Settling In
My last day in Calgary I was in the Apple store quickly picking up a laptop adapter. As I walked out the song "London Calling" started serendipidously playing over the system. My mind could already see the movie cut scenes: stock film of a plane flying and then landmark shots in quick succession: The Eye, Big Ben and Parliament, Tower Bridge, Queens Guards, Westminster Abbey, the works. However, as my life is not a movie, I still had to endure security and an 8 hour flight.
This time was made much more enjoyable by the lovely English lady I sat beside who had just finished touring around Canada. We chatted for a good while before we both watched a movie and tried to sleep and before we parted she invited me to visit her near Oxford, a very welcoming start to my time here. I met the shuttle bus to Kent, and after counting all the sheep that are just grazing on the side of the highways I dozed off again. From there it's been a blur of new people, accommodations and welcome meetings and dinners. I share my house with 4 other girls from Italy, Switzerland, Germany and the US as well as meeting people at the international dinner from France, Egypt, Israel, China, Japan and Vietnam. I've been asked if I'm American so many times that I've started just wearing a maple leaf pin to head that question off, with some success.
England is quite soggy, it's similar Vancouver, just with more history and accents and the first day after seeing sun in the morning I left my umbrella in my room. I will not make the same mistake twice. English weather has proved a very true stereotype but the sun can come out just as quickly, still, even when the sun comes out the more forested path from my res to the campus still squelches under my boots. Waterproof mascara was a good idea. Language has been another cultural oddity in moving here, there's the lingo we're all aware of crisps = fries, rubbish= garbage but other things I've had to get used to: 'washing up liquid' is dish soap, 'societies' are the campus clubs, 'star jumps' are jumping jacks and biscuits, which to me refer to like dog biscuits are just cookies. Not hard to figure out but I find myself trying to switch to their terms. I haven't noticed too many other cultural differences but I'm sure they'll arise.
I've made the journey down the hill into Canterbury a few times now and I can't wait to get to know it better. It's a labyrinth of different times just stacked together, hundreds of years all nestled together in slightly tilting windows and solid brick. The Origins of the Cathedral that stand in the centre of town date back to 597 AD with St. Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, and since then it has been built up, extended, destroyed, built again, repaired, bombed, repaired again and continues to go under restorations. Old churches have an air of reverence to them, a grandeur that humbles those who enter. The ages of prayers whispered there give a respectful weight to the silence. Every church should go back to gothic style.
I've joined the Kent Christian Union and there are so many other societies that I need to narrow down which ones to join, including a Medieval Reenactment group!!! Real school starts next week but I also want to travel around every chance I get. A very busy year ahead!
