Homecoming

Finals, papers, it's all done. Flying standby was completely different this time, as on the way home, I got 1) on the first flight available, and 2) in business class seating. Got home around 11:30 at night, woke up at 7:15, went to church, all's well, I live happily ever after.

Kinda.

I love being in my own bed, in the house in which I grew up. I love it when both brothers are home. My room is MY room, I'm not going to be moving out in three months for good. The doodles/eventual murals are still on the walls, the plastic owl is on the bookcase, it's my room. Downstairs, it's all the same. Everything is where I left it at the end of August. The bookroom is more open, true, but everything's essentially the same.

The problem is when I step outside. My home town just doesn't feel like home any more. Parts of it are foreign to me, like the empty spot where a tree once stood, or the stack of fencing that a homeowner had removed. This building is closed, another building is something else. The people that drive by are unfamiliar to me.

I'm sure the feeling of not being home is, in part, caused by the knowledge that with another year of age (yeah, my brithday's today), I'm another year closer to finishing my degree, getting a job, and moving away. My wanderings aren't over yet.

I guess I have a ways to go before I get home.

² My soul longs, yes, even faints
For the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 
³ Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may lay her young—
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
My King and my God.
⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
They will still be praising You. Selah 

Psalm 84:2-4, NKJV

Canoeing, Capering, Camping, Climbing

The four C's of the last two days! Woohoo!

Thursday morning, we had the choice between canoeing and kayaking. Liz, our instructor, wasn't taking us out because she has a bad back currently, so we had Kat in the kayaks and Jon in the canoe. Melanie and I both chose to go in a canoe, so we worked together the entire day. We canoed down the Menai Strait, under both bridges near Bangor, dealt with currants, eddies, and the tide, and generally enjoyed each other's company while singing random songs. Everyone else had a kayak. Jon taught Mel and I separately. I was at the front, doing all the big steering, and Mel was at the back, doing the subtle steering. It took us two tries to get coordinated enough to cross the currant, but we didn't tip over. Jon said we did really well for it being our first time in a canoe! After we went several miles down the Strait, the tide changed and we paddled around a couple islands and a quarter of the way back to a small beach where Liz was waiting for us with a trailer. We loaded up all the stuff, drove to the Conway Centre, put everything away, and discussed technicalities of what we were taught and names for all the equipment. Then two other girls and I left, they had something to go to, and I had Morris dance practice!

Last night we only did...two, I believe, dances that I was really comfortable with and had done before. The rest were ones I had either done a grand total of once or had never done. It was great fun, learning all these new dances THAT WE'LL BE PERFORMING ON SUNDAY. I'll have to review the figures before we actually do them, because right now, I can't remember how a single one of the new ones goes. That puts me up to...five hours canoeing, two and a half hours capering.

Liz picked me up from practice so I could do the camping bit of our Outdoor Pursuits trip. Cathryn made me a "hobo packet" for supper, and they did save enough marshmallows for me to have s'mores. The hobo packet was delicious, all they did was take veggies (I had them leave the meat out), wrap them in two layers of foil, and stick the packet on the fire. While it was cooking, our entire group of sixteen or so people played a game called Mafia. It was a lot of fun. In a group of 15 people, we had 4 Mafia members. Each round, they chose someone to kill while everyone else is 'asleep'. In the group, also, was the Cop. He picks out someone as a Mafia member, and gets told by the Narrator if he's right or not, all while everyone else including the Mafia is 'asleep'. There's also a Doctor, who picks one person per round to save, and if he's lucky, he saves the person that just got killed by the Mafia. Everyone else is a Townsperson. The Narrator comes up with a brilliant (and often ridiculous) story of how someone was murdered, and the Townspeople vote on who they think the killer is. The person with the most votes at the end of the round dies. I got picked out as a Mafia member simply because I kept laughing. Cathryn's reason for picking me was, "she's over there, laughing by herself, keeping quiet, and for all we know, she has Liz's hands chopped off and stuck in her back pockets!" (Liz had just been killed by the Mafia). My first line of defence? "It can't have been me that killed Liz. I don't have back pockets." Trent, our Narrator, found that funny. It was a great time all round. I was a Townsperson both times. After that, we sang a few songs, then went to bed. It was quite fun, sleeping in a teepee. We had a fire in the middle of the circle, which a few of us woke up to occasionally feed. It got below freezing last night too, but the sleeping bags we had were amazingly warm and comfy. I didn't sleep much, but the times I wasn't sleeping were very relaxing, mostly because I was sleeping next to Jake. Jake is a big guy, and he snores. I like his snores. They were rumbley, comfy snores. It was somehow comforting to hear Jake snore, like proof I wasn't the only one there :D

