OTP (6) -- some humor from Hackney

"Love Poem" by Banksy

Beyond watching eyes
With sweet and tender kisses
Our souls reached out to each other
In breathless wonder

And when I awoke
From a vast and smiling peace
I found you bathed in morning light
Quietly studying
All the messages on my phone

OTP (6) -- Cultural Imperialism (both imports and exports)

I'm not sure if this happens to everyone, but whenever I'm here in the UK, I always find things that I wish I could import back to the States on a grand scale.

• I'd bring back the beautiful window boxes which seem to exists absolutely everywhere. They adorn houses, restaurants, and lots of other public buildings. And they always seem to look beautiful, whatever the time of year.
• I'd teach everyone to make tea like they do here -- usually by the pot, and when they pour, they leave enough room for you to add milk without it spilling over the rim.
• I'd introduce pub culture. I ate dinner Friday night at a pub in Edinburgh, and was interested to see all these folks at the same pub: 1) 2 elderly women eating a sandwich dinner, 2) 3 academic types (one was carrying a work by Foucault) discussing something esoteric and sipping pints), and 3) a table of hevily pierced, tattooed, mohawked fellas watching sports and being mildly rowdy. I just LOVE that all these folks felt at home in the same place.

And conversely, there are things which I wish I could bring to the UK.

• I'd bring enough "mixer valves" to install in each and every faucet in the country. That is, the contraption that allows you to mix the hot & cold water before it comes out of the faucet. I get so tired of washing my hands or my face or brushing my teeth, and having to alternate between the cold and hot taps. First you freeze, then you scald, then freeze, then scald, etc. Bleah.

OTP (6), day 9 -- Quick update

In Edinburgh.

Conference went well.

No one laughed at my paper.

In bed, exhausted.

Headed to London tomorrow.

Until then.

OTP (6), day 8 -- Time flies when you're having fun

It always happens. I find myself packing for the train out of Durham and wonder, "Didn't I just get here??" Well, here are some of the other interesting things I did when I wasn't studying.

• I got to watch Maeve and two colleagues work on a project/grant from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on 'The Media, Poverty, and Public Opinion in the UK." It was fascinating to hear about ways in which media, both traditional and "new media", can be used to shape public opinion -- positive and negative -- on poverty. People like Daniel Meadows at Photobus are using digital storytelling to empower people to tell their own story in their own way. Maeve & her friends did a presentation that evening in the St. Chad's Senior Common Room, which was great and very well attended.


• I attended a postgraduate seminar on "Trees in Tarkovsky's Work" by Prof. Gerard Loughlin.


• I watched children from a local school prepare for a concert in the Cathedral. It's nice to see the way that this magnificent World Heritage site is incorporated in the daily life of the community.


• I went to a formal dinner at St. Chad's College and sat the Reverend Canon Rosalind Brown, the "residentiary canon" of the Cathedral. She also used to be part of a group called Community of Celebration outside Pittsburgh, which sounds strikingly similar to Communality (yes, in more than just the name).

Sorry for all the links in this post. It's all just so interesting.

OTP (6), day 7 -- What else should I do between papers?

It seems there’s always something interesting going on in Durham. This time, there’s a fascinating exhibit at the Cathedral entitled On Being Human, created by South African artist Jane Alexander and featuring her ideas about the Bom Boys, children who live on the Streets of Cape Town. Check out the website through the link – it’s quite something.

Also, Robert (my advisor) and others are becoming involved in Climate Durham, an initiative to help reduce the city’s carbon footprint.

OTP (6), day 7 -- What should I do between papers?

Through some stroke of luck, I have arrived in Durham during the most glorious spring weather. The sun has shone almost every day, bringing to my awareness the beautiful, vibrant green of the lawns, the vivid yellow of the daffodils and the blooming forsythia, the heather flowering a deep violet. The temperatures have stayed in the mid-60s, absolutely perfect for sitting on the Palace Green, as I’m doing now.

It’s easy to forget about the charmed aspects of life as a college student. As I sit here and write, there are dozens of students lounging on the Green – eating pastries from The Almshouses on the Green, discussing their end of term papers, young couples holding hands or napping together. Most interesting to me is the group of guys playing a passionate game of croquet on the lawn. This is not something you’d see in the States. (Maeve has just informed me that you wouldn't see it most places in the UK, either. "It's a class thing," she said.)

