First week in Oz!

5/29-Hello, civilization! (Also known as internet!!!) Good gracious! England has about 1/4 of the WiFi that is available in the U.S. (unless you want to pay ridiculously high by-the-hour prices!!!) But that is the ONLY  thing anyone could possibly complain about in this place. My eyes or mouth have never been more wide open in my entire life. The history here is just incredible. Every building seems to date back to the 1200's!!!!! The feeling of standing in such old places, many of which are castles, where so many important  events occurred...indescribable. It seemed perfectly logical to believe in fairy tales after I discovered that places such as these really do exist!!!

But, as in any fairytale, there is usually a damsel in distress, and the format of my distress is usually embarrassment. My friends and I asking a local whether we can walk on what looked like a sidewalk and then seeing a no walking sign, for example. Also, losing  my shoe on the steps up the underground while carrying  my luggage, and an impatient  Londoner grabbed  my suitcase and ran up the stairs with it, as he was tired of  being behind me. My friends tell me my accent has become even more Southern since we have gotten here, so I could not  be any more obviously  American. You can take a girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl. All I know to do is show Southern hospitality, be polite, and apologize constantly. "SOARY!" is a very common word around  here (meaning "sorry." If you say excuse me, like we usually do in the good ol' U.S. of A., they'll stop and expect you to say something! Awkward!)


As bustling and fascinating as London was, it cannot compare to my first glimpse of the countryside. When I saw that first  pasture on the train ride from London to Salisbury, I felt like the backdrop of the daydream  I have had my whole life was right before my eyes. I got a little misty eyed from tears of joy, I must admit. When we toured Stonehenge, I felt like I would never want to leave it. I wanted to build a little farmhouse and fence where I could  keep some cows to open a little dairy farm right by those mystical stones. I felt like I belonged there. I couldn't help but romp in the grass, twirling and swirling with joy that I was living my daydream.

Oh, and did I mention this place is foodie heaven?! Food is expensive here, but I don't mind a bit, because everything is pretty much organic and natural. Processed foods are almost non-existent. I have been most impressed by the ham! Eating a ham sandwich at home is just plain-Jane, but here, it's a luxury!!! That pork is so fresh that it's still singing "Hakuna Matata!!!" Hehe ;)

Oops, I almost forgot. This is a "study" abroad trip, so I guess should  mention what I have been learning ;) For example, did you know Peter Pan is about  infant mortality? Yes, he died as a baby in the first book, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (we discussed it in the very location that inspired Barrie to write it!) I know this  shatters everything you thought you knew about Peter Pan as it did for me, but don't cry: the story was meant to comfort people of that time period when infant mortality  rates were very high, because it shows Peter living a happy, full  life after  his untimely death. It also was a protest against the rigidness children were expected to conform to in that era, when they were not allowed to have any imagination. This book encouraged childhood freedom. Speaking of childhood adventure books, we also stood in the very garden in Oxford that inspired Lewis Carroll to write Alice in Wonderland! We discussed the people he based the character  of the book on (yes, there was a real Alice and Dinah!) FASCINATING! This is broadening  my horizons as an English major like nothing  else ever could. Everything is so much more real when what we are reading is right in front  of us. It's like the history and ideas behind the writing are tangible! Literally! Here is THE garden door as described in Alice:

The heartwarming "Bon Voyages" and early birthday cards I got from my family and friends before I left seem like they were received in another dimension, although it was only days ago. I have been in a swirling tornado of new sights, like the twister that carried Dorothy away from home, off to an adventure.

I have seen an ancient castle filled with golden-threaded robes and diamond-studded scepters, alongside some of the world's most impressive modern architecture (that is one of the most fascinating aspects of London; it's so full of history that the old and new are side by side).

I have seen the story of one of the world's greatest empires told by its people's artifacts in the Museum of London.

I have stood in awe of one of the world's greatest mysteries, with the wind in my hair adding to the chill of magic that was already in the air; in that grassy paradise, I felt as if I were living a poem from the Romantic era. Or maybe as if I were Merida, my Disney princess hero.

