It has been the first week of classes and so far I like them. My favorite being my visual journals class. Where over the length of the course we will be making leather bound travel journals by hand. I had a mix up witha few of my classes, the british politics class time had changed and no one told me. A few of us didn't know, I am still figuring out how the others found out, but it doesn't matter now. Then I read the schedule wrong for my film studies class.
Other than that I haven't been up to much lately, I did some dancing at the parties we have been having at the Manor Bar, here at manor House. It is funny, cause the europeans can't really dance that well. They have their own style, (which is really bad) but they all took forever to work up enough courage to join in and try to dance, we all welcomed them openly but they were pretty nervous. I've met a lot of brits, and now I am taking a break from meeting people. I'm alittle burnt out on that one. Meeting and getting to know the americans, now 370 other internationals is tough, i've done well, but I need a break.
Over the course of this week i did two major things. One... I learned how to play snooker. It is their pool game, and it lasts like hours!!! But it is fun, alittle more skill, as the table is about twice the size of ours and twice as many balls are played on the table. 15 red balls, and 6 others (Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue, Pink and Black) you must break the reds, then make one red at a time, only after making a red can you (and you have to) hit one of the other balls in. Open making a red you get 1 point. For the others it is ((with the color order above)2,3,4,5,6,7) When there are still red balls on the table, and the others go in, you take the others back out and put them back where they were when you set up to break. If you make a scratch, 4 points to the opponent, if you make a wrong ball at least 4 points to the opponent as well. In the end after all red balls are knocked in and all the others from lowest to highest are made, the person with the most points wins. The balls are smaller as are the pockets. It is a fun, weird game. Too many rules.
After snooker I read a 660 page book in about 3 days, maybe 4. It was pretty nice to have read a book. I haven't done it in awhile. Well Talk to you all later. Hope you are all itchin to go play snooker.
-Mike
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Sunday, September 24, 2006
School Begins...
...not really...
Well today is sunday and tomorrow school starts for the americans, but the funny thing is I don't have any classes on monday so it starts tuesday for me. So here are the things going on, have handed in CVs and applications for multiple jobs and nothing back yet but it is ok it has only been a few days. A huge group of Iranians have moved in to the manor house that shall be interesting as America and Iran are alittle at odds right now. It should be a learning experience. I have been reading a sweet book, and so far I am 200 pages into it, in one day of reading. I went to the city center today and friday and it was sweet. This phone place has a great deal for phones. Here it is...
-Free receiving of calls and text (actually for every minute of talking after a received call you get 5pence put into your account, 2 pence after every text.) It is crazy. They pay you!
- All talk between those users is free the program is called '3'.
- it is a camera phone video and photo
- it is also pay as you go! so no plan, and when people call me from home it doesn't cost me anything, it actually gives me more money to call out
- it is 60 pounds which is roughly 120$, but they also give you 30pounds of minutes when you sign up, so it is 30pounds for the phone, 30 for the minutes, Marc would love this haha
So any way. I need to save a bit to buy it, but I think I am going to get it. I am going to go find some new brits and say hi, everyone have a great day.
-Bless ya
-Mike
Well today is sunday and tomorrow school starts for the americans, but the funny thing is I don't have any classes on monday so it starts tuesday for me. So here are the things going on, have handed in CVs and applications for multiple jobs and nothing back yet but it is ok it has only been a few days. A huge group of Iranians have moved in to the manor house that shall be interesting as America and Iran are alittle at odds right now. It should be a learning experience. I have been reading a sweet book, and so far I am 200 pages into it, in one day of reading. I went to the city center today and friday and it was sweet. This phone place has a great deal for phones. Here it is...
-Free receiving of calls and text (actually for every minute of talking after a received call you get 5pence put into your account, 2 pence after every text.) It is crazy. They pay you!
- All talk between those users is free the program is called '3'.
- it is a camera phone video and photo
- it is also pay as you go! so no plan, and when people call me from home it doesn't cost me anything, it actually gives me more money to call out
- it is 60 pounds which is roughly 120$, but they also give you 30pounds of minutes when you sign up, so it is 30pounds for the phone, 30 for the minutes, Marc would love this haha
So any way. I need to save a bit to buy it, but I think I am going to get it. I am going to go find some new brits and say hi, everyone have a great day.
-Bless ya
-Mike
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Birmingham
So I have made it to Birmingham. It has been a little over a week and I am going strong. Jet lag starting to peel off my mind and I have done so much already and still have more to do. I so far have been given about 5 different kinds of I.D. all needed for different things; one to eat, another to ride the bus, another to get around campus and get in class rooms. It is interesting. So far I have...
-Climbed a mountain
-Gone swimming
-Played hours of ping-pong, and beat everyone (Dad and Marc will like that)
-Done a high ropes course
-Done a low ropes course
-Did some team building things
-Ridden in buses for over 24hour total.
-Plane rides for 10
-Met some great people
-Shared the faith with many as well
It has been a great time. I like it a lot. The people are fun. The Americans in my group are so funny. I have laughed so much, everyone is up beat and no one is negative, sept one kid but I called him on it and now he is good around me. I dunno what to really tell ya right now. I did all the climbing and rope stuff up in the lake district, near Scotland, I could almost smell the homeland, but I was to far off. I have even now started to use the accent a few times. Some are farther along than others. It all depends how self-conscious you are and how much you care. The conversion rate is horrendous, 2-1. The lowest it has been is $1.87-to 1 pound. And everything over he cost twice as much as well. So we all lose like 4 times over. It is something you need to just live with though. I am going out job hunting tomorrow. And I will make my bank account as well.
