I came to Aberdeen with some goals. I won't bore you with the list, but I do want to mention one of the important ones before this term comes to a close.
Resting is something I have been historically really terrible at doing. Last year, I finally began to seek out space to rest. That process (and it was a process) to seeking restful space unearthed a new problem: once I was in that space, I didn't know how to engage with it.
I've done a lot of thinking and writing around how I occupy the different spaces in my life, how I live and move and am in church or coffee shops, in monasteries, at conferences, in the classroom, in Scottsdale, and walking through the inner-city. I've started paying more attention to liminal space - those in between places - and how much that I not only need to be more present in them, but how I need them in order to be present in other spaces.
With all of those different spaces filling up my life, I wonder even more how to rest in them. Especially in ministry contexts, resting seems to be something we talk about constantly, something worth investing in, worth working at, and seeking out. And yet, I found last year that I don't know how to rest. Not really. It turns out resting is more active than I'd been lead to believe, and it's not just about sitting still - though I admit that I can't even do that well.
Looking ahead to this summer, next fall, and beyond, I realized that the time between Friday (tomorrow) and the Friday a week later (the day before I leave for PHX) is the most substantial amount of time I have carved out with nothing planned for a while.
I have claimed it as vacation time, resting time. Time for not answering emails or making phone calls. Time for jumping on a train through the Highlands because I can and because it's beautiful. Time for myself alone, and for myself with a good friend. Time for thinking and breathing, for hiking and sleeping, for eating good food. For actively seeking out things that bring me joy and renewal. For resting.
Check back for pictures next week, and I'll see many of you on the other side of this week!
...and other things that make me laugh, bring me joy, give me hope, and never intentionally involve whales.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Countdown to Hometurf: EMOTIONS
There are three glaring exceptions to what I'm about to claim about the general population of Scotland: angry, male bus drivers in Aberdeen, inebriated bachelorette parties confined to trains, and soccer fans during, and directly after a match.
Other than that, most of the people here are extremely emotionally reserved. I'm becoming more and more convinced that liberation theology hasn't made it to Aberdeen because it involves too many feelings for life here.
This afternoon as I was stepping out onto High Street, I nearly ran into one of the university chaplains. "McKenna! You look really bright, and happy, especially for a student in the middle of exams." If I'd been in America, I would have said something like, "Thank you! It's because you're looking at a final exams champion...I totally killed my doctrine final. It was AWESOME. How are you doing?"
But I'm here, so I said, "Oh thank you. I've enjoyed my last couple exams. You look very well too." I also recently accidentally frightened a Scottish friend with my excitement about eating Mexican food in a couple weeks. She told me to calm down. Since then, I've been trying really hard to be exceptionally low-key and boring. As a result, emotions have been exploding out of me - I laughed so hard I almost cried during a meeting, and I'm completely anticipating tears the first time I eat Mexican food back in the states.
In light of all that, I want to introduce you to Jake the Dog:
Other than that, most of the people here are extremely emotionally reserved. I'm becoming more and more convinced that liberation theology hasn't made it to Aberdeen because it involves too many feelings for life here.
This afternoon as I was stepping out onto High Street, I nearly ran into one of the university chaplains. "McKenna! You look really bright, and happy, especially for a student in the middle of exams." If I'd been in America, I would have said something like, "Thank you! It's because you're looking at a final exams champion...I totally killed my doctrine final. It was AWESOME. How are you doing?"
But I'm here, so I said, "Oh thank you. I've enjoyed my last couple exams. You look very well too." I also recently accidentally frightened a Scottish friend with my excitement about eating Mexican food in a couple weeks. She told me to calm down. Since then, I've been trying really hard to be exceptionally low-key and boring. As a result, emotions have been exploding out of me - I laughed so hard I almost cried during a meeting, and I'm completely anticipating tears the first time I eat Mexican food back in the states.
In light of all that, I want to introduce you to Jake the Dog:
Jumping against the back door of my aunt and uncle's house is usually where you'll find him, as excitement over a squirrel sighting overwhelms his tiny body. Don't let his size fool you. He is not a lap dog, and is the opposite of mellow. The only time he's allowed me to hold him was in the vet's office, and I suspect that it was because he thought being in my arms would protect him from shots and ear drops. He is an avid squirrel and bird chaser, and would never abandon a chase - not even for a cheerio. He's tiny, but everything he does is big - his barking, chasing, and his impressive ability to occupy half of a couch when lounging.
