Hello From Cambridge, England!

We have arrived! Well, a few days ago (a week now exactly), but it has taken a complete week to get our internet up and working. As promised I will post a few pictures but I will say they won't quite reflect all we see and do here. I sensed right away that many things in this town are photo opportunities...everything is so old and beautiful. Thus far I have only snapped a few quick pics, literally most were taken without real thought or even while riding my bike. We haven't had too much time here to just walk around for a causal stroll; most of our outings have been for errands...back and fourth to the grocery store, the mall for supplies, etc. We will have plenty of time here so I haven't been picture crazy.

So, our story so far. We arrived here safely, praise the Lord, and Brandon and I neither got any sleep on the plane, so arriving here at 11:45am gave us the opportunity to stay awake all day then crash that night. Surprisingly, Alyas has made the transition smoothly in about 3 days. The third day he slept really late in the AM, after being awake till about 2AM, so we didn't put him down for a nap (first time in his life!). Around 8 PM he curled up behind the living room curtain and fell asleep on the floor - right in the midst of all our noise making dinner! It was funny seeing my babe, who never has been a particularly good napper, fall asleep right in the middle of chaos! Poor kid....but the whole thing managed to help him adjust in the end.



We are pretty much all settled in. Our place is homey and comfortable, yet humble. It has a closed in back area which is good for Alyas but lacks beauty (the tenants prior did a poor job of keeping up the place). The inside was a little on the dirty side, but we rolled back our sleeves and scrubbed away and now it feels nicer. There were only a few items to purchase so it has been very nice not having to put a lot of money into start up things around the home. We have, however, spent a chunk of change (or kilos of pences) on things like bikes, baby bike seats, bike baskets, cell phones, etc. Our landlord has been outstanding and a major grace. She lent me a baby "cot" or pack-and-play to use until I get my own, has offered to drive me to town to buy my own if needed, is bringing me over some toys, and even left baby dishes just for Alyas! She has been patient and willing to help us with whatever we need. We are very thankful for her generosity. We were told the British can be a little snobby and not so friendly upfront, but thus far everyone has pretty much demolished that stero-type. We have been welcomed by all, many have given us directions, and no one has been "snobby" in any way, shape, or form. Also, we live about 2 blocks from our local "surgery" or clinic, and about 3-4 blocks from a grocery store. Oh, yes...and about 100 yards from the closest pub! We are close to a few essential things but it takes a 10-15 min bike ride into the center of town....great exercise!

We are living with friends, Jill and Peter, and I think we are all fairing well. We are used to living in community and they were looking forward to the opportunity and to seeing how we raise Alyas (Jill is in her first trimester of pregnancy). Jill loves to cook and she has shared some great recipes. She loves making things from scratch and is seeking ways, like us, to 'pinch our pences'. We have had some fabulous meals for cheap, cheap, cheap, and are pondering ways to do other things with as little as possible. We are reusing and washing plastic zip lock bags, saving all morsels of food, eating more vegetable type dishes, and hoping to buy things like flour, rice, beans, etc. in bulk to save money. She has taught me how to make homemade stock for soups from a chicken carcass and homemade yogurt (similar to what I ate in Africa and just like she had in Nepal). Today we made applesauce from apples we got from a lady down the street. I have baked bread (without my Mother's assistance??) - and it turned out great!

We visited an Evangelical, Anglican church our first week which was nice and very inviting. I returned there to experience a very busy and thriving baby play group that also serves as a ministry to the city. Alyas had a good time checking out the new toys and hearing songs sung in a whole new accent.

I'm going to stop babbling now and just go to the photos...I don't want to exhaust myself in providing too many details.....I will have plenty of time in the future.

Our first encounter with British words in the airport......"rubbish". We have also learned "trackers", "pumps", "tap", "lovely", "brilliant", "bin", "top up", cherrio", "cheers", but we don't yet know in what context to say "Tally Ho"....any ideas?

Picture from our first night in our new place....spaghetti for dinner.
Jill scrubbing the bathroom.
Alyas' room/closet. There is a single bed in the room that takes up most of the space (will be used when visitors come though), but he doesn't do anything in the room other than sleep.
Our mess of a bedroom the second day...all our clothes placed on the bed so that I could try and find room for our clothes. We could barely take anything, yet with such small space I ended up putting all my sweaters in the shelving above the water heather in the hallway.
A view from the living room of our dinning room...the kitchen is off to the left.

Living area.
Our kitchen.
My view of Brandon studying out the kitchen widow above the sink.

Alyas and Dad on the bike. Alyas LOVES riding and yells from the back "GO, GO, GO!"


As you can see the bicycle is a very common mode of transportation.

Kings College, the oldest at Cambridge...this is just the front entry way!

The "Round Church"...the church we attended was a church plant from a congregation from here. We met in Saint Andrews church, which they renovated. I don't know much about the actual history of the church yet.

A "punt" or special kind of boat on the river "Cam".

Brandon and Peter leaving for their first day of school....Mother's can you recall this same pose prior to the first day of Kindergarten?

One photo Brandon snapped of me when we met for lunch the other day in the "City Center".

Well, that's all for now folks. Stayed tuned for more great adventures!