london: the green eyes of jealousy...

This next blog post has the potential to make you feel very jealous. I am sorry if this happens to you, for it is not my intention. Just wanted to say that first out. Okay, here we go. This past weekend I got to go to London, England. Yep, theee London. I was rather excited for this trip because of the friends that I would see there. The weekend was full of adventure and excitement. 

I have only been to London once in my previous times of traveling. And, of course, when I say only once some people might say that that is lucky in itself. But alas, the last time I was in London I was running through the airport with a swarm of people in yellow shirts, getting ready to board a plane to Hungary to participate in an English Camp. I remember enjoying a cup of coffee with my dear friend, Marcie Brinkman, as we waited for our flight. So, although I have physically been in London before, I have never walked around the city and enjoyed the sites that London has to offer. 

Here are some of my thoughts on my journey through London.

Some people take tourist to it's maximum form. They make it into a work of art. They complete the stereotype. Camera around their neck, fanny pack, hat, big sunglasses, awkward lounging button-up shirts, and of course socks with sandals. If you think I am one of those types of tourist, you are dead wrong. Although I would find it incredibly entertaining, I would never be able to walk around London looking like a tourist, at least one like that. 

Even though I did not want to look like the typical tourist, there is really no way to deny that you are a tourist if you have a camera and you are at the beautiful landmarks in London. I still tried to remain undercover in my tourist ways. Working backwards in my tourist-y ways. I went with my friend Rachel, and the night we were going to get onto the train, we wanted to make sure to make it to the lovely Tower Bridge in London. We talked to some of the local students and they said that the Tower Bridge was much more beautiful than the London Bridge, especially at night. So we made that a stop. 

tower bridge in London...

One stop that I never intended on making was the stop to Hillsong Church. I suppose it wasn't planned because truthfully I did not even know that it existed. Hillsong Church was absolutely gorgeous and wonderful. We went on a day of worship, and lucky for me one of my favorite worship leaders (ever) was leading worship there that day. Matt Redman was leading worship and it was fantastic. His song 10,000 words was played, and it's one of my favorites. (Here is a corny video with the song and a little background for it.)

Hillsong Church...balcony seats...

The London Bridge and Hillsong church were events on Sunday, but before church, Rachel, Patsy, and I set out on an adventure all by ourselves in London. I was so proud of our grown-up activities like buying tickets and riding the tube by ourselves. We took the tube to St. John's Wood where right down the street we would find my favorite part of the weekend. Remember a few blogs back when I told you about my love for the Beatles? Well, I still love them, and it just so happens they enjoyed their time in London as well. If you are a Beatles fan like me, then you probably know where this is going. We woke up early on Sunday morning and went to theeee Abbey Road. Ahh! It was fantastic. Usually this street is packed with the typical tourist, but my friends and I decided to be extreme and go early. We were so lucky to find barely anyone there. I decided that I could never recreate the album cover that the Beatles had for Abbey Road, and going there was good enough. It was seriously wonderful. I was pleased to get a few pictures of the street with no people walking on it. 

Abbey Road and I...

straight up Abbey Road...seriously?
no tourist? wonderful...

Okay done with my favorite part and onto backtracking to Saturday. We got to do something else really wonderful on Saturday. This is another part where you might find yourself getting a bit jealous. Please, restrain yourself. We got to see Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, and the various Parliament buildings. 

Big Ben...

Cool right? Oh, were you expecting something better? Okay, there may have been something else really cool that day. Let's see. We woke up at a decent time and ate breakfast. But that is normal. We walked uptown and waited in line. That doesn't seem to out of the ordinary. We bought tickets. Oh- there it is. Tickets to what? Not for the tube or for a bus. We bought tickets to Wicked! We stood in line in front of the theatre and bought tickets for that night's showing of Wicked. I was literally giddy bouncing with excitement. Since we are college students, studying abroad, of course we bought the cheapest tickets available. We didn't care where the seats were, we just wanted to go. Well a few hours before the performance I looked at the tickets, and they said Row A, Seat 12. Hmm...those don't sound too bad. Maybe we are on the first level of the balcony or in the back of the ground floor. It didn't even register that we could have gotten good seats. Well, turns out we were in the front row! Apparently, people do not like the front row, because you can't always see the back corners of the stage. That is ridiculous I say. We were front row and we could see the sweat on the faces of the monkey's, we could see the orchestra pit and the conductor, we could see everything. It was absolutely fantastic. I cried. Yes, I cried it was so good. And it was amusing that the English actors were trying to have an American accent. They were quite terrible at it, if you were wondering. 

Patsy, Rachel, Me, and Justine
holding our Wicked tickets...

I had a simply lovely time in London, and I even taught my fellow classmates from Central, studying in the London program, how to make a proper cup of English tea. They loved it, of course. 

