The World in Britain

I’m home. I can’t believe it.

I’m already going through withdrawal. I love being home with my family. Sleeping in my own bed is fantastic, but there is this strange sense of emptiness following me around. I keep thinking of things to tell my housemates, getting excited to go find them, and then remembering that they’re not here. It’s bittersweet, but so is any homecoming I think.

On a slightly less nostalgic note, here is some advice: always check that it’s not your bag when a conductor/driver describes a bag left on the platform/sidewalk because apparently bags that are placed with other luggage that is obviously meant to be loaded onto the vehicle get left behind for no good reason. I have traveled between the US and UK 6 times and this was the first time anything has happened with my luggage. Why universe? Why now? And why did it have to be at the bus? At least airlines will admit fault!

Anyway, bitter rant over. This year was amazing. It truly was an experience that changed me and that helped me grow.The best advice I think I can give to any future Readingite is to just live as much and as normally as you can. Don’t lock yourself in the house but also, don’t spend all of your time traveling. See the places you want to, but also give some time to Reading, to the Uni and its activities. Make friendships as well as memories. Eat whatever Gill makes you because it will always be delicious and tease Dr. Franke about being a fake English person because they both want to be there for you not only as authority figures but as someone you can trust and come to with your problems, too.

Well, that was more advice than I originally intended to pass on, but it’s all still important none-the-less. This is my final post unless of course they don’t remove my ability to post in which case I might surprise blog every once in a while. Good luck and have fun!

So once again, I have been horribly remiss in my duties. I think this is the longest dry-patch. Over two months, right? Well, let me get you caught up.

Since my last post, I returned to Reading for Spring term which funnily enough ends only a few days into the official season of Spring. It was frighteningly cold when I got back especially compared to the relatively balmy weather I had back home in NC. It has gotten better, thankfully. It’s holding at about 50 degrees everyday. Except today. If I had finished writing this post a week or so ago, it would have been more true, but it’s warmer and super sunny for over a week now. It has been truly lovely. I’m really hoping that spring is upon us and will be more of this sort of weather.

So, other than the weather, we have also had our midterm essays due in, several trips including our three-day weekend to Bristol and Bath, and lots of lying about. I feel as though I’ve gotten used to the free time, but rather than constantly thinking, “Oh, poo, I need to do work,” I’m saying, “Eh, no worries. I’ve got time.” Which is bad! Procrastination is bad, kids (this is the PSA portion of this post).

The first big trip that we took was to a really interesting museum which was a collection of buildings. Most museums have art works, artifacts, etc., but the Weald and Downland Museum was interesting because it preserves buildings from various eras in English history. Being able to walk in buildings from the 16, 17, and 18th centuries was made even more interesting because we had also watched an English t.v. series called The Victorian Farm on which three historians, two men and a woman, lived as Victorian Farmers for one year. The three of them were so amiable, funny, and dedicated to their project that we were engrossed by it.

Along with several World in Britain seminars on various Victorian topics, we also had our presentations on Bath and Bristol to introduce us to the places on our big trip. It was amazing! Being a Jane Austen fan, I nearly passed out with excitement every time we turned a corner in Bath. I went to the Jane Austen Center, heard a lovely introductory talk about the author, and bought a sort of Jane’s-guide-to-life book at the shop. The Roman Baths were exquisite and, like so many things in Britain, teeming with history. I always feel that the centuries or in this case, several millenia worth of people’s experiences palpably hang about a place. Bristol was fantastic. On Sunday, we had free time, so Jenn Fowler and I trekked up this massive hill to see a scaffolding-covered tower, but the view of the city and countryside beyond from the top was spectacular. We also stopped at Stone Henge which was slightly less eerie and mystical than desired but not because the structure or place itself isn’t impressive, but because there is a nice rope which you have to stay behind so there is no getting close and really experiencing the majesty of the 70 ft tall or what-have-you stones. Also on the way to Bristol was the Stourhead Gardens, a famous example of the 18/19th century trend to model or structure the landscape in a more natural way rather than the previously preferred French-maze-carved-shrubbery style. Last but so definitely not least, was our stop at Lacock Abbey which, as you might guess from it’s name, used to be a Catholic house of worship-type-place. After Henry VIII went Protestant, however, Lacock became a private residence and since the miracle of film and television has been the site for several famous movies and television series such as: HARRY POTTER!!! It was wicked cool. That’s really the only way to sum it up.