Liz and Sally got us up at 9 this morning, we took until about 11 to all be ready to go for another activity, and we went indoor rock climbing. It was a lot of fun. Mel was my partner again, and we did a lot of fun climbs. There was one where all I had to do was place my back against one wall, my feet on the other, and climb the way we climbed the living room doorway! The only difference was that this climb was about four times higher! I also did a climb involving an auto-belay device, all I had to do was clip my harness into it and climb. That was actually the steepest climb I'd ever done, it tilted back towards me a little. When I got to the top, all I had to do was jump off! HA HA! The one thing I've had issues with this entire time, jumping into thin air! Well, I did it. I can't decide if it's progress or foolhardiness that I'm getting more comfortable jumping off of things. 

Anyway, we got back around four. That's...five hours canoeing, two and a half capering, a night of camping, and four-ish hours climbing. After getting back, I had mushrooms for supper sautéed in some margarine, and I was asleep from 6:00 to 9:00. I'm only up now to post everything on the blog. I'm knackered. I'm going back to bed.

Almost Home..?

In only a few weeks, I will be on a plane heading back home. I'm really very excited for it, but at the same time, I like it here. Where else can I get a mountain view from my window? There is so much beauty here, I don't want to leave it.

And yet, it'll be a relief to drive for an hour and not have my ears pop because of altitude change. It'll be nice to have straight roads, to see for miles on end. I like the trees and hills here, but I can't wait to get back to the grass and fields. I'll probably miss, at some point, the quaint paths through town, the brick walkways, the winding streets...but you know, I am anticipating getting back to the grid street system.

I've made friends over here, to be sure, and I'll be keeping in touch with them. However, I want nothing more than to get back to the friends and family that are so very close and so very dear to me. My friends from home, that I've known since I was a kid, I've missed them a lot. My family, I'm used to seeing them on breaks, I've never been away from home for this long. My college friends, I've never spent a whole semester away from them before. I want to see everyone so badly.

I want to go back to baking with my mom, in a familiar kitchen with all the old cookbooks and that bible of all cookbooks, the Joy of Cooking. Unsure of a ratio? Check the Joy of Cooking. Length of time for baking pie? Joy of Cooking. No more changing recipes for Celsius, no more frustration over measuring cups, everything will be back to the way it was.

I can't wait to see snow.

I can't wait to hear thunder.

I can't wait to get home.

Thanksgiving Across the Pond

Thanksgiving was a great day! The International Student Offices set up a meal for all the Americans on campus, and we had turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and pecan pie. After everyone had stuffed themselves to the brim with yummy delicious food, they made us dance.

We had our own personal ceilidh, a troop of Welsh dancers performed for us and got us all dancing! It was so much fun, and I actually remembered doing some of those dances at a previous ceilidh. Everyone was tired after only one and a half hours, though. I could have gone on forever!

So, what was I thankful for? Well, first off, I'm thankful for a great overseas experience! Wales is a great country to visit. The people are friendly, the weather is mild, and the scenery is fantastic.

I'm thankful for all the people in the Central program! I couldn't ask for a better group of people to get stuck overseas with. Well, unless I was allowed to bring my family...and close friends...but other than that!

I'm thankful for a God who protects klutzes. I have been lost, found, injured, and healed more times than I care to count. He led me to an Orthodox church only an hour away. When all has been lost, He has been there.

