Some recent conversations that prove I'm...

A: Losing my hearing... OR
B: Losing my mind!

Case in point:

1. While the engineer was installing my internet on Tuesday, we started chatting about markets in London.
Internet guy: You should go check out Wembley Market.
Me: Where's that?
Internet guy: In Wembley.
Me: Right. I realized as soon as that question came out of my mouth, that it sounded ridiculous.
(Perhaps that's partly why he put the website up on my computer once he installed my internet. He probably thought I didn't know how to search for it!)

2. This morning at 7:45am, a friend was giving me a tour of her new flat before we drove to apprentice lectures. When I was introduced to her flatmate, I asked, "Where are you from?"
Flatmate: South... (I heard 'Brixton').
Me (assuming that it was somewhere in south England): I grew up in Canada, so my geography isn't that good. Where abouts is that?
Flatmate: In the south of Africa, like it sounds.
Me (slightly embarrassed as I start putting 2+2 together): Nice.

2 minutes later when getting into the car with my friend...
Me: Where did your flatmate say she was from?
Friend: South Africa!
Me: Yeah, that was embarrassing. I just basically told her that Canadians don't know where that is!

3. This afternoon when I was trying to catch the tube to a friend's house, along with a bunch of other people, I had to "top up" on my oyster card (kind of like a metropass). I went to a machine that had a "notes" (bills) slot and put my 10 pounds in. The machine ate my money and wouldn't give it back. I was eventually able to get an Underground employee to come and open up to the machine and reimburse me. My friend came up to see what the problem was. She pointed to the machine and said, "E, the sign right above you says 'Cards and coins only. No notes.'" Yeah. Thankful for patient friends.

4. And tonight, while riding the tube home with those same friends, we were talking about organic produce and good food choices. They were telling me that they think I'd appreciate seeing "Food Inc", except that it might really make me not want to eat meat anymore.
Friend: Yeah, it's pretty harmful for the ____ (I heard "firemen").
Me: Pardon me?
Friend: It's pretty harmful for the ____ (still heard "firemen").
She kept on explaining her point while I sat there very perplexed, trying to figure out how firemen and poor animal conditions are related. Are the factories and storehouses more likely to burn down, causing more fires for the firemen to go to? Are chickens that aren't fed well more likely to catch fire? Do poor animal conditions include burning them? Ah! I don't get it!
Friend: It's just so bad for the environment.
Me: Oh! It's harmful for the environment, NOT the firemen! I get it!

Today during a lecture, WHM's field leader for England, who was teaching a great seminar, told us that most humans only use about 10% of their brain. I think this week proved that I usually only use 5%.

Let's take a poll...

I was just talking on the phone with a good friend whom I lived with throughout university and then in Toronto. Needless to say, she's well acquainted with many of my quirks and weird sayings. As we were getting off of the phone, she said, "Bye friend! No wait, that sounds kind of Amish." I responded that I have been saying "Bye friend" for as long as I can remember, and that she's never made that comment to me before. But after hearing her make that remark, I've been wondering if it does sound like I grew up on a farm. Earlier this evening, a friend here in Camden mentioned how it's crazy how long I've lived in cities... that I've spent most of my life living in cities, but that I don't come across as urban, since I crave the outdoors so much (which I would argue I love because it's refreshing and relaxing, not because I want to live out by the cows for life). So now I'm wondering if my first 8 years of Lancaster County living amongst the Amish and Mennonite people have continued to leave such a significant impression on me that it still affects how I speak ("I'm not sure, friend"), and also makes me long to run through grassy fields most of the times I'm walking down London streets. Any thoughts?

Day Hike in the Surrey Hills

I spent my day off hiking with my friend Megan. We took the train out to the hills of Surrey, and had a lovely day tromping through fields and forests!

I read this in my assigned reading this afternoon, and thought it was very encouraging:
"If we are to follow the example of Christ, we must aim at incarnation! Jesus said, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself' (Matt. 16:24). We must be willing to give up our [North] American Christian lifestyle and begin as children, learning at the feet of those we have gone to serve. We must be willing to become world Christians. The challenges will shake us, the changes will trouble us. Our bodies will get sick, our minds will suffer fatigue, our emotion will sweep us from ectasy to depression. Yet the love of Christ will sustain us so that we can identify with Paul, who said, 'I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings' (1 Cor. 9:22-23)." -Ministering Cross-Culturally (not sure who the author is)

(Yes, that's a Rhino)

Dear feet,
I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for hanging in there with all this walking we've been doing lately. I know I've asked you to step it up a bit, pick up the pace, and make due with running around Camden everyday. Ya done good. What a pair you make! Your neighbours upstairs, the Knees, have been complaining about all the stress I've been putting on them, so I can only imagine that you're feeling a tad of resentment with all this walking, too. I can tell your frustration comes to a surface with the blisters, the odour, the swelling. So here's a bit of affirmation and thanks for sticking together and getting me where I've needed to go.
While we're on the topic of walking, I wanted to ask a favour. Would you mind just picking yourselves up a bit and not tripping over all the cracks? It's become a daily occurrence where the rest of the body goes flying forward because you two can't seem to pull yourselves up. I don't know how you manage to do it everyday, but I know you get a kick out of it, especially since it's always infront of strangers.
The rest of the body that you're attached to thanks you kindly!
Sincerely,
The rest of your body

Thankful!

I'm so thankful that I get to serve over here in the 21st century, where there's the such thing as internet! I was thinking this morning about stories that my dad used to tell me of when his family was living in Germany. When he went back to the States for school, he said a phonecall back to Germany cost $50, so they only talked at Christmastime. He'd record letters onto tapes and then mail them to my grandparents! Last night I got to talk with that grandma, who has exchanged sides of the ocean with my parents (and now me!), for free over my computer! I also got to call a dear friend back home, and I loved hearing her surprise from the other end of the line on her cell(yay no more scheduling skype chats! Thank you, Mr Google!).
This morning I went online and listened to a GOOD sermon by John Piper. Then I went to another site to listen to some worship music that I wanted to sing in acknowledgement and thanksgiving for the Gospel message I had just heard!
Just feeling very thankful for that today!

I know I'm working through cultural transitions when...

(this is what I feel like on the inside a lot of the time!)
-Finding the right lightbulb at the store feels like a success and makes me want to jump in the air and say "Yippee" (and then call someone to say "Guess what?! I found a lightbulb!!"). It only took 2 tries and bringing the lamp along with me to the store! haha! Who knew that there could be so many different sizes and shapes of sockets for a desk lamp? (You should have seen the storeman's face when I pulled a lamp out of my bag!)

-I get excited to feel movement of air when riding on the tube, where they don't have AC (My hair is always frizzier when I get off!).

-Another man stops me on the street and asks if I want to be his personal care assistant. Instead of just walking on, I stop and begin to explain how I work for a church and am under a "Tier 5 visa", which means I can't work for other organizations. Nice one, E. At least you didn't give him your number when he asked for it.



-I am too mentally tired and forget that I have something on the burner until I start smelling smoke. (Good thing the landlord supplied a fire extinguisher, just incase. She must have known...)

-I regularly find myself in a death metal pub. Two months ago, I didn't know they had those kinds of pubs, let alone what they're yelling in their songs! (I'm still trying to find an appropriate black t-shirt to wear. I think the pub owner finds my floral patterned t-shirt a little offensive! haha! Oh well... that's me!)

-one of the biggest highlights of the day is crawling into bed and reading "Lord of the Rings".

-I long so much to go for a hike in the country that I start wearing my trail runners around town... Probably not the most fashionable... and keep my headlamp by my bed.