3 Week Countdown

3 weeks... 21 days... 504 hours... but come on, I'll only realistically be awake for about 315 of those hours... and I have so much to do!!! What, you may ask? Well, I'm not exactly sure so I figured I would start a list and take it from there (I am an insatiable list person aka psycho aka OCD!!!)

1. Most important - school work. Paper about Screwtape. Presentation about paper. Answer questions for daily class. Begin list of things for my final.

2. Cell phone issues - need to get it activated for international dialing and figure out exactly how George and I will communicate daily without paying the hefty $1.29 a minute "discounted" roaming rate.

3. To bring or not to bring... the laptop. At first it was firmly decided I would not bring it. But now that I am a part of the non- SDSU class, I learned that most of the Virginia/Texas students will be bringing theirs. Eek! My plan is to simply see if it will fit in the outside pouch of my lovely rolling suitcase. If not, it no go.

4. Pay. That's right folks, I still need to pay SDSU about $670 bucks for my registration. Why have I put it off? Excellent question! And if you know me at all, you know one of my little secrets - I am a Procrastinator (literally with a capital P!)

5. Buy a railpass. Another $300 something bucks. Ugh.

6. Pack and make those tough choices, what won't be coming in the suitcase with me.

7. Everything else (I have another list of little things I have to do like make an address list for sending postcards, do all the bills before I go, write George a schedule for the month I'm gone, etc etc)

Now that I have expunged expelled and expressed the remaining things I need to do I feel a lot better. Whew!

Blair Steps Down, Pound Keeps Rising

My theory is not holding up. I predicted that when Tony Blair stepped down as Prime Minister of England, a mini financial crisis would ensue and the pound would plummet to record lows. I just checked the exchange rate... just hours after Blair handed over the title... and the pound is now at twice the dollar. Here's the website:
http://www.xe.com/ucc/
And the official rate as of 11:13pm 6/27/07 (yes I'm about to go to bed):
1.00 GBP = 2.00335 USD
So much for my theory.

The Best Part of Traveling

If you're like me, and come on, who isn't, then the best part of the trip is the anticipation - the planning, reading, researching, and imagining. Don't get me wrong, I love being in the moment and enjoying actually being ON the trip, but preparing for it is a lot of fun too!

Take Oxford and Paris, for instance. I have read many travel books and watched numerous movies on history and sites in these two cities. Doing so has not only piqued my interest and informed me on many things, but I think it results in a more fulfilling travel experience AND a more informed travel experience. For example, some invaluable things I have learned from my preparation:

1) London is expensive. Ok, maybe that's not news but seriously, it is expensive.
2) St Hilda's College (the place I'll be staying in Oxford) was, until VERY recently, an all-girls school, founded in the Victorian era. It also has it's own bar.
3) CS Lewis was buried in Oxford
4) There's some good eatin in London - lots of ethnic foods (looking forward to Indian cuisine)
5) Bath has a long and interesting history. The whole town is built from "Bath" limestone, which shimmers a creamy pink in the sunlight.
6) Jane Austen didn't really like Bath.
7) Jane Austen pretty much hated Bath.
8) I am still going to go buck-wild at the Jane Austen museum and gift shop in Bath.
9) The changing of the guard, although cool, isn't really worth it because mobs of tourists block any chance of seeing it.
10) Don't call the underground the subway. You'll sound like a dumb tourist.
11) Women don't wear shorts in Europe. Even if it's 150 degrees.
12) There's a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower that costs like 300 Euros per person
13) Buying a Paris museum pass saves money
14) Rick Steves is crazy

When I return from my trip it will be interesting to compare this list with the one I will have from actual experiences rather than armchair travel. Some of the books I have read include:


Rick Steves Paris 2007 - He's sassy, frugal, and well-traveled. And he eats cafeteria scraps. But seriously, I like his down-to-earth style. It's kind of like reading a friend's travel journal.




