End of Break/ Easter

Summer term has started friends, which means it's time for an update on the the rest of break. Most of the rest of break I spent working on an essay for my placement, mostly in the library. Super cool, I know. But, during Holy Week (aka, the last week of break) I spent most of my time either waiting to go to sleep, waiting to go to church, or in church.

For the first time in my life, I went to every Holy Week service--Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday. For those of you counting, that added up to roughly 7 hours in actual service time. As my Scottish friend said, "the ultimate test of Catholic stamina". I enjoyed my week.

Here are some highlights. On Thursday, I helped wash feet (in the loosest definition possible). My friends and I were volunteered by the priest (it's not like we could say no). On Friday, I learned that Brits don't really understand how to zipper lines (possibly from the lack of driving). On Saturday, I went to Ampleforth Abbey (Benedictines) with my Scottish friend and her family for the Vigil. It was really cool and they sung some of the Old Testament readings, but they only did 5 of the 7. On Sunday, I spent most of the day with my Scottish friend's family and it was a lot of fun. (Spending both Christmas and Easter with family, although not my own, has been some of my favorite time during breaks.)

Now for the actual topic. After Mass on Thursday, we (the friends I went with and I) didn't leave immediately. We stayed and, well, I thought, but I'm not sure what they did. I realize that I could have been praying, but instead I thought about the nature of religion. This year has been really good for me to understand things about life I hadn't thought about. After attending Catholic school for 13 years and an ELCA affiliated school for 4, I thought I had the religion stuff covered. As happens, I was wrong.

So, Thursday evening, I returned to one of my ongoing trains of thought: the ridiculous idea of religion. There's part of me that distrusts organized religion--studying history has taught me much about the terrible things people have done in the name of religion and God. But another part of me thinks religion can be a force for good--again, a lesson from history. This is where Easter comes in. Christianity, when it started, wasn't the coolest thing around. So, why would people believe? If they knew they would suffer, why would they subject themselves to it? It seems, to me, to be almost crazy. For some people, I'm sure, this is why they believe. I don't know if that fully explains anything for me. It is troubling, for me, that the initial Christians could be "True Believers"-- not because of what they believed but because of the following 2,000 years of "True Believers" of all sorts. (A secondary topic, that like many things, is not very pleasant.)

So far, I've been dwelling on Christianity in general. Catholicism, I've realized, offers something else. Community, or as my 9th grade Church History teacher called it "koinonia", is central to Catholicism. I didn't really understand it until this year. My main social activity here is with the Catholic Students' Society. Without these people, I'd have no friends and be absolutely miserable. Because of the religion I was raised in, I was able to find people I could identify with and a place to go. Mass is said the same everywhere (in the vernacular, I know, but it's the same). So, while I was thinking about the nature of religion after Mass on Holy Thursday, I was sitting between two friends I wouldn't have met without religion, in a place I wouldn't be without the same people.

I'm not sure I had a point to all of this. But I do, in a way. I enjoy thinking about big ideas. It's why I like history. It's why I'm focusing on postmodernism for my dissertation. And that's the point. Big questions and ideas do not need answers.

This was long and moderately convoluted, so here's a picture. Its a "throwback Thursday" of me with my grandparents at my First Communion.

End of Term + Holiday

Hello all! Happy March!

So, term has ended (actually it ended on the 14th) and I'm officially done with my classes here at York. Holy cow this year is going fast. I'm mostly not a fan. I have just my dissertation (yes, just).

This past week/10 days has/have been my favorite so far, and probably will be. The Thursday of week 10 was a celebration for the Catholic chaplain's 25-year priest-aversary. (Future reference: Tony.) The prayer service was lovely, but the real highlight was the ceilidh after. For all you who have no idea what this "ceilidh" business is, it's Scottish/Irish social dance and is pronounced kay-lee (yes, I know, the i's and d's and h's are confusing). Basically, it's the most fun social dance out there. Take any American social dance--your barn raising's, your polka's, your square-dancing and add 10x the amount of awesomeness. Really. My Scottish friend was very excited for about a month prior to this gathering. I was not convinced. Now I am. My new definition of happiness is a good cup of coffee in the morning, a good cup of tea in the afternoon, and a good ceilidh at night. (I have been told that this means I've acclimated and that it is a very good definition.) Enough of ceilidhing for now.

