Ashley's Arabian Adventure

1. Someone tries to hand you a newspaper about every 20 feet.
2. You are on the train or the underground and you hear conversations in at least three other languages.
3. You have been yelled at for standing on the wrong side of the escalator in the tube station.
4. You have almost been hit by a cab three times...in one day.
5. You see a group of Asians taking about 18 pictures of the same building.
6. People are walking faster than you normally run.
7. Guys, as rule, wear tighter jeans than girls.
8. If you forget your book or newspaper, you know you are going to have stare at your feet rather than look around on the underground. Even the London Life is better than that.
9. Modern buildings and ancient ones seem to go together seamlessly.
10. There is a Starbucks on every corner. Oh wait, that's any major city.

I had to do something on the train last night. I forgot my book, so I thought of this.

Being a conservative American. Yesterday I got a Huckabee shirt for an early birthday gift. I sported it proudly...around the office. I thought about wearing it in public and then quickly reconsidered. Anyway, I won't mention how sad I was to find out that Huck is out. Or how I can't believe Texas didn't support Huck. Or how I can't believe Hilary is making such a huge come back.

So I was at dinner with a group of local friends last night. These girls get together for dinner about once a month to catch up and enjoy a meal. It really is nice and I have been invited to join them in their tradition while I am here. One of the girls told a really funny story that I must tell you. She is dating a guy in Canada who is banned from American soil. Why? Because he and his friends decided to act stupid at the border when they were about 20. A Canadian, an Arab and an Indian (dot, not feather) decided to put on turbans and interrogate the guards about being anti-Arab. They also decided to try and use fake passports during this border-crossing. They were quickly taken in and added to the list of people not allowed in the country. Can you imagine how funny that would be? A white guy in a turban screaming at you about being anti-Arab? I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did.

I am a terrible host in this country. You are supposed to offer someone a drink right after they get in the door. I usually forget until a little while later. I also don't buy anything to drink other than tea or water, so I don't have much to offer. I don't usually have sweets in my house because I would eat them. Therefore, I am a terrible host.

Last night I had house group at my flat. House group is like Sunday school except we do it fortnightly and we have it in our homes instead of at church. It really is a better way to do it. People get to know each other much better in a home rather than a church setting. Anyway, I went to Sainsbury's and picked up juice and cookies so I could be a good host. It didn't matter because I still forgot to offer drinks to people as they walked in. The topic for the night? Hospitality. There were plenty of jokes made, let me assure you.

In other news, England had an earthquake last night. Unfortunately I was out cold and didn't feel it.

People are very proper with their table manners here. I don't know that I have ever seen an English person eat anything without a knife and a fork. This usually doesn't present a problem since I spend a lot of time with Americans. We eat our pizza with our hands and take bites from our bread rolls when we are around each other. Last night, however, I was at dinner with an English guy and so I was trying really hard to eat properly. I have to say that eating "prawns" that have not been peeled with a knife and a fork has to be the most difficult thing known to man. We ate at a Spanish restaurant and had paella. I don't think I've ever had it before. It was really good.

I went to do some shopping on my lunch break today and was bombarded by people who work for charities. They are hired to raise money for the charity and they want to set up a standing order for the money to come out of your bank account every month. Actually, they usually won't even take a cash donation. They can be extremely rude and sometimes rather intimidating. I have heard them referred to as "charity muggers" or "chuggers." Usually there are several of them covering the middle of town centre. This way you have no choice but to pass through where they are standing. I usually just smile and walk around them without saying anything. If I were to open my mouth I am sure something rude would come out. Today, as I tried to get around one bloke, he stepped in front of me and would not let me pass. As I went to the other side he did it again. I couldn't believe he was being so aggressive. Maybe I should just start playing the tourist card. I'll let you know how that works.

Here is something I wrote a while back and felt like sharing.

18 Jan 2008

As I come across differences in the culture here, sometimes I find things that I don’t like as much. At other times I find things that are truly done better than they are in America. Last week I was able to attend a baptism service at my local church. The three candidates were all in their 30s and 40s and they had come to know Christ about two or three years before the service. Each one gave his or her testimony with passion and complete transparency. It brought a tear to my eye as each told the story of his or her journey.

After the testimonies, each was baptized. There were no white robes or rubber waders for the pastor. Everyone stepped into the pool in their clothes. They came to be baptized as they were, just like we come to Christ as we are when we ask for forgiveness and salvation. When each settled into the pool he declared that he was in fact, a follower of Christ. The pastor then dipped him into the water and baptized him “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” When he emerged from the water, instead of getting right out of the pool, a previously chosen song of choice was played as the pastor prayed over him.

The whole ceremony had so much more meaning than it does in America. While an American baptism takes place very soon after salvation and more often than not, the baptizee is a child. It’s not that I don’t believe that children understand what they are doing when they accept Christ, but I really like the British tradition of waiting until people have been Christians a while before baptizing them. Once they have received some discipleship and come to know God more, I think the ceremony is more meaningful to them. This is one of the things I think the British do better than Americans.

Since I arrived in the UK, I have had this inexplicable desire to become a photographer of some sort. I keep my camera with me at all times in case I come across something worthy of capturing, but it turns out that I usually feel too touristy to pull it out. However, I have taken a few photos that may or not may not be worthy of posting. Here are some recent ones. Enjoy.

I just found out that I get to go to Germany this summer for a conference. Yay!

I went and saw Les Mis last night. It was amazing! That's all.