Eliana’s London Updates Three Weeks in! (Post 3)

Hi friends! It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in London almost three weeks now. This post is dedicated to my grandma, who told me she was hoping for another blog update. 🙂 It’s another pardon-any-typos, a-little-all-over-the-place blog post, and it is organized topically, starting with the lighter parts of life before transitioning to the heavier things.

I’m calling these the London updates for consistency, but we’re going beyond London and out into the rest of England this time…

I will start this update by sharing pictures and details about my travels to Stonehenge and Bath on the 25th of May, various outings during the week, and a daytrip to Brighton on the 1st of June. Then I will share a food update, an internship update, a safety update, and a faith update.

Previous Posts

This is Post 3 of my updates! Here are the first two if you missed them and you are curious.

Day 1 & 2 of Eliana’s London Adventure (Post 1)

Eliana’s First Week at London Overview (Post 2)

Travels: Stonehenge and Bath (25 May)

Saturday, 25 May was our class excursion to Stonehenge and Bath! I deeply enjoyed the trip to Stonehenge especially. It scratched that itch I had to get out of the city and see more greenery. Just the view of the rolling fields on the way there was beautiful. And we could not have asked for better weather—it was sunny with a few clouds that floated on a light, cool breeze I could feel through my fingertips. Our tour guide jokingly told us to watch out for a tingling sensation we might experience from the healing properties of the stones. However, I believe the real healing just came from being in a beautiful green place far away from the city for a little bit. We got some great photos and some goofy photos and then headed to the town of Bath.

The history and speculations around Stonehenge were interesting to hear about, and the history behind Bath was interesting as well. The Romans created it from the hot springs, and over time, it went through cycles of falling into disrepair and then being repaired again. The statues were cool, the Abbey was cool, and the town of Bath was cool. I had a delicious traditional Cornish pasty for lunch, which was something I hadn’t tried before. I followed my travel buddies through a few too many second-hand stores. Thrifting for the sake of thrifting isn’t really my favorite—I regret that I wasn’t able to visit the Jane Austen museum that our guide mentioned, or just take a closer look at the door of the place where she lived. However, we did visit a TK Maxx and I managed to find a pair of nice “wellies” for a decent price.

Educational Outings

Throughout the week that followed, I made several outings on my own. Each of them were during the day and very safe of course! Going out on my own was refreshing and gave me a chance to go at my own pace and do things I wanted to do even if my classmates did not respond to an invitation to join me.

On the 26th of May, a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I took advantage of the lovely sunny weather and went to Kensington Gardens. It was gorgeous. And there were also many swans.

Monday was Memorial Day in the States and a Bank Holiday here in the UK. I took advantage of it by visiting the British Library Treasures Gallery and the British Museum.

It being a holiday, there was a 20-minute line to get into the British Library, but when I did, I went to the “Treasures of the British Library” room and saw Shakespeare’s First Folio, sketches by Da Vinci, music by Mozart, notes and goofy drawings by the Beatles, and many old and beautiful Bibles. Unfortunately, the Magna Carta room was closed. Still, a very cool experience!

At the British Library, the naturally mummified Gebelein Man stopped me in my tracks and haunted me. My first thought was, This is a real person. And his crouched naked body—or what was left of it—was just lying there, on display. His time-darkened flesh was drawn tight over his bones, and I could still see his ear and a little tuft of his hair. Many other visitors were taking pictures, but I didn’t—it felt wrong, somehow. The museum was very busy, but I saw other (covered) mummies too, studied some stunningly detailed preserved hieroglyphics, and pushed my way through a crowd to get a glimpse of the Rosetta Stone.

On Thursday, 30 May, I had space time to visit the Science Museum and Natural History Museum, two well-known, free-admission museums, conveniently located next to each other in South Kensington. The Science Museum was largely geared toward kids and families, but in hindsight, I wish that I went directly to the second floor. The second floor is where it is at—the Information Age in particular! My favorite parts were the animations/videos on Britain’s time zones, communication after the Titanic disaster, and the telegram. I did not finish going through everything they had there, but I hope to go back this week!