On Saturday (March 15), I left with the university chaplains for the Easter Pilgrimage. There are four chaplains and there were 7 students (1 graduated last year, 2 MA students, and 4 undergrads). Right from the start I could tell it was going to be a good group. I packed the lightest. We stopped at the Peterborough travel stop for lunch then continued to the Aylesford Priory--roughly a 4-hour drive, the same as home to Augie. Aylesford is in Kent and is where the first Carmelites settled in this country. (Clarification: the Catholic chaplaincy is run by Carmelite friars--Tony and Ged; the two other chaplains are Anglican--Rowan-- and Methodist--Rory.)

Our group got to stay in the gatehouse that was added when the priory was in private ownership after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. I shared a room (the best room, it was en suite) with my Scottish friend. For the first afternoon, we played hide-and-seek and sardines to get to know the house/each other. We also had an impromptu Bible study/game and then attended evening prayer. After dinner, we had a meeting about our schedule for the week and where we were as individuals starting out. And because no meeting like that would be complete without it, we had to share something people there would not know. Mine was that I constantly forget my sister is adopted. I only had that one ready because I think I confused one of the chaplains on the drive down and probably a couple of the others there by that point in the night by saying my sister is shorter than me, and other things to that effect. I seriously forget--I confused one of my other friends for a while. Anyway, moving on.

Sunday we attended Mass, said by Tony. Later in the afternoon we went to Faversham where we met the current prior provincial of the British Carmelites (Tony was recently elected for the upcoming term) and saw a shrine to St. Jude. After Faversham we went to Canterbury where we had dinner at Pizza Express and then took a candlelight tour of the Cathedral. The tour was absolutely amazing. It was definitely more special than being there during the day with a ton of other tourists. We saw the place Thomas Becket was killed, the space behind the high alter, and the crypt. It is high up there for best bit of the trip.

Monday we ventured into London to Wesley's Chapel and Lambeth Palace. Wesley's Chapel was cool. It was interesting to see the "place" Methodism started after learning a bit about it last year in my Religion in American Life class--although, the entire trip was a learning experience for me in terms of Anglicanism and Methodism. There was some awesome stained glass. We also looked at the museum in the basement and Wesley's house. In the museum, they had mock drawings on a couple walls for future exhibits. Exhibit planning! Woohoo! After a picnic lunch, we went to Lambeth Palace, the "house" for the Archbishop of Canterbury. We had a tour, that we couldn't take pictures during, and then chatted with a Catholic woman living in prayerful community there. Both were interesting for different reasons. After riding back to where our cars were, we managed to escape London during rush hour with a moderate amount of difficulty, but we made it back to Aylesford in time for dinner.

Tuesday we didn't have anything planned so we went to the beach. The first time in 10 years for me, which surprised my island-dwelling friends. As a complete aside, to illustrate my point that the ocean is far away from central MN, here are some distances: St. Cloud to: Palm Beach, FL-1,775 miles; St. Augustine Beach, FL-1,570 miles; Ogunquit, ME-1,527 miles; La Jolla Cove, CA- 1,943 miles; Santa Barbara, CA-1,970 miles. You get the point.

Back to the beach. It was absolutely beautiful. We had pretty much perfect weather--even for March. We had fish and chips; I ran in the ocean (so did some others, who would be quick to say it wasn't technically the ocean); I had rock, courtesy of Rory, because I've never had any, and it is very good. (Rock is candy similar to the candy used to make the big spiral lollypops in the States.) We were glared at by monstrous sea gulls. Basically, we enjoyed the sun and peace. When the clouds rolled in, we went to a beach front restaurant for coffee/hot chocolate and pastries.

Wednesday we took a tour of the priory, guided by Tony. All of the art is really good and it was interesting to hear the history of the place. That afternoon we attended an ordination for one of the friars who became a deacon. I'd never been to an ordination so it was entertaining although we were in the front row. It was conducted by the archbishop of Southwark. Here's the YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaEhDpfQ278. Fun fact: I'm in the pink sweater in the front on the left. After that we had afternoon tea and that evening we went to the local pub.

