5/31 – Platform 9 ¾ may have been a better option

What I did:

I woke up and had breakfast and all that and started getting ready for the day. All I really had planned for today was to ride the train to Birmingham to check out a service there called Sanctuary, which was a specific outreach to British Asians. So, I took my time getting ready and planned to leave my room right after lunch (about 2).

To my surprise, I stepped out of the shower and immediately heard knocking at my door. It was about 10:30 or so, so I rushed to get some clothes on and opened the door. Now, I had put out the Do Not Disturb sign so that the cleaning person could come back later. But, I saw that she was peaking down from the stairs (my room is oddly situated between floors 1 and 2 and apparently she had just given up and moved on to floor 2). I had not understood what she had been saying, and I still didn’t, but I finally agreed that she could come and clean my bathroom. I felt kind of bad since I had just used the shower, but she did it anyway. I also did not really know what to do, so I cleaned up a little and got on my computer. She continued to make up my bed and we made a little small talk, but then she left. It just really caught me off guard.

I continued to get ready and double and triple checked that I had everything that I would need for the trip to the church, and finally left just after 2. I knew that the train would take about an hour and a half and that it started at 4:30, so I was giving myself about 30 mins of leeway. Everything worked fairly well getting there – the tube stopped once and I had to switch, but I got on the train and had a nice long time to read. I saw some nice English countryside on the way out too. I arrived in Birmingham at 4 and quickly made my way to the church.

I did not really know what to expect, except that I knew it met in a pretty traditional church that also had services of its own. To my surprise again, I walked out into a very large and modern looking shopping center. I am not much of one for shopping centers, but this place was actually really cool. Not like our incredibly boring, shopping centers of row after row of nightmare. It was nice and hilly and had lots of cool steps and fountains. I heard some people singing some Christian songs so I went to check it out, because I had a little time to kill and found the Salvation Army singing and playing marching band instruments. It was fun and a lot of people had crowded around, but then they started just talking about God and the crowd dispersed. I left to, so I can’t really say anything about that, but I was ready to find the place. And I walked over the hill and saw a beautiful church overlooking the city. It was really a cool view. I figured that must be the place, so I walked and sat down and observed it for a while (I still had some time). Then I walked in and it opened to the sanctuary where a bunch of people were just looking around, like in all the churches in London that are also touristy.

I didn’t know where to go, so I walked around a little, walked back outside, decided to ask someone, then just decided to find it myself. And I went straight to it, it really wasn’t that hard after the first turn. They meet in the tea room/coffee bar area of the church which is sort of under the sanctuary. I arrived at the room and there were lots of multi-colored cloths draped around the walls and some tables and chairs set up. I immediately knew which guy was Pall, who was my only contact with the place, and he greeted me. Although I knew it was a place for British Asians, I couldn’t help but notice that there were more black and white people than anything. But I found out later that there were some guests from Nigeria, one of which actually preached, and that many members were gone this week. I also met a man named Brian who was somehow affiliated with the group as a head of some organization. I found out later that this was his last day in the city and soon he and his wife would be moving away.

The service was really great, but I won’t go into all the details here. There was a lot of prayer and interactional responses to things. One thing I did notice was that there was no singing. All the music that was played was in another language too. The preacher was really interesting and insightful, but before I knew it we were done. They did serve dinner afterward, which was some pasta that was good and some sort of batter that had vegetables in it. I asked what it was but that is about all I understood. I stayed and helped tear down everything and did not meet with Pall, because he had just spent the weekend in Cambridge and was ready to get home. We agreed to meet again soon (possibly on Wednesday), which I am greatly looking forward to. Overall, it was a very refreshing experience and a great way to, in a way, finally start what I came here to do (although I do believe that God has been doing things through me this entire week that are utterly important).