Well, that about sums it up! Happy Thanksgiving from across the pond!!

Outdoor Pursuits

Outdoor Pursuits is possibly the best class ever.

Our first week in the class, we did surfing. It was great, especially since I had been in a large tidal body of water only once before, and had so much fun playing in the waves. Surfing was rather difficult, however. I just couldn't balance enough on the board, and if the balance wasn't an issue, it was getting myself going fast enough to catch a wave. By the time we were done, I had ridden a wave - on my knees - a grand total of four times. It was great.

Then came a REAL challenge - the ropes courses. I have this thing about...not heights, really, more like being really high up with practically nothing beneath me. Falling. I don't like falling. However, I managed to get through the course! My comfort zones have been stretched! I may even go off the high dive at the pool, who knows!

The next week was our mountain walk - we hiked up a mountain called Tryfan. It was difficult, mostly due to the little fall I had down a flight of stairs before we headed out. According to those watching, I lost my balance on a step, rolled, stood, grabbed the railing, lost my balance again, rolled again, and ended up sitting on the concrete floor, cross-legged, shocked, and giggling. I remember giggling. The gentleman who helped me up said that that was "the most judo fall" he'd ever seen. THEN we climbed up a mountain! It was a lot of fun, but I disliked taking breaks - whenever we stopped, my right knee (which had gotten hurt when I fell down the stairs) stiffened up and hurt like crazy. Then I hit that knee again on a rock. Twice. It was great to reach the top, though. After reaching the top and having lunch, we had to get back down the mountain. I slipped many more times coming down. Great day!

Then I got sick. Everyone else did sea level traversing. I stayed in bed, sneezed, coughed, and ate soup while watching Pride and Prejudice. My exercise was getting up to go to the kitchen.

After that, we went rock climbing! Thanks to the ropes course, I was completely comfortable with the ropes and harnesses, and was a LOT less nervous about being up high with nothing beneath me. We also went abseiling. I liked abseiling more than rock climbing - less muscle is involved.

The next week was gorge scrambling. We took turns leading the group up a small river, climbing over and under rocks, getting submersed in cold running water, and scrambling up waterfalls. After getting to the top of our path, we jumped off a ten foot cliff into a deep, dark pool of water. It was fun!

This past week, we went sailing. My partner and I capsized. Then we lost our boat. We had to swim after it, right it, fix the sail, and get back on. We eventually accomplished all of this, but we took so much time that our instructor had to tow us in by motorboat. We tried sailing a larger boat as well, but by then the wind was too strong and we were unable to take out the sail. It was a cold day, but everyone liked the cookies I made for them!

Church in Wales

At a glance, the church isn't much. It's an old stone building with a metal fence around it and a painted wooden door. Stepping inside, you would perhaps be surprised by the apparent lack of chairs, and the obvious presence of painted pictures, from the screen in the front to the cool poster titled "The African Saints" on a post in the back. There are candles by the pictures in the windows, candles in the center of the church, candles by the screen. Well, my friend, you would have just stepped into a Welsh Orthodox church - specifically, the Church of All Saints in Blaenau Ffestiniog.

I was blessed, many many weeks ago, with a chance meeting with the Anglican reverend in town, I mentioned I was Orthodox, he gave me a pamphlet with a list of religious leaders, and one of them {gasp} WAS ORTHODOX! I email the priest, Fr. Deiniol, about how to get to church in a town an hour away from Bangor, and he gave me phone numbers to call, both men who live in Bangor and drive to Blaenau Ffestiniog for church. I made the call, and for the first time in a month, I was able to go to church.

It was wonderful. The old, somewhat dilapidated stone church had icons everywhere, on all four walls, and on all four sides of the wooden posts supporting the ceiling. The floor was wooden for the most part, with some colored ceramic tiles in an aisle up the middle and along the sides. There were candles in the middle of the middle aisle, candles in all the windows, candles in front of icons, prayer candles in the front, everywhere. The scent of inscense was also everywhere, a lovely smell, like spices.