Thursday we had a leisurely morning and returned to York in the afternoon. The drive was longer this time--literally and metaphorically. A few of us in the group were invited to a friend's house for dinner when we got back, so we had a bit more time to decompress.

This is getting a bit long, so just a few observations before pictures. Some of my favorite parts of the trip were when we played CatchPhrase. It was a chance to get to know how others thought and how we interacted with each other. Plus it was time to simply have fun and enjoy ourselves. There was a bit of competition, but mostly it was amazingly fun. Second, I knew I'd have a good time, but I'm a little surprised how much I enjoyed myself. Generally, I find people trying at best when I'm with them for a long time. The past week, I actually got energy from them. I didn't want days to end. It was pretty neat for an introvert. I can't operate like that for the long-term, but I think a week every now and then is a good idea. Lastly, I've used a lot of words, and I will use some pictures, to sum up the past week-ish and tried to convey what I did and experienced. But I'm not sure that it'll be adequate. I know it's sufficient. But, to all of you who read this (especially those I was with), I want you to know it was so much more: everything was more. Not a specific adjective after more. Just more.

And now the pictures, in no particular order.

The high alter at Aylesford. It is outside and has a statue of Mary above it. The special kind of art/sculpture/whatever behind the alter has names of Mary written in Latin on it.

Various people from our group at the alter in the chapel dedicated to Joseph, whose feast day happened to be that day (March 19th). The ceramic work depicts elements of Joseph's story.

The ceramics above the door to the Joseph chapel depicting elements of Revelations.

 The beach! Look how beautiful it was!

More beach!

Me at the beach! I am very happy to be there enjoying the warm sun, the cool water, and the good company.

The ocean! It got a bit cloudy.

The gate to the cathedral in Canterbury.

Canterbury Cathedral from afar.

Me and a red phone booth. I got teased for acting like a tourist. Whatever, it's a cool picture.

Canterbury Cathedral at night.

More Canterbury Cathedral.

The Old Testament/ God the Father stained glass in Faversham.

Mary and Jesus at Faversham.

Jesus at Faversham.

Parliament during the day along the water. The light just then was perfect.

The view of the room I stayed in from the floor. We had a bed and a mattress on the floor. We each spent two nights on each. The last night we had a group sleep over in the common room above this room.

I hope you enjoyed learning what I was up to and seeing a bit more of England. I know I did!

Journey: Olympic Edition

Hello all!

It is Winter Olympic time again! Hooray! I have had the Olympics on for probably more time than is advisable recently, but who hasn't? (I don't actually want to know. I feel better if I assume everybody loves the Olympics.) I've been watching the BBC coverage after it happens. The only live events I've watched are hockey, generally over video call with my mom. (I love the internet, mostly.) Hockey is, always, really great. Even better, good ole STC has a native daughter on the women's team, which is not news to the vast majority of you reading. When I initially discussed my excitement for hockey, people here were a tad confused. Understandably so because field hockey is way more popular here than ice hockey. I honestly forget that another kind of hockey exists. I've moderately enjoyed listening to the BBC commentators. They explain hockey and say other amusing things. However, they tend to refer to the female athletes as "girls" rather than women but they do not refer to the male athletes as "boys." Everyday sexism.

In academic news, I got my mark for my second essay from last term. I did much better on it than my other essay and I was happy with the mark. The feedback was interesting and generally helpful.

I'm thinking about doing my dissertation on postmodernism in museum exhibits. I'm reading up on postmodernism (yes, willingly). I just read about Barthes and his ideas on books and authors. One of my favorite quotes/ideas is "books belong to their readers" (John Green). I understood what Barthes was saying because I've been exposed to Green's ideas about his writing--which, I see now, is very "postmodern." Basically, ideas of ownership and meaning and the use of language are fascinating. Particularly fascinating to me is how language and meaning is conveyed in museum exhibits and how people interact with the language used in museums. I don't have many coherent thoughts yet, I only figured these basic ideas out in the last three days.

I have no other real news and no pictures this week. I probably won't have anything terribly exciting until term ends. The week immediately following the end of term, I am off with the campus chaplaincies to the south to look at places important to the return of Christianity to the island--and a bit of sightseeing I suspect. So pictures then!