I’ve been trying to write this post for about two weeks now. I’m suffering from symptoms of End-of-the-Semester Fatigue, as many of you probably are. So, I think I will leave this entry with a bit of a cliff-hanger. What did we do after Bath? What exactly are we Readingites doing in those pictures on Facebook? You’ll just have to wait until next time which I promise will be a lot sooner.

I went home for Christmas break. I could hardly believe my good fortune to be able to afford it and that the weather finally stopped being rude and let me catch a flight home after the snow in England the weekend before Christmas. Christmas at home was Christmas at home. It was great, and the right decision for me, but in case you’re wondering, everyone else went gallivanting around Europe. Some went to Dublin for New Year’s Eve, others stayed in Reading. A few went to the Canary Islands for some sun and warmth—both of which we’d all forgotten since the sun started going down at 4:30.

In two days I will be on a flight back across the Atlantic. I will leave my family behind again and rejoin my sisters and brother in arms. My mother recently asked me if I actually liked living in England. She explained that I didn’t seem too passionate about it, but I quickly corrected her. I love being in England, but I’m also the sort of person who flips out about little things—like our trip to Silchester or the Globe—rather than merely living somewhere else. I live somewhere else for most of the year anyway, this year is simply different because my residence is now outside of the US. I added that I often forget, well, not forget, but have to be reminded of the fact that I’m actually in a foreign country because I don’t feel as though I’ve traveled enough to be so far from home. I suggested that perhaps if I took a steamer across the ocean, I would feel differently about it because the travel time to get there would rationally coincide with the distance. But that option is impractical compared to flying for 7-9 hours in those weird contraptions we call planes in which it basically feels as if you are not moving when in fact you’re going something like 600 miles per hour at 30,000 feet in the air. I could drive starting from my home in Wilmington, NC for 7-9 hours and only be at the other end of North Carolina or in Pennsylvania or Georgia depending on which direction I chose. My body and mind simply don’t easily accept the fact that that same amount of travel time can transport me across an ocean to an entirely different country.

I’m not sure why, but I felt the need to explain this for the general public’s benefit. If you are like me, it will be the little, unusual, not-going-to-happen-at-Macon things like meeting someone from Liverpool or Australia when you go out one night, driving two hours to Portsmouth, taking a 30 minute train to London, seeing THE Hogwarts Express or (this semester) seeing some of the filming locations for Pride and Prejudice, the Crescent in Bath, and Stone Henge that will blow your mind and solidify the awesomeness and correctness of your decision to study abroad. The daily life—making sandwiches, having kidney bean fights, quick walks down the street to the other house, cups of tea with Gill, lounging on the sofa while someone else changes the channel because fairies stole the remote—are just that: daily life. It’s a wonderful daily life to have, but for me, those things are what make any time spent with friends special and lovely and worthwhile, but experiences like that definitely aren’t only going to happen in England, and they’re not the sort of out-of-the-ordinary, fulfilling-childish-dreams experiences that make me so excited that I have to clap my hands or do a funny dance (which I’m known to do) or do a double take just to make sure I heard Dr. Franke correctly and we are able to climb to the top of York Minster’s Central Tower.

So, anyway, there you have it. I suppose this sums up my true motivation for studying abroad. Huh. I hadn’t thought of it that way until now. This was a fairly productive post, I think. Talk to you all again when I’m back at 141!

…to talk of many things. Like UK Thanksgiving,  movie premiers, and trips to Yorkshire. My list may have given you a clue that I’m going to divulge the details of these phenomena in chronologically reversed order. Try to keep up.

