USA v. UK -- Round One

So I've been in London for 5 months now. I've seen a lot (and still so much more to come!!). I really like it here. Not only because of the wow factor (WOW. I live in London.), but also because it's a very different pace of life -- big city style. I think everyone needs a little big city time at some point in their life. Three years ago, I was trying to work my way into NYC for a temporary time. That didn't work out, but thankfully, London did. 

I can't help but make comparisons to the American way of life with just about everything. That's natural, right? There are some things that the Brits definitely have the upper hand on, and others that Americans win hands down. So I thought I'd share my thoughts with you on a few different things upon which I've pondered in my five months so far. (Spoiler Alert: 'Merica doesn't always win.) 

Round One: Weather. 

I'm totally beating a dead horse here, I know. And I knew what I was getting myself into before I came. I even told my mother when I was packing that I was basically planning on being cold for the entire year. And so far, that is mostly true. 

London, for the most part, your weather sucks. 

Let's take, oh, say, today for instance. It's June 5th. It's a cloudy, overcast day. 53 degrees Fahrenheit. Not June weather, my friend! I love my Fall/Winter wardrobe, but there is a time and place for everything. June is not the time to be wearing my sweaters, boots, jackets and scarves! 

I will give you some credit though, for two weeks ago. Perrrrfect weather. Perfect! And not London perfect, like, Charlotte perfect. High 70's, sunshine, just hot enough without being too hot. Ah. Where did you go? Come back, I beg you! 

Let's check out the current London 5 day forecast vs. Charlotte 5 day forecast. 

Ok, ok, not too bad. But still, it's June! 50's and 60's are soooo March and April.

Seventies and Eighties, I miss you! Come visit London for a month or seven. 

London, I love you. Really, I do. But when it comes to the weather...

Round One: USA

[Postscript: This post sounds a lot more whiny than I intended. Sorry about that. I promise, I'm done.] 

[Postscript 2: Actually, when I think about it, London weather isn't all that different from Boone weather. I guess those four years prepared me for lots of different adventures! And maybe this year is preparing me to take on Boone weather again next year. :) ]

i am the worst.

...blogger, that is. Seven months ago, I couldn't WAIT to keep up with a blog about all my London adventures. Then I got here and became very shy...Sorry. 


But I'm back! (And not just because I'm waiting for my laundry to finish drying. But maybe a little because of that.) 


So what's happened in the two months since I blogged last? Let's see...

• I visited a town called Pill. I kid you not. The name of the town is Pill. It's right outside of Bristol, which was lovely! It's home to this fancy suspension bridge:



Though, believe it or not, the purpose of our trip wasn't just to see a bridge. 

• I've gotten braver and feel pretty confident about venturing out on my own into Central London, which I do almost every weekend. I've seen the sights, such as Covent Gardens, Leceister Square, Piccadilly Circus, Notting Hill (no Hugh Grant OR Julia Roberts sightings, and I enjoy the actual place way more than the movie.) I've done my fair share of shopping on Oxford Street and have found a Starbucks that I like to call my own. 

They spell my name right on my cup and everything at my Starbucks!

• I saw my first show in London -- Jersey Boys! I was having a homesick week and needed a pick-me-up, and seeing a show did just the trick. I was on the edge of my seat the whole show, and not just because I had to so I could see over the balcony.

No, Stovie, it's not about THOSE boys from Jersey. 

• I visited Nottingham, which is not only the home to Robin Hood and Little John, but also to The Salvation Army's founder William Booth. 

I was there, yall!

• On the way back from Nottingham we also stopped at the Coventry Cathedral, which was (as most of these cathedrals are) breath-taking and beautiful.

Them's some major pipes, eh? 

• Made a trip up to Northeast England to the town of Durham to visit a Salvation Army prayer house called Sanctuary 21. There's some good stuff going on up there. I'd love to tell you about it, but it deserves a post all its own. While we were there, we also visited (what?!) another cathedral. Durham Cathedral is about 1000 years old -- which just blows my little American mind, anytime I visit a place more than 200-ish years old. Oh, and scenes Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets were filmed there! (Though I didn't know that until I returned home. Definitely would have made Stephanie take pictures of me flying an invisible broom at an imaginary Qudditch practice.) 

