photo to provide you with a "Where's Waldo" esque experience. Can you find me? :-) That was at our All Student meeting of the Student Union last week. Give up? Spoiler Alert! I'm on the far right side of the photo, in a grey sweater and glasses. :-) That was a fun meeting- especially for this political nerd. A meeting is only exciting if there are procedural motions and amendments. Therefore, this meeting was exciting. :-)

Off soon to a meeting with one of my professors to discuss an essay I'm working on- developing a proposal for a peace education programme. I'm having trouble focusing on it... I'm so excited about the potentials that I've become scatterbrained. Oh well. I'll get there!

Hope you all are doing well. More photos soon, I promise! Including photos from last night's "Meet the Scholars" evening, where four of the five Ambassadorial Scholars from studying in this district came together to share a bit of our cultures. I shared lots of food- deviled eggs, apple pie(s), pumpkin pie, and chocolate chip cookies. I also gave a talk entitled "Service Above Self in American Government," where I talked about a lot of experiences I've had- including peace gaming, lobbying in DC, and school levy campaigning that I've done. I got lots of questions afterwards, and that almost always means people were listening to the speech- and were curious for more. So I'll take it as a compliment! :-)

UPDATE: Here's some photos of the last few weeks...

The Christmas Light Switch-on in Coventry
reminded me of just how much history this city has... 1345? Wow. The food in the styrofoam? My Thanksgiving dinner- a crepe with nutella! Yum! That was at the Warwick Victorian Evening. Also at the Victorian evening was the Leamington Spa Regency Rotary Club stall- where they sold hot dogs! 200 hot dogs, to be precise. Lots of money for charity!

The "Castle" photo is a street sign in Warwick- and part of the castle in the background!

A ferris wheel at the Victorian evening!













And last, but certainly not least, a photo from last night's "Meet the Scholars" Rotary event.

Another Peace education lesson

Today was presentation day in one of my classes. The topic? Four different groups presenting on non-violent movements in different parts of the world. The groups were:

1. Women in Africa- non-violent movements
2.USA Civil Rights Movement
3. Non-violent movements in the Arab World
4. Non-violent movements in Latin America

I was in the Latin America group. There were five of us in the group, and we each focused on a different country. When we first got the assignment I instantly remembered a movie I saw in college called the Agronomist- a documentary about Jean Dominique, who ran a radio station in Haiti. Dominique was an amazing person who dedicated his life to fighting (non-violently) for basic human rights for the people of Haiti who have suffered so tremendously under violent military dictatorships. Dominique was assassinated in 2000 while on his way to deliver a morning broadcast. His station broadcast in Creole, the language of the peasantry, not in French- which was the language of the ruling elite. That in itself was revolutionary. It was really great to watch the movie again, then do much more extensive research into Haitian history. It's really important for Americans to understand the involvement of the US in so many countries in central and south America- and Haiti is no exception. Dominique was often critical of US involvement in Haiti, and from what I've read, I agree with many of his points. When trying to "help," we often made things much worse. And that's saying something, given Haitian history.

There were many really interesting presentations today- and I'm especially interested in looking into the story of the Palestinian village of Battir, which was protected during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war by Hasan Mustafa. We heard a brief talk about it today, and there was a MA dissertation about it from a Coventry U student two years ago (which can be found here if interested). Really interesting stuff.

After class today (which ended early- at 4:45), I talked to a classmate for awhile about a lot of different topics- how classes are going, the civil rights movement, travel.... It was so nice to just sit down and chat with someone with no regard for time or topic. We sat in the really comfortable couches in the graduate centre (I really, really, really miss having a living room!), and talked until 7. It reminded me so much of my undergraduate years, and I realized how much I had missed this collegiate atmosphere.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how badly I want to go on a roadtrip. When I was at Pacific University during my undergrad, I took frequent trips to the ocean- to Cannon Beach. A beautiful part of the Oregon coast, and perhaps my favorite vacation spot. For those of you who aren't familiar with Cannon Beach, here's a classic shot of the beach, taken on one of my many trips a few years ago.

