A Punting We Go!

I learned a new word today… Punting... Punting is a very fun, albeit unique kind of torture which requires a single person to push an 8 foot boat with a 6 foot iron pole… It’s about the British version of a gondola…

When I originally showed up to go punting, I have to admit that I thought it would include a football and a large field… But no. (I have actually gotten quite used to making a fool of myself in such ways, as Oxford is full of vocabulary that I have either never heard, or   think I’ve heard and then turn out to be completely wrong!) So I waltz in thinking, “Well this will be fun. I’ll go meet some people… I can kick a football”… Ha! As if... So we meet in the Common Room (yet another very “Harry Potter-esque” term for all us Americans) and I suddenly discover we are not in fact on our way to the parks, but to a boat dock… Fun! It’s alright, I can handle a boat… No problem, how hard could this be right…

Now enter traditional Oxford weather: RAIN. It pours… And when it’s done pouring, it gives us a brief break (ie. drizzle) and t hen pours some more. We’re soaked before we even reach the now very slippery, very low-floating boats… But I was already soaked from the 20 minute walk, so I was going rain or not… And rain it did… Haha

We spent the next 1-2 hours, the novice punters, trying to maintain balance while maneuvering this ridiculously large, very low floating boat… While standing of course… We had a great time, and the rain brought out the good-humor in everyone who’d been brave enough to come… But by the time we got off we all had to agree that despite our fabulous success at not capsizing on our first punting excursion, we might as well have… There wasn’t a dry spot on any of us…

I dropped back by my flat for a hot cup of coffee and change of clothes, before heading back to the college where we were assured several bottles of wine would warm us up right away… Haha Yet another excuse to drink, I guess… :-)

We’ve finally got hot water back in our house, and I’ve been assured that my internet should work tonight when I get home (Fingers crossed!)… That’s about all for now!

With Love from Oxford… –Mary Elizabeth

Oxford at Last! <3

I am finally an official resident of Oxford, United Kingdom! After a very early flight, short bus-ride (most of which was spent sleeping), 5 hours of registering, and the last 24 hours of running numerous  errands all over the city… I think I am, at least in part, finally settled… I managed to acquire temporary internet access in my college (St Cross) and a cell-phone… So now all I have to do is figure out how to get internet, hot water and heating in my house and I should be good!

Oxford is magnificent… I don’t now if it’s all the ancient cathedrals and castles or the essence of academia that permeates the town…   But I’m certain to be in love as soon as I catch up on sleep enough to really relax and take in the experience of living here… I found it funny that there actually is a very busy “Broad Street” in Oxford (For all my fellow RIchmonders!)… And although it, much like Richmond, is the center of hubbub in the city centre… Here it is lined with gorgeous architecture and quaint hidden gardens… Quite a contrast from the  Broad St I used to know… :-)

I’ve also had another small reminder of my previous home at VCU… I literally hadn’t been in the city for 5 hours yesterday when I ran into an old friend from VCU! I was just standing outside my college waiting for a taxi to take me and my luggage over to my flat, when I heard someone shout my name… And sure enough my friend Kunal from the VCU Honors College came running over! :-) Apparently he’s in town studying abroad for a semester… Crazy, right?!

My house on 2 Bradmore Street is the iconic old-style British walk-up…  When I first saw it yesterday, it actually gave me pause because I literally thought that the 7 dwarfs were bound to live on the other side of that very old looking door…. Needless to say, they don’t but I now do! Of course, I got the room on the very top floor, three flights up… My room couldn’t be more cliché if they’d tried… It is complete with slopping ceilings, window desk overlooking the lane, built in bookshelves, skylight, and the freezing temperature to top it all off… I felt like Cinderella living in the attic there for a few minutes… I can’t for the life of me get my heater  working (so that’ll make for some cold nights until it gets fixed) or get hot water in the wash basin… So yay for cold showers to wake up from a cold night! So far I like the 3 of my 7 flat mates that have moved in… We all went down to the college bar last night to get to know everyone, and all the students seem incredibly nice… The college seems very tight knit because it’s graduate-only and so small… The  bar seems to be the definite nightly hangout, so at least until I get settled in and find some buddies I’m having to pretend to like the night-life a little more than I usually would… Haha