I walked down the same corridor as babies Harry Potter and Ron Weasley!

• Oh, and I turned 27 since the last time I blogged. Twenty. Seven. I'm beginning to settle into it, I think. Again, more about that soon to come. 

My parents are cute and made me a real  birthday cake for our facetime chat!

That's all for now I think. 

Ok but seriously, I promise I'll write more. I know I promised last time, but I really will this time! :)

the disciples.

yesterday was a sad day. i had to say good-bye to twenty-six of the funniest, greatest, inspiring people i've ever met. i only knew them for 8 weeks, but that was enough for me to fall in love with them all and to be forever changed from meeting them.

let me explain.

i am living and working at "the cedars," which houses the centre for spiritual life development (where i live it up) and the international college for officers (ICO). salvation army officers from around the world come here for eight weeks as a type of sabbatical period for spiritual renewal. there are 4 sessions every year, and it's a very special and meaningful time for the officers. in fact, the reason i'm here is because my dad came to ICO in 2006 and came back and told me about the volunteer program here.

well, the first session of the year (session 212 - "the disciples") came a week after i did, so essentially they've been here since i have. there were officers from all over the world -- USA, south america, canada, africa, indonesia, the UK, australia, india...

they blessed me every day.

they made me laugh every day.

they encouraged me every day.

this session was unique (in many ways :) but especially in the fact that it was a spanish translation session, so there were about 6 spanish speakers, and also all 4 USA delegates were bilingual. (usually a requirement is that the officers must have some grasp of the english language, but for this session translators were provided for the spanish speakers.) one very cool thing that came from that -- for me, personally -- was that i was reunited with major munoz, who was the divisional commander in guatemala when i went in 2008. my team and i LOVED munoz. even with the language barrier, he is hilarious. so when i got here and saw the list with his name on it, i was so excited. and really, come on! i could have very well never run into him again for the rest of my life -- but, 3 and a half years later, i do...in london. the Lord blesses me. no doubt.

saying good-bye was not fun at all, but with all the other amazingly awesome things that happen here, i figure that there HAS to be something not good to balance it all out.

so, los discipulos, i love you, i miss you, and i am praying for you. thank you for everything!

(pictures coming soon!)

it's what i do.

before i came to london, i told everyone that i was coming here to work for my church. and, essentially, that's what i'm doing. i'm here because i am working for the salvation army.

i thought i was coming to do office work. and true, while i do work in an office, it is so much more than "an office job."

i'm a intern at the international centre for spiritual life development, which exists to facilitate the development of the spiritual lives of salvationists (members of the salvation army) all over the world. we do that by providing resources (creating, compiling, sharing); offering conferences and events (BIG event coming up in september!); and encouraging the implementation of intentional and systematic opportunities for spiritual growth throughout the international salvation army. we also are in charge of keeping up with the salvation army's global call to 24-7 prayer. since january 1, 2011, salvationists from all over the world have been continuing in 24-7 non-stop prayer for justice.

it's kinda major stuff. so much so that, when i first came, i was sure that i was not qualified to help carry out these tasks. i was completely overwhelmed with not only the fact that i was in an unfamiliar country, but also with the sizable task that my job would entail.

two months later, i feel much more confident. some of the things i've done in the past couple of months include: research, editing articles/books to be published, creating resources, formatting powerpoints, prayer focuses, and prayer station guides, sending emails, trying to navigate and edit our website, making posters, and praying.

i also work with two amazing women.

the other intern (and my flatmate) is stephanie. stephanie is from brazil and has already been here at the csld for a year and is staying for another year. she is the first intern in the history of the csld, and a lifesaver. i can't imagine coming into this situation without her. she is a dedicated, hard-worker who has a huge vision for the future. this girl knows her stuff! not only has she shown me the ropes in the office (very patiently, might i add), but she has also introduced me to london life. seriously, i'd be lost if she were not here.

