Mountains and Valleys

Things are slowing down here, if you can call slowing down going from 150mph to 100...

I'm starting to get use to my city but I know that I haven't even scratched the surface of all the treasures it holds, but I can say I have tried its tea. My consumption of tea and hot beverages has gone up probably 60% since leaving the States, but they do tea so well here. Last Sunday, after a Scavenger Hunt around town we had the pleasure of having High Tea at Arundel House Hotel, where we had the choice of tea or coffee and towers of sandwiches, cakes and scones. It was quite the affair. The British are so good at making anything formal or elegant, even something they drink everyday becomes special.

My time here in Cambridge isn't always all afternoon tea and cathedrals, although thats what I make it out to be on social media. I have good days and bad days. Sometimes I wake up and have a mountain of homework to get done and get through none of it, or have such a bad migraine that I don't want to move. The lessons we learn best are in the valleys not on the mountain tops and although it's hard to be there I don't want my semester or my life to be all mountain tops (or else it would be a plateau). The main thing God has provided me with this semester is amazing people to live with, they support me and lift my spirits when I am low. They greet me with cookies, Harry Potter movies, jokes, and open arms and I couldn't be more thankful for all of them.

Speaking of mountains of homework--yes I actually am going to school this semester, and the school system here is W A C K. Finding classes I am supposed to have and asking simple questions have never been so hard. My first class at the University of Cambridge was supposed to be last Thursday but it was cancelled and moved to Friday morning. Then the Friday class was cancelled as well, this all sounds fine except I have no way of finding this information out until I get to campus which is a mile away from my house because I am not allowed on the program that they put these announcements on. A week later and I have now been to the class twice and even made some British friends (Y A Y) but that was a real rough start.

One of my greatest joys of studying abroad is living with my roommate since Freshman year Ellie. People like her and my new amigas Emily and Lilibet definitely help me to see the mountains tops that God has put into my life more easily. I was able to travel to two different small towns near Cambridge, both beautiful and both with a lot of history packed into them.

Ely, where we went on Ellie's birthday was extremely picturesque and featured a cathedral with an octagonal shaped tower. The cathedral was made in the 600s and we got to climb all the way to the roof, which is not something I want to think about often but incredible all the same. The second of the two towns was Peterborough, one of my favorite places I've been to thus far. It has a big beautiful town square with restaurants and shops all around the outside and then it leads to [another] beautiful cathedral. This one is where Katherine of Aragon is buried who was Henry VIII wife before he spilt from the catholic church.

God is teaching me a lot about balance and risks, about family and what's important. He is moving in me all the time and helping me to see how to make the things I want to be a priority in my life show and I'm excited to see where he leads me. Live to Tell.