This week is mostly just running errands and getting everything straight… As my luck would have it my University contract seems to have gotten lost in the mail, so I spent all day running around trying to clean up the mess so I can finally get a university card, meal card, in ternet, and email address… I can’t seem t o do anything, no less register, until it’s sorted out… So that’s been a little stressful, but it should be worked out soon…

Well I’m headed home which is about a 10-15 minute walk from the St. Cross lodge… I’ve got a backpack full of a few fresh vegetables for dinner… I’m craving a home cooked meal but my kitchen is now pathetic, and freezing of course… Haha So I’m being creative about coming up with meals day-to-day until I can get a meal card… :-) It’s been an adventure already and it’s only been 24 hours! I’ll try to send out my new email/phone/address to everyone as soon as I get it all sorted out!

With Love from OXFORD!… ~Mary Elizabeth

Playing Dress-Up… :-)

My parent’s got to play a little bit of “German Dress-Up” this evening, and looked adorable doing so… It was the official opening of Oktoberfest in Stuttgart and, of course, the Garrison Commander and his wife had front row seats (right next to a Duke and Duchess  that Dad felt the need to tell us all about) for the festivities… Haha Apparently Carolyn and I missed out on quite a party! At the end of the night my parent’s finally came stumbling home like teenagers who’d been into a little too much fun… With the post-party giggles and all… The Germans obviously managed to put my Dad’s tolerance for good German beer to the test… :-)

If nothing else two good things came out of the evening… They managed to wear their adorable “German” outfits… Dirndls, hats, braids, and all… And my Dad apparently very enthusiastically invited everyone he met to our house for Halloween (Forget the fact that he doesn’t like Halloween and in fact will be TDY on Halloween this year… :-) Should be interesting for mom!

I on the other hand have been last minute packing… And playing a little bit of dress-up myself, trying on formals to take to Oxford… :-)  I’m mentally preparing myself… Because apparently I should have been building up my alcohol tolerance for the last four years instead of doing all that darn studying!… My orientation week schedule right now has more “Teas”, “Welcome Drinks”, “Toga Bops”, and “Slow Pub Crawls” then I can mention… It sounds like I may have a busier social life as a graduate student than I did as an undergrad… Ha! :-)

Well that’s all for now… I’ll make a point to post on Monday once I’m safe and sound in my new flat in Oxford!

With Love From Germany… Mary Elizabeth

Mayan Fun-Facts!

As a remnant of my time studying Mayan midwifery in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala this summer, our team from the VCU Inst of Women’s Health decided to write up some of the “fun-facts” we learned about Mayan culture while we were there… So many western “myths” surround Mayans, that it only seemed appropriate to share what we witnessed and were told by the people themselves!

“Did You Know?…”

· Mayan culture is not extinct!

· Whether choosing a day to harvest herbs or trying to determine your “life calling”, the Mayan Calendar plays an important role in everyday life.

· Midwives are so revered in Mayan culture that villagers avoid looking them in the face out of respect.

· There are more than 21 distinct Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala!

· Mayan midwives cite language-barriers and discrimination as the primary reasons Mayan women do not receive adequate maternal healthcare in Guatemalan hospitals.

· Corn (maize) is a staple in Mayan life… It represents the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth.

· Mayan midwives incorporate herbal remedies, western medicine, pre-natal massage, and traditional steam baths to provide holistic maternal healthcare.

· In countries such as Guatemala, Mayans still face  staggering discrimination and poverty.

· Contrary to popular belief, Mayans do not believe the world will end in 2012! Rather 2012 marks the beginning of the Maya “Fifth Sun”… An era of expanded consciousness and harmony!

Compiled by the Summer 2010 Midwives Service/Exchange Team. 
Hosted by the Highland Support Project, and the VCU Institute for Women's Health.
For more information call # (804) 643-8635.

