A village walk and a dance

Today our clinical course started. I felt fairly unprepared. I thought the classrooms had computers in them, but I was wrong. So I had to go after my computer. I hooked my computer up to the projector and it wouldn't work. So I had to leave again and find Mark, who was extremely helpful and got me set up.  After about 45 minutes, our class was raring and ready to go - finally! Fortunately, the students seem to be pretty laid back and understood why things were not going as smoothly as I had hoped.

After lunch, we rode into Grantham and did a walking "windshield" survey. This is when you walk or drive around and look at the environment, at people, and at resources that are available to determine the health of a community. We noticed quite a bit of smokers. Also there were many older adults riding bikes and there were not many green spaces for kids to play. We went into a pharmacy and discovered all sorts of things - for example, the pill boxes have braille on them so blind people will know what medicine they are purchasing. We also found medicines that had the same name in the UK as in the US while others had similar names or similar packaging but different names. There were also some things we just didn't know what they were. It was really quite funny - I just never thought that going to the pharmacy could be this entertaining.

We also walked past Isaac's school - the school is still out for the rest of the week, but at least he knows how to get there and back to the bus stop.

This evening, a local band came to the manor and we had a ceildh (pronounced kay-lee). A ceildh is an Irish dance with great folk music. Here is a picture of the band:

Ceildh Band

The guys were really funny and they brought a sound man who doubled as a dance instructor. The students and faculty danced and a great time was had by all - the dance was in the Great Hall - what a great place to have a dance :)

Although the pictures are a little blurry, I hope you can see that everyone is having fun. Tomorrow should be another adventurous day. I hope to get a UK phone so if I am out with the students I can phone for help if needed. My other goal is to try to get money out of an ATM - hopefully my card will work. Isaac has decided we should go to Dover on Friday. We will leave at 0700 and return around 2230. I am sure it will be a long trip but one we will both enjoy.

Isaac and I miss all of our friends in the US, but we are still having a fantastic time. The experiences here are so rich - we will never forget it!

A stroll with friends down the canal path

After lunch, Dean and Marilyn Thomlinson and I decided to take a walk down the canal path. We walked for 2 hours. It was a beautiful but windy stroll. Here is what we saw after we started on our walk:

Beginning of canal path

As we continued on our journey, we ran into a family of swans - the family included a mother, a father, and 3 babies. It was just like the ugly duckling - the babies were sort of a gray-tan color. They were so beautiful and made me remember the gift of nature. It is just so surreal - you just don't see a family of swans in Evansville!

Here are some more pictures of what we saw on our walk...

Brick bridge over the canal

There evidently is some Dutch influence in this area - they are the ones who built the canal to help irrigate the land (according to Lawrence, our bus driver). It is just a truly amazing walk. The warm sun and beautiful scenery reminded me of the blessings I have in my life and how truly amazing life really is.

Marilyn and me on top of the bridge

After we got to this first bridge, we decided to head back to the manor to catch a seminar on travel. We ran back into our favorite swans on our way back home....

And here is the glorious sight we saw upon our return - thank goodness dinner was almost ready for us - boy were we hungry :)

A view of the manor while coming up the road

I never get tired of seeing this place - it truly is marvelous from all directions. Gregory Gregory, the man who built the manor from 1835-1856, truly knew what he was doing - and I think he did a pretty good job :)

A new definition of "new"

Today we went to St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grantham. It is a beautiful place and will be where we go to church for the rest of the semester. The priest was older but very nice and quite funny. The parish members overall are elderly. There were only a few young families at the church. Construction on the church started in 1831 and it was done in 1833. We sang VERY traditional hymns. In fact, one of the hymns we sang was the song that the characters in the movie, Titanic, sang when they were in church. Here is what I found most interesting about the hymnal. It's title was "Old and New Hymns." Well, the "newest" hymn we sang was written by a gentleman who died in 1914, and most of the hymns were from the 1800's. There were even some hymns in the book that were originally written in 400 AD. This interesting observation made me wonder, what is the definition of new? Things here are older than they are in America, so the word "new" must have a different point of reference here...just thought I would let you know what was running through my mind. Additionally, congratulations were given to a young couple who just were married in the church. The bride's family has ties to the church reaching back into the middle of the 18th century. Another interesting thing is that the priest was quite a historian; he spoke about humility and what various people wrote about humility in the 1400's....so this begs the question, when is something in England considered new? I guess I will just have to continue to ponder this thought as I continue my adventure.  Everyone at the church is getting really excited. The pope is coming 16 - 19 September 2010 to beatify Cardinal Newman. They have a bus trip planned, but unfortunately there are no seats left for Isaac and me to join in on the excitement. I am sure we will hear more about the pope's visit as time passes. Here is a link to the church we attended in case you would like to find out more about it. St. Mary's Grantham