Several times this semester, I've wanted to stand up and yell, "CARE. SHOW EMOTION" in the middle of a debate or discussion, or on the hundredth day of misting rain - because the rain here is as timid and reserved as the people. The South is king of passive-aggression, but debate can still get heated, people get angry, cry, and exhibit real joy when they feel it.
Jake the Dog is just one of many non-mellow things I'm looking forward to with excitement (though not too much excitement - I don't want to scare anyone here again).
Two weeks until Memphis!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Cathedrals and Walking Trails
It's been a busy week! I took my first exam this morning in a hall with 300 other students. It was a strange experience - one I'll have three more times next week, but hopefully never again after that.
I took a break from studying on Monday to take the train to Elgin with a friend. It's a small town about an hour and half north of Aberdeen and home to the ruins of what used to be the second largest cathedral in Scotland. This building was just not meant to stand. There was a fire, then a crazy prince (whose nickname involves "Wolf" and lives on in stories about his legendary chess game with Satan...nice guy, right?) demolished it, and then the Reformation dealt the last blow.
I guess after three major architecture catastrophes, the diocese forfeited. And by the time it was wrecked the last time, Reformed theology had seeped into Scotland, so there wasn't much use for it ruined or not.
And here are a couple pictures I took while walking the trails around my apartment. Spring came just in time for June! That being said, I had to break out my winter jacket today...
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Countdown to Hometurf: Rivers and Rain
When I left Scottsdale for Memphis almost three years ago, one of my favorite things about my new home was all of the water - the thunderstorms and rain, the river, even the tap water is sweeter in Memphis. I decided some time after I moved that I wanted to settle in cities near rivers. There is something lovely about rivers; standing near them is less overwhelming than the feeling of being swallowed up at the edge of an ocean.
In this new country, I've been able to seek out daily time and space near water. It has offered an invitation to rest and renewal, a reminder of new life and of beauty.
I've stopped by Oceans...
North Beach, Isle of Iona |
Martyr's Bay, Isle of Iona |
River Thames, London |
River Don, Aberdeen |
(more) River Don |
North Sea, Aberdeen |
North Sea, Dundee |
Sound of Iona (looking on Mull) |
(more) Sound of Iona |
...even some tide pools.
North Beach, Isle of Iona |
Last week, I spent some time on a park bench watching the sunset by the River Don. I was joined briefly by one of the university chaplains and a very enthusiastic, very large golden retriever. As we shared details of what the following week and month would hold for both of us, I found myself glad to have a moment of peace and stillness by the water - the water had no interest in our words about stress, international plane travel, conferences, holding friends and students in the middle of illness and the messiness of life. It just continued to be a river, flowing, going, always to the North Sea, occasionally welcoming a swan or mallard.
All of the rain aside, I will actually really miss the all of the water here, running along the River Don, and soaking up the view of the East coast on the train from Aberdeen to Edinburgh. The beaches and water in the sound at Iona are some of the most breathtakingly beautiful things I have ever seen, and I love that I can step out of my apartment and be at the water's edge two minutes.
Even though I'll miss all of that, I am eager to see the Mighty Mississippi again, to fall asleep to rain pounding on the window panes, and to be thoroughly soaked after running through a Southern summer thunderstorm.
I also think it might be wise to leave before I see a whale and the beauty of the water here is ruined by my inexplicable fear of aquatic mammals.
All of the rain aside, I will actually really miss the all of the water here, running along the River Don, and soaking up the view of the East coast on the train from Aberdeen to Edinburgh. The beaches and water in the sound at Iona are some of the most breathtakingly beautiful things I have ever seen, and I love that I can step out of my apartment and be at the water's edge two minutes.
Even though I'll miss all of that, I am eager to see the Mighty Mississippi again, to fall asleep to rain pounding on the window panes, and to be thoroughly soaked after running through a Southern summer thunderstorm.