Rachel and I on Tower Bridge...

I suppose this is the end of this post.

...in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make... 

comfort inside a fluffy flat cake...

While you are away from home there are certain things that you miss. Surprisingly, they are things that you wouldn't expect to miss. Also, these things that you miss, hit you at the most random times of the day. These memories or "home-sicknesses" do not have rules. They don't care if it is inconvenient or if you are busy. 

Please do not get me wrong with this. 

I love it here in Wales, and I am going to have a very very very very (you get my point) hard time coming back to the States after another three months. I love something new everyday. Seriously. Today was my typical Tuesday Outdoor Pursuit class. (Blog to come) I love that class, it is challenging and adventurous. So much fun. But that class was not the only thing that I loved about today. Today is National Pancake Day. They eat pancakes all day long. Savory and sweet pancakes. Since I was gone all day at class, I told my flatmates that I would make my pancakes for "tea," (which means supper here. Crazy I know.) 

So, I returned from class, got a cleaned up, finished some homework, then I opened my mini-cookbook, written in my mother's handwriting. I turned the page for pancakes. Well, I can safely say that I can make the mixture for the pancakes and they taste very delicious, but they do not look very good. 

these were at the bottom of the pile...
they were the first ones made, and the worst...
they did eventually get better...

My flipping skills are off here in Wales. Perhaps it is because I use a frying pan, and not the 20 year-old skillet that my mom uses, with grease and butter cooked into it. Try not to judge me for my lack of flipping pancakes, because honestly they still tasted delicious, and I made ones with smiley faces, and hearts in them. How unfortunate that I do not have pictures of those ones...

So back to my original story. While I am here, there are certain things that I miss. Pancakes with my family on Sunday mornings, after church, is one of those things. The sausage, homemade toast, scrambled eggs, and homemade syrup. Yum. I miss sitting with the family in the kitchen chatting over our brunch feast. But although Pancake Day made me miss that part of home, it also provided me with comfort through my flatmates. Pancake Day was the problem and the solution. 

my "family" in Wales, enjoying pancakes together...
in the kitchen...

 Although there were no sausages, homemade toast, or scrambled eggs- my flatmates had other things to fill the place. They don't have maple syrup, so they top their pancakes with various things like; Lyle's Golden syrup (not the same as maple syrup), honey, or chocolate, (and for me peanut butter).

mmm...toppings. 

Lucky for my flatmates, I did not want peanut butter or any of the other toppings so I made homemade apple-cinnamon syrup. And although I am not the best cook at home, I can create some pretty good concoctions here in Wales. This was absolutely delicious. Who knew apples, sugar, cinnamon, and water would taste so delicious together? And at the same time, who would doubt that they would taste good?

apple-cinnamon syrup...what was left of it...

Well, that's all I have for my blog today. I am not sure if you celebrated Pancake Day or not, (I never did while I was in the States). But if you did not get the chance, make today a "pancake day" and treat yourself to some fluffy flat cakes of comfort. You won't regret it. 

open gates and opportunities...

Let me start out by saying that this blog may be a little random. I have had this idea for a while, but I wasn't sure how I was going to tie it all together so people would understand my thoughts. Well, I think I figured it out while walking to the Pier this (late) morning to have coffee. Here are a few pictures of the pier and the tea & scone place:

coffee and homemade cherry scone...

the pier today...not sunny
...still beautiful

I was meeting a friend, Rachel (and contrary to belief, my parents do no pay her to be my friend), down at the pier for coffee. It is about a 15 or 20 minute walk from where I live. I didn't bring my Ipod so I was just thinking while walking. I was thinking about life and where I was and how incredibly amazing it is to be here. I am in Wales. Remember one of my first blogs? I talked about the ahh moments back home, I am going. Well, now that I am here I still have those ahh moments. Any-who, the walk down to the pier is nothing out of the ordinary. It is a hilly walk, just like everywhere else in Bangor, and today it was misting, another usual occurrence in Bangor. I was looking around and trying to soak in everything that I was seeing.

The one thing that I saw the most were colorful gates leading to different paths and houses. I am not sure why, but I was fascinated by these gates and the form of them. They were beautiful. They went along with the houses that they were in front of. The red gate went in front of the red door. 

red gate...red door...

I don't know why these gates fascinated me so much. But they did. I absolutely loved them. My flatmate David laughed at me when I said that I was going to devote a whole blog to these gates, but I don't care. They are reem (a slang word for awesome in Wales.) I love how there are so many just on the walk down to the pier, and I love how they come in all different colors, shapes, and sizes.

black...

green...

brown...

I think it is so cool that man can create hundreds of different gates in just one city. I think it is even cooler that God can create billions of different people individual in their own ways. God is the ultimate welder/carpenter/designer. "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them," Genesis 1:27. Incredible. 

not sure what that says in Welsh...sorry. 

gate to the amazing Roman Camp...
(blog to come.)

one of my favorites...