I miss being able to take those drives, to escape what's going on here, even if it's just for a few hours. After classes end in March, when I'm supposed to be deep in research and writing of my dissertation, I am seriously thinking about buying a used car, and traveling all over England. Short day trips, weekend trips, maybe as long as a week at a time exploring this amazing country. The worst thing I could do with this year is not explore. I'm going to be here for 14 months- I should see as much as possible! I've had several people tell me they'd be interested in joining me on a trip or two. Those are trips I'd remember for the rest of my life. Plus, I've got friends and family coming to visit over the summer... and it would be really convenient if I had a car so we wouldn't have to hire one... this is sounding pretty logical. Hmm...

We've got an All Student Meeting tomorrow for the Student Union which should be fun (free milk and cookies- gotta love being a student, right? haha). After that I've got class, then off to volunteer at a Rotary event. That's how I'm celebrating Thanksgiving. Then I'm off early Friday morning to my godparent's house just outside London for Thanksgiving, round two. I'm back in Coventry late Saturday night, then off to help cook dinner and provide entertainment (a speech) for 30+ Rotarians. Busy few days ahead of me!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thanksgiving update...

Well, dinner was a success!!! I'll post photos once I get them from friends- I had my camera, but never remembered to actually use it! Oops.

The corn casserole didn't turn out as I had hoped, but what can you expect when I couldn't find the two main ingredients, so I had to improvise. The pumpkin pie was my favorite- it was my first attempt at making one, and it was so yummy and smooth!

I had some leftovers yesterday, but only a little because... guess what? I'm sick. Yep, my immune system decided to crash on me. Thankfully it didn't really hit until the day after the dinner (though I did sneeze my way through dinner, I didn't think it was anything at the time)... Yesterday I slept most of the day, and with deadlines for essays coming ever closer that wasn't the way I'd hoped to spend the day. I feel like I should be sleeping now, but I have a Rotary presentation to give this afternoon. I'll sleep afterwards. :-)

Anyone out there have a cure for the common cold, other than waiting for it to pass? I'd pay big bucks for it. :-)

Waiting...

I'm waiting for the ingredients for my early Thanksgiving party to arrive (as I've written before, it's so much easier to have groceries delivered here rather than taking the bus and having to manage carrying it all back home). And while I've been waiting, and occasionally looking out the window to see if the truck has arrived, I've seen many a graduand walking down the road with family and friends (apparently here in the UK, people are called 'Graduand' if they've completed their study but not actually walked in the ceremony- they're 'Graduate' after the ceremony). For this is graduation week here in Coventry. There have been ceremonies all week long in the Cathedral. I've walked by it several times this week to see queues going as far as the eye can see- people waiting to watch their loved ones graduate. Note to self: tell my family to get in the queue early.

The ceremonies all week until today have been undergraduates. Today is the graduation ceremony for all post grads. This means that, pending some unlikely scenario, in exactly one year, I will be able to say I've earned my MA. That's a pretty good feeling, I must admit! This will be a very strange graduation for me. For my high school and college graduation, I was surrounded by most of my extended family. Aunts, uncles, cousins... and next year, I only get two tickets for family. The ceremony is held in the stunning Cathedral... which is a nice setting, but doesn't have much room for guests. I guess it doesn't really matter, as it's not like my graduation is just down the road from home... but still, it will be strange not to have a big party with lots of family and friends right after the ceremony. Oh well, we'll save that for when I'm back home. :-)

I'll go back to researching while waiting for groceries now.

Oh- I should mention, in this week's Gateway I wrote an article about what I've been up to my first two months abroad. It's available online for you to read- I hope you enjoy! http://www.gateline.com/opinion/story/2871.html

UPDATE: Thanksgiving food has arrived!!! This is why it was delivered- soooo much food! Yes, that's one of IKEA's huge bags, totally overflowing with food. ;-) And this doesn't include any of the potatoes!!! :-) I can't wait for Sunday!

One month left of first term!