High Table Dinner

Last night was a cool night. It was our High Table Dinner. We were all told to look "smart" and "gorgeous". The faculty wore their robes again and we all marched in behind our friendly bagpiper. Here is a picture of Isaac and me and our friends, the Rice's, before our dinner.

The students were all there, and the food was amazingly good - dinner ended with a cheesecake that actually tasted like cheesecake :) All the faculty, staff, and their families were introduced after the dinner. Then the students marched out behind our friendly bagpiper and the evening ended. Here is a picture of the bagpiper:

I also took a picture of some of my students - this could be one of the only times where they look "smart" :)

The faculty and staff convened in the Van der Elst room for yet another symposium. The British faculty are really funny. We had a great time talking about what we might dress up as for the costume ball in November. The ideas ranged from the Spice Girls to Zombies to our favorite diseases to Zombies with diseases. To the casual passerby, our conversation probably sounded quite strange, but it was really pretty funny. We had leftover cheese that has ended back in our refrigerator for the next symposium. The faculty are finally figuring the symposium thing out and have realized how one needs to be on the constant lookout for snacks to add to our stash :)

Convocation Exordium - God Save the Queen!

So I have to admit, although I knew what a convocation was, I had to look up the word, Exordium. For those of you who are as verbally challenged as I am, exordium means a beginning or introduction. So at the convocation exordium, the faculty and staff at Harlaxton College gathered with their families and the students and were introduced as we begin our new semester. I thought the ceremony would be quite stuffy but in fact, I was pleasantly surprised. Although there were serious moments, there was also a lot of laughter and fun. It was quite lovely.

We marched in behind Mr. Billy James, a professional bagpiper - in fact, at the last bagpiping world competition, our bagpiper, who is also Harlaxton's exterminator, came in 9th place. Fifteen years ago, he was in 3rd place, but as he told us, the younger lads from Ireland are getting quite good and they passed him at the latest competition. I would have loved to have had my camera at this event, but it just didn't seem proper for a faculty member to be snapping photos during the ceremony. The good news is that Mr. James will be back this evening at the high table dinner, so I promise to get some pictures then - I have to admit that Mr. James sounded much better than Jacob when playing the bagpipes. Mr. James even looks more like a bagpiper - it might be the kilt :) The music was loud but phenomenal.

We sang the Star Spangled Banner and then God Save the Queen. I found out a fascinating fact today. If England ends up with a king instead of a queen, they change the name and the words of their national anthem - it becomes God Save the King. This is the only country I know of that changes the words and name of their national anthem based on the gender of the ruler...pretty cool

We also sang a great folk song written by David Mallett in 1975 called "The Garden Song". Here is a link to John Denver singing the song with the Muppets - we didn't have the singing plants, but the faculty looked like the judges at the end :) John Denver and the Muppets sing The Garden Song

The song is quite fitting - when I think about it, this is what the mission of a nursing professor is - we plant lots of seeds hopefully in the fertile (pronounced fer-tile - like a tile floor - in the UK) ground of our students' minds. With a combination of the gifts given to faculty and students by God - we do all grow - it takes a lot of work, but we end up growing in the end. And then our students graduate and become nurses who are able to make a difference in the lives of their patients - and the cycle begins again. They teach other nursing students and their patients to care for themselves and others. It really is quite a phenomenal experience when you think about it. I am looking forward to the growth - both personally and professionally - that my students and I will experience this semester. What an awesome gift we have been given...here's to making every moment count!