OTP (6) -- Proud of my (future) alma mater

The Department of Theology and Religion here at Durham got some exciting news this spring. Apparently, they are the top ranked theology department in the UK for research and publications. That's actually very cool.

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(from the Durham U website)
Department Receives Top RAE Rankings

The Department of Theology and Religion is pleased to announce that in the Research Assessment Exercise for 2008, it has been ranked at no. 1 among all departments of theology and religion in the UK in two categories: (a) the highest percentage of publications at 4* (world-leading research) and (b) the highest Grade Point Average for these publications. This is a major achievement, which confirms Durham University's position as a front-rank institution for Theology and Religion and reflects its continuing leadership in the academic discipline.

************************************************

Good thing I was accepted before they received this accolade and could start getting picky!

OTP (6), day 6 -- Grandeur

Tonight, I went to Evensong, then had dinner at La Tasca, a Spanish tapas restaurant on the Bailey. Afterwards, I walked up the cobbled streets to my friend’s flat, and cut through the Palace Green between the castle & the cathedral. As I entered the Green in the darkness of late evening, I was amazed, yet again, by the grandeur of the cathedral. Enormous, majestic, frontlit by spotlights, with tombstones on the lawn dating back to the 1200s. Even on my 10th visit, I just can’t get enough.

It's arrived -- Over The Pond, volume 6

Someone said recently that I should change the name of this blog to Over The Pond, since that's the only time I seem to blog consistently. Point taken.

So here I am, again, in Durham. Usually I try to blog at the outset of the trip, but somehow there's no wireless in the Charlotte International Airport (not even for purchase). And when I got to my bed & breakfast for the weekend, nothing there either. So here it is -- Tuesday, day 4 of OTP (6), and I'm trying to get caught up.

This trip has been a bit of a blur so far, probably because the week previous was somewhat crazy. However, the actual departure day was lovely and relaxed -- somehow I'd packed the evening before, so Miranda & I were able to watch Sesame Street, and paint, and dig the garden bed & plant snap peas, and walk to the Meadowthorpe Cafe for lunch. It was wonderful, such good quality time with my girl. Then off to the airport at 2pm, where I caught a plane to Charlotte and on to London.

I spent my first nights at my old standby, the Castle View Guest House in Durham. It does indeed have a view of both the Castle and the Cathedral, plus a lovely garden when one can relax, read about Augustine, or just do nothing in particular. It's nice to be staying there for the 4th time, and have them recognize me and say, "Oh, hello, back again? How are the studies?" That just feels good after a long flight & journey up from London. The English breakfasts were also nice -- bacon, sausage, baked beans, eggs, toast, grilled tomatoes, & wonderful tea. Very sustaining.








I had dinner twice at the Cafe Rouge alongside the river Wear. The food was lovely -- caramelized onion & gruyere cheese bread, spinach tartlets, creme brulee & cappuccino. I was amused to see a young couple eat about half their entrees, then step outside and smoke for about 15 minutes, then return and finish their meals. I'm fairly sure that in the States, their table would have been cleared.


On Sunday morning, I walked about 20 yards down the street to St. Margaret of Antioch, a parish church there in Durham. It's pictured there on the left, and is literally a stone's throw from my bed & breakfast. It was small and welcoming, and the high church liturgy was just perfect for the setting. It was also nice to see a pile of toys in the back corner, where young kids & their mums could peacefully coexist with the rest of the worshippers.

I'm now staying with my friend Maeve, who's another of Robert's students. She's studying the theological bases for Church of England education, which is interesting to discuss as an American, with our stricter separation of church & state.

