Came from the left while looking to the right

Due to technical difficulties with the internet which were beyond Durko's (aka Team55) control and made me unable to post this post when I wrote it, I failed my one post-a-day challenge in literal terms, but figuratively, which is always the term that matters, I'm still on pace. So...

Day 6 brought my first class. Fudge and double fudge on that. The class Great Britain was not bad at all this morning. We found out about our community service options and how the class is going to work. It was a lovely time. We just didn't see what was around the corner though. This class and study abroad in its entirity is like a mother bear who acts like she loves her cubs...treating them nicely, letting them roam around the forest, try new berries and playing with other cubs. Now the momma bear very well may love her cubs and want the best for them but one day...BOOM!! Everything changes. She flips on them, making them work their poor paws raw and filling up what once was play time with fetching food, finding new caves, learning about other animals they never see and other hard, exhausting, time-consuming, fun-sucking tasks, working and slaving away at the command of their once sweet momma bear. Poor poor cubs...they didnt even see it coming.

Now, I may have overplayed this situation slightly but it makes for such better reading. Class really was good but it also really has SO MUCH work to go with it. One lonely class and I already feel bogged down. It was a tease to not have school for four days. It was light and then BOOM it got dark, leaving you blind and stunned. There was snow and then BOOM it melted(really fast...there was a solar flare), leaving your plants barely clinging to life. Good and then BOOM bad. Again, probably playing this up a little much but hopefully my point is made. Tons of work so now it's time to Do Work.

So after class, Kelly, Kristi, Grant and I perambulated(word of the day) to the train station again to buy our tickets. It made my day. Our guy Mike was/is the man. He spent over an hour working with us. From line work to getting rail cards, he got us through it. We ended up with a super fast trip there at 0837 for the same price as non-peak times putting us in Edinburgh at 1422. The trip back on Sunday was the problem because of work they were doing to the tracks. The way we were coming was going to take over 8 hours and involve making 5 connections and catching a bus somewhere along the way. He ending up routing us through London which ended up only being a few pounds more expensive while saving us hours of travel and now we only have 2 connections. He got us all sitting together around a table on the trains you could get reserved seats and he got us hooked up with a rail card that cost 26 quids but saved us almost 40 so it paid for itself in one use. Now we can use it on any train we take in the UK and get big discounts. W had to get a passport pic made at the station for the rail card. That was interesting because the machine was...well lets just say it was very "picky" on how you took your photo. Its "pickiness" lead to some very unflattering and funny pics. This train station experience which was really my first one ever made me even more pumped for this trip!

At the train station, I had my first "street" convo with a Brit. He was an older man and he was asking me some questions and heard my "twang" so we started talking about Texas. Then he left and the lady behind commented on how it seems like I made a friend and then we talked a little. Very nice. Ate a sausage roll at the train station as a recommendation from the worker guy. Flippin good!

After the station, we went to buy Kelly a new camera because of an incident that occured during the hand-off of it between Kelly and Kristi. I bought a cinnamon roll and a cranberry muffin from Sainsburys. Good stuff except the roll had raisins. Not a big fan of those little boogers. Also bought some fruit from 9-9. We shall see how that is.

Got back home and started on hw. Decided to take a nap at 1730 til 2000 cause I couldn't focus. Got up and ate some leftover pasta from Ryker and Ben. Now back to do hw until bed. Good day all in all.

I saw this on Spencer Hilliard's facebook today and it touched me:

"What we think about affects what we do, and what we do produces habits, and that is what ultimately determines our character.... Pursue God's truth, reflect on it, and put it into practice, that is the character we should all strive for."

Being in a foreign place, you could almost call it a duty to not just take, but give back. Habits essentially show who and what we are about. Habits are created by something we do and/or are surrounded by a lot. Habits are what we do. If my heart is for Jesus and like His then it will show because that is what I would think about and do all the time. Today in class, we read "The Moral Ambiguity of Study Abroad" by John Barbour. It just reiterated what I've been hearing and things finally came together. For the community service projects there are many cool things to do such as being a guide at Christ Church which I really wanted to do. After reading this article and what Spencer wrote, I did not see that opportunity as very appealing compared to the other service options available that can really impact someone's life. I've decided to do KEEN which is a program that basically will allow me to spend time with mentally handicapped kids, helping them do recreational things and what not. I can't wait! I am here spending more money on my weekend trip to Scotland alone than some people make in a year. This study abroad trip costs more money than a lot of people will make in their lifetime. I am having the time of my life while hell has come to earth in Haiti. I have to make the most of my time over here. I mean this in a completely different way than what I wrote about last night. I need...I want to help people and make a difference while I am over here instead of just worrying about the places I will and won't get to go. I have the opportunity of a lifetime...I will pursue God's truth, reflect on it and put it into practice. Thanks Spence.

Thanks for the prayers and keep them coming.
God is good.

Laters Chums