Today marks the beginning of the end of the term! It's hard to imagine that in one month, I'll have finished 1/3 of my masters degree (hopefully successfully!). And, to celebrate, I'll hop on a train and go to see my family, who will be waiting for me just outside of London. :-) It will be hard to not see my extended family at Christmas- this will be the first time ever for me. But we're prepared for that- and I'll have my computer so I can skype Grandma and we'll at least be able to see her via internet, and we're getting cheap international SIM cards for my parents' phones- so we'll be able to call everyone else. :-)

Before then, I still have three essays to complete. I've been thinking a lot about them recently, doing lots of research, and planning how I want to dissect the topics. I'm most excited about the essay where I'll develop a proposal for a peace education programme. It's such an open-ended idea that I'm not sure where it will take me- hence my excitement.

In addition to needing to finish those essays, I will be giving four speeches to different Rotary groups in that time, and traveling to London for a late Thanksgiving dinner with my (American) godparents who live here in England, and, I can't believe I'm doing this... I'm hosting an early Thanksgiving dinner here in my flat on Sunday. Yes, I must be crazy. I don't think I've ever attempted a full Thanksgiving meal by myself before. I've cooked a turkey before- that's not hard- but coordinating everything in a kitchen shared by 6 people (who I'm not inviting- that may be awkward)... hmm. Plus, as I learned shopping for the groceries online today, many of the ingredients I need aren't sold here in the form I'm used to- including shortening, and cream-style corn (it's way too hard to carry a Thanksgiving's worth of groceries on the bus by myself- so I am having them delivered- which is just a pound or so more than the bus ticket- totally worth it!).

My Thanksgiving menu:

• Corn Casserole
• Cranberry Scones
• Mashed Potatoes
• Turkey
• Gravy
• Stuffing
• Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Pie (if I can find a pumpkin around here- they don't have canned pumpkin, at least from what I've seen!)
• Vanilla ice cream
  

Mmmm.

It will be the smallest Thanksgiving I've ever attended- only 6 of us. How did I arrive at that number? Well, for one thing, that's all my kitchen table will seat. Also, in my kitchen, we have six people sharing three baby-sized refridgerators. That means I have two shelves in which to keep all the cool ingredients cool. I figure, if I take out one shelf, I will just be able to fit the turkey in (to thaw), and pile the butter, milk, and cream cheese (for the mashed potatoes- yum!) around it. Should be interesting. :-) I'll post pictures afterwards!

Back to work!!! I will achieve my daily goal of adding another 500 words to an essay today... I will, I will, I will!

RIP, letter 'Z'

I turned in my first written assignment yesterday, and before doing so, I figured out how to make my computer do spellcheck with British English... wow. I'm surprised my computer didn't start smoking with the amount of corrections I had to make. I've decided that people here hate the letter 'z'. What did it ever do to them? I happen to like it, and won't be playing Scrabble here 'cause I'd never have a chance without its 10-point value. :-)

Adios, Z. See you when I get back home.

Week Update

On Saturday I gave my first Rotary speech here in the UK! And I think it went really well! First, no technical problems, which was a big relief (as much as I love my still-newish MacBook, it isn't always so cooperative with PC-orientated external equipment like projectors!). I had re-worked some of the content of the speech, and I think it went over well. It's hard to give a speech about the US to people who have often visited the country and already have their own idea of what it's like. I want to provide an inside, non-stereotypical look at my country, so I focused on my hometown and my family. I shared photos of Gig Harbor- lots of photos. Mainly ones showing all the water. Oh, how I miss the water. :-)