Church there is a very intimate thing, especially when there are only four of us in the congregation. Tea after church is also intimate, because...well, there's only four of us.

And, for the first time in a month, I had Communion. What a wonderous feeling it was. The whole experience was wonderful, being in an Orthodox church again, and being again in the Presence of our Lord and Savior. Not just being in His Presence, but being in His Presence with other people. Being a community in His Presence.

I love the church here.

Playing Catch Up - Scenary (S-C-E-N-E-R-Y)

I'll catch up on the last few weeks with focuses on scenary, church, and Outdoor Pursuits. Have a little scenary thrown at you!

Everywhere I've been in Wales, everything is shades of gray and green - the sky and mountains are always gray, the grass is always green. There will be days with blue skies, there will be mountains covered in purple heather, and there will always be small splashes of warm color in the fields, but in general, Wales is gray and green.

That is not to say that it's not lovely here. The above picture shows a walkway through the middle of town, where one could almost forget that he is in a city, thanks to the green. I don't know what this area is called, or if it even has a name, but it's my Dear Green Place. This place has many greens, deciduous greens, coniferous greens, and grass greens. This is one of my favorite paths through the city, in fact, this is the path I take to avoid using B*tch Hill (Yes, it's actually called that. I'll take a picture sometime).

Even when everything is gray, though, there's a kind of stark beauty about it. I believe this tree to be dead, simply because I've never seen it green, but it's beautiful. Most of the grays here are misty, drizzly, windy grays. There are also the rock-hard grays of the walls, the dark-wet grays of the pebble beach, and the just-beyond-reality grays of the mountains. The just-beyond grays are my favorites. When we went to the Aran Islands, they were just-beyond until we were nearly there. All the just-beyonds are great places to stretch the imagination, call up the Red Dragon, and see what it might have been like in another time.

The Menai Straight (of which the above is a part) changes color with the tide and mood of the day. Often, the water will reflect the sky, but sometimes it is darker, angrier. The wind will sometimes whip it up until there are white caps on the little waves, and sometimes it is smooth as glass. I once saw it brown and muddy, and the next day it was a dark-wet gray, the same color as the beach past which it ran. I love my beach, and I call it mine because it is one of my Sanctuaries, where I can go, sit, think, and not be bothered. It is a safe place for me.

I cannot give you a picture of the wind, sadly, but I love the wind. There is never a day without it here, whether it's a gentle, playful breeze or a wild gust. Through all its moods, though, it never stops being a friendly wind. I suppose that will change, the closer we get to winter, but for now, it's a friend.

There you have it, the ups, downs, lefts, and rights of the scenary. I went through the entire post not knowing if I've been spelling "scenary" right. I haven't been. S-C-E-N-E-R-Y. Scenery. It looks funny both ways.

Back in Bangor, Having More Adventures - In The Kitchen!

So this morning, for lunch/breakfast, I had two sausages, an egg, a handful of chopped mushroom, and a slice of that homemade no-yeast bread with honey (I broke down and got honey yesterday). Fry the sausage, no biggie. Sautee the mushrooms in with the sausage, no biggie. But when I try to cut up the sausage before adding the scrambled egg, OIL SPLATTERS EVERYWHERE!!!!!!! A few burns later, I had the sausage cut and the eggs in, and everything was fine. Everything got cooked all the way through, it was yummy and delicious. Adventure for the morning was over.

Then I had a craving for Pigs in a Blanket. Not really a craving for that in particular, I suppose, just a longing for food the way Mom cooks it. And I got really excited because, due to making bread yesterday, I had ALL the ingredients for making biscuit dough! All I needed were the hot dogs, and those shouldn't be too expensive! They weren't, in fact they are a lot cheaper here than State-side. So I made a trip to Morrison's, got potatoes for tomorrow, salt, and then I found the hot dogs...

Hot dogs come in a can.

I don't have a can opener.