Our first successful symposium

Before our walk tonight, I decided to plan our first faculty and family symposium. Now I know this may shock some of you, but believe it or not, I have become the official symposium planner. A symposium is a time when we share thoughts and views and have fellowship with each other. Symposiums usually include food, drink, and a lot of laughter. Every year someone becomes the symposium planner - being a seasoned Harlaxton visitor, I decided that I needed to assume that responsibility.After all, no one else was assuming the role, and a great leader cannot let time go wasted! We ate the cheese and crackers and even found a few drinks to share. We also played rummy and talked about our travel plans. The faculty kept asking me where I got the cheese - I was so sneaky last night, they didn't realize that I had taken it from our dinner :) I then explained how the symposium is a group effort and how we all have to work together to make them as successful as possible. They have joined in on the fun and are ready to go :)

Tomorrow is our convocation and the high dinner. I think it will be a big day full of ceremony - what better place to have a ceremony than in this beautiful manor. I still haven't found any ghosts, but Isaac is still discovering secret passageways. I keep waiting for him to get his official tour guide badge :)

Well it is after 2300 here, and I am getting pretty tired. We will take more pictures and have more stories to share later. I hope anyone who is reading this is having a great day - I am going to bed and will be counting my blessings and praying for all of you. Life is good and the scenery is breathtaking  :)

Here comes the sun!

Today the students arrived. I felt bad for the UE students - they arrived into Heathrow at 1040 and did not make it to the manor until after 1800. They were in stop and go traffic on the coach and then there is a rule that a coach driver has to stop driving after 4 hours for 45 minutes. So just as they were approaching Grantham, they had to stop for 45 minutes. They looked really tired but they are here and look good considering all they have been through :)

The sun came out, so after dinner Isaac and I went outside for a walk. Here is a picture of Isaac near one of the lions in the front of the manor. The picture below is of the Roman Gardens - they are still beautiful even though the flowers are not in full bloom.

Here is what we see when we walk up the drive...

Today Isaac announced that he could live here forever, or for at least a year. He plans on coming back to study when he is in college. Bringing him was incredibly expensive but well worth the effort. We are having a great time and he is fitting in so well. We are blessed to have met so many nice families. I highly recommend visiting here if you ever get the chance - it is a magical place where learning happens all the time.

Who moved my cheese?

Today we went into Grantham and made a few boring purchases - like shampoo for Isaac. I took my camera but it was raining so much, that I didn't end up taking any pictures. Shopping was a fun experience - Isaac and I were looking at all the foods and noting all the differences and similarities. It was fun to watch him look for things in the store. I think we spent almost an hour in the grocery and only bought a handful of items. We also saw the statue of Isaac Newton in the town square. He still looks good after all these years :)

When we got back, we had a family dinner in the gold room. Dinner was ok, but the cheese at the end of the meal was fantastic. Many of the tables did not eat all their cheese, which was a travesty. I just couldn't let the stilton, double glouchster, brie, and crumbly white unknown yet yummy cheese go to waste. Fortunately, we have a refrigerator in our room. So I nonchalantly walked around the dining room and relocated some of the left over cheese into my refrigerator for safe keeping. I am now the organizer for faculty symposia, so the cheese will come back out when the faculty are hungry and in need of a snack. I have to take care of my friends and ensure that a fun time is had by all :)

Isaac is going into TV withdrawal. So tonight I brought him down to the Van der Elst room. He is watching the History Channel. We are learning about Frankenstein...seems somewhat fitting when sitting in a room that is rumored to be haunted :)

Well, it is about time for bed - the students arrive tomorrow, and the fun will begin before we know it. This place is magical and is already changing our lives. Life is good :)

We are here!

It is hard to believe that we are actually here. When Isaac and I signed up for this adventure, it seemed so far away and now here we are! The flight here was long but uneventful, which is good since it was Isaac's first time in an airplane. We met the Rice family from Western Kentucky University in Detroit. Nancy and John brought their 2-year-old son, Jack, and 6-year-old daughter, Abby, with them. Isaac and I helped with getting their luggage and the kids to the right terminal. After about a 2 1/2 hour ride by coach we finally made it. Harlaxton is as magical as I remember it. We slept well and are looking forward to a day full of adventure.