Another thing that goes along with these gates are opportunities. Behind each of these gates is a life, a family, a path. Individual and unique in it's own way. Some of these gates lead to wide open areas or into paths in the trees, while others lead to narrow paths. Again, all of them are unique. To me these gates are a perfect picture of my life. Each gate opens and each gate leads to specific opportunities. God has allowed me to do so much in my short twenty years on this earth. I have traveled many places, seen and accomplished a lot. I didn't achieve all of these things on my own. Without my parents and heavenly Father none of this would be possible. 

As I see it, the gates and paths here in Bangor are all ones that God has planned out for me. A wonderful opportunity is set out before me to be here and go through those gates, climb up those mountains, and walk down those paths. I still have 3 and a half months here, and so many gates to walk through...

behind this gate is more of the Bangor...

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." -Matthew 7:7


Thanks for reading about my gates --- now, go out, find your own gates...I am sure that there are plenty out there just waiting for you to open them...


~Blair

the best band in the world, ever...

When getting to Bangor, Tecwyn (the program director), gave us a list of all the places that we would visit. I looked down the list and saw many castles and a trip to Ireland, during spring break. All of these things looked really great. And then there it was: 

Saturday, February 04 - Fieldtrip to Liverpool

Liverpool, the birthplace of The Beatles. I was stoked. Tecwyn told us that we would be visiting two cathedrals there and then we would have a chance to go to the Beatles Museum. Again, I was filled with excitement. I don't know when in my life I decided that I loved the Beatles. Maybe it was the years of listening to them with both my Dad and Stepdad. So to my dad's out there, thanks for raising me with a good taste in music, and the best band in the world, ever. 

best opening line, ever...

Ask any of the Americans that were there with me, it was just stupid how giddy I was to see this place. Our tour was set for 2 o'clock and we walked down to Albert Dock, the pier, a bit early. We decided to stop in the Beatles shop. And of course that was a horrible idea. I liked it too much, of course, and spent too much there, of course. All worth it in the end I suppose.

they need the toilets close just in case
somebody pees their pants in excitement...

The museum was beautiful and it was set up in such a fantastic way. The beginning started with how the journey started for the Beatles. It talked about their families and where they each went to school. There was a sign dedicated to The King, Elvis. John Lennon had said that "Without Elvis, there would be no Beatles." So that's where they started. While walking through the museum, we got headsets, and we got to press buttons for the different stations. With each station came various facts and important stories of the beginnings and happenings of the Beatles. It was simply wonderful hearing about all of the things that went on during their road to the top. 

It was all my favorite. But if I had to pick a few of my favorite favorite things, one would have to be "the Cavern." The museum did some intense investigating and recreated the pub where the Beatles first started playing. The stage and the bar was all the same. They describe this place as very specific. Apparently, back in the day, the Cavern was the place to be. There was a specific smell that went along with it. Always filled with people, smoke, booze, and just body heat. This place looked like I had stepped back in time. The stage in the picture below was a replica of the stage. I saw the pictures of the actual stage and they are almost identical. The squares in the background and the small, low stage. The museum did a wonderful job of recreating the scene. 

the stage...wonderful.

The rest of the museum had rooms representing the different songs and albums that the Beatles had created. There was a submarine for the Yellow Submarine, and a gravestone for Eleanor Rigby, and a field for Strawberry Fields. There were also branches for Strawberry Fields for the lyric "No one I think is in my tree, I mean it must be high or low."

Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

This is getting a bit long, so I will move on to the end, and my other favorite part. At the end of the journey there was a bit about each of the Beatles. There were quotes and pictures for each. It was really interesting to see what they thought about everything. 

   

So there is just a glimpse of all that I got to see at the museum. There was so much more, and I could probably go on for another hundred paragraphs. This was my favorite part of my trip so far. But there is more to come...

my favorites..."The Beatles will exist without us."
-George Harrison

"Sounds of laughter, shades of life
Are ringing through my opened ears
Inciting and inviting me.
Limitless undying love, which
Shines around me like a million suns,
It calls me on and on across the universe."

Across the Universe.

my beautiful tangle...

Even if you know me, you may still not understand the dynamics of my family. It is a tangled mess really---but, never the less, the beautiful, loving, and never-empty-of-excitement tangle. It’s mine. In the past I have called a lot of people my family. Of course, everyone has his or her regular family. Whether or not you want to claim them, you are related and you have to love them. But, for me I choose to love others just as much as my family. In the past I have had my high school family, my youth group family, my Central family, and my various church families that have taken me in like a daughter, sister, or awkward cousin. 

I am pleased to announce that I now officially have my Bangor family. My flatmates here in Bangor and I were pretty much made for each other. Like I have said previously, they have taken me in just like a sister, and to me they are another addition to my never-ending tangle of a family. 

