Dissertation Madness

Hi friends,
Its been a really long time since I have posted, so I thought I would say hi! I am alive and well, now living in Islington, London in a fabulous flat I have subletted from an American friend for two months. I have been having a nice mix of work and play, but this week is the most important, as I have to finish my first draft and get it reviewed and fixed up nice and pretty. :) So far things have gone well, I received an A on my presentation at the Dissertation Conference in July! Check out the poster I made for the conference:

The Lord has been faithful to help me produce some good research, even though I don't consider myself an "academic" it has been a priviledge to have this time to learn. I fly home on September 15th, so stay tuned for more! Miss everyone at home!

May Week

Take a peak at my slideshow of pictures for May Week, actually a period of 9 days in June where Cambridge becomes a constant party after exams have ended. From Boat Races to Garden Parties to all-night balls, it feels more like a fairy-tale land. Many of the balls are themed after things like the 1940's, Alice and Wonderland, The Land of Oz, and The Grand Tour. I visited this week in 2007 and attended two balls, it was a good way to convince a girl to apply!! :) I wish you all could be here to share it with me!

Love you girls!

Katie, Kristal and Jen - thank you sooooo much for my fun gift package! I love the banner with the pictures that remind me of good times with you all and how special our friendships are. If there is anything I have learned this past year, it is that I have much to be thankful for, and you girls are at the top of the list! I am going to miss sharing these next couple of days with you fellow birthday girls and friends, and I wish Kristal & Jen the most wonderful of birthdays too! Know I am thinking of you and will toast to seeing you again in September! :) Here's to another great year of adventure and blessings.

Mom and Gary Come to Cambridge

After a lovely weekend in the Cotswolds, Mom & Gary finished their trip to England with 3 relaxing days in Cambridge. Here are some highlights:

• Formal Hall at Corpus Christi College hosted by my friend Hanan (don't we look very Harry Potter?)
• Punting on the River Cam to see the 'backs' of the oldest colleges, including Queen's, King's, St John's, Trinity, and Magdalene (where CS Lewis taught).
• The University Botanic Gardens where all the trees and shrubs from around the world are labeled for our education! :)
• The choir service at King College Chapel where the most talented male singers from all over England are trained - beautiful atmosphere, amazing sounds!
  
• Pub dinner at the Anchor, where the band Pink Floyd started. (They were Cambridge townies as opposed to Gownies, the University students and members who were the gowns you see above.)
• Getting to spend two afternoons with mom, punting down the river, having tea at Aunties, going to gardens and the Fitzwilliam, and just relaxing in lovely Cambridge. :)
  

Family Time in Paris and London

I honestly did not expect to have visitors this year due to credit crunch, so it has been a joy to have two different visits in the past month. First, my brother, Dad and grandma Thompson met me in Paris at the end of my Easter break trek. It was great to see Grandma and Dad experience Europe for the first time. I believe the highlight was when we had a beautiful day out in Versaille. The gardens are truly amazing!

My Mom and step-dad Gary arrived early this week in London, where were joined at times by Anna who graciously led us to some great spots. On Wed. we did a 'historic pub tour' in the old city of London, beginning at a pub that wasy built in 1546! We walked over the River Thames to the Shakespeare Globe for a final pub dinner. We then strolled along the river on a strangley warm and clear night, under the London Eye, and crossing the bridge towards Big Ben when it stuck 9pm! (Check out the beautiful twilight on the Thames.) I look forward to Mom and Gary returning from their 'Best of Britian' tour they began today, when we will have a weekend in the Cotswolds before coming back to Cambridge. Funny, all this traveling has made coming home quite nice. :) I look forward to a lovely summer in Cambridge. I do miss people from home dearly as the weather gets warmer. The plan is to come back and work in SLO again starting in October, so my Europe experience will be over in a few short months. Praise Jesus for this time!

Feeling Cultured

Three countries and languages into my trip, I am feeling quite cultured and spoiled. I wanted to share a few 'highlights' photos of my trip so far. I hope you enjoy them!

French Provencial meal in Avignon, amazing!
The old hang out of the Popes in Avignon: Palias de Papas

Flamenco Dancer's feet in Barcelona.

Biking to the beach via converted riverbed park in Valencia.

Eating traditional Andralasian tapas at a restuarant located in the wall of the beautiful hill town of Arcos, Spain.

Travel Mania!

If you've been wondering where I've been, check out my new slideshow called "Fun with ESD Coursemates" for some photos of our time in the Southeast of the England in the area of Cornwall. We spent 4 days in the sunshine going to the Eden Project, China Clay and Tin mining country, and spending lots of time on the bus traveling the 8 or so hours to and from Cambridge! It was a great time to get to know my coursemates even better. We had a lot of laughs.

Today is my last day in Cambridge for a few weeks as I get ready to go to Portugal, Spain and France for Easter Break with two girls from my course! We start in Lisbon, then head to the beach in southern portuguese area of Faro. From there we make our way along the southern coast of Spain, stopping in Sevilla for Semana Santa festivals, Arcos, Granada, Valencia, and Barcelona. We then head to Avignon in Southern france for some great wine and food.

As of the past few days, it looks like I will get to meet my Grandma Maxine, Dad and brother Matt in Paris on 20th!! I am so excited to see them and be apart of my Grandma and Dad's first trip to Europe. If all works out with my course assignments, I may be joining them in Italy too. Whew! Its a tough life, but somebody's has got to live it! :) I am so greatful to have this experience, its a dream come true!!

Let me know if you have any 'must sees' for any of the places I am visiting so I don't miss them! I would love to hear your traveling stories too. :)