The Natural History Museum was very busy, but also incredible. So many rare, sparkly minerals and also dinosaur bones. As a kid, I would always enter a museum and feel like they were lacking in the dinosaur skeletons department. So the Natural History Museum was awesome. I might need to go back for the insect section and anything else I missed.

Travels: Brighton (1 June)

We took a train ride to Brighton at 8:30 on this previous Saturday morning, which went very smoothly. When we arrived, our party had breakfast with my flatmate’s aunt, uncle, and cousin at Trader’s Post. Delicious! I had my first full English breakfast. There was toast, tomato, mushroom, thick yummy bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and yummy beans, which I topped off with an apple and cinnamon tea. It was very yummy, very filling, satisfying, energizing, and good protein!

We did a little shopping, and then I split up from the group to check out Brighton’s Royal Pavilion on my own. I walked around outside and it was beautiful!! There was a violin playing, flowers, greenery, and incredible India-inspired architecture. I paid 19 pounds for admission, and the inside was not what I was expecting. So much color and detail, all inspired by Chinese art. One room with dragons everywhere! Some parts seemed rather plastic, but this makes sense as the original furniture and everything was stripped from the palace when Queen Victoria decided to dispose of it. However, the town of Brighton bought it and was able to get a hold of some of the original furniture/decor and recreate other components.

When I finished my tour and reunited with my group, we took photos by the pier, enjoyed the view of the British Channel, and visited Brighton Palace Pier, which was like a fair. We also spent some time at the beach, which had pebbles instead of sand, which was new to me. It was nice not to worry about sand getting in my shoes. For dinner, we had fish and chips, and then we went back to the beach for a little bit. By the time we needed to get back on the train, we were all a little tired and ready to go home. It was a full day!

Bonus: 2 June

Yesterday, I found my friends the Knolhoffs at St. Guiles Mission Church! I know them from my church in West Lafayette, Indiana, and they are on vacation here in UK right now. We had a delicious Italian lunch together.

Food Update

My Aunt Danelle asked if I found any foods that are new to me and that I’ve really liked. This is a great question, and I dedicate this section of the update to her. 😉

• On my first week here, at lunch after church, the pastor’s wife had a homemade elderflower cordial for us. So yummy.
• In Bath, I had a Cornish pasty for lunch. Delicious! I had another from the grocery store for a quick dinner last week.
• In Brighton this weekend, I tried the full English breakfast and it was amazing! It is definitely not for everyone and varies from person to person whether you enjoy it or not, but I’m not a picky eater and I loved every part of it—the tomato, the mushroom, the British bacon, the beans, etc. It also left my stomach feeling good and gave me the protein and energy for a full day.
• I also checked the British fish & chips off the bucket list in Brighton, although I only had the appetite to order the fish fingers and chips side items.
• Yesterday, I went to an Italian restaurant with a family from my Indiana church who were on vacation here, and I had a duck salad. My first time eating duck, and very good!
• I’ve also bought and enjoyed Digestives and Jaffa Cakes. I’m planning to take some of these British treats home for my family when I go back. (Don’t tell! ;))

Internship Update

I have been an intern for Can of Worms Publishing for two weeks now, and it has been an excellent experience! The office is just a 15-minute walk away from my flat. It’s just me and the Managing Director, Tobias Steed, but we share the office space with a group of architects. Below is my very summarized professional update. =)

Tasks:

• Reviewing manuscript submissions for the Leapfrog Press Global Fiction Prize
• Performing formatting tasks for a poem collection by Charles Coe
• Compiling formatting notes and checking edits for upcoming novel Istanbul Crossing
• Updating publication status metadata for Xenophobe’s Guide series with Nielsen BookData

Takeaways:

• I learned about the criteria that Can of Worms and Leapfrog Press uses to assess submissions.
• I developed a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the publishing industry today.
• I am coming to understand how my moral boundaries and beliefs may play a part in my future career decisions. (*This is a secular book publishing house, so one of the upcoming novels being published is about a gay main character.)
• I am building independence and self-reliance as I navigate the city.