A Weekend in “la Ville-Lumière”… <3

Hello Paris!!! (Otherwise fondly nicknamed, “la Ville-Lumière” or the “City of Light”)… For the first time in my life I live only an hour away from the French/German border… So I interpret my rather favorable geographic location as a sign that the Gods have conspired! It was time for a trip to Paris!

I decided to try a highly recommended group trip through the USO here on post… And what a great decision. It took all the guess work out of the trip… I just had to sit back, relax, and try, as much as my insomnia would allow, to sleep on the overnight drive from Stuttgart to Paris. We left the base at about 10pm, and after many hours of uncomfortably tossing and turning (not sleeping) arrived in the city! We settled into our hotel rooms, had a quick buffet breakfast and then hit the city… First up was a massive tour of all the highlights by bus…

Under normal circumstances, I have to admit I abhor the idea of the “touristy” thing… I much prefer getting lost in a city and discovering the little charms of back-street book shops to making a 30 minute stop at a site full of bustling crowds… Get off, snap photos, and run back to the bus… But with the sheer magnitude of “iconic” sites to see in Paris… I did want to see the highlights without spending 2 weeks doing it (and breaking the bank), so a tour turned out to be the perfect dose of tourism…

We started with Notre Dame de Paris… Gorgeous of course inside  and out… (Although I have to admit, once you’ve seen inside one cathedral, it’s almost like you’ve seen inside them all) I made fast friends with a very nice hawker… After trying to sell me little mini  Eiffel Towers for a while, he decided that a friendly conversation was a better pursuit… And after making sure no one was near my backpack, I was happy to sit down for a few minutes and oblige him… Haha

From Notre Dame we drove along the Seine River towards the Eiffel Tower and then down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe towards the Pont de la Concorde…. We stopped at a historic perfumery, Fragonard, along the Champs-Élysées… It probably wouldn’t have been my preferred stop (although some of the ladies seemed incredibly excited much to my amusement, but it was interesting to learn about the development of perfume throughout history…

Our next destination was also my favorite of the trip… The Lourve… It was absolutely stunning… We got there around lunchtime and we given the whole afternoon to “see the Mona Lisa, grab some lunch, and go shopping in the area”… I spent the entire time enthralled in the galleries, and then ate a sack lunch once back on the bus… Haha I made it through almost the entire museum… I made a quick dash to the Mona Lisa, which of course was packed, and then escaped to the numerous other floors/galleries, which I was shocked to find were nearly empty! It was incredibly peaceful and quiet… I found several pieces I loved, including my all time favorite Renoir oil-painting, La Lecture… AND just as a side note, to those who share my interest in reproductive theory/politics and women’s health… There was not one painting, drawing, or statue that I could find (even in the Greek exhibit which is shocking since they had some fascinating insights into reproductive medicine) of a pregnant woman or woman giving birth… Disturbing, right? Where did all the pregnant women in history go??

Anyway… That evening we had diner in a little restuarant just down the street from the Church of Sainte Genevieve (the Patron Sainte of Paris)… It was quaint and the food delicious! I took my father’s suggestion and ordered escargot for an appetizer and LOVED it… So delicious! (Proof that when soaked in enough butter, anything can be mouth-watering)… We were graced with music throughout dinner by the funniest pair of musicians… Who in addition to knowing a host of, what I assume were more classically french tunes, also knew a variety of “American” songs… We sang everything (after several glasses of wine of course) from “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Home on the Range” to “Its a Small World After All” and the Mario Go-Cart theme song… :-) They definitely made the night a little more entertaining and enjoyable… After dinner we headed out for a boat ride along the Seine River… All of Paris lights up by night, including the Eiffel Tower which sparkles once an hour… It was a great way to settle down and end the day…

Needless to say, after having had no sleep on the bus the night before, I slept like a rock and woke up early for the Eiffel Tower! We  were scheduled to go up the Eiffel Tower Sunday morning, but met with massive crowds that morning when it just happened there was a huge marathon going on in Paris, and running right under the Eiffel Tower… My college roommate, Linda, would’ve loved to run in that one I’m sure… :-) It was a cool sight, but the millions of people around the Tower made it a little more complicated for us… We eventually made it up, although by that time it had started to rain… The view was still magnificent, just a little cloudy… We dashed back to the bus to get out of the crowds… And onto our last stop, Versailles!

