105 day Photo Blog + approx 500 word blurb.
All photos in this blog are taken by me, unless otherwise noted. Reproduction of anything from this blog without the consent of the author is strictly prohibited.
After a whole week of searching, I have finally found my trip for my break. It isn't exactly Spain but it's going to go through 8 countries in 12 days. I'm excited. :]
Trailfinders and the travel agent who took care of me, Hayley, is amazing. I can't believe I just jumped on it. Hope all goes well!
I did absolutely nothing productive today. I woke up at around 9, the latest I have woken up since I got here and I felt that my legs were angry at me. I decided to just stay in and wear my staying in jeans and shirt. Joanne made some biscuits and I had some. It was YUM :] I attempted to read but I ended up trying to figure out what to do for my break (which still isn't resolved, by the way. It's a sore subject.). I fell asleep at some point (when I began reading) and woke up at around dinner time. Yep, completely unproductive.
The highlight of my day was drinking the Fanta out of that Fanta bottle pictured above. It is absolutely amazing. Fanta here definitely wins over the one in the US. Yes, hands down. I'm not a big fan of soda but if you try UK Fanta, you'll be absolutely amazed at how natural it tasted. It basically tasted like orange soda, orange juice with fizz, basically. It didn't taste artificial at all. If you all saw the color, it totally looked like orange juice.
Tomorrow, I'm going to be more productive. My legs are starting to warm up to me again, finally.
We met up with Lieren, as decided. The three of us had breakfast in G&D afterwards and then Suzanna and I helped Lieren set up her little surprise for her roommate, Jaqueline. We got to express our creative side with a hint of resourcefulness. Afterwards, I dispersed in order to do the free Oxford Canal boating experience. I waited in the queue for an hour and I was kind of disappointed with what we saw but not completely. It was still relaxing and nice but I wanted more.
I then walked around and ended up climbing the Saxon tower again, which was from where the picture was taken. I'm absolutely loving this city. I climbed down and listened to the choir that was playing and I walked by Cornmarket, where I saw a 70% shoe sale and I stopped myself from buying 3 pairs of shoes. I also visited the Bod library and All Soul's College. I ended up walking around for a bit and then I headed back. Although, I didn't go straight home. I ventured for a bit further down Botley and found the Aldi's and a Chinese takeaway place where I got my dinner. I headed home, ate and then fell asleep for about 4 hours.
So now, I have messed my sleeping schedule UP because I'm up at 1:37 AM and writing this entry. Haha.
It was Oxford Open Doors and I began my day at 7:30 in the morning. I left the house at 8, walked all the way to the North East side to get to the Rhodes House which was my first stop of the day. I over estimated my time so I got there at 9. The House is not supposed to open until 9:30. I decided to walk down the street. I saw Mansfield College, The University Science area and the University Parks which was absolutely serene and beautiful.
I headed to Rhodes and it was beautiful. The Rotunda, when you come in the house, was awe-inspiring. The gardens were AMAZING and it simply took my breath away. I headed down to Broad Street for my next stop, which was New College. I was going to meet Joanne and Debra but I got there early. I decided to go into Blackwell and have some breakfast. I was still too early so after taking pictures in the Bod Library Quad, I walked into the Old Indian Institute, which is usually closed to the public, and the Museum of Science, which houses the blackboard with Einstein's theory of relativity. I ran into Debra and Joanne and the three of us headed into New College.
New College is the college I'm affiliated with here in Oxford. The moment I stepped in it, I knew it was the right fit. I walked in and I just fell in love. We went inside the chapel and it was absolutely gorgeous. The Cloisters, which has its 5 minutes of fame on the big screen b/c apparently that's where Draco Malfoy was turned into a ferret, is one of the most moving places I have ever been here. The dining hall was small but it was stunning. The gardens , which is lined by the old city wall, is going to be my favorite hiding place. I felt like I was in the secret garden walking around. The picture is the entrance gate to the garden. I love how the weather turned beautiful the moment we were there.
After New College, and a fiasco in my itinerary, I met up with Suzanna. We walked around the Botanic Gardens, down Magdalen Bridge and around the traffic circle in East Oxford. We then met up with Jeffrey and the three of us headed into Magdalen College and its Gardens. Magdalen College is also a gorgeous college (I just didn't feel at home in it as I did in New). My camera died along the way but it's alright. My Bod card will allow me entrance so I can go in and take pictures of the wonderful garden path. We then headed back to Cornmarket and climbed the Saxon Tower where we got to see the city, birds eye view. I was absolutely in love with the view. However, my camera died and it was only able to sputter 2 shots.
