Hello from Bristol! I am all settled here and finally internet-connected. (Warning: this could get long -- if you want to cut straight to the pics, click here.) My first ten days here couldn't have been better. Bristol has been a really natural fit, and I love the city and especially my new home and housemates. Getting here and finding the Catholic chaplaincy (where I live) went amazingly smoothly. The chaplaincy, which will be home to eleven of us students by the end of the week, is a really lovely old house with a very cozy living room, a dining room big enough to seat all of us, two libraries stocked with everything from the catechism to Harry Potter, and a bar in the basement (our main selling point!). My room is probably the size of our old room for four in the schol hall, and with four walls, a door and even a sink all to myself, the place feels like a penthouse. Thanks to Fr. Robert, who very kindly drove me to IKEA right after I got in, I was able to get it fixed up in cheap student style in no time.
My housemates are, quite simply, the nicest people in the entire world. We're a pretty international bunch, with Romania, Poland, the U.S., England, Wales and France represented so far. It's been a ton of fun getting to know everybody throughout the week and especially after Mass on Sunday night, which is our big social time. Last night I got home from Scotland at about 9, and everyone had a birthday cake and a little present waiting for me, not even knowing when I'd be back. How did I get so lucky? 'Blessed' is really the right word, of course, and I'm amazed every day at how good God has been to me here.
The big excitement last week was my trip to Edinburgh for a big four-day reunion with friends and birthday celebration. It was great to be back and see all my favorite people and places again. I got in late Wednesday afternoon, and it was a huge thrill to emerge from the train station onto the Waverley Bridge and get my first view of the city in a year and a half. Edinburgh is magical in a way the memory can't fully capture. I got to crash with Lauren and Catherine in their new flat, spend some great quality time with Sarah and Al, go dancing with Claire, and catch up with the whole chaplaincy gang and John at the convent. I had a full-blown birthday party at the Southsider (where else?) on Friday night, complete with sunflowers and party hats (yay Lauren!) and lots of good friends.
Well, enough yappin'! Time for some pictures. I've finally put together a Picasa site where I'll post web albums of my photos all year. Click here for pics of Bristol and Scotland. There are also some highlights from the summer up for those who are interested. You might find yourself in there. For my main photo site, click here.
I plan to post as often as possible, so check back for new developments! I'll have to fill you all in on some interesting stories from the past week or so, including how I got banned from the library for trying to read things and how I got trapped like a hamster inside the Arts Faculty on registration day. Believe it or not, some things about this place actually make KU look efficient by comparison.
OK, enough for now. I hope you are all well, and please keep in touch, whether through email, snail mail, comments on the blog, or phone calls!
Cheers,
Annie
My housemates are, quite simply, the nicest people in the entire world. We're a pretty international bunch, with Romania, Poland, the U.S., England, Wales and France represented so far. It's been a ton of fun getting to know everybody throughout the week and especially after Mass on Sunday night, which is our big social time. Last night I got home from Scotland at about 9, and everyone had a birthday cake and a little present waiting for me, not even knowing when I'd be back. How did I get so lucky? 'Blessed' is really the right word, of course, and I'm amazed every day at how good God has been to me here.
The big excitement last week was my trip to Edinburgh for a big four-day reunion with friends and birthday celebration. It was great to be back and see all my favorite people and places again. I got in late Wednesday afternoon, and it was a huge thrill to emerge from the train station onto the Waverley Bridge and get my first view of the city in a year and a half. Edinburgh is magical in a way the memory can't fully capture. I got to crash with Lauren and Catherine in their new flat, spend some great quality time with Sarah and Al, go dancing with Claire, and catch up with the whole chaplaincy gang and John at the convent. I had a full-blown birthday party at the Southsider (where else?) on Friday night, complete with sunflowers and party hats (yay Lauren!) and lots of good friends.
Well, enough yappin'! Time for some pictures. I've finally put together a Picasa site where I'll post web albums of my photos all year. Click here for pics of Bristol and Scotland. There are also some highlights from the summer up for those who are interested. You might find yourself in there. For my main photo site, click here.
I plan to post as often as possible, so check back for new developments! I'll have to fill you all in on some interesting stories from the past week or so, including how I got banned from the library for trying to read things and how I got trapped like a hamster inside the Arts Faculty on registration day. Believe it or not, some things about this place actually make KU look efficient by comparison.
OK, enough for now. I hope you are all well, and please keep in touch, whether through email, snail mail, comments on the blog, or phone calls!
Cheers,
Annie
