Durham

So I had this all typed and lost the connection at the airport as I went to send it. What a whip... Sorry for the delay in updates--I didn't have internet access in Durham.

Last you heard I was in Aberdeen, and on Saturday I took the train down to Durham. The train route mostly the North Sea cost through Edinburgh, and it was quite beautiful scenery. I didn't have any contacts in Durham, so I stayed at a B&B associated with the University (College of St. Hild & St. Bede). Durham city is centered around a curving river, a huge 11th century cathedral, and a castle. , and the department of theology happens to be right next to the cathedral. I spent much of my free time taking walking tours of the area. On Sunday I took a relaxing walk down by the river. A lot of students were sculling (rowing) and playing football (soccer)--it felt very "English." For dinner I went to an "establishment." A very drunk woman was yelling and cussing and almost got into a fight--and that was all just at McDonald's! What kind of establishment did you think I was referring to? Afterwards I stopped by a pub to try out a pint of the famous Newcastle (a large city just north of Durham) beer that at least 10 people told to me to try before my trip.

Today I met with John Barclay, and the two other NT profs. As Heather mentioned below, I was blessed to receive the doctoral fellowship for my top school choice. We chatted about next steps and he also set up a meeting for me with a current student with two kids who talked to me about living arrangements, etc. So Lord willing, we should be moving in late-July or early-August to Durham! Pretty exciting.

Now the trip is all but over. I'm in Aberdeen and will head home tomorrow. However it is snowing quite a bit here, and my flight in from Durham was delayed for an hour while they cleared the runway. No expectations of delays, but you never know.