Just four nights ago, the Readingites and adult co. made our way to Sonning-on-Thames, which Jamey informed me that Gill informed him is the posh side of Reading, for a lovely Thanksgiving dinner cooked up by the amazing staff at The Bull an old (like almost everything here), really homey pub. They put their little English stoves to work and actually did quite well at producing some classic American Thanksgiving (not to be confused with the Canadians!) dishes. It was a three course meal with a starter, the main entree, and dessert finishing up the night. I chose the pumpkin soup for my starter and boy oh boy was I glad that I did though the caramel cinnamon brie and bacon dip were highly praised as well. It was amazing, y’all! A-MAZE-ING! The entree was two slices of turkey, one of ham, mashed potatoes, roasties (which is what the Brits call roasted potatoes), green bean casserole (not the same style as home, but still delicious), yams/sweet potatoes, and scalloped corn. Wowza! I felt just as overindulgent as I would have back home. I chose an apple and cherry cobbler which turned out not to be a cobbler at all for dessert. It was more like a scone with cherry and apple around it, but I figured it was their best guess and it was delicious, so I didn’t complain too much. Also available were pumpkin pie and marshmallow cranberry cheesecake which looked really good. Between dinner and dessert we were presented our Class Rings. We did a secret-Santa style door decorating over the weekend and a scavenger hunt Thanksgiving morning for our World in Britain-style Ring Week. Elizabeth Schlackman, an alum of RMWC and World in Britain did the honors. I was completely surprised at the end when I was presented with a heritage ring–one passed down from an alum. I had been anxiously awaiting the news of whether or not I had received the honor since May when my friend nominated me to DOS and when I didn’t get a class ring at the scavenger hunt, I had all but given up hope. But Gill is a tricky one. She gave me an awesome ginormous “you’re not getting a ring” ring for the scavenger hunt and successfully surprised me at dinner with my pass-down.

So that was Thanksgiving, and it was epic, but two Thursdays before Thanksgiving I experienced something dare-I-say if not more amazing then definitely more rare in London’s Leicester Square. Yes, that’s right, I, along with Alex, attended the London Premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1! Now, we didn’t see the movie, but we did see the movies stars! Alex and I arrived in the square at 7 am that morning and stood in line and in a group for 12 hours to see the Trio among the other stars of the franchise. It was a long, often frustrating day, but in the end and with a little time, I definitely consider it as an epic win. It’s something I’ll remember forever. When I’m a teacher or a mom and I watch the movies with my kids, I will be able to say, “Yeah, I was at the premiere in England. I got video of the Trio. No big.” and totally impress them! Check out my Facebook album to see Alex and my adventures!

What did I say was next? Oh yes, York! This semester’s seminar trip was beyond my imagining. After seeing everyone’s presentations on various aspects of the city and its history, the trip was so much richer and I was able to make all sorts of connections to everything we saw and did, especially York Minster. Jamey and I teamed up to research and present the facts on York Minster—in fact, we went a little bit overboard, but seriously there is nearly 1000 years of history on that church! Touring the minster, climbing the central tower, and later attending service with a few of the girls clinched York Minster as one of my favorite cathedrals. I have been to Canterbury and Notre Dame, too, to give you some perspective, and for some reason, York impressed me way more than either of those more well known structures. I think it was the strange mix of humility and pride with which everything was done. From the lovely young man who patiently guided us up the never-ending spiral stairs to the top of the tower to the classically Northern English gentlemen who guided us through the cathedral, everything was done with awe and respect. We also went on a ghost tour through York on Friday night which was cold but fun especially with the full moon peeking in and out of the creepy gray clouds in the sk. On Saturday we went out with a mission: get a Classic Pubs t shirt by visiting the three old and well-known pubs in York. During the day we tromped around with Vikings at Jorvik (where I shamelessly spent lots of money on souvenirs) and we also went to a Medieval Tower built by William the Conquerer and noted how much it tilted before cautiously climbing back down. We went to the National Railroad museum which had an obscene number of engines in its great hall and a particularly special one (other than the fastest steam and first passenger engines). I’ll give you a hint. This engine has something to do with the topic of my previous paragraph. It was the Hogwarts Express! It was epic. I almost hyperventilated. On Sunday we drove farther north into the Moors and to the east to Whitby and the coast. Apparently none of the Readingites this year have read Dracula because we totally missed the connection of Whitby to the Lord of the Undead but there were signs and vampire shops everywhere! The sea air was invigorating and made me a bit homesick though the cliffs are the exact opposite of Carolina beaches and it was wicked cold. The Abbey ruins were beautiful in that tragic “How could anyone let such a feat of architecture decay like this?” way, but I supposed then we wouldn’t have been able to run around like crazy children and climb onto the fallen pillars and nearly be swept away by the gales whipping up from the crashing waves.

