Jumps Around the World

Every English major knows at the end of the semester, you’re most likely going to have to write a retrospective essay about what you’ve learned over the semester and all those wonderful things. Those essays can be things to sigh about, but they always got me to sit and think about what I learned and how I’d progressed.

So that’s what this blog is. It’s my retrospective. I’m calling it: Jumps Around the World (I’m not committed to that title).

Before I get into that though, you’re probably wondering why I’m doing a retrospective now because I signed up to be here until August. But let me say that God knows better than we do, and there are many circumstances that have led to me coming home earlier. One being that the CreativeLab is ending, and two, in June I’m starting the English MA program at IUPUI.

This week is my last full week in the UK, and it’s over halfway over. I’m heading home in a week and it is absolutely perfect timing. God knows me better than I do and I’m ever so grateful for that.

The very first month (week for that matter) I was here, the team went to Northern Ireland. Maybe you’ll remember. I blogged about it. (It’s spiffy.) You should check it out. Anyway, on that trip, I did a jumping picture at Giant’s Causeway and from there I decided to take a jumping picture at every place I went. Wales, unfortunately, I think the picture didn’t turn out, so I’m standing instead. Just imagine me jumping. Sorry, Wales.

Northern Ireland

Giant's Causeway & Carrick-a-Rede 

Durres, Albania

Adriatic Sea 

Rome, Italy

Coliseum 

Kinsale, Ireland

Charles Fort

Grasmere, England

The Lake District

Cardiff, Wales

#Fail

England

The Roaches

Nottingham, England

Sherwood Forest

Edinburgh, Scotland

Calton Hill

Paris, France

Eiffel Tower & The Lourve

Amsterdam, Netherlands

As I sit at my desk on the broadcast floor of UCB, I don’t even know where to begin to describe my time here. It’s definitely bittersweet leaving. I didn’t get to go away to college and live away from home and with other people, but coming here I did. It’s so neat to see that I got to experience a bit of that when I didn’t in college. I know many of the relationships I’ve built here will last forever.

So many memories come to mind and many inside jokes and laughs. Coming to the CreativeLab was a dream come true. How many people can say they got to live in another country, anyway? England has always been my favorite country (besides America of course), and I love that it has remained so to me even after being here for nine months. Sometimes when we go places we think we’ll love, they don’t turn out to be what we expect. But England remains my favorite and London remains my absolute favorite city. I love the rolling, lush green hills and the pastures of sheep and little lambs in the spring and the blooming rapeseed. I love the history and buildings so old you cannot even fathom it with cafes and shops in them. I love Big Ben and the Eye and Tower Bridge. I love tea and Sunday roasts and curry and naan bread. (I even love double mini roundabouts because what does it mean?!)

I don’t remember what or if I expected anything in particular when I got here. It’s definitely been a journey of ups and downs. It’s been really hard at times and some days I’ve wanted to hop on a plane and go home. Sometimes I wondered why I was here and if what I was doing really even mattered. But when we’re in a season, we don’t have the luxury to look back and say, that’s why I’m here. There may be moments, but even now, I’m not really sure.

There are so many things I’ve gotten to be a part of, UCB’s Word 4U 2Day, multiple graphic design projects, building a website, and writing lots of articles and copy for various things, including a Bible App for Kids Book of Hope. I’ve learned about videography and photography. I’ve helped out at conferences. I learned how I like to enjoy and explore a new city. I feel more cultured and comfortable with traveling and hopping on trains, flights, buses, and bicycles in some cases. I think I always knew I would get to the places I’ve always dreamed of going (I’m pretty optimistic), but even so, it was so surreal. Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Belfast, Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge… the list goes on and on. I’ve gotten to experience many cities and see many historical sights. But those things would never be as great as they were if they weren’t experienced with wonderful people who I will miss every day, but who I refuse to say goodbye to because it’s not the end.

Here is a few pictures that I think show some highlights from my time here or they just make me smile. I have well over a thousand photos from being here and I'd love to show you each and every one, but sadly that would take a long time. 