I have gazed down from stony ruins at the same sheep-dotted, yellow-and-green-patch-quilted scenery that provided part of the backdrop for the saga of Henry VIII.

I have worshiped the Lord within stone walls and stained glass that are a reminder of His majesty.

I have walked the ground the Romans once tread, surrounded by mystical caverns and hot springs.

However, far more than experiencing these landmarks, I have experienced life. RICH life. Talking with the locals and splitting my sides at their mischievous humor. Getting to know friends, both old and new, much more deeply. Discussing centuries-old literature, whether in the daisy-dotted, grassy churchyard of Salisbury Cathedral, or in the ballroom Jane Austen once frequented, and sharing our awe of how alive these words still are this very day.

I'm off on on an adventure to Oz, but I'll still miss Kansas!

Get a hold of yourself, Erin. It's just a month. Yes, despite the exuberance yall have seen me express on here, I am somewhat sad to leave home. I'll be missing a large chunk of the Southern summers  I have long enjoyed, and most of all, missing my family and friends. I visited most of them yesterday to say my goodbyes, and I acted like I was  going to be gone for years! (And believe me, that same kind of mentality goes into my packing! Woo-weee, is that one big suitcase I have! I'm gonna be knocking everyone on the sidewalks down when I'm rolling that thing!) One thing you have to know about my family: we are EXTREMELY tight knit. Inseperable. Exceptionally interdependent. I cried with Mom and Dad, I cried with both my grandmas, and cried all the way home from both their houses, worrying to death about every little thing, and almost feeling like I was betraying my family for leaving them! I know, I know. Melodramatic. That word summarizes the whole of my emotions.

But, as I was crying and worrying, the words of a very wise woman came to my mind. Two women, in fact. The first was  my dear aunt, who had reminded me earlier today of Whose hands I am in. The Lord God's. And nothing will happen to me that is outside His plan. His hand will be beneath that airplane going all the way across the Atlantic, His hand will be shielding those I love from  harm while I am away, His hand will be holding mine as I enter a brand new  corner of the world, far from everything that is familiar. I have nothing to fear. Secondly, during my crying spell, the verse that a dear lady in Sunday school had shared earlier that day came to mind. Isaiah 50:7-"For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." No matter the "what ifs" that flood my worries, I have  to predetermine to set my face like stone in God's direction at the beginning of every day. I have to keep my eyes toward Who is in control of it all.

After meditating on these thoughts, I cheered up significantly (but that's not the end of my crying, I don't think. I still have the airport goodbye to go through with my parents, sister, and boyfriend!) To help me even further, I took one last trip to the  supreme grandeur of Southernness: Bojangles. Hello, Cajun filet biscuit and sweet tea! I also made a list about  the comforts of home for extreme cases of missness to keep in my England notebook. At the top of this list was a quotation of my quirky, spunky, Southern Belle of a Grandma who told me this as I was leaving today: "I've never been on an airplane  before, but if anyone messes with my baby over there,  they'll have to deal with me! I'll hunt them down like a bloodhound and a half! I'd swim if I had to!" Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

The magical mystery tour is coming to take me awaaayyyy!!!!

Two more days until I leave for a tour through the magic and mystery of England. One of the classes I'm taking is even called English 419: Magic and Mystery Mystery Literature, for goodness' sake! How intriguing!  Here's just a few of places we're going and things we're doing (these are my favorite things on the itinerary!) We will be studying literature in the very locations where it was inspired! May 23:picnic in Kensington Gardens to discuss Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. May 25-26: Stonehenge and Salisbury with a look at the  countryside nature poetry of Hopkins. May 27: the town of Bath while studying Northanger Abbey, which took place in Bath! May 29- Oxford, the home of C. S. Lewis and Tolkien. We'll be discussing  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (one of my personal favorites!) and The Hobbit! May 30- tour of the breathtaking Lake District, which inspired the nature poetry of Wordsworth. One of the most beautiful places God ever designed, if you ask me! June 6- Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, at the Globe Theater!!!! June 7-10: free weekend to go wherever we please! We will also get an opportunity to explore London for a while on our own (my lovely friends and I are thinking of going on the Jack the Ripper tour!) sounds fascinating!) We are planning to go on some day trips throughout England, possibly at the White Cliffs of Dover, Cheddar Gorge, or Liverpool (home of the Beatles! seriously, one time in geography class in my freshman year of college, my professor pointed out Liverpool on a map and I squealed, "BEATLESSSS!!" before taking the time to realize how crazy I must have looked. I got a few stares. True story). Here is a preview of what the pictures of me touring in  Liverpool will  look like:

June 14- Britain at War and tour of Churchill war rooms. This time period (WW2) was the background for some of the works we are studying. June 15-16: Cardiff Castle in Wales, with a study of Edith Nesbit' s The Enchanted Castle! June 17: MY BIRTHDAY!!! That is exciting on its own, but to make it even more grand, we will tour Tintern Abbey, which inspired the MAGNIFICENT poem of the same name by Wordsworth. These are just some of the things on the itinerary! Much more magic and mystery is to come, and I will share it with you right here! Stay tuned! :)

Money may not grow on trees, but it does, at times, fall from the sky.

My trip is paid for, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, I spent long hours being  a diner girl in addition to taking 6 college courses, and tutored 3 nights a week, and scrimped every  penny I got for birthdays and Christmas presents,  but that was only a portion of the money that is going toward the trip. About a  month ago, I was beginning to get frustrated, because all  that work and saving still had not added up to the amount I needed. I was  freaking out, to be honest. Then, through  a letter I got from the scholarship office, God said to me, "Remember, you don't have to handle this on your own, Erin! I got this!" I had gotten a scholarship that I didnt even apply for. God was looking out for me, and continued to do so as the money kept coming in and coming in from so many generous donors. It was indeed rather last-minute, considering I was in the month-before-my-trip-panic-mode right before all this happened. But God has a way of keeping us on our toes like that. I guess every time it happens, it's supposed to be a reminder that we should have started off with an attitude of trust in Him from the beginning, and this panic mode would not have happened. Who knows when that lesson will ever get through this thick blonde head. All I can say is to God be the glory! He  brought all this together so swimmingly! I am so thankful  to Him and to the people who prayed for my trip money to come together (including my lovely mother) and who gave so generously to my England fund. Know that there is a part of you, whether it be your prayers or monetary contribution, that will go with me across the pond. I do not take that lightly, and I cannot than you enough.

20 days until the American Invasion--when I return the favor of the Brits from the 1960s.

Excitement does not even begin to cover my feelings about my upcoming study abroad trip to England/Scotland/Wales as a starry-eyed English major with a special interest in British literature. I spent years, starting at approximately age 5, dreaming of Britain to the soundtrack of my dad's old 1960's British Invasion songs, and now I'm coming for the Brits like they came for us Americans almost five decades ago! ;) Although I will be the one invading this time, I'm pretty sure I as an American will continue the role of the fanatical screamer. Hopefully I can keep my fangirling under control.

The weather here has been rather cloudy and chilly, considering it's springtime in the South, the past few days. The professor that will be leading this study abroad experience told me that this kind of weather is what I need to prepare for. Although she said it will be cold and dreary, the grass will have a certain glow about it, almost as if it is enchanted, making up for the drab lack of color in the sky.

Speaking of enchanted, one of the two classes I am taking during this trip is Brit Lit 413--Magic and Mystery. This is my Brit-lit-expert of a professor's new pilot class. Items on the reading list include The Hobbit, Peter Pan, and The Enchanted Castle. I am ok with that. VERY ok. I just finished reading the Enchanted Castle, which is such a charming little book, and I cannot wait for it to come to life before my very eyes when we visit places such as Cardiff Castle.

Keep in mind, listening to my professor tell us about these works of literature in the setting where they took place counts as our "class" time. Living out my lifelong dream AND getting class credit for it? Yes, please.