The question that I expected to get I did get... and I still don't really have an answer to it! The question was: What, good or bad, has surprised you in your time here? Well, what I said was that I was surprised that so much surprises me. It's true! I was expecting everything to feel familiar. Never did I anticipate that the small differences would surprise me. I still haven't adjusted to looking to the right instead of the left when crossing the street. I get frustrated every time I walk into a supermarket needing to buy one or two specific things and I still don't know exactly where to look, and I have no idea what the packaging will look like. And I still can't find an equivalent to American tomato sauce. It's not spaghetti sauce! Nor is it paste! :-) I like the price of peppers, as I've told several of my British friends. They're often 3 for 1 pound... which, even with the exchange rate, is wayyyy cheaper than home. I prefer the taste of chicken in the US to here. I know, it sounds totally weird, but it's different here. Same with ground (mince) beef. There's so many different choices here, and none of the ones I've tried are the same as home. Not bad, but different. These are a few of the minor differences I've noticed. There are many more serious differences I've noticed when interacting with people from around the world- keep in mind, most of my time is spent with international students- the people from my course, and the people who live in my building. And my cultural sensitivity has been tested many a time. There are things people will say or ways people will act that still surprise me, and not in a positive way. And I work through them.

Someone asked me recently if I missed home. Of course I do, but what can you do in this situation but make the best of it? The only thing I can think of is to spend time with my new friends, throw myself into my studies and travel! I miss home, and I know I will even more on Thanksgiving when I'm not in the kitchen making corn casserole, delicious mashed potatoes (cream cheese is the key, folks!!!), and standing in the driveway with a cell phone just waiting to call 911 should dad slip and fall into the turkey fryer. :-)

25 days until my Mom arrives to visit, and 31 days until my Dad and sister arrive!!! Christmas together in London. :-) I better get back to work on essays so I can actually spend some quality time with them!

Why I'm so lucky!

This week is reading week, so no classes. And no, for those cynics out there, that's not why I think I'm a lucky person. Ha. I may have thought that during my undergraduate years once or twice, but not here, not now.

One of my classmates had several of us over to his town for a walk through the countryside then dinner with he and his wife (and a dog named Barack, no joke! No relation to the 44th President-Elect, but still, I loved it). It was such an amazing afternoon! As the eight of us were getting ready to catch the bus home, one of them said: "I learned more spending this afternoon with you all than I would have reading 100 books." It really did capture what my life has been like the past two months. I'm learning so much about different cultures- let alone everything I'm learning about peace studies. I feel really lucky to be spending a year with these great people. We always have a great time, and we're all very respectful of each other's cultures. Can I stay here studying peace for more than a year, please???? I don't want this year to end.

Remember, lots more photos are in my photo page, there's a link to the left, under "Hannah's Favorite Links" Enjoy!

Bonfire Night, Round Two!

I just got back from Round Two of Bonfire night, and have dried enough to be touching the computer without serious risk of electrocution. It was a tad rainy. OK, really rainy. But not until the fireworks started, of course.

I went with my host counselor and a Rotary youth exchange student to see the fireworks celebrating Bonfire Night at Kenilworth Castle. One of the best backdrops for fireworks that I've ever experienced! We were standing in a field, which got really, really really muddy as the show went on... Time to break down and buy some wellies (ie boots). :-)

Enjoy the photos!

The Castle:















See, I said it rained!














Especially proud of this one- not too shabby for no tripod, and rain!

Bonfire Night

Yesterday was Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night, here in the UK. What is that, you ask? Well...

Guy Fawkes was a Catholic conspirator in the Gunpowder plot of the 5th of November, 1605. What is the Gunpowder plot, you ask? Well...

The Gunpowder plot was a group of Catholics who tried (and failed) to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London to assassinate King James I... who wasn't keen on allowing the practice of Catholicism (all UK residents reading this blog- my apologies if I butchered the history- I think this is right... but please, correct me if I'm wrong! This wasn't in any history class I've taken...)

Today, Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated with a large bonfire and a firework show. Which I was more than happy to attend. Hope you enjoy the photos! And keep in mind, I had no tripod. So... I got creative with my photo-taking technique. :-)
The first one is my attempt to make an octopus out of a firework. :-)

The Day After

Every election day I'm awed by what our country does. While I wish more people would turn out to the polls consistently, last night more than 100 million Americans made their selections. It was a tight race. One that at any given time in the past two years provoked in people across the country feelings of hurt, anger, patriotism, happiness, pride, and hope, among so many other emotions.

Many of us volunteered for our candidates, whether with our time or our pocketbooks. We participated in what is best about our republic: our firm belief in participation in a democratic process.

