Hello from sunny Florida. Tonight I'm writing from our friend Joe's house. He has one of those crazy ergonomic keyboards which feels a little funny on my unaccustomed fingers. I'm writing this while Andrew, Joe and Evan play a football game on the Gamecube. This is the same Gamecube Andrew and I owned before we moved to England. We sold it and our games and accessories to Joe when we moved.
When we still lived in Tampa, we generally spent every Sunday with Evan, Joe and often other friends playing games and eating dinner out. We'd almost always play lots of video games (mostly Smash Brothers and Super Smash Brothers), but board games were also popular with our crowd. My favorite is Pictionary, but Cranium was a biggy, as was Trivial Pursuit. We would spend many Sunday hours gaming together. Today feels liked old times - only now we're playing at Joe's house instead of our apartment.
We've had a lovely trip so far. It's gone by quickly, but we've squeezed a whole lot in. On Wednesday and Thursday I visited Brandon High School, where I was the drama teacher last year. I had a lovely time with my former colleagues and students and got to meet the new principal, about whom I've heard wonderful things. I got to sit in on a rehearsal of the school musical where several of my former students are performing. And on Thursday I sat in on the advanced drama class, about half of whom are my former students. Their regular teacher was not there, but we had planned for me to go in (along with the official sub) and talk to the class about living in the UK. It was a really nice chat and the kids I didn't know were extremely kind and asked excellent questions about what it's like to live in Oxford.
We stayed at a hotel in Tampa for a couple of nights since I was getting up early to go to school and my mom's house is over an hour's drive from there. Our room was awesome and it was nice to be close to our friends, who mostly live in Tampa. While I was at school, Andrew caught up with several professors (including those who wrote letters of recommendation for him to apply to Oxford) and his former co-workers at the University of South Florida. We went out with friends a couple of times and had a generally fun time there. Then we returned to my mom's house for the weekend.
This morning we went to church here. Andrew has been attending this church all his life and I've gone with him since we started dating. We also got married there. But now that we're so accustomed to the chapel services at Hertford (which are Anglican), it was a bit odd to go back to Methodist services. It felt very brassy. That's the only word I can think of to describe it. Everything felt "bigger" than in England even though we attended the 8:15 service in the church chapel, which is very small. Everything felt big except the music. I missed the lovely choir at Hertford, although it was nice to sing more familiar hymns. I also really missed Simon. He's such an unassuming, matter-of-fact sort of preacher. I like his style a lot, so I missed it today.
This week is already booked solid with events. We're going to dinner with Andrew's family; to a water park (we hope!); out with my former students (I hope); with college friends to their weekly Village Inn after class meal; out with Andrew's former coworkers; and out with Andrew's life-long friend (and mine for about 15 years now), Will. That's not to mention at least one shopping trip! Clothes are SO much cheaper here! We've already picked up some new jeans for Andrew. YAY! He really needed them!
So it's been a lovely trip. The best part has been catching up with friends and family (Romeo! MEOW!). I've been surprised that people aren't more interested about what it's like to live in Oxford. Mostly we get asked if we like it there and whether it's expensive. We do and it is. I do miss Oxford, especially our friends from Hertford, but I can't say I'm eager to leave just yet.
Posted by Erin at March 24, 2003 01:58 AMi think that people don't ask a lot of questions about where you've been because they just can't really relate to it. it is one of the most difficult things about coming back from being abroad. for you, it seems so so different and that your life has changed to significantly - and it has - but for others, their lives are very much the same, just that you're not around. after spending four months in paris, coming back to school i expected to be riddled with questions and interest. not so. people at home just kept on keeping on while i was gone. although of course happy that i had returned, my leaving wasn't really anything they could relate to very effectively. initially i took it to mean that they didn't care. which was very unfair. they just didn't know what i had gone through.
Posted by: jane at March 24, 2003 11:17 PMHey, Mrs. H! I'm thinking that we should just kinda go to Medard Park or something. Just chill...ya know? I'll talk to some of the other kids and see what they think. And then I'll get back to ya!
Posted by: Kristen at March 27, 2003 03:44 PMYep. Sounds about right to me too.
I wonder if it's because people are afraid that if they do hear about your new life, that they won't be able to really understand what it's like because it's all so different-seeming.
Maybe also people aren't sure really where they fit in with this strange new situation, so they stick with what they do know.
I'm taking a page from the Hughey book and heading back to the US in a few days, myself. Much with the cat visitation and all that.
Hope you keep enjoying yourselves in sunny Florida!
Posted by: Andrew (The one still in Oxford) at March 30, 2003 01:22 PM