Wednesday, May 18, 2011

In which Capernwray's internet has a fit of good temper, and Kelsey wanders...a lot...

In other words I can get to this blog and all of your lovely blogs without getting a spiteful This Site Is Blocked On Your Network message. This makes me more joyous and excited than should probably be allowed. Seriously. I had no idea how much of a nerd I was...am...you know what I mean...

It’s midnight or so so this entry will consist of scattered and incoherent snippets. This is stating the obvious but just so you know.

Today I went on a walk with my favourite Ashley. It was meant to just be around the Loop which is like half an hour, but it turned into a two and a half hour trek. We braved herds of cattle, mammoth hills, and winds so strong you could lean back and not fall. And discovered mole corpses hung on a fence and a house guarded by stone dragons and other such exciting things.

England is gorgeous. I forget this a lot and then every so often I will walk outside and BAM. Beauty everywhere.

For the next few days we have a speaker named Ridge Burns who is hilarious and out-of-the-box and very very American. He started by breaking us into small groups for discussion and moving the desks out of rows and into random places around the room and then he distributed notes by tossing them off the stage and letting them fall around the room and I thought, I like this guy. So far all we’ve done is a spiritual gifts test (not strictly Spiritual Gifts Called Spiritual Gifts in Scripture, more God-given Gifts That Can Be Spiritual) and I got highest on missions. HAHA. Irony. Who knew. Though he defined it as using whatever other gifts you have, for God’s glory, in a different culture, so not always evangelism specifically, and that fits pretty well, I think... Got just about zero on tongues and leadership and organisation. Surprise!

I made a list of things I am looking forward to about home, because it is 23 days until Capernwray is over and 28 days until I am back in the True North Strong And Free and I am not really looking forward to leaving at the moment. Such as:
-Cooking
-Organic/healthy food
-My mum’s cooking... Perogies, waffles with strawberries and chocolate sauce, homemade pizza, curry (proper curry not omnipresent and ersatz Capernwray curry), baked goods of various kinds, meat that I can eat without being reminded of all the terrifying and grim facts that I learned while working at P&G Sausage last year...
-Seeing you people. Obviously. This would be right at the top of the list except that I am justmaybekindof STARVING at the moment. Not like you guessed that, or anything...
-Playing piano without bothering about anyone listening
-Attempting to teach myself guitar
-The library
-Being around people who are older and younger than me
-Swing dancing
-Youtube
-That graduationy ceremony danceish thing that the ingenious Madame Zoe is planning
-Being allowed to use British words (by accident, of course) without sounding like a complete poseur
-Different clothes
-Summer
-Not parting with £1.50 every time I wish to wear clean clothes
-Going to the beach
-Forcing my family to watch/listen to some of the movies and music I’ve discovered since being here (prepare yourselves, guys)
-The TWU choir
-Proper mountains, not these occasional lumps of uneven earth that are known as “mountains” around here
-Having more confidence because of what I’ve seen and experienced here
-Having a chance to put what I’ve learned into practise

Um. Yes. I’ll shut up now. Peace out. Cheers. Farewell.

7 comments:

  1. Totally awesome post!

    Glad you like the American teacher. He sounds pretty cool!

    I'm looking forward to your return to! I know you'll miss England and everything, but I'm selfish!

    Guitar huh? That will be gnarly cool! Never would have thought you'd want to try that, but it's good to surprise such people as me.

    I'm looking forward to discussing music and movies with ya!
    (right now I am listening to Dario Marianelli's The Soloist soundtrack. Interesting. Cello = bonus points)

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  2. *squeals* I LOOOOVE this post, Kelsey!!!!!!! :D Made me smile thoroughly.

    Ha! I really like the tossing of notes. Nice to have an exuberant teacher, eh?

