The question I am most often asked (possibly even the phrase I most often hear) is "How are you settling in?" It's a question frequently asked of all of us here, and seems to come both from genuine concern, and possibly from people simply not having a better way to start conversation. Normally, I give some short, pleasant, non-committal answer, assuming the question is given in the same sense as the "How're yous" two university students might exchange as they pass each other on campus. Neither really wants an extended answer, and both need to keep moving towards class anyway.
I sometimes wonder, though, if people are genuine in their interest, and actually do want more than a three word answer ("Fine, thank you"). This concern, as well as a growing awareness of the danger and seduction of three word phrases, and the realization that I haven't updated in a month leads to this post.
First, pictures--some are up on facebook, some need to be posted, and at some point I plan to post pictures here, or at least link to them, but that is a task for another time. I'm finally settling into a routine, getting familiar with the bus and rail system to the point that I sometimes (sometimes) don't even have to check the time tables.
Second, I'm finally beginning to get close to some people here and adapt to the quirks. There have been some hilarious mix ups with words here committed by some of the other yavs, but the one that gets me the most is the group prayer before we open The Base for the Friday drop in, where someone almost always prays for craic (pronounced crack). It's an Irish word, though it is used by both communities here, and roughly means "fun," though its usage is a bit more complicated than that.
My fundraising is going well, especially since I just received a substantial grant from the Presbytery of the James, which is a great relief, and hopefully they will continue their generosity in the future if I go to Seminary. I'm working on several applications, though I've become busier than I expected, especially since I've ended up spending a fair amount of time dealing with my computer, which has decided to act up a bit.
And now I've lost the inspiration that began this post, so I'm going to take a break from trying to be self reflective.