Last night, I wanted to watch the results come in with people from across the world. After all, the main reason why I wanted to pursue my Masters degree abroad was to experience different people and cultures.

I started the evening at the annual Coventry Peace Lecture, which was given this year by a professor of American Studies from Swansea University. The talk was about how contemporary memories of war and defeat have been molded in American political rhetoric, culture and society. The speaker talked about the Civil War, and the Vietnam War, and the memories created from both conflicts. It was an interesting lecture and interesting perspective for me to hear, but what I found more interesting was the question/answer session afterwards. Many people used it as a chance to criticize the US on several fronts. It's important, I believe, for us Americans to know how we are sometimes thought of abroad. It's not always pretty, but it's not always ugly, either. Some of the resentment is, in my opinion, misdirected- but not all of it by any stretch.

I hear most often from people I've talked with here the stereotype that Americans don't care about anything but domestic issues. But I strongly disagree. Look at any poll in the last year or more, and it's obvious that Americans are, in general, concerned with our standing in the world. I honestly think that we want to be liked. We want to do "the right thing." It's the American way, after all. We're often idealists, wanting to create a better world for ourselves and those in need- and I believe in part that this idealism comes thanks to the extraordinary history we've lucky enough to come from. The amazing challenges we've overcome.

Look what we've done as a country in the past 200+ years. We became one, separated over the issue of slavery, and came together once again. We've fought and settled world wars, fought and at least symbolically achieved equality for women and minorities. And today, no matter what your politics, we can all respect that history has been made in the fight for equality. I'm not asking that the many millions of McCain supporters celebrate Obama's victory- I understand and respect political differences and the strong emotions that were created throughout the long campaign season. Now is the time to come together as a country capable of such amazing things, to bring our economy back into shape. To find a way to keep our citizens healthy. To work on our aging infrastructure, and mold a path into a future of energy independence (which is intrinsically tied to our economic problems). To work together, democrats and republicans, to show the world how great our country can be.

Last night, after the lecture, I sat in our university bar watching returns. By 4am our time (8pm west coast), there were about 10 or 15 diehard politicos left from several different countries watching with me. As Senator McCain came on the air with his amazing speech, I watched the reactions of my fellow students. Many teared up, and the applause at the end was very powerful. There was such respect shown by everyone in the heavily Obama crowd here in Coventry. I am grateful for Senator McCain's service to our country. And impressed with his presentation last night. And a few minutes later, as President-Elect Obama came to the stage in Chicago, the crowd here in Coventry listened with the same respect, teared up with me again, and joined me in watching history unfold. I was so proud watching both men speak last night. I felt so lucky to come from the United States, and especially lucky to be able to participate in the 2008 election. I don't think I'll ever forget where I was on November 4th, 2008. This appreciation for the capabilities of the American people and our country is something I can understand much more because of my experiences abroad thus far. And it's something I won't soon forget.

Stay tuned for more blog postings, and I promise I won't get political on you again for awhile. :-)

Happy Election Day, everyone! I'm trying to keep myself busy awaiting results, but having no success. If I hit 'refresh' on CNN's homepage one more time I may go nuts.

That's where I'll be (look left!) tonight to watch results. I'll post photos of the party later.

The world is watching. They're interested, they'll be affected by the choice we make as a nation tonight. I was very careful about protecting my right to vote and set up email voting before I left (wow, that was a wonderful way to vote!). Thank goodness for voting programs for those of us overseas on election day. Now it's time for you all back home to step up. Go out to the polls. Cast your ballot. And a message to voters who are with me in the 18-30 year old bracket... don't, I repeat DON'T mess this up for me, our country, and the world today. Every election we collectively say that we'll play a huge role in determining the winner, and every year we disappoint. Get out and VOTE! No excuses. Show the world what we're capable of.

My favorite photos thus far...

You can scroll over the photos with the mouse and they'll get bigger. ;-)

Some thoughts

It's one week until the Presidential Election. That means that the number of queries (British speak for questions- see, I'm learning!) I've gotten from people about the election has dramatically increased. And I'm loving it. A civil society- the basis of a functioning society- thrives on such debate.