The train ride home was where my day got the most interesting though. Apparently, the train that was supposed to have left before the one I was planning on getting on was cancelled. So there were already some slightly frustrated people. Then, our train got moved to another platform. That wasn’t bad and we soon all got on that train. We sat for a while and finally a lady came on and said she did not know what was going on, but thought that it would be better to tell us that than nothing. She came on a little while later and said, “I am ashamed…I mean sorry…well, I am ashamed to say that this train has also been cancelled.” So, a whole train of people (many of whom were quite angry) got off to go to another platform to wait on a train that wound up being delayed 5 minutes. But, we got on and surprisingly I got a seat and that train actually left. But, there were so many people that at the next stop more people got on and someone had a ticket for my specific seat, so I got up and stood the rest of the ride in the corridor between trains. I probably could have found a seat, but that was good enough for me. Also, it is worth it to note that at one stop, we had to wait for the police to come intervene in some affair between a passenger and the conductor. That was all the info we were given on that. Oh, I did finish my book in all that though!

I finally got back around 10pm and easily made my way back to my room. What a day!

What I learned:

You need only a screen and an overcome to effectively herd people.

Sheep, if they were at all smart, would probably be pretty angry at being forced to go certain places over and over again (I guess the same is true for cattle, etc.); people sure can be.

There are always several ways to react to a situation gone wrong – shout obscenities or laugh. I tend to choose the latter.

I was told (and I think I am getting this right) that there are a few places in the world that genuinely accept Americans and this is one of them.

A lot of parents from both Britain and Africa have children in the States.

It is not bad to bank on public transportation, you just can’t be expected to not be let down sometimes.

Apparently, when driving a car with a chimpanzee inside in a lightning storm, the chimp is liable to get scared, throw you out of the driver’s seat into the back and take the wheel for a while before crashing your car.

5/30 - I think I was prepared for this

What I did:

I woke up in time for breakfast today and did not fall back asleep when I got back. Then I got ready and decided to take a pretty long trip today. I grabbed a sandwich and headed off for the train station to try that out. It was a lot easier to figure out than I thought it would be and before I knew it I was off.

I traveled to Chingford station where I got off and walked about a mile and a half to Gilwell Park (I felt that I had to go being a boy scout and all – it is a very important scout camp and leader training center).

I got there and just walked into the camp. Apparently there is the scout activity center with campgrounds and all that and there is also a conference center. The two parts of the camp are very different and obviously budgeted differently, with the conference center being very nice and a place to have wedding receptions (which I think is what was going on today). People were walking around in suits and the buildings are all very nice. I walked around for a little while in the camp then walked in the conference center reception to see where I needed to go. The lady there told me to walk around the street to the camp headquarters which was tucked back away. This part of the camp was more “campish” (trans. Not as nice?). I told some people I was there and wanted to look around, and they opened up the museum and gave me some maps. I walked into the museum, which was really more of a collection of things it seems they had collected from other people around Europe and elsewhere. More of a collection than a museum (as if a museum is not a collection, um...it at least did not present any informatin about the camp or its history...but I suppose a museum doesn't necessarily have to do that either...oh well). And it was really small. So I then went and walked around the camp, they had several things like a cast of Baden Powell’s (the founder of Boy Scouts, for those who don’t know) footprint, a bust of Powell, his carriage. So I just walked around and tried my best to avoid the other scouts that were there camping. It was really kind of amazing how easily I just walked in.

Overall, it seemed like any normal, small camp. It had several sites and some ropes stuff, climbing tower, pool. It was really small though. I didn’t really know what to expect, but it did not take me as long to look through it as I thought it might. So, after I had seen enough I started my walk back.

I almost got back and I noticed that there was a small carnival. There was a bunch of moveable rides. I did not have any desire to go to it, but I did see a nice big field behind it with some people sitting out. So I went and rested there for a little while and read some. It was really nice, and would have been perfect for a kite (and there were some people out there flying some small remote control planes). After I stayed there a while I walked back to the train station and went back to central London. I decided to just go straight back to my hotel, and on the way there were some really funny guys on the tube. One guy accidently gave another guy some wrong advice and didn’t realize it until we had just left the stop and everyone gave him a hard time (you definitely had to be there). I realized it was one of the first times I had really laughed since I got here, which was very refreshing.

Then I came back to plan my day tomorrow (I am finally going to meet with someone and check out a service, which I am extraordinarily excited about) and I wound up watching some rugby and the finals of Britain’s Got Talent.

Also, I have been hearing the chirping of a certain type of bird all over the place – in the park and especially around the street right by my hotel. I know it is the same type of bird because it chirps a song that is the same tune as some commercial’s jingle. I can’t remember what commercial though – I just get that tune stuck in my head over and over again!