I also think it might be wise to leave before I see a whale and the beauty of the water here is ruined by my inexplicable fear of aquatic mammals.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Countdown to Hometurf: Because I'm Hungry
As I'm writing this week's "Countdown to Hometurf," I'm hungry (as per usual).
Last weekend in Edinburgh, I ran across these multiple times:
I checked with Scottish friends - 'haggis crisps' are not a joke. People eat them.
After that conversation, I decided this week had to be about delicious Memphis food. Obviously this list is not exhaustive, but these are the things I've missed the most right!
1. Chicken tacos from El Porton. If I've spoken with you at all this semester, I've mentioned Mexican food, and thanks to one of other people staying at the Abbey during Holy Week, all I've been thinking about for the last month is eating tacos. Not even good tacos. Totally mediocre tacos from a chain restaurant in Memphis, a city with (let's be real), not-as-awesome-as-Phoenix Mexican food.
But on Thursday, June 13th, I will drive to Highland and Poplar for the lunch special: three chicken tacos, served only with marinated shredded chicken, lettuce, and cheese, and bagged up in a tin with salsa and a huge thing of tortilla chips. It's costs about $5, and was between the office in Binghampton and JP's school. On days I didn't have time to go back to campus for lunch, I ate delicious tacos on the way to the carpool pickup lane, and busted out some queso and the chips for JP's snack when we got home.
2. Veggie burger and potato salad from Trolley Stop Market. The veggie burgers are out of this world and made with whatever fresh vegetables came in and were left over. I haven't had a bad one yet, but the best one was an entirely green burger (the kale and spinach in it made the burger bright green). Organic. Local. Colorful. Delicious. I'm really not sure what more you could ask for when eating a patty of vegetables.
On a related note, I've been eating mostly vegetarian here, and tried to look for veggie burgers at the grocery store. They didn't have any, but they did have "winter vegetable loaf" and "squash and nut patties." I was feeling adventurous and bought one of each.
3. Turkey West Coast from Hueys (obviously with sweet tea). Turkey burger, guacamole, tomato, red onion. I've tried to recreate it, and nothing has come quite close to the real deal at Hueys. There's also the added bonus of shooting a toothpick out of a plastic straw until it sticks in the ceiling (if you're a pro), or in someone else's dinner across the room (if you're like my friends when we go).
4. Fresh hummus and pita from Jerusalem Market. Many thanks to my Uncle for finding this grocery store/restaurant combo down on Summer Avenue. They make pita fresh every day to be sold in the grocery store, and will serve up a huge container of hummus next door. You can also pick up a couple pieces of pretty awesome baklava. Is it a five-star restaurant? No. Does it feel like you're grocery shopping on Summer Avenue? Absolutely. You should go there right now.
5. Citrus Spice tea from Cafe Eclectic. Since last September-ish when I started getting to know people at St. John's UMC, I don't think I've been to Eclectic without seeing a familiar face. While I've never eaten anything bad, or even mediocre there, there is nothing better than a cup of tea a breakfast with some of those lovely ladies.
If you're looking for me this summer, I'll probably be there drinking delicious decaf herbal tea.
Last weekend in Edinburgh, I ran across these multiple times:
I checked with Scottish friends - 'haggis crisps' are not a joke. People eat them.
After that conversation, I decided this week had to be about delicious Memphis food. Obviously this list is not exhaustive, but these are the things I've missed the most right!
1. Chicken tacos from El Porton. If I've spoken with you at all this semester, I've mentioned Mexican food, and thanks to one of other people staying at the Abbey during Holy Week, all I've been thinking about for the last month is eating tacos. Not even good tacos. Totally mediocre tacos from a chain restaurant in Memphis, a city with (let's be real), not-as-awesome-as-Phoenix Mexican food.
But on Thursday, June 13th, I will drive to Highland and Poplar for the lunch special: three chicken tacos, served only with marinated shredded chicken, lettuce, and cheese, and bagged up in a tin with salsa and a huge thing of tortilla chips. It's costs about $5, and was between the office in Binghampton and JP's school. On days I didn't have time to go back to campus for lunch, I ate delicious tacos on the way to the carpool pickup lane, and busted out some queso and the chips for JP's snack when we got home.
