Athens!

Well, Athens was a bit of an adventure, let me tell you! Not only didn't we speak the language, but we couldn't even read half the alphabet! Our hotel....hmmm....interesting neighborhood (or neighbourhood, if you prefer). The food...eh...it was ok. The hospitality...could have been better. Overall? A decent trip. We stumbled across a Greek Orthodox feast day--it was the Baptism of Jesus. We were sitting in a church, just having a look (yes, it pays to travel with people who have similar ecclesiastical nerd-like qualities), and we hear a band outside. Never one to pass up a parade, I wanted to go see what the fuss was about. And there we saw all sorts of folks done up in traditional Greek costume and the clerics in their clerical garb. It was exciting! Definitely one of the highlights of the trip. And now I can add Greece to my list of places visited. I've seen the Parthenon, the Gulf of something-or-other, and experienced some of the Greek culture. It's easy to sterotype, but I don't want to judge an entire culture on two days' experience. On the whole, it was good to get away. Got some thinking time in. And now, I'm looking forward to a bit of normality--getting back to work after the holidays. Lots of things happening in the next few months. Should be a fun ride!

New Things

Well, even though I'm about two weeks late, Happy New Year!

Lots has happened since I last posted, so for the most part, everything will be kept fairly brief. If you want more details, just ask, and I'll see what I can do to get you more information.

Christmas was absolutely manic. On Christmas Eve, I took part in six services. Yes, you read that correctly. The first one began at 9:45am and the last one finished about 12:15am on Christmas Day. Then, on Christmas Day, thanks to the lovely English tradition of Christmas services, I had one last worship service to lead. I was so knackered (tired). I definitely needed a break. So I took one!

Off to Portugal again for the third trip! This time, instead of doing the touristy bit, I simply relaxed. Read a book. Watched some American TV with Portuguese subtitles. Did lots of sudoku puzzles. Slept some. (Breathing problems limited the amount of sleep I got.) Despite the relaxed atmosphere, I did try some new things whilst I was there. The biggest thing--we ate at a Japanese restaurant. The starter (apetizer)--octopus. Main dish--a huge boat of sushi. Yep, that's right. I ate raw fish. Still can't believe it. The saki helped.

Returned to the UK on the 30th of December. Spent the next couple of days with my boyfriend. Until I broke up with him on January 2.

Since then, aside from coping with the breakup (much harder than it looks!), work has been fairly slow, with moments of busy-ness. I had to write an essay for the Probationer system over here (so tempted to turn in one of my Duke papers, but didn't.) In case you were wondering, Julian of Norwich was strange. Very strange.

Another strange thing--I met my successor today. One big difference (I think) between British and American Methodism is their stationing process. Moves in this country don't take place until mid-August, with September 1 being the official start-date. Most appointments have been made already. In contrast, I'm moving in late June and won't know for a couple more months where I'm going (I think). In addition, not only did I meet my successor, but I showed her around. She arrived at the manse this morning about 10am (with two circuit stewards) and I took her to two of the churches. Then I bailed (I could only take so much) and she's continuing her tour of the section and meeting with the Super this afternoon. Such a weird feeling. She's a middle-aged woman with three nearly-grown children. One steward had the gall to remark, 'Oh, she's just the right age!' Excuse me? What am I? They made sure I knew how young I was today. Fairly irritating, really. But I'll get over it.

So yes. Five and a half months to do. My successor has been named. Talk about a lame duck. But on the other hand, there's loads to do yet. Lots to experience. I'm headed to Athens next week! Looking forward to the next five months. Also looking forward to heading home.

More about Athens when I return! Blessings on your New Year!