This blog will explain more of what my home, my church, and my lessons are like here.
On my street, the homes are all connected; one of the pictures down below show the houses outside my window, so you can see what I mean by this. Because of this set-up. the homes are long, narrow, and tall. Like I said, I am on the top floor, so there are 31 steps in between my bedroom and the kitchen on the ground floor, and I have to climb them multiple times everyday. There is a basement as well that my host woman uses as her office. In the back, there is a beautiful flower garden. She has bushes, vines, and a variety of flowers lining her walls with a wooden bench sitting near the back. I especially enjoy looking out into the garden in the mornings as I eat breakfast and sip my tea. And yes, British people really do drink tea all the time.
Besides me and my host woman, we have another lodger who is two years older than me. She grew up in Wales, and she just finished her masters in literature and arts here in Oxford. We've been able to do several things together, and I have enjoyed getting to know her. And, the last resident is an adorable Beagle named Daffodil. She was originally a part of a hunt until my host woman rescued her several years ago. She is very sweet, but she is nervous around strangers and other dogs. She loves taking walks and (of course) eating food.
I have found a wonderful church here called St. Aldates. It is very similar to my church back home which is why I was drawn to it in the first place, and it is about the same size as well. They have contemporary worship, and the sermons are biblically based. Their hearts and beliefs are right in line with the bible as well, and I can tell their faith is firm in Christ. The people are friendly and welcoming, and I have had a free meal every week so far, so obviously this is a good church!
They also have a solid postgrad ministry. Because it is only the beginning of the term here, the ministry has hosted several welcome events where I met many new students. I made several friends, and we plan to explore Oxford together. The leader is a good man with a great sense of humor. He is also a natural with young adults and knows how to relate to them well.
Lastly, I have had two lessons now with my piano teacher. She is a great teacher in that she explains and demonstrates what she is teaching me in such a way that I understand it easily. She is nice and good to get along with, and she keeps me informed on the music events going on in Oxford.
Right now, I am learning the first movement of Mozart's Sonata in F Major, k. 332., a playful piece with several minor outbursts. In the lesson, she addressed the basics of piano technique such as posture and movement of the arms, wrists, and fingers. We have particularly focused on the wrist in this piece and how it helps shape the character and style from when Mozart first wrote it.
British things I've learned this week:
1) There is not a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floor here but rather a ground, 1st, and 2nd floor.
2) They call all one story houses "bungalows" even though I think of a bungalow as a house on a tropical island next to the sea.
3) American yard is a British garden.
4) They do not say 2 (second) Corinthians but rather 2 (two) Corinthians in church.
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