Birmingham is 2.8 million people. It is one hoppin place. The open air market is amazing. I felt very at home with the Scotsmen and the Englishmen yelling out there deals, and being a minority, that ones new for me. I don't mind it though. There are not any distinctions here like back home. People assume roles by the color of their skin in America, here it depends on what type of accent you have. Birmingham is where the industrial revolution started, everyone here works hard, they are (from what I have seen) honest people trying to work their buts off. As I said I am the minority here, whites take up an amazing maybe 20% in Birmingham.
We went and saw castles today, we went to Warwick Castle and Kenilworth Castles. I was reminded as I was walking the walls at Warwick of
Ezekiel 33:6, "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me."
I see a generation, my generation, young ones with want written all over their faces. Darkness descends on Europe it is thick and the want so blatant. Jesus wants to break in, he has set some of us as watching at this hour to blow the trumpet. To let this place the good news, and what it means to follow Jesus. We think, some think, that when we say yes to Christ we are done. But It only begins with the choice. It means so much more. "Be perfect as the father in heaven is perfect" Jesus would not have said it if he didn't think we could do it. "Remember you did not chose me, I choose you." He knows we have it in us to do it. I guess I am frustrated with myself, all we long for in our heart of hearts is to die for something. It is called the Spirit, the image of God. He has given everything for something, and we were created to be like Him. So I sit on the wall, and I wonder. I wonder how we can hear the warning, how do we open our ears. How do we ready ourselves for the move of Jesus. Elijah sat in a cave, the earth quake came, the fire, the rumble it was not God. Then a small breeze and a whisper. Are we willing to put our hears to the ground? The whisper was God. Maybe God has been yelling your whole life. Maybe now he knows, the only way you'll hear is if you really want to hear. Listen to the whispers, they seem to prove to be more than we think. I have heard it said the silence of God is God. Ever since I heard that in 10th grade it has bothered me. Our world, our enemy has silence God enough. God doesn't want to be silenced. Life is God. God is Life. Silence is a challenge, a challenge to draw near. Song of Songs the beloved whines about getting off the bed to go the Lover. Are we whining because he is calling us off the bed, I know I am. I am venturing to say you are too.
I love you all. Ask me questions if you actually read all of this. God wants you to know He loves you. Move towards Him once today, and He will leap at you.
-Mike
-Climbed a mountain
-Gone swimming
-Played hours of ping-pong, and beat everyone (Dad and Marc will like that)
-Done a high ropes course
-Done a low ropes course
-Did some team building things
-Ridden in buses for over 24hour total.
-Plane rides for 10
-Met some great people
-Shared the faith with many as well
It has been a great time. I like it a lot. The people are fun. The Americans in my group are so funny. I have laughed so much, everyone is up beat and no one is negative, sept one kid but I called him on it and now he is good around me. I dunno what to really tell ya right now. I did all the climbing and rope stuff up in the lake district, near Scotland, I could almost smell the homeland, but I was to far off. I have even now started to use the accent a few times. Some are farther along than others. It all depends how self-conscious you are and how much you care. The conversion rate is horrendous, 2-1. The lowest it has been is $1.87-to 1 pound. And everything over he cost twice as much as well. So we all lose like 4 times over. It is something you need to just live with though. I am going out job hunting tomorrow. And I will make my bank account as well.
Birmingham is 2.8 million people. It is one hoppin place. The open air market is amazing. I felt very at home with the Scotsmen and the Englishmen yelling out there deals, and being a minority, that ones new for me. I don't mind it though. There are not any distinctions here like back home. People assume roles by the color of their skin in America, here it depends on what type of accent you have. Birmingham is where the industrial revolution started, everyone here works hard, they are (from what I have seen) honest people trying to work their buts off. As I said I am the minority here, whites take up an amazing maybe 20% in Birmingham.
We went and saw castles today, we went to Warwick Castle and Kenilworth Castles. I was reminded as I was walking the walls at Warwick of
Ezekiel 33:6, "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me."
I see a generation, my generation, young ones with want written all over their faces. Darkness descends on Europe it is thick and the want so blatant. Jesus wants to break in, he has set some of us as watching at this hour to blow the trumpet. To let this place the good news, and what it means to follow Jesus. We think, some think, that when we say yes to Christ we are done. But It only begins with the choice. It means so much more. "Be perfect as the father in heaven is perfect" Jesus would not have said it if he didn't think we could do it. "Remember you did not chose me, I choose you." He knows we have it in us to do it. I guess I am frustrated with myself, all we long for in our heart of hearts is to die for something. It is called the Spirit, the image of God. He has given everything for something, and we were created to be like Him. So I sit on the wall, and I wonder. I wonder how we can hear the warning, how do we open our ears. How do we ready ourselves for the move of Jesus. Elijah sat in a cave, the earth quake came, the fire, the rumble it was not God. Then a small breeze and a whisper. Are we willing to put our hears to the ground? The whisper was God. Maybe God has been yelling your whole life. Maybe now he knows, the only way you'll hear is if you really want to hear. Listen to the whispers, they seem to prove to be more than we think. I have heard it said the silence of God is God. Ever since I heard that in 10th grade it has bothered me. Our world, our enemy has silence God enough. God doesn't want to be silenced. Life is God. God is Life. Silence is a challenge, a challenge to draw near. Song of Songs the beloved whines about getting off the bed to go the Lover. Are we whining because he is calling us off the bed, I know I am. I am venturing to say you are too.
I love you all. Ask me questions if you actually read all of this. God wants you to know He loves you. Move towards Him once today, and He will leap at you.
-Mike
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