2. Veggie burger and potato salad from Trolley Stop Market. The veggie burgers are out of this world and made with whatever fresh vegetables came in and were left over. I haven't had a bad one yet, but the best one was an entirely green burger (the kale and spinach in it made the burger bright green). Organic. Local. Colorful. Delicious. I'm really not sure what more you could ask for when eating a patty of vegetables.
On a related note, I've been eating mostly vegetarian here, and tried to look for veggie burgers at the grocery store. They didn't have any, but they did have "winter vegetable loaf" and "squash and nut patties." I was feeling adventurous and bought one of each.
3. Turkey West Coast from Hueys (obviously with sweet tea). Turkey burger, guacamole, tomato, red onion. I've tried to recreate it, and nothing has come quite close to the real deal at Hueys. There's also the added bonus of shooting a toothpick out of a plastic straw until it sticks in the ceiling (if you're a pro), or in someone else's dinner across the room (if you're like my friends when we go).
4. Fresh hummus and pita from Jerusalem Market. Many thanks to my Uncle for finding this grocery store/restaurant combo down on Summer Avenue. They make pita fresh every day to be sold in the grocery store, and will serve up a huge container of hummus next door. You can also pick up a couple pieces of pretty awesome baklava. Is it a five-star restaurant? No. Does it feel like you're grocery shopping on Summer Avenue? Absolutely. You should go there right now.
5. Citrus Spice tea from Cafe Eclectic. Since last September-ish when I started getting to know people at St. John's UMC, I don't think I've been to Eclectic without seeing a familiar face. While I've never eaten anything bad, or even mediocre there, there is nothing better than a cup of tea a breakfast with some of those lovely ladies.
If you're looking for me this summer, I'll probably be there drinking delicious decaf herbal tea.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Haircuts and Paella
I'm in Edinburgh for the weekend. I love visiting this city. It's like the smaller, Scottish version of London.
We woke up to sunshine and warm(ish) weather, so I spent the majority of the day walking around Princes Street, sitting in gardens looking at all of the blooming tulips, listening to someone play the bagpipes, and wandering through an outdoor food market I accidentally bumped into.
I met a friend I met at Iona and her son for lunch. I discovered that I love Sicilian rice balls (they had goat cheese and leeks in them...there was just no way those were going to be bad). And after we said our goodbyes, I decided that I really, really needed a haircut. This morning, I twisted my bangs and pinned them back for the millionth time this semester. I don't know if it's because it was really awful today in particular, or if being out of Aberdeen (where 90% of women either don't have hair or just go 'wild child' never get it styled) made me realize how awful it's been for three months, but after passing two salons, I walked into one and got it all chopped off again.
The woman cutting my hot mess hair asked me how short I wanted it, and when the last time I had it cut was. Pixie. December. It took a while to cut it, so we chatted. But in moments that required more attention, she mumbled a little - "You have so much hair. So much...December? So fast...so much hair."
I have less hair now, which made both of us much happier.
Afterward, I wandered back to the market, and bought some dinner for on the way home. It's moments like that - when I'm holding a tin full of a heaping portion of spiced chicken paella or a crepe overflowing with fruit and custard, meandering down a cobblestone street, with nothing in the world to get done - that I'm glad I took this semester "off" or at least away from Rhodes. I think in a couple months, when I look back, those moments will make trucking through all of those horrible theology lectures and grey days worthwhile.
I head back to Aberdeen tomorrow, but for now, my stomach is full of paella and blueberries, and I have a good book to read. I'll post some pictures when I get back!
We woke up to sunshine and warm(ish) weather, so I spent the majority of the day walking around Princes Street, sitting in gardens looking at all of the blooming tulips, listening to someone play the bagpipes, and wandering through an outdoor food market I accidentally bumped into.
I met a friend I met at Iona and her son for lunch. I discovered that I love Sicilian rice balls (they had goat cheese and leeks in them...there was just no way those were going to be bad). And after we said our goodbyes, I decided that I really, really needed a haircut. This morning, I twisted my bangs and pinned them back for the millionth time this semester. I don't know if it's because it was really awful today in particular, or if being out of Aberdeen (where 90% of women either don't have hair or just go 'wild child' never get it styled) made me realize how awful it's been for three months, but after passing two salons, I walked into one and got it all chopped off again.
