Yesterday was Sunday so I took off blogging. Trey and I went with the students, professor and Kathy to a church called Holy Trinity Brompton. I got on their website ahead of time as Trey and I will actually be looking for a church home and they described themselves as a ” vibrant Anglican church in the heart of London, with a vision to play our part in the re-evangelisation of the nations and the transformation of society.” (They are also the church that began the Alpha divorce recovery program if you have heard of that.) We were told it was super casual but as I will only be able to fit in my pre-pregnancy dress clothes for a short time longer I decided to go ahead and wear my typical Sunday clothes. I did opt for my Cole Haan flats with the Nike Air in the heels as we were going to be walking the mile to church. About a quarter mile in, my heels began to attempt to break free from the bondage of the closed heel that had not held them from the time I left my job over a month ago. By a half mile I was bleeding. Band aids were tried, Kleenex was tried all to no avail. I was so frustrated I cried, thank you pregnancy hormones and leftover jet lag, which was embarrassing, as the timing of my tearful moments always tends to be. I walked on my tip toes the rest of the way which minimized further damage but has left me with one sore shin. By the time we got to the church and sat down I realized that my sole focus of the entire journey had been moving forward and I had missed all the scenery. The best way to see this city is just to walk it. If you are going less than three tube stops, don’t ride, just walk… with tried and true shoes I should say.
When we sat down the first thing that struck me was the juxtaposition of the stone walls, arches and alfresco painting surrounding the Alter with the mammoth screen suspended in front of the alfresco playing a praise and worship rock band concert. I couldn’t reconcile the mishmash of a cathedral with what I was watching on the screen. We sat on chairs lined up like pews but completely mobile. You could tell the entire hall could be cleared of the chairs. The church was super casual but there were people dressed up as well. There were several nationalities in the congregation and it was very easy to feel at home as the atmosphere was pretty “come as you are” despite the formality of the physical building. As the worship leader took the stage I was pleased to find that I knew the song. As the worship service progressed I actually only found two songs I didn’t know. I always like to listen closely to the announcements in a new church because I feel like outside of the Biblical teaching it is the best way to get a feel for the direction of the church. They had a week of focused prayer coming up with an emphasis on missions and a marriage conference for their focus group leaders coming up. The sermon was very basic and watered down. There was a passage read at the beginning followed by a list of tips for keeping your relationship with God authentic. They had open communion which we took (non-alcoholic wine for the pregnant lady.) I had never taken Anglican communion and I could tell when they handed me the bread and the cup I was supposed to say something but I did not know what that was so I just mumbled something indescript then asked Trey what I was supposed to say when I got back to my seat (regretting the whole time that I couldn’t go barefoot.) It was just “Amen.” Finally the time came for the end of the service (it lasted from 11:30-1:00) and that unfortunately also meant the time to walk home. Kathy offered to send me on the bus but determined to build calluses so I can wear my Cole Haan flats around Paris I refused, re-secured my band-aids, repositioned my Kleenex to a more prime, yet embarrassing, position and plunged ahead.
We stopped about two blocks from the house at an authentic Indian restaurant the only things I know I ate were rice and chicken in some sort of creamy sauce. There was flat bread that you break apart and dip in either a minty creamy sauce, a fruity mango sauce, or a chunky spicy sauce. Kathy also ordered a super spicy vegetable medley dish and a creamed spinach dish for the table. I loved the chicken and was full for the first time since we arrived but I have no desire to eat there again for a long while. We returned home and lounged around for the rest o the day.
Today we stayed around the house. I slept until 10 even though Trey got up for breakfast at 8. (We have a set breakfast from 8 to 8:30 AM Monday through Thursday because breakfast is paid for by the house and a student assistant sets it out and puts it away… have I mentioned how spoiled we are going to be when we get home?) We got up and met with Kathy about house issues. We had a lot of questions and we still have not gotten a signed agreement for our employment nor has the school been able to figure out our peculiar tax situation therefore we have not begun receiving our living stipend so we are currently living off savings (hold your breath!) We began doing laundry which can be a juggling act in a house with 9 people and one washer/dryer. We did 6 loads today and it was only our clothes. We still need to do our sheets and towels. I was really wishing we had gotten it done earlier because today it was 81 degrees which you really feel when there is no AC around and you have worn all your summer clothes. Laundry took us until 5:00 and by then I was starving. Trey and I decided to go to Hard Rock and let a few people know. Within about 5 minutes we had a group of 5 going, so fun! We took the tube down there and had a great American dinner. Everyone had burgers except me and I found some chicken mac and cheese on the menu. The big draw for Hard Rock is FREE REFILLS!!!!! Oh how I miss them, oh how I enjoyed them. Promptly when we sat down I told our waiter just how excited we were for them and he kept our cups flowing. It was probably one of the top mini-moments of the trip so far. I am already adjusting to the smaller portions and could not even eat half of my dinner. Trey took home half of his burger. We were all so stuffed we decided to walk the two miles home which can actually be faster than taking the tube home. I was quite excited as this journey took us past some of the nicer shops including… duh duh duh duh… Harrods! We got to see the lights pop on just as we were walking past and all the lovely window displays. The walk home did a lot for the fullness of our bellies. This evening our first little bump in the road with cleaning and household responsibility occurred. Of course, I can’t go into details but I did want to mention that everyone came together and we all seemed to move forward as a group and reach a point where I think everyone had a happier outlook. Off to bed we go!