Week 5: Take Two

Hello all! I have been a bit rubbish at updating you all recently and I'm sorry. But, to be honest, there isn't much that's new. I have been working on my research for my placement, reading for class, and working on an essay.

The most exciting (maybe) bit has been the research. I really like trying to figure out what things were and why they were needed and how they were used. That being said, most of my research can be depressing. Considering I'm researching World War I, it's not too surprising. My research, as I'm sure I've mentioned, concerns supply lines and the logistics of supplying an army. One of the other student's working on, generally, the same project, is researching the York ties to the Gommecourt Wood area of the front. Not-so-fun fact about Gommecourt: during the battle of the Somme, Gommecourt was the diversion. Yes, the diversion. In a war that was, for the most part, stagnant, on the first day of a battle that was questionable in its efficacy, the place where a large-ish concentration of York/Yorkshire men was the diversion. As I said, not-so-fun.

The essay I have due this week is about historical films and how they are criticized. I'm enjoying the topic, so hopefully it goes well. For the case study, I'm using is Oliver Stone's "JFK" (I had to watch it for my cinema class in D.C.). It is not my favorite movie, which is the diplomatic way of saying I kinda sorta hate it. However, when I first saw it, I disliked it in a generally sense. Now I actually have reasons for disliking it. Stone's questionable use of facts is top of the list. In my research, I've discovered that, in terms of "doing" history in a similar fashion to academic written history, "JFK" is worse than "A Knight's Tale," a film that includes a significant number of anachronisms.

Sadly I have no new pictures this week. But, the weather is, in general, very nice, so I will hopefully have a nice day with some time soon when I can take a wander and have some new pictures!

Time Flies

Two years ago I started my semester in D.C. (It's actually just a bit over that, but it was on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.) In that time, I have accomplished a lot and have become, mostly, an adult. The past two years have been crazy--from being in D.C. to going back to Augie to graduating to coming to York. I'm not sure what I'm doing after this year, but I am sure that I wouldn't be here now if I hadn't done LCWS (Lutheran College Washington Semester, fyi).

My time with the Navy taught me about archives and how funding issues aren't limited to small, local historical societies. My time with my flatmates taught me how to live with other people, how to cook for myself, and how to, basically, be an adult. My classes showed me the benefit of going to Augie and working hard. The people I met were great and it is to them that I owe a lot.

While in D.C., we were asked why we did LCWS instead of a different study abroad program. One woman said, that LCWS offered an internship and a way to gain experience, when other programs would mostly be about having fun in Europe. Don't get me wrong, I like England and it's fun to be here. But, practical experience is a big part of my choice to do both LCWS and my program here at York.

One of the biggest effects of my time in D.C. was that it showed me I could leave home. Growing up, I wanted to stay at home for college. Eventually, though, I changed my mind and traveled all the way to South Dakota. Not that far, especially with frequent trips home for breaks. Going to D.C. was almost crazy for me, despite the fact I knew I had to get away from the Midwest for at least a little bit. My four months there were amazing. Without that experience, I probably wouldn't have traveled halfway across the world for a year. For the first few weeks, whenever people here would find out I'm not going home till September, they would be impressed. It is moderately impressive, but doesn't everybody leave home eventually? I mean, I was going to have to go at some point, why not make it far away for a long time?

Anyway, back to LCWS and how it changed my life. Other than some disappointment at my cinema class, I truly enjoyed my classes (not a new feeling). The workload was similar to Augie, but some of the other students thought it was hard. That, to me, was the true Augie Advantage; an advantage I am still benefiting from. The workload here is harder than at Augie, but only as much as I'd expected. (I feel like I might be surprised at the workload while I write my dissertation, so, perhaps I won't make a final declaration just yet.) My D.C. classes also ignited a passion of the Supreme Court and its history, and to a greater extent law in general. How the Supreme Court and law affect people, past and present, has become a pastime and a way for me to become involved in current affairs.

A brief York update: spring term is going well. I continue to enjoy my World War I research and my class, most of the time. My big goal is determining my dissertation topic, soon. I am intrigued by exhibit design and presentation, especially when the topic is complex on many levels. We'll see.