What I learned:

Community is really important because it makes you laugh which is in itself very important.

There are really not that many people who are so tied to their phones as in America, especially SMU. I really don’t see that many people here on cell phones (although I am sure I don’t have a very good sample).

Scouting is pretty similar everywhere.

There is a difference between bodily rest (i.e. vegging out in front of the tv for hours, which does provide some instant satisfaction to tired bodies) and soul rest (i.e. really connecting with God in, say, a beautiful sunny field). I think the first is much easier to do, and often becomes a default, especially when tired, but that the later is much more powerful and meaningful and truly restful.

As much as I like my Chacos, walking in shoes is much easier and comfortable for long distances.

Jacket potatoes are delicious, and really big.

America definitely has a leg up on the dance crew acts in comparison to Britain. But, Diversity was still entertaining.

Apparently, cows are more dangerous than I thought!

5/29 - If you want to...

and if you are really really bored, I think it would be fun to see what you think my day was like. If you can find any sort of meaning in the photos, any narrative that could describe my day, feel free to comment and let me know. I promise I am not just full of myself, I think it will be fun to see what you have to say. And of course, I will let you know if you are right or not. :)

5/29 - A picture’s worth a thousand words or I just had too much to say today

I decided to do a photo journal of my day today. All these pictures are from the British Museum, but they chronicle my day chronologically (I did not necessarily see these things in this order, and it is about what happened before, during, and after my trip to the museum). It is open for your interpretation, but I did not just select these randomly, and I had decided to do this before I took these pictures, so they are intentional in just about every way. Enjoy!

5/28 – Finally some rest? Sort of

What I did:

I woke up more enthusiastically today for breakfast and managed to sneak away a bag of cereal for a possible snack later (which I realize probably sounds much less impressive than it felt like to me at the time). Then I went back to my room and wound up falling asleep again for 2 hours. I did not want to, but it just happened. Nevertheless, I finally woke up and got a move on. I went to the Tube station and decided to go out and check out all the Wesley stuff.

So, I made it out there and after going the wrong way only once (but getting some lunch in the process). I went to Wesley’s chapel, which is also right next to the house he lived in for the last part of his life. I walked into the church and looked around. There were a lot of memorials to other people in and around the church and it seemed pretty cluttered. Yet, it was still a nice sanctuary and felt very homey. I then walked down to the bathroom, mainly because someone told me that I really needed to check it out because it was cool. So I went to see for myself. It was cool, although I don’t know if I would say that is a must for anyone else’s trip to England. Then I went out to John Wesley’s grave and walked around the chapel. When I got to the front I got out the map to find where the museum is, and a guy sweeping outside asked if I wanted to see the house. So, I said yes and he said that a tour had just started, so I joined them. The guy giving the tour was really good and I learned a lot about John Wesley’s personality and just how “methodical” he really was (even to the point of organization and daily schedule). It made me think that I might not really get along with him very much, or at least that he was probably not very much like me. He had a pretty cool house and then we went back through the chapel some and into the museum, which was small but interesting.

I left there and tried to find Aldersgate St. especially the place where John Wesley had his turning point. I looked all around, and only found a church that had some plaque to the Wesley brothers. I decided it was not worth it to keep looking, so I got on the tube and went to some parks. I got really sleepy on the tube, but made it to a stop and got off. I then started walking, although I did not really know where. I eventually stopped and looked at my map and realized that I really should have waited two more stops on the tube. So, I kept walking. Eventually I got to the parks I was destined for, and walked around a little. It was nice and I finally found a spot to sit down and pray and read some. It was really good and much more restful than any of the sleep I unintentionally got today.

I then found some dinner and got on a tube to go home. When I got off at the station I intended to switch to another line, but found that the two I could take were both down. So, I decided to walk since it would not have been a terribly long walk. I again set out, not really knowing where I was going and after a while checked my map, turned around, and kept walking (I am beginning to understand why that analogy is so often used with repentance and now understand how tiring and how much work turning around and walking back where you came from is). After a while I saw a bus station and decided that it would be fun to try a bus (and nice on my feet, not to mention I still did not really know where I was going), so I spent some time figuring that out, and finally got on a bus that I at least expected to take me to the right place. And, sure enough it did. So I finally made it home and relaxed to some amusing British TV and tea.