Safety Update

It is an adjustment to move into a big city, and as a young single woman, I recognize a need to be especially careful. I’m thankful that London is very safe as a whole, and I have never felt that I was in danger.

However, I have had a couple of wake-up calls to the crime that does exist here. During my second week, I heard from a classmate how her phone was stolen out of her hands by a passing motorcyclist. More alarmingly, I heard how another classmate (a guy) was mugged by two men and forced to unlock and turn over his phone at knifepoint at 7pm one night.

London is an interesting mix of beautiful things and not-so-beautiful things. When I’m looking at architecture, riding on the Tube, and exploring museums, I love people-watching families and seeing the sweet way that British parents interact with their kids. At the same time, I am often passing homeless people, people smoking, and occasionally people who are clearly drunk.

I have been approached by beggars in the park, on an Underground train, and even in the grocery store. (I’ve also had someone lean over me while I was reading at Kensington Gardens, but thankfully, he was legitimately asking for directions!) All the beggars I have encountered have been harmless, but they always make me a bit more wary.

These are the things that are not captured in the touristy photos I share, but it’s a reality. I can’t promise that I will always take a buddy when I go places, because I need to go to work and church alone. Going places alone safely is a skill that is necessary and a skill I am learning quickly.

I’m proud of the skills I’m gaining as a navigator and how I can now get around without my eyes glued to my phone. I’m cautious and I try to make safe judgment calls, but all this exploring is helping me to get out of my comfort zone and grow. I hope to keep making safe solo trips, like the ones I’ve taken to Kensington Gardens or museums or the Royal Pavillion, because they can be some of the most beautiful experiences. If you feel inclined, I appreciate prayers for safety. 🙂

Faith Update

As I told my parents and my brother, one of my biggest cultural experiences on this trip might just be sharing life with secular classmates. 🙃 😅 We have become good friends as we have traveled together and lived together, and they are super sweet people. I’m grateful for the way they include me, check on me, and respect me. But we live very differently.

As a homeschooler growing up, I was in a complete bubble. Then I moved to Purdue, and I thought I was going “into the world.” But still, I had something of a bubble—I found a tight community of Christian friends, and although I had nonbeliever roommates, we lived very separate lives.

But now I’m really living in the world and sharing my life with nonbelievers. It’s sad that I haven’t found other believers in my program, but it is also an opportunity to live differently.

I am open about the fact that I’m Christian. I’ve been able to gush about my experiences at church to my classmates and even to my employer. 😂 What I’m praying for is confidence to share what I believe when tough topics come up, because I’m in the minority, and I have a strong temptation to blend in.

And even more, I’m praying for an opportunity to explicitly share the gospel. This culture is a culture of “you do your thing, and I’ll do mine.” But the gospel is not something that’s just for me. It’s something that is desperately needed and available to everyone.

God isn’t just my Creator—He created all of us. He sustains all of us. He knows us intimately and wants us to know Him. When we don’t want anything to do with Him, we’re like teenagers who live off our parents’ resources but don’t want anything to do with them. It doesn’t make sense.

We like to make our own rules, but ultimately, God’s standards of what is good are the only standards. And we each have broken His law, rebelled against His rule, and fractured the relationships we could have had with Him.

This is why Christ had to become both God and man, live a perfect life, die a horrible death, and rise from the grave alive. He took His punishment on our behalf. He offers forgiveness as a free gift.

We deserve Hell, but accepting Christ’s gift is the only way it can be possible to live with a Holy God in Heaven forever. Knowing the gospel changed everything for me, and it’s not something I can keep to myself in a good conscience. It is needed by everyone and available to everyone.

When hard topics like pre-marital sex, abortion, and homosexuality come up, I often don’t say anything, because my perspective requires so much context. I need to share the full story that we all are sinners in need of God’s grace, which is freely offered through Christ. Please pray for these priceless souls around me, and please pray for me.