Southern Hospitality

In the Southern United States people are often known for their “Southern Hospitality.”  Now whether every person in the South is hospitable or not I don’t know, if I were to venture a guess I would say no, but the fact of the matter is that the area is known for being hospitable and welcoming people in their homes and providing them with comfort.  But hospitality is not limited to the South and while over here I have experienced hospitality at its best.  Every weekend I attend Sunday lunch with a couple that I met through a friend of mine within the first couple of weeks of being in the UK.  This is not unlike the Sunday lunches/dinners that happens after church in the US, although generally their guest list is a bit longer than I am used to.  They open their doors every Sunday to students and friends and prepare an amazing feast because that is what they feel is their ministry and what they are called to do.  They are amazing people and ask for nothing in return and have shown me nothing but goodness and hospitality.

One of the original Eleanor's Crosses- Memorial of one of the places where the funeral procession stopped for the night when bringing her body back to London to be buried at Westminster Abbey.  There are 12, only 3 originals remain.

The front view of the Host UK house near Kettering

The back side of the Host UK house in Kettering

In addition to the Sunday lunch, I was able to experience hospitality in the UK a couple of weekends ago.  There is a program called Host UK which matches university students with families in the UK within a certain area for a weekend.  I was able to visit a family in the Midlands of England near a village called Kettering.  They welcomed me with open arms into their home that had been in the husband’s family for over 250 years.  It was an old English farmhouse, complete with a Great Hall, and it was a history nerd’s dream come true.  The family, which consisted of the parents and two teenagers- a boy and a girl, were kind and gracious, taking me to see different sites around the Midlands so that I was able to explore the different areas.  One of the places I was shown was a roadside memorial to American troops from World War II.  Apparently wherever American troops were either stationed or flew out of during the war the UK erected a memorial for their assistance.  This is not unlike our war memorials, but it was significant because it was for American troops in a foreign country, as recognition that we were appreciated.   That Saturday evening they hosted a game night.  They had some games that I was familiar with, such as Boggle and Sequence, and some games that I have never seen before, such as Articulate, and everyone had a good time just visiting and playing games.  It struck me during the game night that this is not dissimilar to something that would occur within the US where big groups of people will get together and share food, laughter, and fun.  Although there are differences, I have also been struck by the similarities that you would not expect to find such as a game night.  Another time I was trying to explain to a girl from Turkey about Family Feud because I wanted to show her a clip that my brother had shared on Facebook and as I was trying to explain the premise of the game she said “Oh yeah, we have that, it is called…” She told me what it is called in Turkish, and while I have been learning Turkish words I am not that good yet.  Regardless of where we come from there are little nuances that resonate worldwide.  Now this is not to say that we are not different, because we are, and those differences are what make us unique but there are similarities that we all share regardless of where we come from.  One of those that I have seen is what we call in the states Southern Hospitality.  And I am attaching the Family Feud clip that I showed the Turkish girl, I would recommend watching it.  

"Remember to welcome strangers in your homes.  There were some who did that and welcomed angels without knowing it." ~ Hebrews 13:2

Castles, Queens, and Weddings

First off, I would like to apologize for the delay in blog entries.  As anyone who has ever been swamped in work can tell you when you are in the zone of writing papers it is a little hard to stay on top of other things (i.e. blogs).  I have not been neglecting the blog, I promise, I have just been doing papers, papers, and more papers.  But have no fear, a new entry is here, and I am going to try to update it more frequently- either weekly or bi-weekly.

Windsor Castle

I am sure as you all know there will be a royal wedding on April 29^th of this year and the event is sure to have all the pomp and circumstance that one would expect from a royal wedding, especially since there hasn’t been such an event since the early 80s.  The question then becomes- to go or not to go?  Now I am not one of those people that are going to camp out the night before to ensure that I have a good spot- I know people that would, even some in my own family (Emily) but that has never been my style.  Which means I will have to go the day of and try to fight the crowds and get a spot where I can see something of what is going on that does not involve the back of a bunch of people’s heads.  Upon seeking the advice of others, including my grandmother, people have basically told me that I should go just to say that I went even if I see absolutely nothing.  And what is the fun in that?  But who knows-I may still go- and it is very likely that I may wake up on the 29^th and suddenly decide I am in the mood to see the wedding, as I am one of those people.  Not very often, but every once in a while I make a split second decision that leaves everyone baffled, shaking their heads, and telling me that I should have made my decision earlier as it would have been easier.  I have realized though just from being over here that people in the US want to know a lot more about the royals than the British do, probably because they live with royalty whereas we still treat it as a novelty, but we only want to know when something big is going on (like a wedding) then we are set to ride the royal train for a long as it will take us.