So when I got back I asked Anna, my Warden, if she had a can opener.

She also doesn't have a can opener. BUT! She spent five days trapped in a snowed-in car with her brother, and she knows how to open a can with a really sharp knife! So I pulled out my utility knife, and she opened one of my hot dog cans for me. By the way, the Warden's pretty awesome.

Back on track with my Pigs in a Blanket plan, and I hit another rock in the road. I don't have measuring cups. Fortunately, I have done enough baking with Mom, and I can estimate using a mug, a spoon, and my palm! The biscuit dough was yummy and wonderful, and I'm fairly certain I ate half a biscuit worth of dough. It was then that I realized that I was getting flour all over my shirt. My BLACK shirt. And it was only then that I remembered that I had an apron. I have resolved to use it next time I bake or cook.

I finally had the Pigs in a Blanket baking. I cleaned up all the flour while they were in the oven. Then they came out, and they were hot, and fresh, and smelled sooooo good.

Canned hot dogs taste like Spam. It took a couple bites to realize it, but that's exactly what they taste like. Spam.

This is the first difference from home with which I have NOT been pleased. Scenery difference? Bring it on. Money difference? Sure. But when you mess with the hot dogs...

Anyway, it's clean-up and dishes time. Byes!

--Kae

Lost in Dublin

Yup. I got lost in Dublin. We went to St. Patrick's Cathedral on September 6th, beautiful place, I said a prayer there and bought a St. Patrick pendant, and then...no one else from my group was there. Not such a bad thing, as our director had said we were free after the cathedral, so I asked the curator person for directions to the Orthodox church in Dublin, figuring that I could visit that church as well.


...turns out, there's TWO Orthodox churches in Dublin. I got directions to both of them, the Romanian and the Russian. I headed out towards the Russian one, and I thought I was going the right way. I asked for further directions from several people, who didn't know where the church was. Then, I saw a green dome in the distance! A beautiful, sea-foam color! I immedietely went up to an old man sitting by the river and asked what the church was. He mumbled something quickly and pointed me towards the next bridge down, which would take me straight there.

Not the Orthodox church. Very pretty, though! Then I saw another church in the distance, and went towards THAT one! It was a smaller church, brick, with a stone and metal fence. Church of St. Kevin. Not the Orthodox church.

By then, I had no idea where I was, so I started walking in the direction of the river. Then I met another older man, and asked which direction the Millenium Spire was (that was one landmark that I knew for sure). He said, "Oh, yeah, O'Connell Street! Ye go down this road a ways, just keep goin' straight, it's quite the walk."

He was right. It was indeed quite the walk. I asked other people for directions along the way, to make sure that I was still going in the right direction. Finally, an hour and forty minutes later, I made it back to the hostel. Thanks to St. Patrick for his intercessions on my behalf, and thanks be to God for getting me home.

It's Guinness time.

--Kae

Ireland - day one

Yup. I'm in Ireland, another one of my ancestral countries. So far, so awesome! We took the ferry across from Holyhead, made jokes about "Irish ferries", and the ferry ride in itself was worth coming to the UK. I've realized that the reason I get travel-sick is because I can't feel the movement of actually going anywhere (big cars, big planes, big boats) but as long as it's bumpy, as long as I can feel the movement, I'm fine (smaller cars, trains, small planes, small boats. So, I stayed out on the deck the entire ride. It was windy. Sea spray was everywhere. My glasses got so covered in salt that I couldn't see. The deck rolled underneath me like a large animal turning in its sleep. Unless I was walking or grabbing the rail, I was on the brink of falling on my bum. I loved it.

When we got to Dublin, we check into our hostel. I love this hostel. The rooms are comfy, the beds are great, I slept like a rock last night, and in the morning, there's a free breakfast that tops any continental breakfast in any hotel. They practically force food on you - eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, beans, cereal, coffee, tea, bread, fruit, juice - great breakfast!

