So the last six to seven months (has it really been that long???) have felt very busy. I've had a lot of incredible trips and a lot of meaningful work as well. I'll attempt to do a summary of the last six to seven months and perhaps in the future give a more in-depth description of each. For now, a paragraph for each point, and perhaps a few pictures.
Over the next post expect an update on:
Over the next post expect an update on:
- Bridge Builders office move from 14 Shepherds Hill, Highgate, London to St Peter-le-Poer Church, Muswell Hill, London (beginning of Sept)
- Recap of Transforming Church Conflict course in Salisbury (late Sept)
- Visiting Scotland with my parents (mid Oct)
- Mediating Interpersonal Conflicts course at the Ammerdown Centre in the West Country (early Nov)
- Visiting Colorado over American Thanksgiving (late Nov)
- Christmas in Durham (end of Dec)
- Transforming Church Conflict course in Swanwick (early Feb)
- Visit to Prague and Berlin (mid-late Feb)
- Transforming Church Conflict course (for Senior Church Leaders) in Sheffield (mid March)
While I've had about 5 weeks out of the office since September, I've only used about a week's worth of holiday. Which means 4 of those weeks were taken off in lieu because of my accumulation of work hours. I'm very fortunate to be able to have done so, otherwise the last half year would have been quite unbearable at times.
Bridge Builders office move (late August/early Sept): The move from 14 Shepherds Hill to the basement of St Peter-le-Poer Church (an Anglo-Catholic Church about 1.5 miles away) had about as many things go wrong as you might possibly imagine. Over the course of the move: the basement flooded (the day before new carpet was to be installed), new wiring was done and re-done improperly, our email system wouldn't work (then did, then didn't again), all while we were continuing to run our normal courses. In addition, I'd moved house (well I didn't physically move anything, but my belongings were moved while I was cycling with Isaac), so I was adjusting to a new area of London (Woodside Park).
Transforming Church Conflict course in Salisbury (late Sept): This course was in an incredible location, within the Cathedral Close of Salisbury at Sarum College. My bedroom was situated so I had a view of the Cathedral (even when lying in my bed at night). Overall, the course went off well, but was difficult in many respects because we were still recovering from our stressful office move. A few other highlights included having communion in the Cathedral mid-week in the morning, being locked in the Cathedral Close at night (they lock the Close every night, which just changes the atmosphere as the only thing lit up is the Cathedral), and having drinks with the Dean of the Cathedral one evening.
Me leading an exercise
Sarum College
Salisbury Cathedral
Visiting Scotland with my parents (mid Oct): My visit from my parents was well timed and very much needed. It had been the longest we've ever not seen each other in person (about 10-11 months) and I was still feeling the left-over stress from our office move. I also had just completed a workshop in Grantham, which while successful, left me feeling very tired. Our trip itinerary included seeing Phantom of the Opera in the centre of London, an overnight train in a sleeper car to Inverness, Scotland (for only £19, £19, and £29), visiting around Loch Ness, Fort William, the Isle of Sky, and Edinburgh.
My Dad on the edge of Loch Ness
A neat waterfall out in the middle of nowhere in the Western Highlands
Furry cows
Some hiking near Fort William in the Glen Nevis area
Isle of skye
Iconic castle
Edinburgh castle
Arthur's seat
Scotland was amazing and was great chance to connect with my Mom and Dad again. We had a lot of fun, saw a lot of the countryside, ate some great food, and sampled some good whiskey. If I could ever spend a week in Scotland again I'd head back to the Isle of Sky and/or the Fort William area (close access to hiking). Too much to see and not enough time to do it.
Mediating Interpersonal Conflicts course at the Ammerdown Centre in the West Country: This course took place over a weekend (Thursday to Monday) and was specifically for the Church of England Diocese of Salisbury. Everyone on the course had been through our "foundation course," so many were people I knew (some had been trained on our foundation course before I joined Bridge Builders), which gave it a very relaxed feel. The five days went quickly and almost immediately afterward I went on a trip to Colorado.
Countryside near the Centre
Trip to Colorado (late Nov): A big thanks to all of those whom I stayed with and/or visited while in Colorado including: the Mast family, the Fast family, the Shirk family, the Cox family, the Clement family, and the MVS house. I really really enjoyed getting the chance to visit Colorado after being away for the last two + years and getting to visit and reconnect with members of BMC. Perhaps the strangest bit for me was noticing within myself a different reaction to things in Colorado that didn't spark anything before. Just a realisation that there are bits of me that have changed without me noticing it.
At a lake near Longmont
Near a mine (that truck is MASSIVE)
Christmas in Durham: I went up to Durham and spent the Christmas period with my colleague Colin and his family. He had one of his son's visiting while I was there (who happens to be about my age). We spent the time eating lots of yummy food, playing board games, and generally having a good relaxing time. I slept in an extra room at the top of their house and enjoyed seeing the stars through their skylight and listening to the wind howl at night. I haven't remembering sleeping that well in a long time.
Transforming Church Conflict course in Swanwick (mid Feb): This course went off really well, but was bittersweet for me because it was the last time I'll be working with a particular training team.
Visit to Prague and Berlin (late Feb): My visits to Prague and Berlin made me realise I hadn't yet visited places that had been behind the Iron Curtain. Both Prague and Berlin were under the rule of communism for various periods, each with their own unique aspects.
Prague is apparently the only place which has a Jewish sector that Hitler didn't ravage... but this was because he wanted to leave it as a "museum for an extinct race"... not the kind of thing that's nice to be remembered for, but it's preserved, unlike many other places. I also hadn't realised how much the Czech Republic has changed as a nation over the last century. So many changes, both of rule and border makes it easy to understand how many people can be a bit confused about "where they're from." I spent a couple of days there before taking a train on to Berlin.
Berlin obviously had a very different feel than the old city of Prague. Since much of Berlin has been rebuilt, both since WWII and since the Berlin wall went down, it's a very different place to visit. Still very rich of history and of memorials. Berlin definitely doesn't hide any of it's sad moments in history.
I couldn't really say which of the two cities I liked more. Each had their own unique aspects and interesting features.
Transforming Church Conflict course in Sheffield (mid-March): This course was more work than usual because my main boss, Alastair, wasn't able to be with us because he was taking care of his wife, who was recovering from surgery. This meant instead of there being four trainers for the week, we had three. Although this meant each of us had to take on a bit more in terms of responsibilities, the course still went off very well and received our typical type of feedback.
Over the next couple of months as I wind down my time with Bridge Builders I've got a few other trips planned. I'll be going to Paris for a couple of days at the end of April and then immediately upon my return head to cornwall to walk part of the Southwest Coastal Path. Then at the end of May I'll be heading back up to Scotland to see the Isle of Arran. I'm excited for both trips, but saddened that my time in the UK is coming to a rapid end.
No comments:
Post a Comment