A View from the Top

I have been in Bath, England for almost two weeks now and I thought that it was time for an update. Everything is going really well. I am meeting lots of new people and seeing lots of new things. One of my fellow UK YAGMS asked me the other night what has shocked me most about the way things are here. What a good question. I haven't really been shocked by anything, but I have been surprised at how many differences there are. I haven't had much time to focus on those differences because I have been kept very busy at the Abbey.

I have many reponsiblities. One of my jobs is to be a Tower Tour guide. The tower tour takes visitors of the Abbey on a climb up 212 narrow, dark, old, steep, spiral steps. These steps lead to the top of the Abbey tower where there are magnificent views of the city below and the surrounding countryside. The picture in the top left is one I took while standing on the top of the tower. I have never been too fond of heights in general, but specifically stairs. I get nervous going down even a small flight of stairs and now I am faced with the task of climbing up, and even worse, back down, 212 steps six times in a day.

Throughout the whole YAGM process I can't help, but wonder what it is that I've been called and sent to do. It is a natural thing to constantly look to the future what comes next? Well, as I climb those stairs I think, 'I know what comes next: the next stair, and then the one after that, and then the one after that...'It is a great thing to focus on the present, to focus on one foot in front of the other. At the end of all of those small steps I have climbed to the top and I can see so much. It is easy to miss what is going on right here right now, but without the right here and right now, we can't reach beyond. I still don't know exactly what the big picture of my life will look like, but I do know that, right here, right now, I am taking a step in the right direction.

3 Airplanes + 13 hours - 1 suit case = Safely in Bath

I made it! I am safely and happily in Bath, England. Of course, I have terrible jet lag and I lost a suitcase on the way (it has since been found and should arrive shortly), but all is well. Bath is beautiful and I already feel like I am a part of a family.

I was greeted, with a hug, by my supervisor’s wife Sarah and their oldest son Caolen. He is 10 going on 16 and just delightful. When we arrived at their home we were joined by the twins, Jonty and Dewi. They will be 9 on Sunday and I have already been invited to the birthday party. The three boys are enthusiastically showing me the ropes in the UK with lengthy and very fast paced discussions on Black Adder, the Cricket Ashes, and which fudge, ice cream, and sweet shops are the best. They also corrected me when I thought my pants were wet from the rain. Evidently, it was actually my ‘trousers’ that were wet because ‘pants’ are something incredibly different and vastly more entertaining to little boys.

My flat is right next to the abbey, in the heart of Bath, giving me incredible views from every window. My bed is soft and comfortable which was incredibly welcome after a long day of travelling.

Saying ‘goodbye’ was tough, but that part is over now. It is all ‘hello’ from here on out!