One of the projects I'm working on right now is research for an essay on peace education. In this essay, I'm to develop a peace education program/curricula for use in a school or community based setting, explaining what values, knowledge, and skills I'd be promoting. I was just reading an article for another class- entitled Is Gandhi Still Relevant, and I think I found a perfect starting point for the essay research. Gandhi was one who believed that humans are interdependent upon each other- people become "rational, reflective and moral human being[s] only within a rich civilisation created by scores of sages, saints, savants and scientists." Moreso, Gandhi believed we are 'born debtors' and the debts we are born with are too vast to repay. The author of the article I just read, Bhikhu Parekh, summarized Gandhi's belief nicely- essentially, people should "find profound joy in contributing to the maintenence and enrichment of both the human world and the cosmos." We can't just sit around and expect others to do all the work that must be done. The idea that we should find joy in enriching our own world is something amazingly profound, and yet incredibly simple. Something I wholeheartedly believe in. That's why I'm studying peace. That's why I want to find myself a career in which I can work with likeminded people who are changing the world every day.

I know I've mentioned this in the past, but I'll try to put a new spin on it. The study of peace is really study of the world. It's economics, it's history. It's development, and sociology. Psychology, and mathematics. It's everything. It's simple, it's complex. And Gandhi's belief that human beings are interconnected is central to the study. Any decision that one person, one group, one country makes affects another person, another group, another country. Do we all acknowledge this interconnectedness in today's society? How do we deal with it?

That's what I'm spending the day thinking about. I'm the luckiest person in the world.

Rotary District 1060 Conference Report!

I spent the last three days in Llandudno, Wales, attending the 2008 Rotary District 1060 Conference. Myself and the four other Ambassadorial Scholars in the district were invited to speak at the conference. We drove from Coventry, and it took about three hours through the beautiful English (and Welsh!) countryside. Llandudno is a resort seaside town, with amazing architecture, and amazing scenery. I walked on the beach (hooray for being around the beach again!), walked through the main street of downtown, and took a tram ride up the longest cable-hauled tramway in the UK, to the 697 foot summit of Great Orme. The wind tried hard to blow me off the summit and into the sea, but I fought back, stumbling my way through the wind and into the safety of a nearby building. There's some great photos of me with my hair standing straight up, and me trying to simply stay vertical... I'll post those as soon as I can get them. You'll enjoy it. The photo on the left is from the top, looking out to the sea. It was rainy and pretty hazy- but spectacular nonetheless. The photo below is on the trip back down, looking at the city.












As beautiful as the scenery and town were, the highlight of the trip was the content of the conference. We heard amazing speakers, learned about some great projects that Rotary clubs in the district are doing, and met many new friends. And, most importantly, we achieved our goal: getting more speaking engagements arranged! With five ambassadorial scholars, each needing to give at least 10 speeches, that's a lot to book!

I hope you enjoy the photos I've posted. I'll get more posted soon.

Back to studying. :-)

A Taste of British Politics

Yesterday evening I attended a political debate on campus as part of our "One World Week" (a celebration of diversity). The panel included a Labour counsellor, a student moderator, and a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament, Lembit Opik. The audience asked the questions, which ranged from nuclear deterrent/trident to prison reform, to engaging youth in politics and civil society, and their opinions on the US election- which evolved into a discussion of whether or not England should have a written constitution similar to that of the United States (in structure, not necessarily content). I've gotten used to my "token American" role here, and it was fascinating to hear the discussion (not really a debate, there weren't many disagreements!). Mr. Opik talked about how Americans can (and frequently do) cite their rights as enumerated in the constitution. As he said that, I smiled and in my head started reciting the bill of rights. He was right! We do have that document in the back of our minds. I spent the evening thinking about what it would be like to live in a country with no written constitution. As a Politics/Government major in college, I saw how the 'founding documents' are what we as a people rely upon to understand our country- how we came to exist, what our 'founding fathers' were fighting to create. Any study of US government will include a survey of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence... the Federalist Papers... It's the cornerstone of our country. I think may of us find the root of our pride and patriotism growing from these documents, or at least in the sentiments that they illuminate. I'm proud of them. And, while I respect the arguments that I heard last night- some in favor of, and some against the formation of a written constitution, I can't help but think that the process of creating a written constitution would be quite empowering for any country. And as the world seems to be headed into a time of 'economic downturn' (I can't bring myself use the 'R' word- though we're probably there or getting close), what's wrong with a little national empowerment?

