I’m FREE!!!!! That’s right everyone. I have finished my dissertation. It wasn’t even due until the 20th of September, but I turned it in yesterday. For those of you who don’t know me very well, this is shocking. I’m very much the procrastinator, but I decided that this time would be different. I don’t know why I haven’t been doing that all along. It was a great relief to be finished writing weeks in advance and be able to just tweak it during the last week. I feel good about the work I’ve done and can’t really believe that it’s all over. I still have to wait and see how everyone else thinks that I’ve done, but no matter what, I’m pretty sure I’ll pass my course. I will actually have a Master’s degree. Crazy. As a reward, my housemate Charlie and I are going to Ireland next week for a few days. I’ll be sure to post some pictures when I get back.
In other recent news, life here is going well. I was called into the Relief Society Presidency a couple of months ago. I’m the second counselor and I’m getting the hang of it. I’ve been in RSPs before, but we have our work cut out for us here. There are a lot of people who need a lot of help. I forget just how blessed I am and seeing what other people have to deal with helps me remember that my life is really pretty easy. As difficult as it is, I do love being a bigger part of the ward and feel like less of a student with every passing week. I feel more and more confident in my decision to come to England. As much as my mom hates to hear it, I feel very much at home here. I’ve learned a lot about myself here and have been able to have some wonderful experiences.
I’ve decided to stay here for a little while longer at least. Now that I’m finished with my dissertation, I’m going to look for work. My goal is to find work as a substitute teacher. That way, I can work when I want to, but still have the flexibility to travel and make the most of the opportunities that I’m given. I’m a bit nervous about teaching again, and England is much different than Utah. I may be in over my head. The nice thing about substitute teaching is that I only have to go to the schools that I want to go to. If there are naughty kids, I don’t need to go there again. I’ve gotten so used to the student lifestyle, it will be hard to get back in the swing of the working world again. It will, however, be nice to not have any homework or things I ‘should’ be doing. I’m hoping to start working in October, so I’ll be sure to keep you all posted.
I’ve also had a lot of fun this summer. Because of my great work ethic, I was able to take time to do some fun stuff, too. We went to the beach one weekend in Bournemouth. I’m told that to be a true Brit, I have to have a picnic at the beach in the rain. Well, I guess that will have to wait. While it was a lovely, sandy beach, it was pretty frigid water and not very warm outside. I could only really convince myself to go in to my waist, and only did that once. It was a beautiful day, though, and I always love the beach.
Two of my friends also got married this summer so I got to experience a proper English wedding. One of them was my old housemate, Kim, and the other was my friend Catherine, who is in the stake. Just more evidence that I’m incorporating myself into English society pretty well. Anyway, they do things a bit differently here. English law is that weddings have to be open to anyone, so LDS people have to get married civilly first and then go to the temple to be sealed. It does make it pretty fun. They get to walk down the aisle and everything. It’s a big deal. They’ve got the bridesmaids, the ring bearer, and the whole bit. The women wear hats, and there are toasts and speeches and lots of delicious food. I have to admit, I kind of like it. I was sad when I learned years ago, that Mormon girls don’t get to walk down the aisle like Fraulein Maria. Of course, if I get married here…
My favorite experience this summer, though, was going on young women’s camp. I had volunteered to go, but then was in America when they made all the assignments. Luckily, someone dropped out and I decided to fill the gap. It was the best decision I’ve made in a long time. I had a fabulous time. The girls were amazing and I made some great friends in the stake. They do things a bit differently here, but I like it. Since there aren’t really mountains in which to camp, they just go to fields. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy camping when it’s not freezing cold. (And when my dad isn’t in the tent snoring. My new system includes earplugs and an eye mask.) Also, since there aren’t mountains, the hikes are really more like a lovely country walk, which is totally fine with me. Anyway, they set up all the tents in the middle of the field and mix the girls up with others from all over the stake. Each tent has a ‘tent mum’ assigned who is in charge of making sure the girls are okay and doing the things they’re supposed to. That was my job. I loved it because if gave me the chance to really interact with the girls. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed being with kids that age. They loved me. I think at first it was the novelty of being an American, but by the end of the week, they realized how much I cared about them, and we created a real bond. We had so much fun together. We did a service project, talked about boys, and studied the gospel. I was so impressed with the girls in my tent and their gospel knowledge. It was a reminder to me that the Church is going to be in good hands. The kids in this generation are fantastic. It was just the kind of spiritual boost I needed to get through the difficult, stressful month while I finished my dissertation. Best decision I made all summer.
