Home is Where the Heart Is.

Hello all, 

That would be if you are still reading this blog and haven't given up due to my lack of input!
This will be the last blog post of England 101 - An introduction to life overseas. I'll be moving forward to what would essentially be England 102 - What assimilation into English culture looks like. At least I feel like I fit in, I drink builder's brew tea, say bin and trousers and don't think twice about what side of the road to cycle on. 
Sometimes the accent still poses a problem however - "you're going to Island? like Jersey Island? wait - just Island? What a strange name, never heard of it.. Oh! IRELAND. So sorry, yes I know where that is..."

Anyway, with one essay to go and two weeks to home time, year one of this adventure is drawing to a close!" 

The recent highlight was when my two friends Emma and Natalie came for a visit. Just having them around, living life in England together was so enjoyable! 

Here we are! Big Ben chiming in the background. Nat's first time in Europe!

Taking the friends around on bikes was highly entertaining. Looks like they are enjoying themselves.

 This was a highlight for me! Three friends decked out in running gear. My neighbors constantly ask me if I'm training.. just training for life?

The day the friends moved on to their next exciting location - Paris! I was invited to go to the Peak District with some rock climbing friends. Since the last time I attempted to go to the district the car broke down on the motorway and we spent the day at the service station, I was more than happy to tag along! An amazing day with some fantastic views!

The crew embarking on an adventure

  

First time wearing a bouldering mat!  

Photo credit to Esther! 

 A week later Sonja and Eric decided to take Tiff and I to Cadbury World. It was a tasty experience. Too tasty, with 3 free chocolate bars, a cup of melted chocolate to eat and a buffet lunch before - safe to say we rolled out of there. Cadbury World was also very educational. The surrounding village of Bournville was used by George Cadbury - a Christian - for housing and living space for his employees.

 This is what surfing on chocolate looks like. 

Julia, my new rock climbing buddy, invited myself, her brother Jeff to join her and her children in the new 'caving' experience at the rock gym. I don't particularly like small spaces, and may have sustained some injuries flailing some limbs in an effort to get out as fast as possible. The kids liked it. That's the important part. 

This, my friends is living proof that we do Uni work. This was a presentation on doing music as therapy with clients with dementia. The feedback we received was that we were very entertaining, like watching a TV show. Um.. that's good right?

Only in England does your lawn mower have a cord that requires plugging in to function. That being the case, we were only able to reach half our lawn. I guess they don't have big gardens here.  

For the Bank Holiday we went with some church friends to a bluebell wood. 

Tiff and I also took advantage of our school break for Easter and went to visit some of her relatives in North Wales. This was the picture of the UK I was expecting before arrival last August; hills and sheep. 

I was not expecting Tomas the Tank Engine

We saw some sailboats

As well as the ocean

 Loads of sheep! 

We were in two countries at once! Yes, Wales and England are separate countries and not particularly fond of each other. The UK is a bit of a puzzle, you tube really helps. 

That's it! Year one of two almost complete. Upon reflecting, I came to the understanding that God is not geographically or culturally bound. He is everywhere and will never leave you or forsake you. The safest place to be is doing God's will.

I am so grateful for this season of life, and thankful for the support from family and friends in Canada and England. 

For now, I'm excited to return home to some fabulous people, the mountains and being able to confidently say I like your pants!

Till next time, take care!

The World is our Classroom

Learn from your mistakes.
Life is the best teacher 
No regrets just lessons learned...

University work is consuming the Occupational Therapy cohort of 2016. 
We spend the days in our new home, the library. 
Each of us have a favorite spot. Tiff likes to sit by the coffee shop, because the coffee aroma is soothing. Sophy likes the silent section where even crunching on a biscuit can be sent by anonymous text to the library staff, and notified as 'disruptive' behavior. I don't even know where Danielle is - haven't seen her for days!
For myself, I haven't sat in the same place twice as each day brings a new seating opportunity, and when your life consists of the tackling the same research proposal for the fourth day in a row, a little something different, like a new chair to sit in, is very much appreciated. 

Ok, it's not bad at all, we are all enjoying the opportunity to learn, and really that is what we came here to do. So it had to happen, eventually. 

It's been a while and I'll work backwards.

I participated in the Bible exhibition that is happening this week at our church - Reynard way. The church has linked up with several primary schools in the area to invite them to come and see the life of Christ. This includes real people acting the real stories of the Bible, that really happened. Emphasis on REAL. It was something I've never seen before and it really did bring the story of the Bible to life. 
I was in charge of the new testament food tasting table where kids could taste honey, bread, figs, dates and cheese like they would have had back then. It was a bit controversial to have had poppy seeds on display as mustard seeds, apparently mustard seeds are really hard to find, however, the general theme of "faith like a mustard seed" came through.


Occasionally, a Canadian impulse arises and I really miss something Canadian. I expected to miss the mountains and scenery, what I did not expect on this adventure  however, was the sudden longing for a box of mac and cheese, Kraft Dinner style. So, in my allowed hour lunch break from studying, I donned my runners and literally jogged to ASDA to pick up a box. Alas, KD is not here in England. But they do have.. 