    I could totally see you as a missions sort of person!! and no, it does NOT always have to mean evangelism and handing out DVD's ( :P ...although those are good too....). Working with IJM (or something else) is totally missions too! And yes, it really does come down to just glorifying God in your giftings (in any culture, even one's own I think). In that sense, I guess it would be everyone's gifting thing? but either way, I think you are more a 'missionary' (in the broad sense of the term) than you might think... ;)

    I love your list. :)

    Guitar?? Why have I not heard a single peep about this?? (lol :P) I'm with Anna; I never would have guessed! (*must know what made you decide this because it is awesome*) I really like the sounds of it though. I could teach you the basics if you'd like! :D

    (yay for swing dancing! :D)

    "graduationy ceremony danceish thing", eh. What an eloquent way to put it, Ms. Lady-who-is-normally-so-good-at-writing-beautifully. :P hehe

    Oh, and Anna: You've seen 'The Solist'?? That's awesome. Isn't it such a good movie? I love it. (the cello, of course, having nothing to do with that fact :P)

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  3. I didn't know you played piano! Hm--wait, maybe I did . . . But I'm almost exactly sure I DID NOT know you wanted to teach yourself guitar. Lovely! Simply lovely!

    Graduationy ceremony danceish thing? Can I watch? :D

    I might reply again . . . half because this comment said absolutely nothing and the other half is because . . . well, just because.

    Oh, Kelsey, if you don't already know about them, I bet you would like Jostie Flicks, especially Martha Mahinsky. They're on YouTube. Very fun!

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  4. Blaghhhh, internet died before I could edit this before.

    Anna - "gnarly cool," eh? hahaha. I know, it's probably selfish of me to not want to come home, and it's not that I DON'T want to, because I do, and I know that's where God wants me and this was only for a short time and that's the way it's meant to be...it will just be an adjustment, that's all, and hard to say goodbye to everyone. But I CANNOT WAIT to see you again :D :D

    Oooh, I've heard a little of The Soloist soundtrack and it was really good--I really want to see the movie, heard it's great :D

    (Did you get my letter/package, by the way?)

    re. guitar, it's not so much because of an abiding love for guitar as it is because I found someone to borrow a guitar from. (and I had been wanting to mess around with it since last summer or something but had no way of doing so without spending excessive money) Anyway, my ambitions are very low. (Ooh maybe I can borrow a ukelele from them too :P) and yes I would be honoured to learn from such a teacher as yourself, miss Zoe ;)

    Yeah, I agree about the missions thing--the whole idea that missions is not limited to just preaching or something is new to me or at least something I never really thought about before and it's excting in a way :D

    Graduationy ceremony dancish thing, well, what would you call it? haha from what my mum says it keeps changing and maybe does not involve dancing at all now?

    Kayla - um, YES, you should come, and DANCE not watch. The more comments from you the happier I am. And I have seen Jostie Flicks (they performed at our church once which was how we heard about them...and mutual friends and stuff) but not in forever and not that one. thanks for the heads up! i shall investigate.

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  5. Ah yes. Wanting to play guitar because someone is lending it to you (I love those types of people!) is a WONDERFUL excuse to learn. Should have guessed that, seeing as you're renowned for being Ms. Kelsey the Practical ;).

    Ha. A grad celebration? That would be much easier to type and pronounce. :P And ya. It turns out that dancing will not work out :( (seeing as the lady who would lead it is unable to do so that date....) So you don't have to worry about forcing certain friends to do it.... ;)

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  6. Hello Kelsy How are ya!!
    We just sent you a card hope you like it.
    Mr. M.K.K!!

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  7. Hey Kelsey,

    Amy and I are throwing a sort of "grad" party on June the 18th. We've invited you and Zoe (along with a bunch of other people) from 5-12. Zoe says that you and her have something on, but she'll talk with you about it.
    I'll give you the info on the party just so you know.

    5-8: our house for orderves (sp?) and games. Formal wear (some will be wearing grad dresses, or nice dresses. Boys will wear suits or button up and tie)
    8-10: Al Anderson pool
    10-12: Boston Pizza...I mean Vancouver Pizza. ;-)

    So excited to see you again!

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