Dublin itself reminds me of Chicago, the big, busy streets, horns honking, shops everywhere, and large buildings of historic value. The night life is all down in the Temple Bar district, where I just might end up going tonight :)

I've been in the UK for almost a week now, and I still forget that I'm in the land of Top Gear - they drive on the other side of the road! And because they drive on the other side of the road, crossing streets is very different. A lot of things are different here. Different, but somehow not scary or strange. Just different.

I could live here.

Top o' the mornin' to ye!

Kae

Requests

Request 1) First off, people need to stop telling me, "Oh, you'll be FINE! Don't be so NERVOUS! Flying is WONDERFUL! There won't be a LANGUAGE BARRIER!" In answer, 1) I know, 2) I can't help it, 3) I get airsick, and 4) I know. Reiterating facts in no way helps. Wishing me luck? Great, do that! Offering to pray for me? Yes, please do! In fact, that leads to Request 2.

Request 2) PLEASE PRAY FOR ME! If anyone out there is of the Christian persuasion, please remember me in your prayers! Pray for safe travel, good health, and no accidents (because knowing my luck, I will break something, sprain something, get sick, something will go wrong, random parts of my body will start aching, my diaphragm will spasm while doing something dangerous, typical Speed girl stuff). Pray that I don't get too homesick and get cold feet and back out. Pray that everything works out financially. Just...PRAY!

Request 3) College friends, keep in touch with me! Family, keep in touch with me! Friends in general, keep in touch with me! I want to know what's going on!

I believe that's about it for now...

"...You led them by day with a cloudy pillar,
And by night with a pillar of fire,
To give them light on the road
Which they should travel." -- Nehemiah 9:12

AAAAAH! AAAAAH! AAAAAAH!

It just hit me - this is the last week that I have to myself! Next week I have babysitting, dropping brother off at college, and visiting friends in another state! Then I have three days and I LEAVE! AAAAAAH!

Whew...Summer has gone by so fast! Hometown school started today. My heart still hasn't discovered whether it's in ecstacy or in terror. So much seems to have changed in my life, and so much is still yet to happen! I've realized that I only have a few friends from high school that have stayed friends, and even some of those bonds are a little shaky. I have several close college friends, but...I'm not afriad of them changing while I'm gone, I'm afraid that I'LL change. I'm afraid that when I get back, nothing will be the same. And yet, at the same time, I can't wait to go! I want to experience new things and new places!

If I'm so excited about all this, why am I still so scared?

"Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared." --Exodus 23:19-21

Warm Feet and New Drills

I do believe I have gotten over the cold feet. I am SO EXCITED!!!!!! STill nervous, but excited!! Two months exactly!!

{sigh} Okay, so I broke a drill bit trying to put up shelves. Then we got a different one for finding the studs. But then the 1/4 inch drill bit wore down and stopped making holes. My quest for boots and clothes was put on hold.

THEN!

We got a new 1/4 inch! :D :D :D :D

The quest for clothing continues..........

Earning My Boots

I have the best parents in the world, for all of yourses information. Mom and Dad are buying my Outdoor Pursuits clothing and boots, as long as I clean and organize our book-room. Talk about Herculean tasks...

Imagine, if you can, a bookshelf. Six shelves in all, each one stuffed with books: books standing up, books on their sides, random papers, maps, pamphlets, what have you. All around the shelves, there are stacks and stacks, some knee-high and some waist-high, of books. Now imagine six of those, in a room about the size of an average living room, about 12x14 feet. Imagine them arranged in a trident shape, with narrow paths in between the shelves, narrow due to the stacks of books on the floor. On one wall is a piano, and next to the piano are two metal cabinets with a printer on one of them. There are over a thousand books in this room, of all kinds: fiction, science fiction, history, fantasy, sword and sorcery, biology, theology, psychology, music, everything. All need to be sorted, shelved, and dusted.

THIS is my job this summer, to put up shelves, list books, and get them organized. For the task of navigating a literary labyrinth and un-labyrinth-ing it, I get stuff for Wales.