Eyewitness Paris - you have probably read other Eyewitness books, famous for their full-color pics and oodles of interesting facts. Translate that into a travel guide and boom! you have a winner. The pictures and maps are awesome, and it offers info that you won't find in other guides. I wore this one out, but sadly had to return it to the library.




Cool movie series, although I haven't watched them all. There are 5 discs - thats 10 hours - but the first one was very informative. It was slow at times, probably because there really isn't any footage of events from 500AD, but there was a lot of info on Bath which I found neat.

The Story of my Trip

Yes, this post should have been the first - but like many things in my life, I prefer to do things unconventionally. Like have kids then go to college. Or get married instead of going to the prom.

I wanted to talk about how this whole trip even came to be. Truth is, it never would have happened had it not been for a long sequence of events that eventually culminated in me buying a plane ticket to Europe.

Two years ago, while a student at Mesa College, my Spanish Professor approached me about taking an Honors Spanish course. I had never considered the Honors program before, I was already working hard to keep my 4.0 GPA and figured Honors classes were just more work. I didn't really think about any possible benefits. But the class my Professor invited me to involved tutoring Spanish-speaking children at a local elementary school, and for that reason alone and her insistence, I signed on. It was such a fantastic experience. The kids I tutored were amazing, kind, outgoing, and a lot of fun. I hadn't really gotten involved in the Honors program, but it did open up my eyes to the fact that Honors classes weren't just about loading up on extra work. They were a chance for responsible students who wanted to get the most out of their education to not just take classes, but have deeper experiences and make a difference in the community.

The next semester I decided to continue taking Honors courses, then began working in the Honors department, and eventually became Vice-President of the Honors Club. I met so many great people. Transferring too SDSU was bittersweet because it has taken me a while to find that kind of community there, but I think I finally have. This is where the story starts to come together.

My boss and Honors director asked me in November if I would consider being the "guinea pig" for a pilot project between Mesa and SDSU. She said the two Honors programs at the schools would like to send me to study abroad, paying for all school expenses. My first thought was "Yah right, how's a mom of 3 going to just take off and study abroad?" I was flattered but didn't even allow myself to consider it. She gave me the paperwork to read over and I went home. Later that night I began to read it and was first intrigued by the fact the program was in Oxford - the Harvard of England. Wow, what an opportunity. But still... then I noticed something. The program was for 3 weeks. Now that was sounding more do-able. I wasn't totally sold, I mean, George still had no idea I was even thinking about this, and there were a lot of variables to consider. Who would watch the kids? How would I afford all the other expenses (plane ticket, eating occasionally, travel in the country).

Literally for MONTHS I went back and forth. So did George. First he was supportive, then as his new job really took a toll on him, he began to question the whole thing. I, too, was still trying to figure everything out. Finally, in about mid-March, I committed to it. George gave me his blessing (after I told him the plan I had for childcare :0) and I bought the ticket. I will be going to Oxford (!) with a group of SDSU Honors students, hopefully continuing to form friendships with them. It's nice having a bunch of students who share my seriousness about school and a desire to have the most enriching experience ever.

As I look back on all the events that took place, I see God's hand everywhere. He is the reason why I went back to school, He knew when just the right time would be. He gave me the energy and motivation to keep going to class and do my best, even when George was overseas. And one of the biggest miracles - He keeps sending us money from all directions, never enough to make us loaded or anything, but always just enough to make ends meet. And that's all we need. He put people in my life who have continually encouraged me and supported me. The number one person is my husband. Whenever someone asks, "how do you do it?" I always say the same thing - I don't do it by myself - George picks up my slack so our family can function, so dinner is always on the table and the dishes done, and we can pay the bills. Of course, right now is a good time because the tables have turned. I am on break from school and doing the stay-at-home mom thing, giving George a much needed respite. Although I didn't do the dishes yesterday. Oh, well.