Afterwards, Suzanna and I did some errands while Jeffrey went to tour some more. We headed home, ate and rested and then met up with Lieren for a bit (where we made arrangements to go to mass together tomorrow). We got back, hung out with Debra and Joanne for about another hour and called it a night.
I was planning on going punting to start the day. However, I ended up staying inside, editing my paper and just hanging with Joanne and Debra. I was definitely freaking out a bit. I mean, it's my first tutorial and I get first reading of my essay. I didn't know what Dr. Ward wanted and I wasn't confident enough with what I wrote. I mean, it totally makes sense to me. But does it makes sense to everyone else? I was never confident with my style and my, I guess, logic. And I'm afraid that I would end up stammering and not being able to defend the paper I wrote.
Tutorial time came after a bit of an adventure with Debra and Joanne (this story, and details of my tutorial is a personal story, I'm afraid). For a whole hour from 2:30-3:30, I had a tutorial. I REALLY had a tutorial. It was one of the most rewarding, scariest, aggravating, exciting experiences in my entire life. It was everything I expected and yet it was still slightly overwhelming but I felt like I was flying afterwards. I mean, I know I didn't do perfect on the paper. However, I know that I learned something that will stick. I can't wait for the next one, to be honest.
After the tutorial, I passed by the travel agency to inquire about Spain tours. Not very helpful but I got a bit of a direction. I then walked down High Street and just ventured aimlessly. The picture above was taken at the Grand Café, which, I was told by "Friendly Man", is one of the best restaurants in town. I headed back, purchased about 300 grams of candy (I got over excited. I felt slightly guilty afterwards) which were displayed in the middle of Westgate center and spent the night looking for Spain tours.
I made a deal with myself. I'm going to work on my essay from 8-5 and "turn it in to my boss" at that hour. In other words, I locked myself up in the house once again. I got up at 7:30 in the morning and worked on my paper on 7:45. I wanted it done. Granted that my tutorial is at 2:30 on Friday, I just wanted it done.
I was writing, pacing, writing, pacing, reading, caffeinating, writing, complaining, sighing, writing. Suzanna, Debra (Debra already went in and out of the house 3 times) and Joanne all left and I was still in my room, on my desk, writing. Suzanna left and came home to find me still at my desk. It was around 4:00 in the afternoon and I was finishing up my conclusion. I got excited. This means, we get to go to dinner tonight to Fire and Stone (£4 pizza night! Jeffrey texted me about it too). The night before, I told Suzanna, when she posed this question, that I will only go out to dinner if I finish my paper (same thing I told Jeffrey). And I did. By 5:00, I had Suzanna read over my paper and proof read it a bit.
At that point, I really needed a break. I was glad that we did decide to do dinner. I haven't been in the city for about 36 hours! Dinner ended up to be Jeffrey, Lieren, Mike, Suzanna and I. It was a fun little table. We all enjoyed our pizzas. I'm glad Suzanna and I discovered the deal our first week here. I had the Byron Bay pizza, which is pictured above. (Lieren had it too.). They had all had their tutorials and we talked about them for a bit. There was also a discussion of what we were doing and have been doing the past week. In the end, it was a good time.
On the way home, Suzanna and I also realized that Mike lives opposite our street on Botley Road, which was funny. I realized that as much as I love my flat and the area around it, I really prefer to be in the hustle and bustle of things.
It took me a while to figure out which picture to post.
I had all intentions of just posting a picture of the blue couch by our flat's printer (its toner costs £ 90, btw. Can you believe that ?) where I sat all day with my laptop and books trying to write the essay I have due on Friday. (I'm up to 500 words. I need 1500 more but I'm more confident than I was when I took the picture I would have posted.) I also did my laundry today and hung my clothes on the clothes line because we don't have a dryer. I took a picture of that and thought about just posting that.
However, at around 17:00, I started freaking out. The nerves and the daunting idea that I was going to read my essay out loud started to get to me. I don't even have the essay yet. However, I was starting to lose my Zen and the confidence that I should have in myself. My head was just getting filled with scary thoughts and silly situations. I mean, I'm going to read my essay to an expert on C.S. Lewis. Me, Nicole, who has barely read Lewis? A lot of things can go wrong with that. I was starting to tremble and I can't think straight. Therefore, I decided to save my sanity, leave my couch, and take a walk outside.