What I learned:

It really is better to look at your map before your start walking somewhere, unless you want to walk a lot. (Although you wouldn’t get to see some interesting stuff that way).

Some people (who I assume are Methodists) really really really like the Wesleys and all that concerns them. Two men on the tour with me really were interested in every aspect of Wesley’s life and probably knew about as much as the tour guide.

Dogs all act the same no matter what country they are from.

Apparently it is one of my neighbors’ across the street birthday today.

5/27 – Because I don’t have anything better to talk about, yet

What I did:

I woke up to another very dark and dreary morning and again the only thing that really got me out of bed was breakfast. I went a little later today and it was more crowded, but it was fun to see the other people staying in the hotel with me (up to this point I had not really seen many people here). After breakfast I came back and piddled around my room some more trying to figure out what I would do with my day. By 12:00 I finally decided to head out.

I headed down toward Shakespeare’s Globe and I passed by it and headed on to The Tate Modern museum of modern art. I spent most of my day here finding it to be much larger than I expected. It was also much more crowded than I expected. It is really great how so many museums and art galleries are free here. I think it draws a much larger audience, plus it is nice for people like me who just don’t want to spend any money. I really liked this museum and I surprisingly recognized many of the artists. It was overwhelming and I feel like I could have spent a whole day in each of the 4 halls, but I did not have that time so I did rush a little. There was also a lot there that I did not understand and did not even know where to begin. I really cool exhibit was about a cartoon, Ana Lee(?), and her struggle for identity that has apparently received a lot of attention from other artists. I wish I had had more time to look at it, but it was really interesting what I did see.


Anyway, after I finally left there, I went back to see the Globe again and then went across a millennium footbridge straight to St. Paul’s Cathedral. I walked around it a lot looking also for something that Erin’s mom told me about, but I couldn’t remember or find it. Then I got some dinner and ate it in the garden area around the cathedral. It was nice and I also saw a statue there of John Wesley.

I then got on the tube and went to check out Buckingham Palace, which I somehow missed when I was right over there yesterday. I walked around it a little, but was not that impressed. The building itself was pretty boring. The stuff around it was more ornate though.



Then I went through the Green Park and saw my first British squirrel. I also saw a bunch of war monuments before getting back on the underground. Then I came home and got lost a second time at Paddington station because it is so huge. Overall not a hugely exciting day, but not bad either. But then, after I got back to the hotel I started watching TV and there was a segment on one of the channels that was talking about Texas and windmill energy. They were focusing on Sweetwater, TX (which is where Isaac is from) and had a hilarious stick figure drawn with a Texas bandana and cowboy hat.

What I learned:

Londoners love to run. I saw runners all day even in the crappy rainy weather.

Today was a big football match (Manchester U. and Barcelona). Unfortunately I did not find out until the game had just ended.

Modern art is really fun, but can sometimes make you think too much, maybe? Sometimes I found I was not even enjoying the art but instead racking my brain over it.

5/26 – Getting to know the place

What I did:

I woke up early in time to get the complementary breakfast at the hotel. It was raining which almost convinced me to stay in bed and not even try to go out today. Nevertheless, I thought food was worth it, so I climbed down. They had tea! Other than that it was like any continental breakfast. After eating I came back and got ready to go (the rain had cleared up). I then decided it was finally time to call and get my toilet checked out. To my utter shame and embarrassment the lady receptionist answered (it is her and a guy that switch off). Furthermore, the maintenance man was gone for the day, so she had to come up and have a look at it. But, she just fiddled with the stuff in the top and got it to work, so it wasn’t too bad.