I'm trying to be witty -- I'm trying! But it's late, and I have some work to finish, and an early meeting tomorrow with Robert. But at least I can compose the daily highlights, days 1-4:

• Having a truly fabulous meal -- pulled pork, fried okra, greens, hushpuppies, & my first fried pickle -- at the Charlotte airport. The last time I flew through there, I was 14 weeks pregnant & was just emerging from morning sickness. And the food was just as good as I'd remembered.
• Staying close enough to the Cathedral (around 50 yards) that you can really hear the bells calling you in for the Daily Office
• Being here 4 nights, and already having dinner twice with Robert & the family
• The lovely, lovely spring weather
• Sprays of daffodils on the castle lawn
• Taking Communion in a church built in 1153
• Hearing Miranda squeal with delight during our first call on Skype
• Not having Miranda cry & ask me to come home during our first call on Skype
• Just being back in Durham. Hello, old friend.
  

Over the Pond (5), day 13 -- Comings and goings

Please bear with me -- I do have a couple of posts in the works about my academic progress while in England, and a couple other things. We have houseguests and our community's 10-yr celebration this weekend, and after that I'll get caught up.

I've been trying to decide whether is more enjoyable -- the journey across the pond or the journey home. In some ways I vote for the outgoing journey:

• I'm excited about getting a break from childcare and having several days of uninterrupted adult time.


• I've usually been working hard in preparation for leaving, so the relief of just sitting in the airport or on the plane is more acute.


• I usually have several books that I've been saving to read while I'm gone, so breaking into the first one feels like opening the first of all the Christmas presents.


• It's the beginning of the trip, so I'm just excited in general. That first day away feels like the first book -- the first of many exciting days away.

However, this time the journey home felt much more restful.

• It's always more relaxing at the end of the trip. While I'm usually fretting over schoolwork on the outgoing flight, I tend to take a break on the way home, so I can read those non-school books or watch those movies with peace of mind.


• The flight doesn't represent one "night" of sleep, so I'm less concerned about actually getting some sleep, and more able to relax with a fun diversion.

Anyway... coming home was so relaxing this time around. (Come to think of it, it was last March as well. Two blessings in a row!) I was somehow upgraded to Economy Plus, with extra leg room, and then I had the two seats by the window to myself, as the flight was only half-full. The plane was somewhat chilly, so I drank a glass of wine, snuggled under a blanket, relaxed on the window and let the warm morning sun shine on my neck and shoulders. It sounds silly to describe it now, but it was utterly blissful. I did the crossword, dozed, read parts of Stumbling on Happiness and Acedia & Me, and watched the X-Files movie.

Whereas I usually have a long layover in Chicago O'Hare, this time it was a mere 3 1/2 hours, which is actually the perfect length of time to accomplish the following:

• deplane


• get through Passport Control


• collect my luggage


• get through Customs


• recheck my luggage


• take the train to my next terminal


• realize, once again, that I'm at the wrong terminal to get my next boarding pass; walk to that terminal, collect boarding pass, and walk back


• proceed through security once again (since I left the "secure" area when I left the international terminal)


• locate a Chili's on the way to my Lexington gate, have a burger and check email


• get to my gate with 30 minutes to spare before boarding

This is very doable and stress-free. Which is good, because I inevitably crash sometime around now. By then, it's around midnight England time, and my body's ready to sleep, but I still have several hours before reaching home. But my shorter layover meant that I arrived into Lexington around 9:00, where someone was anxious to regain her mommy. Although I'd mentioned to Billy that they could stay home (as I was delayed until 9:45pm), he said that she was looking forward to "getting my mommy from the big airplane." They watched my plane taxi to the gate, and while Billy collected my bags, I was subjected to the delighted cries, kisses, and snuggles of a Wunchie. The best part of the trip home?

"I missed you so much while you were gone, Momma. So much. So SO much. And then you came back to me!"

No question about it -- arriving is better than departing.

Over the Pond (5), day 12 -- Hackney as bookend, and as a potluck of great experiences

As I often do, I spent the last day of my trip with the Turners in the London Borough of Hackney. Not much of a day, actually, as I arrived just in time to help get the kids from school. Rachel, her mother-in-law and I walked through the drizzling rain and collected the kids, with me marvelling at the intercultural nature of their school. For instance, there are 18 languages spoken in the various homes of Eve's classmates -- English, French, Spanish, German, Yiddish, Fante, Twi, Igbo, Yoruba, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, Turkish, Tagalog, Arabic, and three others I can't remember.