Instead of going to Botley Road, I went to the other side, to the fields. Suzanna had mentioned that there was one before but I haven't really been in it yet. I'm glad I decided to go today because I definitely got to see one of the most gorgeous places in my whole entire life. The fields were amazing. It was calming and peaceful. I'm glad I brought my camera with me during my walk because I got to take some of the most gorgeous pictures I have taken in my life, at least in my opinion. It was an undisturbed piece of sanctuary that I will definitely visit again.
The picture I finally chose to post is a picture of the horse I saw further down the first road on the fork. I felt like the white horse is somewhat symbolic of my walk "saving me" from the distress I was in. I was a damsel. I was in distress. And a white horse and a knight in the form of fields, armed with grass, trees and vast sky saved me.
I definitely found my piece of sanctuary from the city and the stress.
My 8-hour work day schedule failed today. Because of that, I decided to relax and just take the day as it is. I was kind of mellow. I had my breakfast and lunch at the flat. I do cook so I cooked myself some stir-fried noodles for lunch. I spent the morning reading. I was basically glued to our living area from 9:00 to 12:45. Suzanna and I headed into town at 1:00, got there at around 1:15-ish and ran our errands. We met up at Greens at around 2:00 (I was there by 1:45) and worked. I left at around 5:30 and ran errands, once again. I bought a few things at the grocery and a box of band-aids because I got myself a small wound, no biggie. I went to Boots and I wasn't very pleased with its arrangement. It reminded me of the perfume section of a department store and I was so confused. I found my band-aids, nonetheless.
I headed home and waited for Suzanna. She and I were supposed to meet up with Lieren to go to the St. Giles Festival in St. Giles that night. She got back at around 7, had dinner and we headed out at around 8:30. Yes, it was dark out but we found out that our side of town is a safe walk. It was quiet and well lit. Lieren ended up staying in because of her paper, which is totally understandable. I was personally exhausted from all the reading and I just wanted to be out after the whole day of going all out reading. I'm glad Suzanna went with even if she wasn't exactly feeling it.
We got to the St. Giles festival and it was AWESOME! Whoever set the festival out went all out! The whole feel of it was amazing. I love the feel of festivals in general. This one, however, was just…WOW! I felt like I was in Disneyland. I can't believe I was still in Oxford and that I just passed this street 7 days ago, in a taxi cab, and it didn't look like that. There were rides, food booths and games everywhere! There were multiple fun houses, bumper cars, twirling thingamabbobbers, etc. The picture above, as hazy as it is (which I love), describes the whole festival. I felt like I was transported into a different world. I was undeniably in complete amazement.
Suzanna and I ended up just walking through the whole festival, which was enough for me. I didn't want to partake in the rides nor spend money on the food and the games (I was full from dinner and I was content with people watching those who did play the games and ended up bringing around big stuffed toys). We got back to the flat at around 9:50, ready to do some more reading in order to crank up my paper tomorrow.
Not the best photograph I've take. But 3 guesses to my my new purchases ;]
Let it be known that the course of action I decided to take to prevent my foreseeable trouble with focusing is to treat each day as if it’s an 8 hour work day that I am getting paid for. I will get up at 7, leave the house at 8 and work, may it be errands (groceries, going to the OPUS office, borrowing something from the library, etc) or on my essays for my tutorials.
My first essay is due on Friday and a bulk of today was spent in the Central Library (by Westgate) and the OPUS office library looking for books in order to write the essay. I also got my dongle today, which allows me to access the internet from our humble abode. It’s a bit of an inconvenience but I’m glad that we have internet, nonetheless. (I’m not very happy with how it is, economically speaking because it costs £ 15 for 3 GB of surfing, which is roughly 3 hours a day of normal surfing for 30 days, which is when it expires. It’s looking like the free wifi in cafes will be cheaper although it lacks the convenience of the dongle so it’s really a catch 20-20) I was also able to have a decent conversation with my mom via Gchat phone call. I’m glad it worked out free! I can’t use my magic jack because my laptop only had 2 USB ports and the magic jack USB is pretty massive.