Crikey, I didn’t realize I’d fallen so far behind yet again. I hope this detailed account makes up for my lack of consistent updating. Enjoy your holidays and good luck on exams (since I will probably not update again until I’m home for Christmas due to several essays/assignments due in the coming weeks).

I have been remiss in my duties as a blogger, and I apologize. It hardly seems like my last post over a month ago, but it’s true. Since then, I’ve done a lot with the program and outside of it, too. I suppose I should fill you in on all my activities, but to be honest, I might have trouble recalling all of the unbelievably cool things I’ve done. I’ll try my best, though, for you.

I’ll try to organize by type of event, i.e. Seminar field trip, general house outing, etc.

For the World in Britain program, we have so far taken a walking historical tour of Reading Town, been in and around Windsor Castle, seen a Henry IV part 1 at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, boarded the pride of Britain’s navy at Portsmouth, climbed walls built by Romans (the ancient kind, not the dark haired, smoking, drinking, driving Vespas kind) at Silchester, and this weekend we’ll be off for three whole days to York for some more Roman, lots of Viking, some Gothic, and lots from after that point, too. The seminars are such a valuable resource for these trips. They are given by some of Uni Readings’ finest, held in my own house, and provide information that allows us to get the very most out of each of these trips that are planned for us. Take the trip to Portsmouth for example. The weather was probably the worst we’ve experienced since arriving at the start of September–it was cold, windy, and extremely wet (not damp but legitimately soaking), but because we had heard about Nelson and the battle of Trafalgar, the history behind that battle and other British naval events, we were looking out for things like the spot where Nelson was shot, where he actually died, etc. The ships were immense wooden floating mazes full of special little rooms that each have a different and important purpose. Silchester was equally amazing because our tutor was practically our tour guide. He rode with us on the bus, walked with us along the walls, watched as Kate and I held our own Gladiator battle in the amphitheatre, and picked blackberries straight from the brambles to eat with us!

The Globe was an otherworldly experience. Unlike a lot of the group, I had been to the museum before, but all of us were performance newbies. We’d all heard about the “groundling experience”, but until it started drizzling at the start of the second half and we were giving Dr. Franke the evil-eye, it was beyond me. Before that moment, I felt like I just happened to be standing rather than sitting in the most amazing theatrical performance I’ve ever had the privilege of seeing. An actor pointed right in my face! A few of us claim to have made significant eye-contact with the lead actors—who we all, admittedly, fell head-over-heels for. This experience impacted all of us so much that we decided we had to see Part 2, which was also being produced at the Globe this season. We went, stood in the yard again, listened to actors only about 10 years older than us spout lines written four hundred years ago like they were their own thoughts, and marvelled at the beauty of London as she lit up after seven pm.

Now, I’ve skipped a bit because the performances at the Globe had to be connected. The second show was the final stop on a whirlwind weekend tour of London. A group of seven of us left Saturday midday for London and stayed in a hostel near Piccadilly Circus that night. We went to the Tower of London on Sunday, a Jack the Ripper tour Saturday night–spooky and totally worth the £7 we owed “only at the end, if we felt thoroughly entertained”. We went out to a real London club, got amazing Asian food in what we are pretty sure was Soho, and got home the next day after standing beneath St. Paul’s cathedral waiting for a bus back to Paddington. Anne and I sang a little bit of “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins—that’s the sort of thing that I will always remember. And, on the train, we tried to compile a list of all of the things we realized we still need to see despite our outright exhaustion.