 Left to right: me, Krista, Sam, Katie, and Darbi at C. S. Lewis' home in Oxford

 The team at Carrick-a-Rede in Northern Ireland. From one of my favorite CreativeLab trips.

 At The Eagle and Child in Oxford, the pub C. S. Lewis and Tolkien frequented.

 Sam, Darbi, and Krista fighting over a bench in Stratford-upon-Avon. I love these guys.

 Gelato in Rome! Gelato changed my life.

This is from my first trip with the CreativeLab. From left to right, Chad, Darbi, Bethany, me, Devan, and Sammy. Bethany and Devan allowed Darbi and I to stay with us while we were there. They'll forever be my Irish family.

I love this picture because it shows Sam and I's relationship to a T. Just before the picture was taken I think he put something on my head/hair.

 We played a "who can buy the best thing with 1 pound in a market" game. I won. I got those dog figurines completely for free.

An amazing library in Birmingham.

 Meeting my favorite animal in Chester. Franz if a boy and Penelope if a girl.

Alex got to come visit me! This is taken in London. I absolutely love this picture.

 This statue is near where the author of Sherlock Holmes was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

We met Robin Hood at Nottingham Castle. 

Oh you know. Just a photo with the bobbies.

Darbi and I waited outside in the rain to go into the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.

And lastly, here's a photo of me at the Tower of London with a guard. I have to say, this was extremely awkward to take. Most of the time I do not like feeling like a tourist, so this made me feel very much like a tourist.  

I really don't know how to sum up my time here, besides just like anything in life there were ups and downs and great moments that I never want to forget. It's hard to say goodbye to my lovely friends here, but I know we'll be friends forever no matter where life takes us. I'm so grateful for the memories I've made while here, and I know this experience has helped shape me into the person I am today and will continue to grow into.

Thank you to everyone has supported me. I truly appreciate every single one of you.

To end all that "reading just isn't my thing" malarkey

Reading is boring. I can’t focus long enough. Reading just isn’t my thing. I’m a slow reader. Why do I even need to read? I hate reading.

All things I’ve heard before that seriously make my heart cry (yeah I know that’s not possible). But one of my goals is to take people who hate to read or don’t think they can and make them love to read or at least like it. Reading is something that makes me who I am. I don’t expect it to be that way for everyone. But I do think everyone can enjoy reading on some level. Don’t believe me? Well, I’ve come up with seven reasons why everyone should read, at least a little bit every day. And this list isn’t even comprehensive. I’ve just touched on some of the main things that stick out to me.

Reading for pleasure is more important for children's cognitive development than their parents' level of education. Reading is critical in a child’s learning and reading to them is as well. Kids that are read to are able to recognize the alphabet quicker and are more likely to read for pleasure as they get older. My mom read books to me nearly every night when I was growing up. We read nursery rhymes and Dr. Seuss and when I got older Nancy Drew. And I’m sure this has played into my love for reading.

Being a reader means you’re more likely to learn something new every day. And who doesn’t want to learn something new every day? I absolutely love learning new words and ask anyone who as spent a good amount of time with me and they’ll tell you that I have a habit of spouting off random bits of information. I love learning random facts. Speaking of, did you know that bees don’t have ears?

Reading enhances your memory and can help prevent Alzheimer’s. Reading keeps our mind engaged. I’ve known people who used to be active and stopped and down the line their minds drifted. Now, I know probably not all of it can be attributed to not reading, but when we don’t read or do other things that keep our mind active, we do run the risk of our minds getting muddled. No one wants a muddled mind.

Reading fiction enables you to empathize and relate with others more. I had this revelation a few years ago, and since then I’ve said that reading (and writing for that matter) is a release because it allows us to relax and fall into a different world, but when we’re reading, we dive deep into the character’s thoughts, feelings, and actions. We know them inside and out, and we understand them. How many of us have cried over a good book? You just empathized with the character, and in turn, can better empathize with the people around you.

