Days 80-71

80 days: Laffy Taffy obsession

At Christmas my mom sent me a package with a bag of Laffy Taffy to share with the youth and people at work.  Most people have been able to identify correctly as American candy for two reasons: 1) I brought it.  2) Apparently, it's so brightly colored that it can only be American.  Despite some apprehension, the Laffy Taffy went over well.  In fact, when the associate vicar heard that my mom was coming over, his first question was if she would be bringing over anymore.  Luckily, my mom sent over a huge bag, and the amounts I shared barely made a dent so we have plenty more to share.

79 days: Cup of tea

Tea is a fairly large aspect of the culture here. A statement I'm sure most of you aren't surprised to hear.  It's a standard part of hospitality.  It's when you come over to visit, after dinner, at any sort of event, etc.  One of the most intimidating tasks asked of me this year was to make a cup of tea for someone here because everyone has a preference on how to make the perfect cup of tea. I've learned to make a cup of tea it depends on the type of water, the temperature, when to add the water, the kind of tea, the location of the tea, etc.  I have also learned while sugar will be offered it's a bit odd to add it to your tea.  It's also weird to drink your tea black, as I did in the beginning.

78 days: Stack of chairs

A lot of what I do here involves setting and resetting rooms for meetings and events.  When I'm lucky, someone from the event may have reset the room for me. Occasionally the chairs then get stacked incorrectly, which may pose a safety risk.  So when I walk into the room to this sight, let out a little giggle and a frustrated huff, and say a little prayer of thanks for the thoughtfulness of others, while I unstack and restack the chairs into a safer situation.

77 days: Modernity vs History

One of the most surprising things about England. is the juxtaposition of history and modernity.  It's still a bit difficult to comprehend that the Tower of London (which really isn't a tower) is right next to the Gherkin and the Shard, and across the River Thames from the Shard.  As amazing as the preservation of these historic buildings is, it also means that the accessibility for those with walking difficulties can be minimal.  So I'm thankful the preservation of historic buildings, and I'm thankful for the accessibility of the modern buildings.

76 days: Borough Market

When you go to a bigger city, you'll almost always be able to find some sort of street market. If you go during the weekend, your chances are even better.  Now the best part of these markets is the diversity in the stalls.  These stalls will range from car boot sales to original artwork.  My favorite things about these markets is the food.  At markets, I've been able to taste the diversity of ethnic backgrounds in England, from Central America/Caribbean to Ethiopia to India and more.  One of the best stalls, despite my food preferences, is the seafood stalls because it's the most bizarre and visually interesting stalls.  As you can see there's octopus, squid, monk fish, and razor clams (found in England).

75 days: Long Room in the Old Library at Trinity College

One of the greatest physical gifts this year, has been the chance to visit and see buildings and artwork that I have studied for the past four years at university.  When I applied to YAGM, I never expected my art history major degree would come in handy (I was prepared to use my Spanish), but, then again, I wasn't expecting to be placed in the UK when I first applied.  My true art passion comes in the huge forms of church buildings (specifically medieval cathedrals, such as Westminster Abbey) and the itty bitty forms of illuminated manuscripts. Today I was able to see the Book of Kells, one of the premiere examples of illuminated manuscripts, and learn about the history of the monks, Christians, and vikings in the British Isles.

74 days: Cliffs of Howth

So over the course of this year, there have been a group of women from my home church who have sent me a homemade card every month.  (Somehow they seem to arrive just when I need a little encouragement.)  These cards are usually themed around a holiday of that month or the general season, and every once in a while there's a little message included.  In March I received a vibrant green card, and inside there was a little message from the card ladies saying they thought I should visit Ireland.  Today I can tell the Our Savior's Card Ladies that Ireland was just as green as the card you sent and thank you for your suggestion (and all the lovely cards).

73 days: The two goofballs

Today my brother and sister(-in-law) flew back to the States after visiting me for the past week. I'm incredibly thankful that they were able to come visit and see my life here.  It was a week of new foods, for them and me, and there were plenty of good times had.  It was weird saying goodbye to them at the airport, but the strangest part was we were all going home, them to Wisconsin and me to Gerrards Cross.

72 days: My work

Everyday I take a seven-minute walk to the Saint James Centre, where I work.  I help do prep work for Bible studies, Sunday services, church events, and more.  I typically have lunch with co-workers in other ministries, have conversations with older church members volunteering at the front desk, and my co-worker, Kat, and I have small games with wheelie chairs and finger rockets.

71 days: My co-worker, Kat, testing activities for the youth club

One of the best things about my placement is the days that we can get out of office and test run activities for the youth events to see if they will work.  We once we get the hang of the activities, we invite the other people in the building to join us.  Most times they say no, but sometimes, our invitations are so odd sounding, such as "Do you want to whack some water balloons?", that they decide to join in.  This activity didn't work the way we wanted it to, but we had a lot of fun figuring that out.