I realize that this is getting to be quite lengthy, but I find I have a lot to say, especially since I’ve been trying to write this entry for a few weeks now. The last thing I’ll tell you about will be birthdays. So far we’ve had three–Alex, Kate, and Sara. Each have had some kind of cake/dessert and a bit of pub-crawling after blowing out their imaginary candles (the kitchens have smoke detectors and we don’t want to risk it). Alex, the girl from Sweet Briar who is fitting in really well, likes Gladiator…a lot. So Jamey and a few others baked her a cake, decorated it to look something like the Colosseum, built some Roman arches, and laid out a fierce battle scene between some Medieval archers and Dinosaurs since no Roman legion action figures could be found. Kate got a spaghetti dinner with garlic bread and a lovely cake bought by G-Mama with chocolate balloons on it! Sara has a gluten allergy, so Kate baked her a chocolate torte that was simply to die for! To top all of these festivities, each of the birthday girls wore a hat shaped like a birthday cake with candles on top to all of the pubs and around the houses all day. It has been agreed that everyone must do this on their respective birthdays. We’re also doing a pretty good job of delivering birthday spanks.

Now that I’m sure you’re tired of reading what I have to say, I’ll leave you with the promise to update soon on Uni classes! They started this week and I am beyond excited to delve into the British university experience, but like I said, that’s for another time.

Guess what I did today. I bet you can’t, but try anyway. No, I bet you got it wrong because it is just too amazing and fantastic for anyone to get it within the first couple of times. I seriously wonder if anyone could ever guess. I’m still reeling from my experience, so how could you possibly guess what fantasy came true for me today?

London! Anne, Alex, Angelina, Jennifer, Kate, Samantha, and I hopped on the 17 by way of 2 group tickets (it’s really just much financially smarter to take advantage of the deals whenever possible), jotted over to Reading Station, bought uber Day Tickets which cover, rail, Tube, and Bus, and took a train into Paddington Station.

Gill (aka G-Mama as we’ve decided to call her so that we can distinguish between her and Jill the Readingite) was kind enough to print out a sort of home-made guide that she had for how to see all the really important tourist-y spots. So, we left Paddington by the Bakerloo line of the Tube and eventually found our way to Piccadilly Circus which I’ve heard described as London’s Time Square. We bounced around a cool souvenir store Cool Brittania and then trekked around and about to Trafalgar Square where we climbed and accosted the Lions as has been done for decades I’m sure. Then up (or possibly down, not entirely sure) the mall and through St. James’ park to Buckingham palace where we again climbed on things and posed and saw a statue of a Kangaroo. From Buckingham, we set out to see St. James’ Palace which was oddly obscured by some pro-environment Garden Party that Prince William is throwing this weekend. Sam, Alex, and I are the The Tudors fans of the group and were quite excited to see the palace Henry built for Anne.

Let’s see. Then back to Trafalgar Square and down a long street (all of this was by foot mind you) past the Cavalry housing where there was some sort of switch going on, past the Ministries (not of magic unfortunately), and on to the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the River Thames. It was nearly overwhelming to be that close to so much history. England’s (and the rest of Europe’s) history eclipses America’s by so much that it’s enough to make me blush at how we disregard what little we have. Seriously, at this rate, what are tourists in America going to have to look at in 1000 year? Car parks. That’s what!

Mini-rant there, my apologies. Anyway, from the Houses of Parliament, we crossed the river and walked about 10 minutes to the nearest Tube station after asking a kindly police officer which direction the Tower of London was. When we heard that the Tube workers have been on and off  strike this past week, we worried that it would spoil our trip, but thankfully it didn’t and we got where we wanted to without any trouble. So we emerged from the Tower Hill station of the District Line (the green one if you’re wondering) and marveled at the prison that held the likes of Cardinal Woolsey, Anne Boleyn, and Lady Jane Grey (sorry all of my examples are from roughly the same era–it’s kind of the only English history I really know). Quick look at a war memorial for Naval officers and Merchant Navy soldiers, then over to the Tower Shop (souvenirs) and a quick picture of the Tower Bridge then back to Piccadilly and Reading.

There you have it. An outstanding day, timeless experiences, good food at lunch by the way, and all for about 15 pounds. Crazy right? That’s why I knew you wouldn’t be able to guess.

