Wednesday 15 August 2012

Four Days

After today I have four days left at work. FOUR DAYS! I’m off from tomorrow for a week and then to Kent we go to catch up with family, do some bargain hunting and participate in some general seaside merriment. Then it’s back home, pick up the keys for the new place and we move! All of this is tremendously exciting and just slightly nerve wracking. I am categorizing my wracking nerves, thus:

Country gal

I was chatting with a fellow student-to-be yesterday about my interview for Vicar-dom and mentioned that the location of the interview freaked me out because I’m not a fan of rural locations. He laughed as our college is right in the middle of the country. This had occurred to me but now the time to start is creeping up on me and the boxes are all packed for village life I’m starting to stare longingly at Starbucks and the cocktail bar about two minutes from our front door and think crikey! What am I going to do with myself?

In reality we can hop on a bus and be in Oxford in half an hour but I am one of these people who gets a bit out of sorts if I can’t walk everywhere. Blame that on being utterly spoilt growing up in Windsor where everything is on your doorstep and perfectly lovely. I’m thinking I need to embrace it, lots of country walks and all that?!

Wild Card

You know on those house programmes where they show people a load of houses that meet their requirements and then for laughs put one at the end that is like nothing they’ve ask for? I’m feeling a bit like a Wild Card as I enter college. Probably because even going to a theological college is a serious Wild Card in my life. How could it not be when I only went voluntarily into a church for the first time seven years ago? I never thought I would be here.

But I am trying to embrace the slight randomness of my being there. As I’ve said before I think that is kind of the point. It’s wonderfully unexpected and though my experience might not be conventional they have a bit of oomph behind them for that. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t really, really think it was the right, no make that only, thing for me right now. More than anything I know I’ll achieve very little trying to be someone I’m not (and I find that basically impossible, what you see is what you get and all that!) I may not know my alb from my surplice but I must be there for a reason, right?!

Essay fear

And lastly it has suddenly occurred to me, do I remember how to write an essay?! This is further compounded by the general doom-saying associated with my course about how hard it is and how people basically DIE when they do it. As far as I can see most people are still standing and I was firmly informed at interview that for the sake of the future church and women EVERYWHERE I need to get myself educated to the best of my ability so I can represent (innit) my kind. As a fully signed up flag waving champion of equality I can hardly back down from that challenge, now can I?!

So there we are, just a few teeny concerns there! I think I need to sit and build some sandcastles for a while, get windswept and eat a ’99. Until next week...!

3 comments:

  1. Hi Nicola! I am sure that moving to the country will bring many wonderfully unexpected joys, with exciting adventures to be had on your doorstep, just waiting to be found!
    As far as essay writing goes, although blogging is very different from writing theological essays, I reckon you'll find that simply have had the experience of writing for an audience and developing a habit for writing your blog, will help in surprising ways. I found this to be the case when I did my teacher training, having had a break from essay writing for 4 years.
    Enjoy your time off & time in Kent - I'm heading there next week!

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  2. Thanks so much Hannah! Kent was glorious in the sunshine and so great to catch up with everyone. We even caught Herne Bay's first ever air show!!

    Your blog is such an inspiration to go out and enjoy what life is offering you whether a beautiful view or an afternoon baking - so thanks! And thanks for the encouragement, I have thought that my ability to type fast and come up with ideas quickly has really been improved through blogging and thought that might help with sermon prep but hadn't linked it to essays, here's hoping!! Isn't blogging brilliant?!

    x

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  3. Exciting and scary time. I live in the country and would hate to have a Starbucks or cocktail bar on the doorstep. Rural life has far more to offer than you might imagine and if I've guessed right you are going to a beautiful place. In ordination training you'll probably make some really good new friends as well as learning to write essays again. Have a trouble free move and enjoy what comes next.

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