I began reading C.S. Lewis today and it looks like he and I are going to have an intimate relationship in the end. I don’t know if that’s going to be good or bad, but I know it’s going to be intimate (hence the books that are only part of my reading list photographed). I have never read Lewis before this so I’m completely getting a crash course on getting to know him. I get to read my essay out loud on Friday and I haven’t started an essay just yet. I need to remind myself that an essay is an attempt and that I really shouldn’t be this hard on myself (especially since I haven’t even began).
Suzanna and I left for mass at St. Aloysius at 8:20 in the morning. We thought the mass was at 9 but it ended up being 9:30. It was a gorgeous church, definitely worth the 40 minute walk. After mass, Lieren saw us and we ended up passing by her flat (which is absolutely gorgeous). It drizzled for a bit and under it, the three of us walked to Greens Café and there we spent the morning (or afternoon for both Lieren and Suzanna) doing work.
All the ladies in the CUA group (sans Helen) ended up congregating at the 2nd floor of the café (which is where the picture above was taken, clearly when people aren’t around yet) at around 11:30/12:00. This was definitely unplanned. We were all taking advantage of the unlimited free wifi and their fair priced food and coffee. I personally prefer the atmosphere at Coffee Republic. However, Greens Café is much more conducive to the power of my purse. Greens Café felt like a cottage while Coffee Republic feels like a café.
I left Greens at around 1:30 and headed to Blackwell. Blackwell is basically like Borders or Barnes and Noble in the US, only it’s bigger and I like it more because of the extensive selection and reading space. It served as my library for the day although I only found one of the books I needed to read for class. I spent about 1.5 hours in there, looking for books and reading the work I needed for my essay, and then I went to Waterstone (another version of Borders) and to The Works (which is also a bookstore). I eventually headed home at around 3:30 to grab a REALLY REALLY late lunch and an early dinner. I went back to the city at around 5 and headed to Greens, got a Chai, used the wifi and saw that Suzanna and Lieren still there. We left at around 6, which is the time that Greens closed and this marked the end of the day.
The work has definitely begun and paper writing has commenced. It’s slightly nerve wrecking to see our free time diminish so fast. And focusing is one of the hardest things to do here, at least for me. I’m trying not to get in to what they call an “Essay Crisis” (having an essay due soon and not having done it yet), It helped that it drizzled a lot today, the first time I experienced the true England weather since I got here. I am definitely getting into the Oxford grind.
The day began with me going over to Coffee Republic and getting wi-fi. I went alone as Suzanna has decided to do her laundry. The only schedule I really had was my 3:30pm appointment with my C.S. Lewis tutor at St. Peter’s College. I was at Coffee Republic for an hour or so and then I proceeded to walk around. I lugged my bag with my laptop in it, walking in circles, literally. (I passed through Westgate about 4 times in 30 minutes) But I didn’t mind. That was the only way I’d get used to being here.
I ended up sitting at the bench in the plaza in front of Westgate shopping center in order to rest. And there, I met a man who I nicknamed, “Friendly Man”. He and I chatted for about 45 minutes and talked about Oxford, the weather, the colleges, Oxford, shopping, Scotland, China, the Philippines, food and more Oxford. He was a porter and it didn’t register to me until I met up with Jeffrey and Suzanna that I was talking to a porter, meaning someone who was guarding the college entrances.
The three of us headed to the library and there I got my library card, checked out a couple of books and talked with Mike who found me as I sat down to go through the online catalogue. We all separated as I headed to St. Peter’s College and waited for Debra and Helen. It ended up that our tutor was running late and instructed the porter to let us in St. Peter’s Chapel. The photo above is the backside of St. Peter’s College Chapel which is what can be seen from the outside. The entrance is inside the college itself.
The chapel was simple yet beautiful. It was an Anglican chapel and yet it felt calming. It was definitely a moment wherein I felt like it was the calm before the storm. Dr. Ward walked in at around 10 to 4 and then we headed to his office for a meeting.
He is going to be in the US after next week until the end of September. Our tutorials ended up one being on Week -4(which is next week) and the other two on Naught Week (Week before term officially starts). We are going to focus on Myth and Christianity, Narnia and The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity. This means I have 3 weeks of having no meetings (I can’t quite say that I have nothing because I’m sure that we will have much to do) I’m debating that it might be possible to travel for most of the 3 weeks and stay on top of my work. I need to talk to OPUS about this and I’m hoping that the answer will be to my favor.
