March 1, 2006

I finally made it to the British Library, although I've been here two weeks and it's literally two blocks away. I've been kind of lazy as of late, in a bit of a rut. I think I've reached a stage where I'm not necessarily homesick, but I'm acclimating to the fact that my home, albeit temporarily, is here. I miss some people, but all that I have to keep in mind is that I will likely never be so fortunate as to have this possibility again in my lifetime. Things like the British Library and British Museum are once in a lifetime opportunity, unless, of course you live in London or the surrounding area. One of the nicest exhibits was a display of manuscripts, from the earliest of Christian and Muslim writers to those of famous British authors, like Jane Austin.

David Horne, another student on the trip, has most certainly proven himself to be the most charismatic of us, establishing relationships with an astounding number of Britons in our short time here. At our first group meal at The Albert, a pub and restaurant noted for being a hangout for members of parliament, David asked a man downstairs at the bar for a beverage recommendation. To make a long story short, the man whom he questioned asked him to sit down and turned out to be quite a character, indeed. It turns out that David's new friend, a gentleman by the nickname of Sixty-One,

dropped bombs on Normandy beach for the British during
D-Day and quite literally has royal connections. In fact, David has had a private tour of Buckingham Palace offered to him. All he has to do is make the call. David also met a man who is a coach at a local running club, something that sparked my interest. We went out to run with him on a Sunday afternoon in a muddy and beautiful forest, the Epping forest, northeast of London.