And then I'll be de-tasseling. Walking through fields of corn, pulling tassels. Oddly enough, it's a job I kinda like :)

If you need me, my nose will be in the books. Or the corn. Either one.

--Kae

Cold Feet

It's nearing midnight, 73 days before leaving for Wales. This is THE WORST possible time to get Cold Feet.

I had the horrifying realization that I will be without my main supports, my closest friends, my family, my church, for an entire semester. No movie nights, no vespers, no tickle fights, no silly arguments, no heart-felt conversations that last forever, no rarely-given-which-makes-them-even-more-precious hugs, no hysterical laughter at meals, nothing. I will already have been without the majority of my friends for the summer, one of whom I didn't get to see all last semester either, and another to whom I didn't get to say goodbye before he left.

I.
Am.
Terrified.

Right now, nearing midnight 73 days before I leave, I really, really, REALLY don't want to go. I want everything to remain exactly the way it has been, I want to go back to campus in August and start up the movies, the teasing, the jokes, the laughter, and I don't want it to change. I don't want to leave. I'm scared of having to meet (and get along with) new people, new classes, new professors, new ways of doing things.

I'm going to miss my friends, the ones I can always talk to, the ones I can count on to cheer me up, even when they have no idea I've been feeling down. I'm going to miss the hanging out every Friday night, going to campus activities together, having classes together. I'm going to miss getting online to see if someone else knows what on earth question 7 is actually saying and how we're supposed to answer that.

Sitting here in bed, wanting to throw up or hide under a rock...so this is what cold feet feel like.

Oh God, our protector, behold, and look upon the face of Your annointed. For one day in your courts is better than a thousand; I chose to be an outcast in the house of my God, rather than to dwell in the tents of sinners. For the Lord loves mercy and truth; He will give grace and glory;
The Lord's hand will not remove good things from those who walk in innocence. Oh Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who hopes in You. --Psalm 84:10-13

Lord God, help me not to fall into despair. You who know all things, help me to trust You in the coming months. Lord, I'm scared and I don't know how I'll manage, but there's one thing that I do know - You are here, You are with me, and You will guide and comfort me.

And please help me get to sleep soon so I'm not half asleep in church tomorrow.

--Kae

International SIM Card

I have one. I also have tickets. And I'm earning myself hiking boots and a hiking pack.

Lesson #1 of International Travel: Don't tell people you're nervous, because they will IMMEDIATELY start comforting you.

Lesson #2 of International Travel: If a thought is big enough to worry about, it's big enough to pray about. Start praying.

Lesson #3 of International Travel: Following Lesson #2 cancels out the need for Lesson #1.
Imagine that!

The LORD will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore. --Psalm 121:7-8

--Kae

Flight is Booked

Well okay then...officially leaving for the UK in 53 days, flight has been booked, ISIC card is activated, I've ordered the international SIM card...gosh, I'm so nervous right now!

So, about this blog - this will be the story of me in Wales. I'm going through my school, Central College, and I'll be there for an entire semester. It's still hard to wrap my mind around, I'm going to the home of Merlin and Saint David! How cool is that?

Merlin is well know, of course, everyone knows about him. He was a magician, advisor to the great King Arthur, and the lead character in many books and movies. There is one record of a "Merlyn" having helped Urther Pendragon, not necessarily by using magic. According to the Historia Brittonum, it was Merlin who revealed to the king Vertigon that the reason for his constantly collapsing tower was that there were two dragons in a lake, fighting and causing the tower to collapse.

Saint David on the other hand (Dewi Sant, in Welsh) is not as widely known. He was a Christian saint who travelled to Wales in the 6th century. He founded many wells, a monastery, and urged his brothers to abstain from worldly pleasures, to spend their evenings praying, writing, and reading. Possessions were forbidden. He was a famous preacher, and turned many towards Christ. St. David's Cathedral, in southwest Pembrokeshire, stands on the site of the monastery that he had founded.

And I get to go to the home of both of them. I am excited, and terrified - my first time flying all by myself!

--Never fly faster than your guardian angels can--

Kae