Super pasta' n' sauce ready in 8 minutes, macaroni cheese!

I ignored the batchelors part, and the complete lack of nutritional value, (I ate it with broccoli!) and happy munched away on my new found English brand of KD. It's not even comparable. 

Speaking of Canada. On February 28 2015, the Lord in his infinite wisdom, called home Grandma Deraad. We were shocked as this was unexpected and even though she was 87, she was healthy and fit. I felt it was best to fly home to be with the family, and it really hit me how you need to appreciate those you have around you in the present. You just don't know how each person's days are numbered. That being said, it is an amazing comfort to have had the support of two church communities, in two different countries during this time. We know where she is and is at peace with God. Thank you to all who were a source of comfort and for your prayers!

I didn't know what it would be like, flying back to Canada earlier than expected. Would everything be the same, or have changed? 

Immediately upon arrival, I went into tourist mode, taking pictures of the surrounding environment.. and then realized that I do sort of live here, and will see these features again. I did appreciate the trip to Starbucks with Mr. V - a tradition I missed during my time in England. 

Caffeine is always a good idea after 24 hours awake. 

This was one of the touristy stops we went on while traveling back from the airport. It's true, I've never been to Red Racer before. I think the real motive was to see if there was any beer on sale :)

I especially appreciated the  to oppertunity to meet the newest people. This is little Adam. 

I can't believe how nice the weather was in the Fraser Valley! 

To be fair, England was also experiencing high temperatures.

Very thankful for these friendly faces who made the drive to the airport super fun!

First day back, after two rather rough flights... lets just say now I know what the little white bag behind the seat is for.. Tiff and I got right back into the swing of things! We helped Pastor Paul and Julia celebrate Kate's 2nd birthday! 

I can't believe there is just over 2 months to go, and then we are finished our first year of Uni! 

A good friend named Em sent me this quote the other day, and I think it sums up the adventure called life quite well.

Hei Hei Finland!!

Organic and Innovative. 

Those are the two words I would choose to describe the marvelous, efficient country of Finland. I absolutely loved it there. The people are really into health and wellness and simple functional designs. With a backdrop of softly falling snow, the stay was magical, we felt as we had entered Narnia!

We arrived in Helsinki, were every 1 in 4 Fins reside, and stepped off the airport bus to a giant skating rink in the center of town. 

Literally rolling down the streets of Helsinki, taking in the fantastic structures

After arriving at our hostel, Tiff and I wasted no time in exploring what Helsinki had to offer. We decided to take the ferry to the Island of Suomenlinna. As of 1991 this Island was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, preserved for future generations as an example of the European military architecture of its time. Finland originally belonged to Sweden, then Russia before becoming a separate country. The Finnish don't have much to say about those from either country. I think the exploration would have been a tad better in the daylight, and without the ice pellets impeding our vision. Needless to say, we had an adventure. 

You know you are a tourist when...you gleefully construct a miniature snowman named "Finny." It's amazing Finny got constructed at all, as we were all in hysterical giggles this night. Perhaps the air is a tad thinner here?

This was an interdenominational church built by Russia for the people of Finland. At least that was the story I got from the girls who went on the 3 hour walking tour... Needless to say, impressive.

Believe it or not, this is another church. It's the "silent church." We should have looked at a picture before setting out to find it. We literally walked circles around it. I don't completely understand the "silent" component. How does any preaching happen? 

We did do some academic work, as this was the purpose of the trip - to be integrated with the Finnish students to learn about the value of Home in occupational therapy. We got quite used to trudging to the University in our snow boots and full winter gear. We learned we had to factor in an extra 5 minutes for the getting ready process. This factor we seemed to slowly forget as the week went on and the last three days we could be seen frantically sprinting to school. Ironically enough, one of the days was actually universal "run to work day."

And to think, he only parked here this morning... The Finnish are inspiring folks. They run, cycle, skate pretty much all year round. Our Finnish classmates showed us their special winter tires then put on their bikes for cycling in the snow. 

Everything is more expensive in Helsinki. With a beer at a restaurant easily costing you 8 euros, and groceries priced equally as high, we were thrilled when we discovered we could have the 2.60 euro student discount at the cafeteria. You can pile your plate as high as you want with fresh bread, salad, soup, main course and choice of two drinks. This event was in my top 3 favorite memories of the week!

An example of the the delicious meals we enjoyed. The Finnish were confused about our excitement over their food. When we explained in England you can buy chips (fries) and beans or baked potato for lunch - salad is extra, they replied "but how does that promote healthy eating?" Good question. The Finnish have got things figured out. 

We all met up in a local pub after ice skating one day. The happy gentleman holding the cards is our new magician friend.  

 This is the oldest building in Jyvaskyla the town we were staying in. 

This photo got sent around one day when we had an audio lecture. It just made me chuckle. Finnish, English or Canadian, the smart phone still wins.  

A local church

The Finnish know a thing or two about occupational balance. The first day we took our shoes off at the door and got to know each other through a creative movement exercise. It was a fantastic icebreaker, and we are all closer for it!