Two pictures:

Me with a moon thing at the Air and Space Museum in D.C. two years ago.

Me with Big Ben in London over break.

That's all for now!

Happy Holidays!

So, this is a little late. But, better late than never! Technically term started today, but let's just assume my spring term hasn't started.

My break was really good. I had an essay to finish, which I almost did. At this point I just have editing and such to do. I also had a bit of reading for my class on Wednesday and that will be finished on time, it just isn't yet.

One of my friends came up from Paris to visit me during my 1st/2nd week of break. We were roommates in college so it was nice to see her in person. We did a lot around York, but we also spent a lot of time watching movies. Plus it was a break from both homework (during term) and hanging out, listening to Christmas music, and playing solitaire (first few days of break).

For actual Christmas, I was with one of my friends here in York and her family. I had a truly spectacular time! I got to wear a paper crown from a Christmas cracker (a tradition which the US should adopt post haste). I also received tea and tea related items from my friend and her family (tea, basically my new favorite drink, is always appropriate). In order to wrap their presents, I had to be, in my opinion, truly ingenious. I ended up turning old cardboard boxes inside out and coloring on them (prettily, not just doodles). I also included drawings of Split Rock Lighthouse and the cherry and spoon sculpture from the Walker Art Museum.

After Christmas, I had my first real Boxing Day. According to my sister, I was supposed to go shopping. Instead, I didn't do anything of consequence. Boxing Day itself confuses me. I have had multiple people explain it and it still confuses me. When I was growing up, I thought Boxing Day had to do with the sport, like fisticuffs. One thing I do know about it, there are not fisticuffs involved.

To celebrate my birthday, I got myself a cake from Betty's and did nothing productive.

My parents arrived the day after my birthday. We spent Saturday and Sunday in York. I showed them around town and campus. Monday we went to Edinburgh, which was a lot of fun although it rained almost all day. We walked up to the Castle and took pictures of the city, but didn't tour it because the line (queue) was really long. Instead we went to the National Museum of Scotland. It was one of the best museums I've seen. I also learned a lot about Scottish history, which is fascinating.

We spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in York. On New Year's Eve we went to stand in the square by the Minster, because I'd been told that was the place to be. They rang the bells at midnight and all the rest of the people partied. I considered the human condition and our need to celebrate the completion of a year, a unit of time, that, like all time, is a human construction. Obviously I had a good time. Thursday, we went to London.

By chance, we arrived at Buckingham Palace in time to see the changing of the guard. It was cool, but the guards weren't wearing red. Instead they looked like the Winkie guards in Wizard of Oz (the Wicked Witch's guards), which was simultaneously amusing and terrifying. After that we walked around a bit on our way to the Churchill War Rooms. Originally called the Cabinet War Rooms, the Imperial War Museum now operates the site. It was also really cool. Other than the obvious changes for presentation, the rooms were kept as they were during the war. (After the war ended, they were used for storage.) I'm not sure what my favorite part was, but if you're ever in London, I do suggest going. We then had a snack (review to be written later) and walked across the bridge by Big Ben. After a walk past Westminster Abbey, we returned to the train station for our journey back north.

The last day and a half, we spent in Manchester. The first afternoon, we walked around a mall, which further convinced me that all malls everywhere are the same. The second day we went to the Imperial War Museum North. Their main exhibit was on 20th century conflicts. It was, like all museums, interesting. But, in my capacity as a student of public history, I noticed some things that I would change or that signify other considerations than imparting historical knowledge. In the afternoon, we went to the National Football Museum (that's soccer, for all you Americans). It was fun and a completely different vibe than the earlier museums.

Yesterday I caught a train back to York and tried to get myself in the school mindset. I am currently still working on that. And now, in no particular order, pictures!

Buckingham Palace

The guards leaving Buckingham Palace. See, just like Wizard of Oz.

Horse Guards Parade, where they did sand volleyball during the Olympics, with the London Eye in the background. 

Obligatory photo of me and Big Ben. I took it myself and it isn't terrible, so there's that.

A London Underground mug, which I now use solely for tea, courtesy of one of my friends. 