After getting caught in a rainstorm on the way home, we made dinner for about 10 guests, families from the neighborhood. It was a great time, and I had a nice time cuddling with their 4-yr-old Eve. Then we put all the kids to bed, and I read a few pages before heading to bed. The next morning, I just had time for tea and toast with Andy and the kids before Rachel took me to Mile End Tube station, where I caught a train to Paddington Station and then to Heathrow.

It seems that I either begin or end my trips in Hackney; it's like a bookend to my trip abroad. And there's always something interesting going on, someone interesting to talk to. Here's a sampling of some of the things I've done while with the Turners in Hackney.

• taking long, lovely walks through the Docklands and Hackney Marsh with Rachel, discussing all kinds of things


• using too much soap in the washing-up, each and every time


• eating takeaway curry and kebabs with Billy after Greenbelt


• walking with Rachel to get the kids from school, seeing all the interesting sites in Hackney


• sleeping in Jessie's room, sleeping in Millie & Eve's room, sleeping in the lodger's room, sleeping in the lounge, sleeping in the cellar


• fixing tea (dinner) with Rachel -- for us, for the kids, for 10 dinner guests


• sleeping late


• watching Angela's Ashes and Notting Hill by myself


• watching Doctor Who with Rachel and Millie


• watching Starter for Ten with Rachel and her friend (whose name escapes me)


• blogging


• visiting the Tate Modern museum


• doing laundry


• chatting with their lodgers (boarders) -- Rachel, Matsui, Nathan, John

A few years ago I told a man who was considering moving in, "You'll never have a dull day in this house." Fortunately, I've always known that to be true. Until next time!

Over the Pond (5), day 11 -- Breast Pump Woman

Some of you may remember this post (and this post) from the first season of Over the Pond, July 2006. Well, thanks to this series of events, I have a seemingly permanent nickname in Harrogate -- Breast Pump Woman.

On Sunday afternoon in Harrogate, Pete and Catherine took me to a birthday party of a family from their parish. As we prepared to leave, Catherine said, "Oh, you'll have fun tonight -- this party is being hosted by Tim -- you know, Breast Pump Guy." Apparently, the story of Tim having to send part of my breast pump to me in London, back in July 2006, has garnered quite a following. (His wife, Sue, was also described as "the wife of Breast Pump Guy.") So, as we got to the party, Tim came out to greet us, and Catherine said, "Tim, this is our friend Maria - -you remember Maria, hee hee hee." Tim and I shook hands and laughed, and I said, "We meet at last." Oh well, I thought, at least that's over. Then as we entered the party and began to circulate, Catherine would reply to anyone who asked how we knew each other with, "Oh, she's a friend from the States -- and Tim had to send her her breast pump once." Talk about your raised eyebrows. At least their friends were all totally cool. It was great fun.

So that's me -- Breast Pump Woman.

Over the Pond (5), day 11 -- Filling in the corners

My Sunday in Harrogate was all about rest and recuperation. After our blissful, Enthusiast day in York, I got a lovely night's sleep, then awoke just in time to beg off of church and get a lovely morning's sleep. I woke, and dozed, and woke, and dozed, and slept, and dozed a bit more. It was just what I needed; I'd been rising early each morning to work on my writing, and was actuely aware of the luxury of resting until noon. In his books, Tolkien describes the hobbits concluding their meals by nibbling and nibbling, "filling up the corners." That's exactly what I did on Sunday, and it was wonderful.

After Pete and Catherine returned, each having preached that morning, Catherine and I drank tea and checked email and chatted by the fire while Pete fixed a yummy lunch of sausage and mustard mash, baked beans, poached eggs, and homemade bread. We all dozed in front of our computers before stopping by a friend's birthday party (more on that later). We then opted not to attend Evensong (Enthusiast malfunction) and returned to the house for more dozing, tea, and conversation.

They then went to dinner at another friend's while I remained behind. Catherine said, "You're not invited tonight, so you can stay home, rest and read." How did she know? Pete very proudly displayed the goodies he'd bought me for dinner -- tinned chicken curry and treacle sponge, the latter of which I decided to bring home and enjoy with the family. I stayed home, ate curry with cream crackers, apples and dates, talked to my friend Christine, and watched Fiddler on the Roof. It was a lovely day.