I am slightly overwhelmed. But I’m trying to keep my Zen and sanity. I do hope I succeed or else the world is over. (A slight exaggeration, I must admit)
*I apologize for the late entries. We don’t have internet in the house yet so my posts are all late. It’s a pity too since I’m been fairly good with writing and taking a picture every single day thus far*
I personally think I’m still a bit jetlagged. I woke up at 6:58am after going to bed at around 1:30am last night. Nonetheless, today was spent with a lot of walking and sight seeing and going round and round and round Oxford.
After breakfast and doing inventory in the house, Suzanna and I headed to Coffee Republic to take advantage of the wi-fi. I thought that we can just walk in, sit in there and access the internet. It turns out, we needed to buy a drink in order to take advantage of this amenity. I ended up getting a Chai Latte (Mind you, this is £2.99) which came with 45 minutes of free wi-fi. I had breakfast and tea at home. As much as I loved Chai, I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be having another cup of tea so close to my breakfast. Nonetheless, I used the internet and was able to email and call mom through the wonderful invention of a Magic Jack even if the connection made it impossible to have a coherent conversation. Jeffrey met with the both of us and we ended up walking around aimlessly which is basically what we have decided was our version of doing absolutely nothing.
Term hasn’t begun yet and our schedules were basically open. It was pretty difficult to have all the free time in our hands and be in this beautiful city when our lives back home would have been back in the full swing of things. All three of us walked here, there, and everywhere, trying to discover nooks and crannies of the city whilst doing errands that we realize we have to do. We didn’t go far from the center of everything but we did go around it more than people usually do. It was a thrill to be able to see that this street leads to here and that leads to there, etc.
We ended up visiting each of our houses and upgraded housing really is upgraded. Putting our humble abode that is starred by the porcelain goddess Fredericka, Fred for short, (it’s our toilet and she’s a character; yes, it’s she) against Jeffrey’s 3 or 4 storey flat with 2 and a half baths is a humbling experience. Nonetheless, if this standard housing is close to what typical student flats are, then I can truly say I lived the Oxford life. Besides, our flat has character. And yes, I do truly believe that. I can’t wait for stories that emerge from this house throughout the term. I bet they’ll be worth telling.
Today was basically orientation. For most of the day, I was in the Baring room in Hertford College with other OPUS students listening to the nitty-gritty details of our life here in Oxford. I found out I got the C.S. Lewis tutorial (which was my first choice) for my small group tutorial which was great. Also, I got my phone which is what I really wanted to show in the picture up there. Now, it feels real, being here. There is something about a phone, a means of access to communication that makes me feel more grounded to the world. Yesterday, Oxford felt like such a dream and yet today, it felt real, true and solid.
To add to this, I went grocery shopping for food and some supplies at Tesco’s and some school supplies at Staples. (I found out that Tesco’s carries Cruchie bars and Maltesers which are two chocolates I grew up with as a kid in the Philippines. They are simply amazing and wonderful and yummy that if ever you find them, you should have some and indulge) I’m starting to build up my life in here and I’m beginning to fully realize that I am going to be here for 105 days.
Suzanna and I went to Fire & Stone for dinner because they had £4 pizzas on Thursdays. I truly recommend taking advantage of this because their usual fare is about £8.50 for a pizza. Mind you, the pizza’s not a slice; it’s a pizza as big as a dinner plate. If you translate all this to dollars, £4 is equivalent to $6.40 which is about 2 slices of pizza. And mind you, these pizzas are not just cheese or pepperoni. They’re actually pizzas that have more toppings on them and are definitely better quality. Suzanna and I are planning on coming back again eventually on another Thursday.