Visiting the Château de Versailles has been something I’ve talked about doing since I wrote a paper on Louis XIV in 5th grade… Versailles was without a doubt more impressive than in pictures… But it was almost so ornate as to be overwhelming… Each room was in and of itself palatial… Once again, I enjoyed the artwork in the palace almost more than the decor or rooms themselves… But without a doubt my favorite part was the views of the gardens… If I was Louis I would have spent all my time outside rather than inside… Needless to say, the palace was packed with tourists (once again not really my preferred way of getting a feel for a place), which made it a little less enjoyable… So after making the quick walkthrough (and by quick I still mean it took me over an hour, the place was so large), I headed into the town of Versailles, just on the outskirts of the palace…

While the palace was impressive, the town was much more to my liking… It was absolutely charming, with hidden little streets that led to public gardens and great antique bookstores on every other corner (we know I loved that!)… I found a great little bakery once I got out of the touristy side of town, and bought 2 fresh baguettes for a whopping 1.5Euros… Down the street there was a fresh fruits/flowers market as well… I found a man unloading a truck full of strawberries… Yet another 1Euro very well spent! I couldn’t have been happier with my little makeshift picnic lunch, which I snacked on in a little city park… I met the nicest little old man, who ran a fabulous bookstore that he said had been in his family for generations… I liked him automatically, although that could be because he complimented me on my accent when I told him I didn’t speak French in French… Haha (shocking considering I’m awful with spoken language) All in all, I had a wonderful afternoon wandering around Versailles… And then it was back on the bus and home again!

Two days was not much time to see all Paris has to offer, but I think I got a great taste of the city sites… If I ever go back again, which I absolutely would love to, I would avoid the touristy sites… I’ve seen them now, which was great, but I don’t have any desire to go to the  Eiffel Tower or the Palace of Versailles again for now… Paris is absolutely enchanting, especially by night… But I almost think that really getting a feel for the city and culture requires staying there for a while, finding that lost little cafe, or getting know the local bookstore owner whose shop you frequent…

So far I’ve loved traveling Europe… I’m starting to feel satisfied that I’ve tasted a bit of each of the countries surrounding Germany (Austria, Poland, and France at least)… So I have to admit, I’m looking forward to getting back to school! Hopefully a new home-base farther north will give me easier access to some of the other travel destinations on my wish list!

Now onto my ever expanding to-do list before Oxford! 

With Love from Germany… Mary Elizabeth

Ingrid Goes to Poland!

Another week, another country! And our new minivan’s (whom we lovingly named Ingird) maiden voyage to Poland! Turning in the paperwork for my UK Visa Application up in Berlin was a perfect excuse for mom and I to hop over to Poland for a day… I think mom’s been plotting buying her “Polish Pottery” since I was little, so it’s no surprise that she couldn’t resist going and buying it first-hand almost as soon as we got settled in Germany…

But it must be said first that I FINALLY got my visa application turned in! After endless waiting for Oxford to get me the right paperwork, and then more waiting for my scheduled appointment in Berlin, it has finally been sent up to Dusseldorf and is being processed as we speak! The gal at the office gave mom and I a little bit of a scare though… After driving 6+ hours from Stuttgart to   Berlin for a 15 minute appointment we weren’t in any mood for  surprises… But she seemed fully prepared to try to elicit heart-attacks from us… Apparently the concept of being a US Citizen stationed in Germany with the military is a difficult concept… But thank goodness, after only one quick dash by mom back to the car for an emergency copy of our military orders, she seemed pacified that having two passports (one official/diplomatic for the military, and the other my civilian for personal travel) was not my sly attempt to defraud anyone… Thank goodness there was a US citizen working in the office who was able to get it straightened out… And here I thought getting into Oxford would be the difficult part!