Then, off I went to get my Oyster Card and to travel the city. The first train I got on was the wrong one, so I had to get off at the next stop and wait for the correct one. It came 10 minutes later and was packed, so I waited so more. Before it came a woman asked me how long I had been waiting and quickly realized I was American (although I think she was too). After finally getting on the right train (it came just a couple of minutes later) I headed to Westminster station. I got there and had no clue what was what or where to go, but being too proud to just whip out my map I just walked around aimlessly for a while snapping a few photos here and there. I finally figured it out and walked down Parliament/Whitehall Street. I saw Big Ben and some government stuff and walked into Trafalgar Square. I walked around the national gallery and then had lunch at the Crypt Café at St. Martin in the Fields Church. After I finished, I wanted to go to the concert that church does at 1, but still had some time to kill, so I walked north and kind of lost myself in China town of all places. When I got there I turned around and finally made it back to the church a couple of minutes before one and got a horrible seat behind a big pillar. But I could still hear, which is what matters. It was a trio (piano, violin, cello) playing pieces by Haydn. It was good and nice to get off my feet for a while.

After this I again had some time to kill before a tour started at the National Gallery, so I walked northeast and found the Victoria Embankment Gardens which were not that impressive. So I made my way back to the National Gallery for the guided tour, which was great. The lady took us to 4 places in the museum and talked about four paintings in great depth at the same time giving us some history to the establishment. After this, I looked through the Gallery myself for 2 ½ more hours and still did not see everything. It is huge! I definitely tried though and wore myself out doing so. They had a special exhibit on some Picasso stuff which was interesting and the whole thing was definitely worth it. Then I walked back out to decide where to go next.

I decided to get on the Tube again and go way up to see the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, which apparently in not London Bridge (which is the next one over and not near as impressive. The tower was like any castle and I really liked just walking down the Thames better. So I walked down, got to another Tube station and went back to Trafalgar Square. I decided I would eat at the next Subway I saw, which happened very quickly and then I walked down the Mall and into St. James’s Park. This was by far my favorite part of the day. I walked in and found a tree to sit down by and prayed. Then I looked around and there were lots of people there just sitting and talking or playing football or Frisbee. I really wanted to, and almost did, join in the Frisbee game, but I kept going.

I went to my last stop which was the new Scotland Yard (not that cool) and then to get a better look at Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. So I was brought full circle and got back on where I first got off to go home. I am now exhausted and have lots more fun ahead of me.


What I learned:

Over 50 people (52) got seriously injured last year because they did not “mind the gap” on the rail system. This message now plays over and over and over again at every station. lol

Apparently the Underground Tube is a great place to sleep. I spotted 4 sleepers today (one of which fell asleep on someone else who was a stranger). I could not help but laugh.

Brits love Subway! This was fun news to me. There is a subway on almost every block in the city (no joke). They are only surpassed by Starbucks. (I don’t know about McDonald’s which does have a commanding presence, but I just did not notice as many of them).

People can tell that I am American as soon as I open my mouth. One lady did.

2 ½ hours of artwork from 13th to early 20th centuries is a lot. But the paintings get neither old nor more interesting.

London is much windier than I thought.

Traveling (especially sightseeing) is much more fun and interesting in a group.

5/25 – I’m here (I made it)

What I did:

I got into London at about 1pm and hauled all my stuff to my hotel. Everything worked out perfectly and I had no problems. After settling in some, I walked around. I decided to buy my Oyster card (public transportation pass) later and just walked around the area I was staying to look for a bank. I forgot it was a bank holiday, but found an ATM nonetheless. I also realized that I must be staying in the Arab area of town. That or there are a ton of Arab people here. Almost every other shop title is in Arabic and almost everyone (a little bit of an exaggeration) was smoking from these big containers. I walked back to my hotel to wait for dinner and discovered my toilet didn’t flush. Then I went back out for dinner. I did not really discover anything new this time, but I did walk farther. I finally settled on some fish and chips (I didn’t really want the other option of Indian food) and took it back to my room to eat. I watched a special on the Carpenters after some local news and then I spent the rest of the night on my computer. I am now overwhelmed with possibilities of churches to visit and meet with from all over the place, in a very good way. There are a ton registered through Fresh Expressions. I also found a great opportunity called FEAST Day to visit in a couple of weeks where many of the leaders will all be together.

What I learned:

Globalization means comfort and discomfort. It brings together both things I know well (fast food, which seems to be the American contribution to globalization) and things I know nothing about (like Arab dominated restaurants and markets).

Banks are closed on Memorial Day even over here.

#1

Well, here it goes. This is my first shot at a blog, so hopefully it will develop into something worth reading over time.