This lecture we got to sit on giant beanbags!

This, if you can read the sign, is a sauna. The Finnish are huge into sauna's and it is common to have one built in your house. This was a traditional sauna in the sense that you sit in the heat and then wander outside to jump in the ice lake, and repeat. Makes you feel alive!

Locks of love are not native to Italy or Paris, love also is secured in these locks here. What is not secured is the children. Let me explain. It is not uncommon to see a baby sleeping in a baby buggy outside of a shop. The parents leave their children to sleep outside, instead of waking them with the heat of the indoors. Social services would not go for that back in Canada.  

 

One of my personal favorite traveling experiences is trying out local coffee shops. I have never had a cup of coffee than what I had in Finland. To be specific, on the Finn-air flight to Finland, but the country itself did not disappoint. Gives the strong Holland coffee a run for it's money!

Alas, it was time to venture home, back to reality in England. Just for fun I've included something I saw on Facebook 

These are part of the 22 things you will NEVER hear a Finnish Person say:

2. “Aren’t free school lunches delicious?”

3. “Please, tell me more about your friends from Sweden.”

5. “When will this summer end? It feels like it’s going on forever.”

8. “It’s a bit warm out here, I’m just going to take another layer off.”

9. “I tell you what: Why don’t we get another bottle of this reasonably-priced wine?”

11. “I just wish winter was a bit longer. It always seems to just fly by.”

Family, Fireworks and Finland

Hello all! 

It's been too long! We are soildly into 2015 and in the thick of winter. Well, today it felt like winter - England's first snowfall of the season! I hear the East Coast of Canada shares in the winter wonderland. The Fraser Valley... has it's seasons confused. 

I know Happy New Years is but a fond memory for most of you by now... I hope those New Years resolutions are faring better. However, I  resolved not to make any resoultions this year. I'm reading this amazing book called "what's best next" by Matt Pearman and he advocates for a mission statement instead. Ever heard of Jonathon Edwards? He has 70. Worth a look! 

It's been a whirlwind of ups and downs this month. The ultimate high was ringing in the New Year with a dear friend from Canada - Jo! A first for us was shooting our own fireworks --completely legal in the Netherlands, well, the little fizzlers we shot were, not like the sonic boom type from Germany that our neighbour out shone us with..

After an amazing stay, reconnecting with the family in the Netherlands, where I drove a car - first time in months - oh the freedom - the panic- What?! The speed limit is 130?!  I then returned "home" to our little terrace house in England. It was surreal taking two trains, the bus, the metro and a cab to end up at the front door of my temporary abode. Right, I had to remind myself, I live here. England. Accents. Tea. Trousers, not pants. Check. 

Back to the books! This is supposed to be the most intense semester of the degree, but regardless, we decided to take off to Finland for a week starting Saturday. It's educational, I assure you. Can't wait to layer up and embrace the cold. England will feel positively balmy afterwards! 

JO!! I was so happy to reconnect with a good friend from Canada. Jo and I used to hike together once a week and chat about where the future would lead us. Turns out a few months later She would be on her way to Uganda, I would live in England and we would end up in Holland at the same time in between. We didn't see that one coming!

New Years Eve in the Netherlands is a very big deal. The whole day leads up to the count down at midnight. First stop - Visser's Oliebollen in Hattem. Simply the best.

My Uncle Alex had helped out here for 30 years. Encouraging the mass production of a dutch favorite. 

The folk who made the dough knew my dad, so we got a special back stage pass into the "kitchen." We were a bit distracting however, as this batch got an extra amount of raisins by mistake!

Jo sent me this photo on New Years Eve, "Got the fireworks ready!" People literally lit thousands of euros on fire that night. Watching a panoramic explosion of light for an hour? Priceless. The most impressive fireworks display I have ever seen. 

These have a special dutch name that escapes me. But they are New Years specific. Loaded with whip cream -the dutch sure eat well!

Geocaching is universal! I introduced my cousin Evite to it when I visited her in Groningen. 

Parking here is tough. How do people ever remember which bike is theirs?

All things can be done on bike. Including taking out your garbage.

Back to reality! Occasionally we study. I thought I better capture the evidence.

 

Tiff and I babysit for a friend at church on occasion. We love the snuggle time. Thomas the Tank engine never gets old. Their mom is also Canadian, that helps with the language barrier :) What it doesn't help with is when I say the completely wrong word. I.e. to the 8 year old "Does your school have uniform pants as well?" Pants means underwear, and she just stared at me.. Her mom quickly explained..

Snow! England's first of 2015. It was so distracting for us in lectures. Literally the world stops when it snows here. The primary schools called the parents to pick up their children early after the first few flakes fell. We have a girl from Barbados in our class and this was her first snowfall ever! We constantly are correcting people when they say, "oh you are from Canada, you must be used to this!" We try to tell them Vancouver is very mild, and that we don't even own snow boots... 

The next adventure is Finland! Stay tuned! I'm sure there will be lots to report after that. 

Stay healthy and warm and remember to stand firm. 

1 Corinthians 15:58. 

Love