After breathing a deep sigh of relief we headed onward to Poland! Now it must be warned that the following is opinion based on merely one day in the country… But Poland was miserable… I swear we crossed the border and the sun seemed to immediately disappear into a gray sky, and the once pristine autobahn became a pothole infested road that was reminiscent of the occasional patch of I95/64 highway passing through Richmond (my fellow Richmonders know exactly what I’m talking about… :-) Mom and I both swore that there was something about the bad road and looming miles of forest without so much as a road-sign in sight that was sure to bring on severe-depression if endured too long… Talk about feeling the weight of the looming (albeit former) Iron-Curtain… :-)

Our drive through Poland to the town of Boleslawiec (which while it may have seemed like an eternity, was in fact only a little over an hour) did provide several illuminating facts about life in Poland… 1) Mushrooms are apparently abundant! The only human life I think we saw for 60km were elderly men standing by the highway selling mushrooms… Needless to say, mom and I had quite a bit of fun imagining what kind of crazy scenario might tempt someone to actually buy mushrooms (which in addition to being tasty, can be both poisonous and hallucigenic) from a dirty old homeless looking man that lives under a bridge… Scary to say the least… Haha 2) Apparently modest is not a Polish virtue… While driving we saw more than one group of men pulled over on the side of the highway  relieving themselves… Not behind one of the millions of trees surrounding us, or even behind their trucks/vans… But in front of them, in full view of any poor American traveler that might happen to drive by…

We reached Boleslawiec at sunset (thank goodness, because mom and I had come up with any number of horror scenarios that ended with two women getting stuck in the middle of no-where Poland in the dark)… The town of Boleslawiec had a quaintness in the old buildings and shingled roofs on some blocks, and looked like World War II had just ended on others… After a few wrong turns, we managed to find our guesthouse, The Blue Beetroot Inn, which I have to admit it was absolutely amazing…

The Blue Beetroot made the trip to Poland worth it… It came highly recommended and lived up to all our expectations… It was adorable… The Inn was actually an old barn that had been remodeled, but it retained it’s arched ceilings and original hardwood beams throughout… Mom and I figured that the only thing to do in Poland was to eat and drink, so that’s exactly what we did… I fittingly ordered Polish pierogies (in honor of my dear friend Allison who made pierogies with me several times in college), which were amazing… And mom nearly got me drunk off the bar special, the “Blue Beetroot” (vodka + blue curacao + sprite is wonderful but they do love to pour in an extra measure of the vodka!)… All in all, we deemed the night a success solely based on 3 hour dinner/desert/drinks spree…

We woke up with the rooster outside… Which was nice because I got the chance to take a walk around outside and see the sunrise… We set off early after breakfast to hit the pottery shops! We must’ve gone to a total of 6-7 different shops around Boleslawiec in a 6 hour time-frame… While overwhelmed at first by the magnitude of selections and designs, we eventually hit our groove and tracked down an amazing assortment! Mom even managed to stay under budget!

By mid-afternoon we had loaded Ingrid full of pottery/dishware, made several illegal u-turns (in true Hope Bird fashion), made an accidental trip to the “Polish ghetto”, and seen both a one-legged  homeless man selling yet more mushrooms and a 3 legged dog… It was too cliché to imagine… On our way back to Germany we even  managed to get pulled over by the Polish Politzei! :-) But no need to worry… After a little linguistic fumbling (in which mom asked the policeman if he spoke English in German… Haha… Needless to say that only elicited confused silence…), he checked our passports and let us go… We chalked it up to random ID checks for cars with international license plates…

We made it back to Stuttgart after another 7 hours of driving that afternoon/evening… It was a lot of time spent in the car but we arrived gloriously with a minivan full of polish pottery! While I loved the Blue Beetroot and the pottery shopping, I doubt either mom or I are planning a trip back to Poland anytime soon!

Although… I do have an upcoming trip to Paris, France this weekend! So hopefully my next post will be full of the ever-so-familiar pictures beneath the Eiffel Tower and in front of the Palace of Versaille! :-)

With Love from Germany… Mary Elizabeth