The next morning, Pete and I drove to Leeds, where he had a meeting and I caught the train to London. Although I wish these folks were still living in the States, I'm enjoying seeing another side of them, and another aspect of England, as they make their home in Harrogate.

In case you're wondering about my connection to Pete and Catherine, they are friends from the New Monastic network and are members of the Northumbria Community, which I've visited on previous trip OTP (see here, here, and here).

Over the Pond (5), day 9 -- Enneagram Sevens of the world, unite!!

I've almost lost track of where we are in OTP (5). What with blogging about the election, college football, and wayward bats, I've sort of lost the thread of the trip's narrative. Maybe we can get back on schedule.

I stayed in Durham longer this trip than I have any other time, Sunday evening to Saturday morning. It was really nice to finish work with Robert early Friday afternoon, then wander down to the Market Square for fish & chips, a bit of shopping, and some mental decompression. Then Evensong and dinner with Maeve, where we talked about our week and the ups & downs of doctoral work.

The next morning, I boarded a train to spend the weekend with New Monastic friends Pete & Catherine (see their beautiful faces above). They live in Harrogate but wanted to spend the day exploring York. We started with a lovely Thai meal, then a jaunt through the shopping sector; I wanted to find one of those denim miniskirts that young Brits wear with tights and boots -- it's a very cool look.


However, we had no luck, so for solace Pete took us to The Whisky Shop, where I purchased some 23 year old scotch for Billy. Here's the Whisky Shop -- can you feel the good vibes?





We then spent several hours at the York Castle Museum, which was lots of fun and very informative.



We stopped to recharge with chai and hot chocolate at Borders book store, then saw the movie Easy Virtue with Jessica Biel, Kristen Scott Thomas, and Colin Firth. It was great fun and the first time I've actually laughed out loud at the movies (several times) in quite a while.

We finished the evening with dinner and a pint at The Olde Starre Inn, York's oldest pub. It was well worth the 40 minutes it took to actually get our order straight!

It was a fun day, not least because it was full of interesting sights and experiences. And Pete and I discovered that we're the same enneagram type; we're Sevens, the Enthusiasts who love to experience new things and live each day to the full. As Pete was outling what he'd had in mind for the day, I kept thinking, "This is just the sort of day I'd plan if I only had one day in York with an overseas friend!" So when Catherine mentioned the enneagram, I knew Pete and I were both Sevens.

It's interesting meeting another Seven who's in ministry; it's not a very common type of person in this vocation. Soemtimes we end up a bit ashamed of our Seven-ness, wondering if our zest for life is really just superficial and shallow. (And we did end up reading bits of an enneagram book aloud once we were back in Harrogate, and googling bits online and discussing them.) But for Saturday, we celebrated our enthusiasm for life's exciting journey, affirmed each other, and enjoyed every bite, every minute, everything.

Over the Pond (5), day 10 -- Hey, BBC, if you can cover the election returns, why can't you cover this??

Why, why did I have to choose this week to be out of the country? Not only did I miss our historic national election, but I missed my alma mater turning out two decisive victories in their quest for a national football title! First University of Texas, now Oklahoma State!

The New York Times did a surprisingly fun article about the game and Tech's pursuit of the title, bits of which I've quoted between the pictures.

"It is not easy to get to this dusty West Texas outpost," says the New York Times. "Only three commercial airlines fly directly here, which may not be surprising considering there is not a building taller than 14 stories. But for the next two weeks, Lubbock will continue its improbable role as a college football hub. No. 2 Texas Tech blasted No. 8 Oklahoma State, 56-20, on Saturday, solidifying its status as one of the most dominant teams in college football. "

" So get used to tortillas flying in the air, a bandit Texas Tech tradition that was revived after Crabtree’s third score. And get used to Guns Up, the traditional Texas Tech symbol, and Leach’s entertaining sound bites. "


"And for now,' concludes the New York Times, "the Big 12’s road to the national title goes through Lubbock. No matter how difficult it may be to get here."

Amen, and get your guns up!