our boss is janet. janet is from the U.S. as well and likes my accent :) she is the secretary for spiritual life development and is kind of indescribable. this woman speaks the Word boldly and unapologetically. i have already learned so many things the past two months from her teachings, her writings, our bible study, and our conversations. she is also funny, encouraging, comforting, and kind. i am blessed to know her and work with her.

still learning to accept that i fit into this triad and have things to bring to the table. i still have to stop myself sometimes to think, "this is pretty amazing, being here in london, working at the csld." because it is.

hopefully you have somewhat of a better idea of what i'm doing in here jolly ol' england. it feels like it is a lot more than what i just listed, but how many jobs can you just list what you do, right? i do know that this experience is going to change my life...it's already happening, and greater things are yet to come!

blessed.

i'm planning on filling you in about what i'm doing here in london exactly very soon. but until then, i just have to say...

some days i have no idea why i'm here and feel extremely unqualified and under-equipped for my job.

most days i know with every fiber of my being that i've been preparing for work like this for a long time coming.

every day, i am overwhelmed with how blessed i am that i've been chosen to come here - work with the people i do - live with the people i do - fellowship with the people i do - and learn from the people i do.

every. day. thank you, Jesus!

giving it up.

so lent begins tomorrow. this year i've decided to fast from facebook for the 40 days. i figured it was the thing i am supposed to give up when my initial thought was, "omigosh. not facebook."

(usually i've given up my biggest vice for lent -- sweet tea. seeing as i've chosen to give that up for the year of 2012, i've moved on to my next weakness...)

instead, i will discipline myself to spend the time that i would usually be facebooking to studying the Word, praying, and journaling. oh, and continuing to memorize the book of colossians. (i'm 12 verses in...)

however, due to my current living situation (as in, being so far away from home), i will choose to acknowledge sundays as days of rest from my fast. i haven't usually in years past, but things are a little different this time around!

so until then (or at least until next sunday), i'll keep you updated here. or if you feel ever so inclined to email me some encouraging words, a funny story, or just to say hi, you can. (my email address can be found in my profile, just over there to your left.)

are you choosing to fast from anything this lent season?

finally worked up the courage.

i created this blog months before i came to london. i was so excited and ready to write about every little thing that i'd be doing, and then i got here and was struck by this weird fear of writing for all to see.

it might stem from the last blog that i wrote in...which would take us back to my xanga days in college. when i go back and read that now, i get incredibly embarrassed that i would dare to write some of the things i did for anyone to read. *sigh* (note: i was considering putting in a link to my old xanga site, but deemed it far too embarrassing still. if you are lucky enough to not have read it, you are lucky enough. to those who did back then: i'm sorry.)

also, the more i think about it, the more convinced i am that i'm being super conceited in thinking that anyone would even bother to read what i have to say. i am not an eloquent writer such as other bloggers whose sites i read.

but everyone has a story, right? i mean, this is a pretty big adventure for me...i'm in london for a year. i left my supportive family, my amazing friends, my steady job (and 120-ish cute fourth graders), my spirit-refreshing church, my favorite foods, my sporty car, and a lot of freedoms to jet-set 4,000 miles away. it's been six-and-a-half weeks.

i'm surviving.

i'm learning.

i'm enjoying myself.

i know there is no where else in the world that i'm supposed to be.

there's a big part of my heart that constantly aches for home, for family, for friends, for familiarity. but i've been able to differentiate that longing from moping and wallowing. (that's a big step, compared to the "me" from a few years ago.)

so, surely i've got some things worth saying, right?

(yes, and don't call me shirley.)

(sorry, i couldn't help it.)

stay tuned, if you will, for some updates on what the heck i'm doing here in london; the crazy-awesome things that the Lord reveals to me; who/what i'm missing from home; what i'm loving here in londontown; and any other random thing i may choose to write about.