I had intentions of posting something before embarking on my year in the UK but, as most are well aware, time slips by and things get left undone. There was so much nervousness in regards to preparing all of the paperwork, getting funds together, and getting through customs, that blogging was the last thing on my mind. But now, sitting here on my fifth day in the UK, my initial energy has dwindled for the day, and I am left with a whirlwind of recollections to consider. To be honest, I have been going non-stop since the group got here. This year we have myself, Jen, Susie, Anne, Courtney, Alex, Ashley, Kate, Jill, Sam, Angelina, and Sarah. We have been split into two house, 141 and 153 Whiteknights Road, but we all intermingle very well. I have taken on the responsibility of cooking a lot of our dinners, and yesterday we enjoyed a well fashioned dinner concocted from leftovers from our first weekend in the houses. We have Courtney (diabetic/vegetarian) and Sarah (gluten allergy) who both have specific needs as far as meals are concerned, so sometimes I have to be inventive to make sure we are able to eat as a group, and even then there are times where the group is unable to eat as a whole. Despite this, we all find our moments to grab a housemate or two to run into town with or to play ultimate frisbee with.

I must say that one of the best resources for the World in Britain program is our “caretaker” Jill. She has been a life-long Reading-ite and has an unmeasurable amount of contacts and collection of tidbits in regards to the area. It helps having her around, and missing my mom so much is downplayed by my strong connection with Jill. Today Jill, Ashley and myself took the house Westie, Bella, into the untamed areas on the Uni’s campus and searched out blackberries and elderberries. We found the elderberries, which are on their last leg of the season, and decided to leave them for the birds. The blackberries, however, were centralized in two specific patches in the woods, so we spent about an hour and a half gather what looks like close to two gallons of berries. They sit in the fridge of 141, waiting to be prepared and made in jelly. I am sure they will be much appreciated during the cold winter when the only fruit selection will be in the produce markets littered across Wokington, or in the food section of ASDA (Reading’s “Walmart”). That won’t be so bad though… searching through the multitude of ethnic markets in Reading is a treat. The shelves are full of unknown spices and grains, and fruits the size of pumpkins of unknown origin. It will be an experience looking them up and figuring out what to do with them.

One thing for all prospective Reading-ites to keep in mind is that life in the UK has dramatic similarities and differences in juxtaposition to the US. I plan on figuring out the flip-flopped course of traffic in England so that I can take advantage of the nine bikes we have stashed in the shed. I am eager to get in the streets and save a little bit of money on bus fare. Never buy a single pass for the bus system! A day’s pass will cost you about twice the same as the single pass, and other passes are available for the week, month, or 90 days, depending on your needs. Jill, being the selfless person that she is, is always happy to take a student or two into town to buy their bulk goods.

In regards to the Britains, all I can say so far is they are quite fun. I have run into some blunt individuals, but their directness has been entirely out of curiosity and playfulness. I love being continuously told that my southern accent is adorable. It is a great way to break the ice with some of the locals. Just throw some southern swang into you dialect and they beg for more. I have to be honest and say that I have kept up with the locals in regards to regular pub visits. Tonight is actually my first night refraining from drinking, and I am rather thankful for it. One of my favorite spots is a glorious gay pub called the Wynford Arms. My first night there with the girls was a fun one, and one of the local bartenders gave me a hearty welcome by giving me an exclusive tour of the rooftop patio (too fun!) and his oh-so-cute partner was sweet enough to treat the girls and myself to a free round of shots. He picked for us a drink called a Baby Guinness, which is Bailey’s floated with Kahlua (or vice-versa). It was nice, and I have already deemed myself a regular patron. Stories from the Purple Turtle will have to wait for another day. Until then, wish me and the girls nothing but the best hopes for our experiences. Cheers!

I’ve arrived. I’m here. I can hardly believe that those statements are true. It seems terribly surreal that just outside my window is not a yard full of ant hills and NC Hwy 210, but a lovely garden with hammocks and neat bendy trees that look just ideal for perching with a book especially since I stumbled through most of yesterday’s events in a jet lag stupor. After the hard work that I, my family, Dr. Irwin, and Dr. Franke put in to getting me here, our goal has finally been achieved.

