We had been invited to go to a church service at the St. Andrews, a Church of England congregation. The church was beautiful and the service was nice. It reminded me a lot of the Presbyterian churches I have been to. The hymn books were a bit distressing, I was hoping that at a traditional service I would be able to sing the alto part by looking at the music. No such luck as the hymnals only had the words and no music. They had communion which I did not feel comfortable taking part in. Some where along the line I have gotten it into my head that it is inappropriate to take communion at a church you don't belong to. Also, as many of you know I am struggling with my own religious beliefs right now and I just didn't think I should.
Everyone at the church was SO nice. They seemed genuinely excited to have our little groups of Americans visit the church. The served tea, coffee and biscuits (cookies) after the service and we were able to mingle around with the church members. They seemed very interested in what we had to say and I kept thinking two things, I'm not really that special, I just come from America and that I needed to be a bit of an ambassador for the US and dispel the myths. Hollywood movies and TV shows do NOT do us any favors in the UK, they just seem to give people a false sense of who Americans are, which is a shame. I hope I have been able to change some people's minds about America.
After the service, we walked through some of the village and headed toward the Fox and Hounds pub for lunch. The food was very nice, I had a roasted chicken with garlic and lemon with chips...YUM and I had a new cider called Aspall, LOVED it! Then a group of us decided to go back to campus and not take a longer tour of the village.
Once again, I thought I would be alone for dinner at the pub....ah, nope. Most of my fellow students were there and the professor and his daughter ended up walking in with me. I ordered a chicken Caesar salad as I was over fried food. It was, well, crap. I don't think they believe in using a whole lot of salad dressing. I felt like I was eating a lot of naked lettuce with some grilled chicken. Then the drinking began...
With most of us there we started playing drinking games. Two pints down that way. Then I got into a conversation with another student and J_ and C_, two locals. This conversation lasted through another pint of cider and we closed the pub down. It was interesting basically swapping stereotypes with the locals and seeing how each other thought.
This is also why there was no blog last night.
Today was class all day. We had class in the morning and broke for lunch. I went to the convenience store to buy junk (and I mean junk) for lunch...yea more processed food. Then we had class this afternoon.
I was very interesting hearing about everyone else's experiences they have been having while we have been here. How they have been different, how they have been the same. How we have interpreted the same situations differently.
As I type this it is 5:07 pm and I am hungry for dinner. The idea of going to the pub to eat another meal makes me want to bang my head on the desk repeatedly. I know I do not have enough in the way of snackage in my room to fill me up like a meal would. I am pretty sure the convenience store closed 7 minutes ago and I can't be "arsed", as the Brits would say, to catch a bus to go downtown to eat dinner at a different restaurant. sigh
Finally I will mention the sinus headache I have had for the past, ummm, 4 days? I am really over that. Something in England is really blooming and it is KILLING my allergies. NO, I do not have the swine flu...I brought a thermometer with me and my temperature is fine. I have been dealing with the allergy thing since I got here, but the sinus pain is about to push me over the edge.
I hear tales that they sell Tylenol with codeine in the drug stores without prescription here. I am hoping C_ and B_ can take me to the drug store before I go...oh, and a post office. I have a stack of postcards with no way to mail them. The on campus post office can't do international postcards and once again, I can not be arsed to take the bus to go into town to go to a proper post office.
If you are wondering why you haven't gotten a post card from me, it is one of three reasons...
1. I don't have your address
2. It is among the stack of post cards waiting to be sent
3. It was among the stack of post cards I gave the volunteer working at the TINY post office at Bletchley Park and she never did get around to putting the postage on them (I paid for them and she said she would do them later...
OK...I think I am going to the pub to go get some food. Hope it doesn't suck!
DAILY DAVID
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