They are a rambunctious crew of people that were randomly placed together in Glaslyn Q 109-116. They never knew that they would become a family, or one big group of best friends, but they did. 

As this blog goes on and on through my adventures I thought I should explain a bit more of my tangle here in Bangor. Our flat is made up of me and 7 others. Here is a little bit about the people I am privileged to live with:

Matty: I constantly wonder about Matty and his strange little antics. He plays a great role in our little family. He is like the awkward uncle in out flat. He is strange, funny, awkward, a jokester. My tangle back in America always says that it’s a good sign when others pick on you because it’s a way to show the love they feel towards you. Well, at the end of the day I can appreciate Matty for the “reem” person he is. (Reem is a new term that I have learned, apparently it is similar to the word-awesome.) Also –fun fact- Matty really likes imitating American accents, and he is pretty good at it.

Matty and Zoe

Rhi: Ahh…Rhi. If I could shrink Rhi down to the size of a small Barbie doll I would. And I would carry her around in my backpack. She is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met. Rhi would be the cool aunt of the flat. Ya know, that family member that you hangout with at family reunions. She just accepts you for who you are and she makes you feel good when you are around her. She and I get each other. We can be sitting in the kitchen with a bunch of other people and look at each other and just know what the other is thinking. Rhi has one of the best smiles and laughs I have ever heard…even with the flaw of her loving “Monster Munch.” (Monster Munch is a chip here, it is pork flavored with the texture of Cheeto Puffs. It leaves that left over flavor on your fingers, but it is not one that you would save for later…eww.)

Zoe: You would never be able to tell that Zoe is the youngest person in the flat. She is kind and mature. (And it is probably good that the girls in the flat are like this because the boys can get a bit rowdy {all the time}.) Zoe is like the mom in the flat. She is humorous, but she knows who she is and has an understanding of people. She is easy to talk to and easy to listen to. Zoe cooks a lot. She makes actual mashed potatoes, not from the box, and she tries new things all the time. She has the typical style of an English person. Which of course is absolutely adorable. Her hair is wild most of the time, but it fits her so well. She is chill and organized. I want to steal the decorations in her room, and most of her shoes and jewelry. Zoe and I are normally the ones cleaning the kitchen in the mornings. We like less clutter and when we work together that kitchen looks way good.

Rhi, Zoe, and Me

Sarah: This girl and I live next to each other. Our beds are right next to each other, with a wall in between. She is responsible and strong. She is sure of who she is and who she wants to be. She is the older sister of the flat. She gives advice and always has a level head in tough situations. Sarah is the best. I love giving her hugs and seeing her smile. She is part of the OTC here in Bangor. This explains her character; trustworthy, loving, hard working, and friendly. Sarah took me in as part of the family almost immediately and has made my time here absolutely wonderful.

David and Sara

Nathan: When describing Nathan, you have to start with my favorite part of him. His devious giggle. He gets the biggest smile on his face and lets out about 3 or 4 “hhneee, hnee, hnneeee’s.” It is seriously the best. I don’t know whether or not to be scared or just laugh right along with him. Normally it is the latter of the two. Nathan is like the big brother of the flat. He never turns down an opportunity to do something. He enjoys being lazy, but he is always there for you. He wears a one-zie most of the time when lounging around our flat. A tiger one-zie to be exact. He is always good for a laugh or a hug.

Nathan and I at the Menai

Icy: Let me start out by saying that this girl has the best hair I have seen. It is long and black and usually full of curls at the bottom. Absolutely gorgeous. Although I don’t see Icy very much, I know that she is sweet. She has this innocence about her that is just brilliant. And from what I smell and see, she is an excellent cook. Chinese food is my weakness, and that is all she cooks…yum!

Me and Dave

 David: Dave, Dave, Dave, what can I say about Dave? He is like my brother here. We have a good chat almost everyday just about life. Dave enjoys eating my food. He is the only one in the flat that tried my peanut butter and actually liked it. He eats a bit of pretty much everything that I cook. He says its good, but apparently he doesn’t have very many taste-buds so I don’t know how to take that. I ignore it, and take his keenness to my food as a compliment. Dave also has a tiger one-zie that I will catch him sporting most days. He has introduced me to a bunch of new music that is quite good, and I honestly love it when I can hear him singing from the next room over. Luckily for me whenever I need to chat Dave is just a knock on the wall away from me.

My tangle here is one that I hope I can have forever. They have impacted my life in Wales so much, and it has only been 3 and a half weeks. I can’t imagine how close we are going to be after 4 more months.

Good friends and family are a rare treasure and I am lucky to have my tangle here in Bangor and back at home…

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love..." 

                                                                                                     -1 Corinthians 13:13