Big Ben and Westminster

My repurposed cereal boxes and flower drawings.

End of Term

So, it's been a while, I know. But it's the end of term. Technically term ended Friday, but I handed in my one essay on Wednesday and have pretty much not accomplished anything else.

The 27th I had Thanksgiving with some of my friends. It was really fun. We went around the table and said one thing we were thankful for... it was funny to watch people who've never had to do it try to come up with something. One of my friends made the chicken (I know) and the desserts, another made mashed potatoes, another stuffing, and the rest of us contributed in some other way. If I had to miss Thanksgiving at home, that was a sufficient substitute.

On actual Thanksgiving, I live-streamed the parade and video chatted with my parents, also a lot of fun. That evening, after CaSSoc, which was good, when we were at a bar, I again went around a circle and had people say one thing they were thankful for. Seriously, it is really difficult for British people to do... and this isn't just me saying it. One of my friends, who went to uni with a lot of Americans (so isn't new to Thanksgiving and was my partner in crime), has done it before but said that she thinks its funny how hard the British find it.

This past Wednesday afternoon/evening I went into Betty's Tea Rooms with a couple of friends to celebrate one of their birthdays. You can check out my story and pictures at Eat.Stretch.Explore! If you don't want to read about it, here's the short version: it was really good and I had fun.

Thursday there was a drinks/social thing at King's Manor for Public History people and next term's placement providers sponsored by IPUP (the Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past). I met a couple women from the York Museums Trust. It turns out that I wasn't assigned the placement I thought I was. I'm still with YMT, but I pretty much get to choose which project I work on. So, instead of the trench/battle, I think I'm going to work on supply lines. The woman said she has a general idea of what she wants the exhibit to look like but none of the specifics... so that seems like more fun. (Not, I should make clear, that any research concerning WWI is going to be real "fun.") Obviously, I will keep you up to date about that.

Thursday evening was the last CaSSoc event of the term. It was a social with Christmas carols and mulled wine. I had a really good time--I helped play piano for the singing. It was really nice to get to play :) I discovered I like mulled wine better than normal wine. It was also a little sad. CaSSoc has been one of the best discoveries I've made about York, so basically a month without any Thursday night activities is a bit of a bummer.

That being said, I did go busking with CaSSoc on Saturday but not for the whole time because I'm a bit ill at the moment. On that note, I only really have a cold. But I've also been having problems with one of my eyelids (random, I know). I thought it was only eczema, which kinda sucked because I thought I was done with that bit of life. It turns out my eyelid got infected (idk with what... but it is), it's not too bad but I went to the health clinic on campus this morning. According to my mom (and the nurse lady), I should have gone in sooner. Anyway, I got a couple prescriptions and hopefully I am on the mend. I think I should be... whatevs. But, I mention this because it was my first NHS experience (or nationalized/socialized medicine) and I have really no problem with it. It worked well and, as of yet, I have not been traumatized by socialized medicine. (I add this observation as a note of how health care systems can work for people, even if they are government-controlled. It is only one occurrence but occasionally the US system is traumatizing after one occurrence.)

As the next few updates will be all about my holiday and the stuff I do during my holiday, I will conclude now with a few pictures! They are a bit out of order, but they are all from the last 10 days.

 This is part of the Christmas market in the city centre. The little houses are stalls for local people to sell stuff. (St. Cloud people, think Christmas lemonade fair) It's really pretty, but during the day it is really busy and there are a ton of people.

 This is St. Helen's Square, with the Mansion House and the Christmas tree. Its really pretty, especially at sunset (roughly 330).

 This is the Thanksgiving dinner I had with my friends. We had chicken instead of turkey, but it was really good and everybody had a really good time. For some it was their first Thanksgiving, for others it wasn't a new experience, and for the Canadian it was about 6 weeks late.

 We had a chocolate cake and winter spice macaroons for dessert. One of my friends baked them and they were really good!

 Apparently, a big thing here is the Christmas Coke truck... idk... but it was in York on Wednesday so I got a couple of pictures.

I could've waited in line to get my picture taken with it, but this is just as good (if not better).

That's all for this time! I'll have another update sometime next week hopefully!