I really enjoyed the debate last night. And I'm even more excited now for some "national empowerment" back home come election night. It's finalized- there will be an election watch party in our student bar on campus. They will have CNN International on all the TVs, and we'll have a computer with a projector to check websites. I'm bringing my computer with me, so I can check on the 26th legislative district races, and on all the races that I'm really interested in- Governor, Initiative 1000... the list goes on! Party alllll night long, and class at 9am. ;-)

A Map

It's late (almost 1am)... I've been out at a party with many of my fellow MA students, hosted by one of the PhD students from my university- a chance for us to get to know each other better.

Everyone brought food to represent their country. I brought a raspberry dessert that my mom makes sometimes (I could eat this every day and not tire of it- though, after about a week, I'm sure my clothes would begin to shrink...). It wasn't as good as she makes it, but it was pretty darn good. :-) I almost didn't have enough raspberries for it, as I started to nibble on them... mmmm. I love raspberries. :-)

I tried food from Ethiopia, Syria, England, and Britain (and I wanted to try the food from Palestine and Nepal, but I was too full!). I've got to brag a bit- I actually ate spicy food! Green curry from Thailand, to be specific. And no, I didn't cry, gasp, or have a need to chug enormous amounts of liquids afterwards (gimme a break, anyone eating something that spicy is gonna need some cool liquid to wash it down with!)

:-)

I thought it would be interesting to show you all a map of the countries represented in my programme. It's late, so I hope I didn't forget any countries... I think this is it though:

Cambridge #2

Whoops! Forgot two things in my last posting. First: As you'll see in one of the photos in my "Cambridge" entry below, yes, autumn (language lesson: the season is not "fall") is in full swing. The reds and yellows on the trees are beautiful!

And two: I hate my parents. For those who aren't on facebook and therefore haven't heard, they met several members of the Coral Reefers, the band for my absolute most favorite singer of all time, Jimmy Buffett. They met them in an elevator in California before a Buffett concert that my parents flew down there to attend. And can you believe it, no photo? Geesh. I apparently still have much to teach them. (never heard of Jimmy Buffett before? Shame. Shame on you. Check this out-it'll change your life for the better: www.margaritaville.com). :-)

Cambridge

I started my day early today- visiting the Coventry Breakfast Rotary Club. It was so nice to attend a Rotary meeting on a Friday morning again! (that's when my sponsor club meets). Thanks to everyone at the club for offering such a warm welcome. I really enjoyed the speakers- who came to talk about Coventry's ties to the Gunpowder Plot! If you, like me before this morning, did not remember way back to world history class and the details of the Gunpowder Plot, check here- it's an interesting story: gunpowder plot

I look forward to spending more time with the Breakfast club (and other clubs nearby) in the future, and speaking with you about my home, and the programme I'm in here in Coventry! Unfortunately, I had to leave today's meeting early... but fortunately, the reason was that I was off to Cambridge to play tourist once again!

There are no words to describe how beautiful the city is. I enjoyed it much more than Oxford. That may be in part because I went punting in Cambridge! I actually got to participate in a water sport! No, I didn't try actually making the boat go- we hired a guide. And it was much better that way, for two reasons: 1) I didn't fall into the water, and 2) We learned more about the colleges that we were passing with an experienced guide. Well worth the money!