When we sat down the first thing that struck me was the juxtaposition of the stone walls, arches and alfresco painting surrounding the Alter with the mammoth screen suspended in front of the alfresco playing a praise and worship rock band concert. I couldn’t reconcile the mishmash of a cathedral with what I was watching on the screen. We sat on chairs lined up like pews but completely mobile. You could tell the entire hall could be cleared of the chairs. The church was super casual but there were people dressed up as well. There were several nationalities in the congregation and it was very easy to feel at home as the atmosphere was pretty “come as you are” despite the formality of the physical building. As the worship leader took the stage I was pleased to find that I knew the song. As the worship service progressed I actually only found two songs I didn’t know. I always like to listen closely to the announcements in a new church because I feel like outside of the Biblical teaching it is the best way to get a feel for the direction of the church. They had a week of focused prayer coming up with an emphasis on missions and a marriage conference for their focus group leaders coming up. The sermon was very basic and watered down. There was a passage read at the beginning followed by a list of tips for keeping your relationship with God authentic. They had open communion which we took (non-alcoholic wine for the pregnant lady.) I had never taken Anglican communion and I could tell when they handed me the bread and the cup I was supposed to say something but I did not know what that was so I just mumbled something indescript then asked Trey what I was supposed to say when I got back to my seat (regretting the whole time that I couldn’t go barefoot.) It was just “Amen.” Finally the time came for the end of the service (it lasted from 11:30-1:00) and that unfortunately also meant the time to walk home. Kathy offered to send me on the bus but determined to build calluses so I can wear my Cole Haan flats around Paris I refused, re-secured my band-aids, repositioned my Kleenex to a more prime, yet embarrassing, position and plunged ahead.
We stopped about two blocks from the house at an authentic Indian restaurant the only things I know I ate were rice and chicken in some sort of creamy sauce. There was flat bread that you break apart and dip in either a minty creamy sauce, a fruity mango sauce, or a chunky spicy sauce. Kathy also ordered a super spicy vegetable medley dish and a creamed spinach dish for the table. I loved the chicken and was full for the first time since we arrived but I have no desire to eat there again for a long while. We returned home and lounged around for the rest o the day.
Today we stayed around the house. I slept until 10 even though Trey got up for breakfast at 8. (We have a set breakfast from 8 to 8:30 AM Monday through Thursday because breakfast is paid for by the house and a student assistant sets it out and puts it away… have I mentioned how spoiled we are going to be when we get home?) We got up and met with Kathy about house issues. We had a lot of questions and we still have not gotten a signed agreement for our employment nor has the school been able to figure out our peculiar tax situation therefore we have not begun receiving our living stipend so we are currently living off savings (hold your breath!) We began doing laundry which can be a juggling act in a house with 9 people and one washer/dryer. We did 6 loads today and it was only our clothes. We still need to do our sheets and towels. I was really wishing we had gotten it done earlier because today it was 81 degrees which you really feel when there is no AC around and you have worn all your summer clothes. Laundry took us until 5:00 and by then I was starving. Trey and I decided to go to Hard Rock and let a few people know. Within about 5 minutes we had a group of 5 going, so fun! We took the tube down there and had a great American dinner. Everyone had burgers except me and I found some chicken mac and cheese on the menu. The big draw for Hard Rock is FREE REFILLS!!!!! Oh how I miss them, oh how I enjoyed them. Promptly when we sat down I told our waiter just how excited we were for them and he kept our cups flowing. It was probably one of the top mini-moments of the trip so far. I am already adjusting to the smaller portions and could not even eat half of my dinner. Trey took home half of his burger. We were all so stuffed we decided to walk the two miles home which can actually be faster than taking the tube home. I was quite excited as this journey took us past some of the nicer shops including… duh duh duh duh… Harrods! We got to see the lights pop on just as we were walking past and all the lovely window displays. The walk home did a lot for the fullness of our bellies. This evening our first little bump in the road with cleaning and household responsibility occurred. Of course, I can’t go into details but I did want to mention that everyone came together and we all seemed to move forward as a group and reach a point where I think everyone had a happier outlook. Off to bed we go!
1 comment:
my favorite post so far! love the picsb:)
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