*This post is more than 500 words. However, with how much has happened this day, it truly deserved it*
I made arrangements to meet up with a fellow CUA OPUS student for the commute towards Oxford. Her flight arrived an hour and some minutes later than mine but I didn’t mind waiting if it meant going on the commute with one other person and splitting the cab fare. I told her I’d wait for her at the baggage claim which is basically what I had done. I got into Heathrow at 6:05 in the morning (United was efficient with time. We weren’t supposed to arrive until 6:20 am.) and I got through immigration by 7:10 am (after freshening up in the toilet, walking the long walk to immigration and waiting in line for about 45 minutes) and got my baggage by 7:30. I sat at the baggage claim until 7:50 until I realized that there were no Delta flights (Lieren’s flight) coming to Terminal 1 which was where I was. I decided to go through Customs (which was a breeze because I had nothing to declare) and look around. I asked Airport Information and they told me that Delta was at Terminal 4 and suggested that even if Terminal 1 is how you get to Central Bus Station, I should just go to Terminal 4 and wait for my friend. I took the advice, hopped on the lift to -1st floor (yes, it is negative) and rode the free train to Terminal 4. I waited outside the Arrivals sign and thank God I found her! She and I headed to Central Bus Station together and by that point I was starting to crash (I barely slept on the 6 hour flight. I got about 3-4 naps in and out) Thank God for Lieren, we got on the bus, got to Gloucester Green and got on a cab with a girl for Azusa Pacific who was also on her way to Hertford College.
At Hertford, we got our packets and headed to our flats. After the cab had dropped off Lieren and Sondra on their street (the Azusa Pacific student), the cabbie and I had a conversation in which he asked what I was doing in Oxford, told me a little about the city and discussed with me the economy in the country. He dropped me off and I found out I was living with Suzanna, Joanne and Deborah who are all Catholic University Students. Our house is quaint and is obviously filled with character but it’s definitely enough. We have 2 floors with a kitchen, a bathroom, a washer and 4 bedrooms plus a living space and a backyard. It’s enough, really. Somewhere between 3 and 4:30, I crashed and fell asleep on my bed after talking with my flat mates, unpacking and tidying up my room.
At 4:45, my flat mates and I headed out to Westgate. We weren’t supposed to be there until 6 but we decided we wanted to walk around and see the city for a bit. At 6, we met with the rest of the CUA group and had a walking tour of Oxford. When we got to Broad Street, which is by far my favorite place in the city (and where the picture about was taken. This picture is a view of the Bodleian library and the Sheldonian Theater), I knew I was going to fall in love. At that exact moment and time, I was simply in awe of this new city that I am in and completely falling in love with it, fast. The architecture and the atmosphere were simply breathtaking. It was unbelievable and I can’t believe how lucky I was to be standing at that place looking at that view.
We had dinner at King’s Arms and walked over to one of the most obscure places in the city. (I won’t reveal it in this blog. I feel like it’s one of Oxford’s little surprises that only those who go here should discover.) I am going to bed completely content and happy with where I am.
This is what has become of the mess that I cleaned up. Once it was over at 1:00 in the morning, I was ready to leave. I was ready for the adventure. I got up at 4:30 in the morning for my 7:30 flight (Remember: 2 hours before for international flights) and got ready, said goodbye to my sisters and headed to the airport with my parents. My luggage ended up to be 51 ½ lbs but the nice United porter didn’t charge me for it. My parents gave me their blessings and I was off to security check and ultimately to the gates where I waited for 1 ½ hour before boarding. (United Airlines wasn’t bad. Even if I wasn’t used to flying in it, they were very good with arriving on time. Our plane arrived about 10 minutes earlier than it was scheduled and the service wasn’t too bad either.)
My layover in Dulles airport was three hours long. At first, I was fine. I was bored but I was relaxed. I was like this until about one hour before boarding and I heard the British accents around me. I was amused, but then it dawned to me: I was going to be hearing this for 105 days and I’m going to be away from what I have been used to for the past 6 years that my family and I have lived in the United States. I needed to calm down. I regulated my breathing because I felt like I was slightly hyperventilating. I was starting to doubt again. And then I crumbled trying to keep Zen myself and called a friend and I eased up (Crystal, thank you so much for relaxing me, for making me see why I did this again.) After this conversation, I met this lady who was en route to London but ultimately going to Scotland for a hiking trip. She had a slight British accent and she asked me about my trip. I told her I was studying in Oxford and explained the program to her. We ended up being in the same seating group so we boarded together. However, I sat further away from her and she wished me luck just in case we didn’t see each other again. When I got to my seat and settled myself, I took a deep breath and looked around. I told myself, “This is it. This is really it. I can do this. I’m a trooper.” Calmed me for a bit but it was not enough.
Somewhere between Dulles and London, I said a prayer and asked God to make me stronger. I know he won’t leave me alone but I need more strength in order to calm myself down. I needed to believe in myself, to not wallow in the doubt, the fear, the what-ifs. With that, I was able to ease up and took the first of many 30 minute to hour long naps I took in the flight.