But, to start from the beginning... The first thing we did after the hour and a half bus ride was head to the Fitzwilliam Museum. The photo you'll see to the left is the lobby, which is the only room we could take photos. I wish I could have stayed here all day. I wouldn't be surprised if this was considered the best art museum in England outside of London. There were three large floors with galleries ranging from British, French, Spanish, Italian art of the 14th-20th centuries, and Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Japanese, Korean... It would probably take more than a day to see it all. But I was there for three paintings. Can you guess the artist??? A hint: their titles were: Le Printemps (Springtime); Rocks at Port-Coton; and The Rock Needle and Port d' Aval. Give up? They were all painted by Monet, my favorite artist. I was especially looking forward to seeing the vibrant colors of Le Printemps. Monet's work as always come alive in my imagination, moreso than any other painter. Especially his work with water lilies, and the footbridge. But Le Printemps was just as powerful to me as seeing the his famous Le Bassin aux nympheas, or the Footbridge, as this humble, non French-speaking American refers to it. That footbridge is an image I'll always consider the most beautiful painting in the world. I cannot wait to get to Giverny and see it myself. But, getting back to my original point- Le Printemps was very vibrant and alive in its own right. Two women, sitting on grass, with amazing trees surrounding them. Wonderful! By the way, the photo to the left isn't of the museum. I am fairly certain it's Trinity College. We were walking down a very narrow row on our way to punting, and a small door led us to this. I loved how the arch framed the photo.

If you would have asked me several years ago if I'd be pursuing a MA degree in the future, I'd have probably laughed and said that I'd never be able to do that. I'm not 'book smart.' I have to work twice as hard (willingly!) to remember things like many people can. And I bet many of the people reading this had no idea. I hide it well. I have such a strong desire to learn, and wish academic study would come easier for me. But I feel like, in the last few days or so, I've hit my groove. I feel very comfortable in my programme (and some of my British spelling!), and I assume that means I've found the right school and the right subject. I really look forward to my classes, and to what I'll learn next. So, today, when I stepped into the Wren Library (Trinity College), all I could think about was how wonderful it would be if I could continue my education past this MA degree. There aren't many places that I've seen where I've been so awe-struck that I have literally stopped walking, talking, even thinking to absorb my new surroundings. It has happened at Fenway Park (doesn't everyone get that their first time there?), and I get that feeling for a few brief seconds every time I sit in my seats at Cheney Stadium. Oh, and I got it when I first visited Monticello, and every time I see a Monet painting in person. But that's it! Today, as I walked into that library, time seemed to stop. The smell of the old books was overwhelming. More so than just a 'plain ole' old book store. This was more collegiate. There were busts everywhere of people like Socrates. I saw original writings of Sir Issac Newton (also walked by where he clapped his hands to measure the speed of sound!), Milton, Byron, Tennison- and the original manuscript of Winnie the Pooh! Oh- and also the first English translation of the bible in movable type. It was absolutely amazing. If only I could study there. You have to see what this place looks like. It's only open to visitors two hours each day. If you can't make it here in person, check out the photo here (I wasn't allowed to take a photo of my own): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wren_Library,_Cambridge

The other place I visited, per the recommendation of Mr. Rick Steves, travel-writer extraordinaire (I'm really, really, really happy to have bought his guide books- his advice has been spot-on thus far!), was Kings College Chapel. We can categorize this chapel as yet another incredible piece of architecture that I wish we had in the US. I'm always prepared to be amazed by churches here, and this one, built from 1446-1515 certainly did not disappoint. Yet another awe-struck moment when I entered- just taking in the immense size and the detailed work on the ceilings. Then, I turned my head and saw all the amazing stained glass. It was so ornate- like looking at photographs. Everything felt surreal, and it probably took me a few minutes to realize that someone was playing the organ- which made the church come alive. The organ is in the middle of the church, and is very beautiful itself. As you pass under the organ, you walk through the Choir, with its stunning oak work. As you look towards the east and what I would call the 'front' of the church, you see the phenomenal "Adoration of the Magi," painted by in 1634 by Rubens. It is a huge piece of art- must be at least eight feet across and ten feet high. If not bigger. It fills a commanding space behind the alter. The colors are still very rich.

That was my day in Cambridge. A good day. :-)