Revelations from The Screwtape Letters

After reading C.S. Lewis' novel The Screwtape Letters, I am amazed at how it still holds true today, 60 years after it was written. The state of society, the pitfalls humans are often lured to, and the struggles we face daily seem as timeless as good and evil. That is one reason why I love the Bible so much, it applies just as much today as it did 2000 years ago. Lewis reminded me of so many things, and brought to my attention many others which I have not given too much thought to. The fact is, we are in a spiritual war daily, and too much complacency is exactly what the "other side" is hoping we will fall into. Some gems from the book:

(This is the voice of a demon speaking, which is part of what makes it so chilling, to have it coming from the "dark side"):

1) "We want the Church to be small... that those who do may acquire the uneasy intensity and defensive self-righteousness of a secret society or a clique".

Wow, all too true. Very often religion becomes a sort of club membership, and members become prideful and self-righteous. It's a dangerous trap, one that has been around since the Pharisees and probably before. I've felt it first-hand.

2) "He (God) really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself - creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons."

So which side do we want to be on? God is all-giving, He is love, and yet the world around us is being sucked in to the desires and temptations of something so hollow, so empty. And it is daily that we all (myself included) must fight these temptations.

3)"pleasure in it's healthy and normal and satisfying form" is God's work

Pleasure is not sin. Intercourse, enjoying food, being happy, being in love, these are gifts from God and should be enjoyed - but used according to His plan. I don't know why, but doesn't it seem like we are being told to have no pleasure in this life (by the world's influence, not God's), to feel guilty if we enjoy something? Sex has been turned in to something dirty and unmentionable, I could go on and on. And the thing is - this is nothing new! Again, this goes back to the days of the Bible.

4) "Catch him (the "patient", the man that Wormwood is trying to get to hell)at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, 'By jove! I'm being humble', and almost immediately pride - pride at his own humility - will appear."

Humility and pride - I was just teaching at Bible class a group of kids about this subject. It is something we could spend a lifetime on. Lewis reminds me that our thoughts must be "held captive for Christ" as the Bible says. It is not easy, and as Screwtape shows us, even our supposedly "humble" thoughts can be turned against us.

Read the book, if you can. Even though it is exhausting and disturbing to read a book from a demon's point of view, it gives a newfound hope and love for God and His future for us. He is stronger than any of those demons!!!

The Screwtape Letters and Decoding Professor-speak

So I just learned that prior to arriving in Oxford I am supposed to have read 5 books, answered some comprehension questions, written an essay about 2 of the books, and prepared a 10 minute speech to give - oh yah - in OXFORD!!! Talk about pressure. Needless to say, I have been putting off the whole getting started thing. But today the girls (Abby & Hailey) and I set off for the beach, and I forced myself to bring along a book - none other than The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis of course!! Wow, what an amazing book. I must admit, I had trepidations. I mean, he wrote this book like 60 years ago, and he's a really smart expert on like, everything. Was I going to be able to "get" it? Well, I'm still not sure if I do get it, but I am really enjoying the book. Looking at the world through the eyes of satan's minion is quite a chilling thing. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. CS Lewis was truly an amazing person. I watched Shadowlands the other night and by the end I wasn't just in tears, I was full-blown sobbing. Recommendation: do not watch this movie at 11:00pm when you're alone. It's just not a good idea. Trust me.

And I don't know where to begin with writing a paper - the syllabus says we must "explicate the rhetorical underpinnings of his work". Huh?

So my upcoming trip to Oxford is taking on a new dimension - that of being able to walk in the footsteps of Lewis, to discuss his writings with a bunch of honors students (and graduate students - and the Chair of the Department of Communications Studies at Texas State University!!!) It is truly a dream come true. I've gotta go pinch myself now.

It is done!!

I purchased my luggage for the trip. Yes, it is done. I selected the Rick Steves rolling carry-on. But guess what - I bought it from Amazon and saved 30 dollars! They had all the colors for the same price as RS's website ($129), but they had the green one for $99!! So I bought it - and free shipping to boot. I also picked up his money belt even though I'm not quite sure where it's going to fit. My jeans are still pretty tight. Time to go on the starvation diet hee hee yah right. I love food wayyyy too much for that.

So now time to relax and buckle down reading my Lewis books.