The woman cutting my hot mess hair asked me how short I wanted it, and when the last time I had it cut was. Pixie. December. It took a while to cut it, so we chatted. But in moments that required more attention, she mumbled a little - "You have so much hair. So much...December? So fast...so much hair."
I have less hair now, which made both of us much happier.
Afterward, I wandered back to the market, and bought some dinner for on the way home. It's moments like that - when I'm holding a tin full of a heaping portion of spiced chicken paella or a crepe overflowing with fruit and custard, meandering down a cobblestone street, with nothing in the world to get done - that I'm glad I took this semester "off" or at least away from Rhodes. I think in a couple months, when I look back, those moments will make trucking through all of those horrible theology lectures and grey days worthwhile.
I head back to Aberdeen tomorrow, but for now, my stomach is full of paella and blueberries, and I have a good book to read. I'll post some pictures when I get back!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Countdown to Hometurf: The Attic
Six more weeks of Scotland - of exams, of rain and sleet, and crazy lecturers.
And then, on June 12th, I'll land in Memphis.
Praise Jesus. No more people offering me haggis.
Each Wednesday for the next six weeks, I'll be blogging about something I'm looking forward to getting back to in Memphis.
This week? The Attic and Cousin-JP. (Included in this are my wonderful Aunt and Uncle who agreed to let me live with them for another summer, and the family dog, who actually likes me.)
It should perhaps first be stated that I've been living in a flat with five other women this semester. It's the equivalent of Rhodes' Gassel Castle. While they are lovely ladies, it regularly smells like someone (or multiple someones) is making a questionable decision.
(Pot. It smells like pot.)
And then, on June 12th, I'll land in Memphis.
Praise Jesus. No more people offering me haggis.
Each Wednesday for the next six weeks, I'll be blogging about something I'm looking forward to getting back to in Memphis.
This week? The Attic and Cousin-JP. (Included in this are my wonderful Aunt and Uncle who agreed to let me live with them for another summer, and the family dog, who actually likes me.)
It should perhaps first be stated that I've been living in a flat with five other women this semester. It's the equivalent of Rhodes' Gassel Castle. While they are lovely ladies, it regularly smells like someone (or multiple someones) is making a questionable decision.
(Pot. It smells like pot.)
Three
summers ago, after high school graduation, I went to Open Rhodes, and then
moved into the attic space in my Aunt and Uncle's home until classes started in August. The attic
in the blue-gray Midtown bungalow is my favorite place I've lived in the last few years. Aside from trading in the pungent smell of freshman year life choices for the smell of good food and clean laundry, there are 20 million other reasons I love it.
It
breathes stability, and as a 21-year-old undergraduate looking forward to seven-ish
more years of school, of apartments, moving, and new cities, it is so sweet having a place
to go in Memphis, where there are grownups with perspective who will still listen to my nonsense rambling about classes and meetings. It's also where I can chill with Cousin-JP and eat a bowl of queso, and where most of the adventure sagas that start with "So I was hanging out with JP the other day..." begin. And for those who you who have heard those stories, you know they are always excellent and hilarious.
With
all of the craziness of summer research, and as I'll have to start thinking about grad
school applications (read: moving to a new city, again), I love, love, love
that I get to stay in The Attic with these wonderful people. Cousin-JP and I already have a working list of things to do this summer. Obviously, Mexican food and a How I Met Your Mother marathon are among the highlights.
On a Scotland-related note, here are some pictures from my Sunday afternoon walk through the Botanic Gardens. Things are really starting to bloom, though I waited too long to photograph the crocuses in the labyrinth...they didn't survive the sleet and wind last week. Still - a planted flower labyrinth is way cool.
On a Scotland-related note, here are some pictures from my Sunday afternoon walk through the Botanic Gardens. Things are really starting to bloom, though I waited too long to photograph the crocuses in the labyrinth...they didn't survive the sleet and wind last week. Still - a planted flower labyrinth is way cool.
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