on the train to Cambuslang

Their hooves trample the frosty grass
A deep fog has set in
The trees rustle and crack
A frigid cold has settled o'er the land.

The lone voice of a shepherd
sings a melancholy tune.
Scotland's rolling hills are trapped in a fog.

My heart is heavy and I don't know hy
I am so busy, I must find time.
But I am torn between terror and action.

The thaw will melt,
The train will keep moving.
My soul will find rest in the arms of my maker. 

Starbucks - they're EVERYWHERE

So, I'm sitting in Starbucks on my iPod touch. I really should be studying for my test that is in a few days, but I can do that later. I'm sitting in a window on the second floor watching people walking around outside and listening to music - I am thoroughly enjoying myself. The thing with traveling with 18 other people is that you don't really get any alone time. Frankly, I am people'd out for the moment. Which ihave cone to realise is fine. I'm also nursing a slight cold that has given me a pretty persistent headache and I think an occasional fever. So a couple hours of sitting around is going to probably be a good thing. Edinburgh is absolutely beautiful. I'm thinking of going farther north to Dundee or somewhere smaller for my day off, though. Or I can just let other people make a plan instead. I find myself annoyed with how I make plans so often. It's like I've lost some of my adventurous spirit or something.

Yesterday I spent a decent amount of time sitting at the back of the st. Giles kirk (church) staring at a statue of an angel holding a shell made of marble. It took me a decent amount of time (until today, actually) for me to realise that it was a baptismal font. It was absolutely beautiful.

Anyways, many churches to visit and museums to go to. Tomorrow we'll be off to cambuslang and Glasgow. Next day - the highlands!

One thing is for sure - grad school over here is looking more and more like a possibility.

goodbye, London. Hello, York!

Recent adventures: Oxford, the British Museum of Natural History (SO COOL), Church services, St. Paul's Cathedral, etc.

Overall, I am thinking that though I love London, there is something I enjoy about being in a smaller town or city (coming from me, a strange thought). I am also slowly being convicted in my faith to deepen my relationships with friends. Let me tell you, going to church as often as I have in the last few days has actually been a very nice change. It's not something that I think is boring or dull, not even the High Mass services at some of the Anglican churches we've gone too. I think I am slowly realizing that I, like many others, just really like to have control in my life, and one thing I can't control is my relationships with Christ. It's all Him. I also think that I shy away from a deep relationship with Him because I am afraid. I feel like He's going to ask me to do things that I don't want to do and say things I won't want to here, which will definitely happen since I am so indecisive and don't like taking risks. For all that I say I'm not really sure how to make deep friendships, I'm just terrified by them because they are so risky, and you WILL be let down.

Also, England is amazing. Period.

A dreary day in London town

I have safely been in London (and with the group) for three days now and am having an absolute ball. I can't write much - others want to use the computer - but I'll give you some highlights of the last few days.

• British National Gallery - free admission to see thousands of paintings that are fantastic. Best moment was realizing there was a painting of Venus right next to a picture of an Archbishop who was looking at the other portrait (it seemed) quite condescendingly. 
• Tower of London - they were having an armour exhibit from Henry VIII's time onwards. Pretty sweet. The national mint also had an exhibition, and of course, the crown jewels.
• British National Library Manuscript room - saw things like the Lindisfarne Gospels, 1st ed. KJV bible, Original works by Jane Austin, Caucer's Canterbury tales, original scores by Handel, Mozart and Bach, the Beatles song writing sheets/napkins/birthday cards.
• Westminster Abbey - we went to the traditional high mass Evensong to celebrate the Epiphany - the arrival of the wisemen and end of the Christmas season. It was absolutely beautiful.
• Theater district - I'm excited to go see Les Mis.
• Slept - Something I have actually done, PTL. Thank you inventors of Tylenol PM, you are wonderful.
• What have I learned? SO much. Including how useful my Tube app for my ipod is.

another last day

I have to say, I now have a lot more respect for my parents. When you are on vacation with your family and you have to be the one saying goodbye to everyone (they're all leaving you), it really sucks. Not to mention, when you aren't leaving right away for somewhere new, you have too much time on your hands and very little to do. Though I have definitely been keeping busy reading a book and such things.

It is yet again packing time. In the next two days, I will have packed and re-packed probably twice. Three times if you include packing two days ago to move over to the Self's apartment. Tonight's packing is geared towards flight. Tomorrow's packing will be to make living out of a suitcase more bearable, less digging through all my clothes. The bag method has worked well for me: putting pants in one bag and shirts in another (the ones that push all the air out of the bag so they are compressed). Packing and unpacking seem to be the story of my life, but it really isn't so bad. I enjoy seeing new things and meeting new people all the time.

A few thoughts on Abu Dhabi as a city. First of all, it really isn't all that exciting. Actually, the Emirates aren't all that exciting. People mostly shop for fun and it isn't the best place to be a woman (though it isn't half as bad as Saudi). For instance, we were walking down on the cornice the other day and honestly, I haven't felt as uncomfortable as I did in a very long time. A lot of the men who were down there (and there were a LOT of men) come to work from places like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and other places in South Asia and the Middle East. Many have families, but they are back in their home countries, rather than in the UAE with them. Thus, women tend to get a lot of stares.

The UAE also has a lot of wealth, mostly from oil revenue (something like 12.5% of the world's oil) and they really have no qualms about showing it, especially since only about 15% of the population in the Emirates are Emiratie and get all of the money. They build like crazy (as can be seen in the ever-changing skylines of Abu Dhabi and Dubai), light 200 km stretches of road in the middle of the desert, run fountains at almost every intersection and have a plethora of grass and petunias growing all over the city. And they claim to be green (they're hosting a clean energy conference in about 10 days or something). Most of the energy used to light the city comes from the burning up of oil when they could focus their money into making use of solar power (which there is a lot of - again, the desert) to run the lights and such things. There really is a flare towards the ostentatious and extravagant here. People drive Bentley's, Maserati's, Porsche's and Maybach's. They live in luxury palaces that line the roads, hidden behind their 15 to 20 foot walls. And when you see the discrepancy between that wealth and the treatment of the people who work for the wealthy, it really is sad. Sometimes, you just wish you could shove the idea into the heads of the spoiled young men that there are people who really need the money, it's not just a bunch of zero's that mean nothing.