So let me introduce myself as an official Readingite! My name is Susie Lukens. I hail from Rocky Point, NC and am the youngest of three children (son and two daughters) born to Doug and Nancy (a pastor and librarian, respectively). I was accepted to Randolph College’s Teacher Education program this past spring and am a curricular studies major.

Those are the basics and I’m sure more details will be revealed through my future entries. All I can say right now is that I am highly impressed by and grateful to the “Randolph UK” staff. I can hardly imagine feeling more comfortable and welcomed in a foreign place.

Tomorrow the group will venture into the city of Reading led by one of our tutors for our first World in Britain seminar! We’ll be seeing the highlights of the city including the gardens and abbey ruins. Luckily, I remembered to shove my sneakers into my second bag full of junk the night before I left for DC, so my feet will be nice and comfy all morning….hopefully.

Spending my junior year abroad in England has allowed me the opportunity to do things I probably wouldn’t have gotten the chance to do otherwise, like taking a daytrip to a Belgium or getting close to an original Jackson Pollack in the Tate Modern in London. Academically, one of the most amazing things that I have been able to do is take a class in Oxford. I was lucky enough to take a class on ‘Women in Asian Religions’ there and through this class I was presented with several outstanding opportunities. Besides the individual attention that I received in this one-on-one class, it really exposed to a completely different way of thinking. One of the many highlights of my class in Oxford happened a couple of weeks ago. It was then that my tutor arranged for me to go on a field trip of sorts to meet a Buddhist monk.

This amazing trip brought so many of the things studied in class to life. Sitting with the monk, drinking tea and discussing his religion, these are opportunities that I know I probably would not have been afforded if I had stayed in Lynchburg this year. I was astounded to learn that the monk that I meet with had been a member of the monastic order since he was 12! Talking with the monk also answered first hand questions that I had about Buddhism and its monastic order. One thing that I was curious about was the shaving of the head upon entry into monastic life. The monk explained that this was to free the person of attachment to the hair. This is important within the Buddhist tradition as attachment is specifically mentioned in the religion’s Four Noble Truths as the origin of suffering.

The field trip was truly a special moment from time abroad and a memory that I will no doubt carry for a long time. To future Readingites reading this, if you get the chance to take a class in Oxford, any class, take it!

First off, apologizes for not writing on here more frequently. I know how much I enjoyed reading about the Readingites adventures last year, so I have been meaning to give an update of my time here. Time is flying and more than once I’ve hear my fellow Readingites exclaim “Where did my year go?!” Now that university classes are done and Spring Break is upon us, what better time to recap the past 10 week!

The biggest thing that has happened since I last wrote, both for me and the Program, was the Seminar Trip to York and the North of England. It was a three day adventure packed with all kinds of amazing things. We left 141 early on the morning of February 19. After a four-ish hour coach trip (I slept most of the way!), we were in York. The North was somewhere that I think most of the group had wanted to go, so we all felt incredibly lucky that Dr Franke had chosen to take us to the “capital” of the North, York. That first day we were given a whirlwind tour of York, which included a walk on the city’s medieval walls, and also visited the National Railway Museum. Not exactly my cup of tea, but it did make me understand trains better! That night several members of the group decided to take a ghost tour of the city. More funny than scary, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Our second day in York was the big day for the trip. We were taken on tours of the City’s landmark York Minster and, then later, learned more about York’s Viking and Medieval past. Our third and final day of the trip found us in the middle of a snowstorm. We left York that morning headed for the small village town of Whitby, stopping along the way to try and see the Yorkshire Moors through the snow. The main draw of Whitby is its Abbey (pictured below) as well as its 199 Steps,which figure prominently into Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’. Whitby, much like York, was receiving quite a bit of snow that day, so after a quick look at the town, most of us huddled into a fish-and-chips restaurant to wait out the snow. We left Whitby and made it safely back to Reading that Sunday night.

Personally, I haven’t traveled as much as I did the first term, but I am looking for to an exciting Spring Break. I leave Tuesday for Paris and couldn’t be more excited! I promise to fill you in (complete with pictures) when I get back. Promise!

 York Minster

Whitby Abbey