Reading can relieve stress and be therapeutic. Whenever I’ve had a long day or I’m feeling overwhelmed, I might want some ice cream, but more likely I’ll want to sit with a book. Reading is my biggest stress reliever. It’s relaxing. Watching TV would be relaxing for a little while, but after one show I’d probably feel antsy and lazy. Reading however keeps my mind active, but it also lets it forget all the things I’m thinking about and focus on something else.

Fiction can say a lot. I know some people don’t get why they should read fiction. It’s not real. But then again, it is. Fiction is taken from someone’s thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Fiction tells a story, but a story that can tell us about life. For instance, reading a history book is rather dull, right? Well, why not pick up a book or read some poems that someone wrote during the era? I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll learn so much more about the time by reading a book or poem than you would reading a history book. At the very least you’ll be more interested. Fiction can be made up worlds, but at the core of those made up worlds is something very real and what the author wants to say.

Reading increases our ability to think analytically and critically. Thinking analytically and critically is crucial to being a contributor to society. By reading, we can improve our ability to decipher what is right and what is wrong and why, and furthermore be able to break down the problem to find the answer. If you want to engage your analytical and critical thinking skills, read actively. What is the author really trying to say? What’s beyond the surface? What are the themes? Is the narrator reliable or unreliable? Why? It might be a little daunting at first, but the more you do it, the easier it gets.

Now that I’ve told you some benefits of reading, I’m going to force myself to pick ten books to recommend. This list is liable to change and be flexible as time goes on, but as it is today, here are some books that I would highly recommend. These are not necessarily my top ten favorite books. That would take quite a while (if ever) for me to decipher. The books aren’t listened in any specific order either. I’m not going to give a synopsis of these books. I’m sure you’ve heard of most of them, and if you’re curious, you can go check them out.  

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I never wanted this book to end. I’ve never seen the movie, and I don’t really have a desire to. But this book is so fantastic. I can usually tear through a book in a few days to a week depending on the size, but I savored every moment of this book and as I said, I never wanted it to end. Another great book by Markus Zusak is I am the Messenger. Yeah I know I snuck another one in there.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia sparked my passion for reading. I’d enjoyed it as a kid, but as some people often do, I strayed away a bit when I got older. I only read things for school. But my mom bought me The Magician’s Nephew when I was around 12, and I stayed up way into the night reading it. I couldn’t wait to go to the store so I could get the next book.

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens? Really? you’re saying. Well of course! Hard Times is the shortest Charles Dickens novel, so I think you can manage it. I love Charles Dickens and his novels give us a great portrayal of his time. Oliver Twist is a great read as well (there I go again…).

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson has a number of books, but Speak (and Chains) is my favorite by her. It’s full of emotion and mystery. I’m pretty sure it made me cry or it at least made me feel completely spent when I finished. Sounds like a bad thing, but it’s actually quite great. Only really good writers can cause us to feel intense emotion.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson-Burnett

I’d wanted to read this book for years and finally did when I took a Children’s literature class. I fell in love with it. It gives us a glimpse of life in England during the imperialism. It’s full of wonder and mystery and magic.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

I’m sure my dad will be quite pleased this on is on the list. S. E. Hinton has such strong characters and narration, in my opinion. It’s not very long either, if that will convince you to pick it up.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (Because everyone would say The Fault in Our Stars)

Anything by John Green is typically great. I loved this one because it is more quirky and funny than his other novels, which also their quirks and are funny. Really you’ll make me happy if you pick up any John Green novel.

To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

What can I say? Everyone knows this is a great book and it’s beautiful. I love how it is from a child’s point of view. It really makes the novel something extra special.

If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

Gayle Foreman has recently become one of my favorites. After I read If I Stay, I went and read many more of her books. But this one is probably my favorite by her. It’s raw and real. I didn’t really know anything about the book when I read it and that made it so much better. When it was over, I was so disappointed because I wanted to read more. (Thankfully there is a sequel…)

Well, there you have it! Thank you for taking your time to sit and read this. Now, if you please, go search out a book to read, even if it isn’t one of the ones I listed.

"You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me."

― C. S. Lewis

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” 


― John Green, The Fault in our Stars