St. George's Chapel- Where Henry VIII is buried

The other I went to see Windsor Castle, a glorious residence that serves as a weekend home, and I was just amazed.  I told my mother that I was born in the wrong family and that I would be more than happy to live in the castle.  I was only half-kidding, I do love my family but I would also love a castle.  Back to Windsor- a wonderful, stately home in which people from all over the world come and admire and think to themselves (I could live here), but could I live in the bubble?  Yes, most girls want the castle, but most don’t want the scrutiny that comes with constant watch by everybody that ensures almost nothing in your life is your own anymore.  It is the same with our President, who I guess is the closest that we could picture as being royal.  In an interview the other day he said that one of the things he missed the most was spontaneous conversations, because he did not feel as though he could have a spontaneous conversation and for some reason that saddened me.  Regardless of who you are, be it Queen or President, everyone should have some measure of their life that they are able to call their own that no one else can encroach.  This is especially true for people like me, who have been known to do things that may be considered a little off-kilter, as I do not want those things to be projected in the media for everyone to see and interject their opinions and make a comment about.  So while I would LOVE to live in the castle (and I do mean LOVE) I think I will keep my private life private for now thanks.

“You make kingdoms and castles on your own” ~ Stephan Jenkins

Who can resist?  Me, Firuzan, and Melis with a castle guard

Pumpkins, Turkeys, Bonfires, and Fireworks

 

 It’s the holiday season!!  Time to decorate your homes, celebrate with friends and take time to really reach out to those you care about.  For the first time in my life I will be expected to go to school on Thanksgiving which is still a bit of a shock to me.  I know that the United Kingdom does not celebrate Thanksgiving and therefore have no reason to let me out of class but it is still a bit alarming that I will not be sitting at home watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, eating all day, and watching American football.  That is ok though, because while the UK does not have Thanksgiving they do have other holidays like Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Day).  For those of you who don’t know British history Guy Fawkes and his cohorts tried to blow up Parliament in an attempt to restore a Catholic monarchy to the throne.  The attempt, called the Gunpowder Plot, was unsuccessful but to commemorate the event every year there is a bonfire night (November 5^th) and fireworks that go along with the celebration.  I was able to attend one of these bonfires where they did a rendition of Chitty chitty bang bang complete with a flying car and some nice mulled wine.  My point in telling you this is that despite the fact that there is no Thanksgiving, there are other exciting holidays to partake in. 

In the United States everywhere you look there are decorations and “stuff” to buy and include within your holiday festivities and while there are holiday decorations over here there is not the massive commercialization that you see in the United States.  For example there are no holiday Oreos to speak of with a double stuff red center and a Christmas design.  But it is nice to not see a commercialization of a holiday that is supposed to have a non-commercial meaning.  So eat up your turkey and enjoy your holiday shopping as I enjoy the Christmas faires around the south of London.

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other." ~Burton Hillis

All that was left of the Chitty chitty bang bang car

 

A month of changes

" All changes, even the ones most longed for, have their meloncholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." ~ Anatole France

The control freak has lost control.  In the month that I have been here, there has been one adjustment after another.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, and as my brother says this is probably one of the best places for me to be because it will force me to learn to cope without absolute control over everything and everyone in my life.  Whether he is right or not remains to be seen.  But the changes and differences that I have experienced have constantly amazed me.  I am a traveled person, I have been to most of the states within the US and I have been to at least two different countries, so while I have not been around the globe I have been to enough places to make me believe that I can flourish within another country.

In addition to my travel experience, I have never been a person that believed that the United States was the end all be all of the countries of the world.  My parents and the people that surround me have always taught me to embrace diversity so I never thought the United States was the most amazing country and there was nothing else out there.  I enjoyed my life in the United States, with a comfortable existence that my parents provided for me and I later provided for myself, but I did not realize how spoiled I was living in a country of opulence that rivals the ancient Romans.  In America you can get most people to do something for you, and it was not until I was standing in the grocery line waiting for a bagger that I realized that in other places people do things for themselves.  Or that I have to actually go into businesses and have face to face interactions when I want to receive services as opposed to ordering it online, or going through a drive through, or calling someone on the phone.

I have met a couple Americans, and one remarked to me on Sunday that most people from other countries believe that they are stepping up, but the lifestyle of America is such that we feel as though we are stepping down.  I disagree, I am not stepping down, I am stepping away.  I am stepping away from the extravagant lifestyle where I get everything that I want when I want and allegiances change based on what I can receive not what I can give.  I am stepping away from the hustle and bustle of the tunnel vision lifestyle where people are taught from birth that you have to work hard and get rich or die trying because that is the American Dream.  I am going to enjoy myself in a country that works to live, doesn’t live to work and take time to enjoy the people, places, and experiences around me. 

This experience is teaching me to appreciate items on both countries that I never realized that I took for granted.  I am reminded:

·         Not to neglect the people that love and support me or to take advantage of the people around me because there may come a time when they cannot be there for whatever reason- distance, time, or other commitments.

·         To be thankful of the comforts that I thought were commonplace such as a car, money, and nice items because there are some people that do not have those items and have to ride the bus and carry heavy grocery bags.

·         To have patience with people and situations and to learn that I do not have to have everything that I want immediately.

·         To not be so controlling-flexibility can be a very good thing.

·         To embrace other cultures and traditions from other countries and view them as a learning experience and not something to judge or look down upon.

And this control freak is learning that the only control she has is over the experiences that she takes away from this yearlong sabbatical.  Stay tuned for next week- I will share stories of language barriers. J