I have now officially attended my first BBQ of the summer and my first in Britain. For those of you who think American's eat a lot of meat, you haven't seen the British. They even beat the Texan's, and that's saying something.
Even for normal meals here there is always meat and lots of it. But it's not one big whatever, it's lots of different meat, but in generous portions. For Example the traditional British breakfast is eggs, ham, bacon and possibly sausage thrown in for good measure. I've had dinners that had turkey with a pig in a blanket (sausage wrapped in bacon).
So for a BBQ all the stops are pulled. Cooked on the grill we had pork steaks with the most delectable coating of seasonings.... I wish I knew exactly what...., hamburger patties, sausage, and lamb kofta (shish kabob), as well as grilled corn on the cob. Then cooked in the oven was a spatchcocked chicken, BBQ pork spare ribs and roasted veg. There was potato salad, green salad, buns, cheese, crisps (chips) salsa and hummus. For pudding (dessert) there were marshmallows for roasting plus a marshmallow meringue stack. -all for just for 8 people. Pretty sure we could have fed about 20.... Did I over eat? You better believe it!
The weather actually cooperated and it was the perfect temperature, light breeze and sunshine. Rarity in the UK. It was a nice celebration for me for turning in all my assignments and finishing the taught part of my program. I survived! The celebration was actually for a friend's birthday, but hey, it was fitting for all of the stress, worry and headache of the past 8 months. I could actually just enjoy the day. My favorite part was helping in the kitchen doing the washing up and the clean up while my friends could enjoy time with family. It was extremely therapeutic for me and made it so that they didn't have to face the "aftermath" when everyone left. I think that is always the worst part about having a huge food bash. So it gave me something productive to do that was physical which was a needed change from constantly typing at my computer.
So now after long weeks of inactivity and too much food, it's time to get serious about exercise again. But since we are headed into summer, that should be a little easier to accomplish and to stay on track for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I just need less stress, more sunshine and exercise.... and a British BBQ every now and again because, well it's just fabulous food!
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Saturday, May 21, 2016
It's all in my head
Life isn't always peaches and cream. When I have bad weeks, I try to focus on the good things, keep a positive attitude, smile and choose joy. Those closest to me give me "the look" and then force me to spill what's really up. It is probably a good thing I have those kinds of people in my life. They keep me in line and force me to take care of myself.
I'm going to to step out of my 'life is always good face' and share my real week with you. Maybe because it has been so invasive and permeates everything right now that I really don't see anything else to write, so this week you get some of the 'other side'.
Let me start by saying I'm ok. Things are good and on track, one more assignment to go and I'm free to work strictly on my MA project. (thesis/dissertation depending on which country you are in....) I plan on making the deadline for this last one as well. If I didn't have enough stress in my life, my body decided that I needed it upped a notch, or maybe the stress of things is the reason for it, or it is a symbiotic relationship, I'm not really sure. About 6 weeks ish ago, not really sure when but it has been a while, I felt a sore spot on the back of my head that felt like I had hit it on something, but I hadn't. (trust me on this) The spot didn't go away. in fact after a while, there became a bump there. It became extremely tender to the touch and then it started to throb. Last Saturday not only did it throb, but my head felt like it was full of cotton and my ears started to ring. During the family chat one of my daughters asked me point blank if I was ok. I couldn't lie..... I was then told to call the Dr or go to ER or whatever they have over here. I honestly had no idea what they have here... after all of my children gave me "the lecture" I decided to figure it out.
So I looked online and after hours you call 111, the non emergency number. They ask a list of questions (some of them quite strange) and then they determine whether you should go into A&E or not (I think it stands for accident and emergency but it is basically the ER). Because at this point now my vision was semi blurred and I was a bit dizzy they told me to call a friend or a cab and go in and not take the bus.... the bus would have been faster, but whatever. (In the meantime two of flatmates were now giving me 'the lecture' and that my health is more important than deadlines and schooling. I suppose.... ) I finally tracked down a friend with a car and she dropped me off at the hospital and pointed me to the right door. It took me a minute to find the registration desk, she sent me over to a group a chairs in the corner next to a room that had "triage nurse" over the door. I was informed they would call my name and determine my need. The wall said that I was sitting in an area for people on the scale for 3-5 emergencies... in other words not dying or bleeding or unconscious. After about a 20 min wait the door opened and I was called in. Chris, the triage nurse, asked a few questions, felt the bump on my head, questioned why I had decided now (late Saturday night) to have it looked at... no vitals were taken, or history, just questions about why I was in. He gave me paracetamol (aka tylenol) and ibuprofen and basically told me to go home and call my GP Monday. It was going to be over a four hour wait (It was now 9pm) and if it had been going on that long I could probably wait for Monday, but they can't turn anyone away and I could choose to stay or go, so I went.
Sunday I took pain killers and carried on as normal. I had an assignment of 4000 words and 80% of my grade for a module due Thursday, so Monday I did what all Uni students do, I ignored my head and worked on the assignment. By now my ears are pressurised, numb to the touch around them on my face and jaw with a constant "white noise". High frequencies are gone and everything is muffled, but at the same time obnoxious noises like bells, buzzers, and loud noises and the like are intensified to the point of being almost painful. Ward choir was interesting on Tues because I could only sort of hear the parts and the piano sounded really loud. The high end is not only missing but is replaced sometimes by an almost electronic kind of squeal sound, which comes and goes when I talk, so that is a bit nerve racking. The choir has no idea that I couldn't hear them correctly, and well, I didn't bother to tell them. What I could hear sounded ok, they sing tomorrow, so that should be fun.....
My flatmate who is an audiologist gave me the evil eye for not calling the GP and made me promise to call Wed. So I did. I called as they opened and managed to snag a same day appointment. The bump is on the outside just under the skin and seems to be filled with fluid. He put me on a dose of antibiotics to see if it will clear it up. (we could lacerate it....) He said it should not be causing anything internal, but hopefully this will clear it all up. I've seen improvement for the pain on the spot and the size of the bump so hopefully it will continue to improve, but my ears haven't changed much if at all. My ASL skills won't help a whole lot here...... Sitting in my room quietly working on my assignment isn't too bad, going out in public is entertaining because I can't hear very well, but at the same time loud sudden noises are intensified. I keep trying to pressurise my ears, but it's not working. If it is an ear infection wouldn't the antibiotics clear it up? I have a feeling this is going to take a while to figure out, so in the meantime I go back to ignoring it and live my life. Stepping down from the soapbox....pity party is now officially over.
It has given me a greater appreciation for what I do have. My hearing I have never taken for granted having worked with the deaf and hard of hearing for most of my life. I'd rather it not remain like it is currently, but if it does I will adjust. Is it stress? Maybe. Is it an infection? The jury is still out. Am I crazy and it is all in my head? I've figured I've been crazy for years and yes, it is definitely all in my head.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Some endings, beginnings and a first
This last week was a hallmark of several things.
For starters it is hard to believe that this was the last week of my classes. I think this school year went faster than when I teach. I have two major assignments still to complete, but attending classes is finished. One of my classmates on the program summed it up nicely when she said that this was the most diverse intercultural group she has ever studied with. My classmates were from England, Cyprus, Greece, Czech Republic, Japan, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Caribbean, Libya, Taiwan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Latvia. I truly have friends in about every corner of the world now. Some of them I will see off and on this summer, but for the most of them, I won't see them again. We each have taken a part of what we have learned from each other and it has become part of who we are. We have all been changed by the experience. It is strange to think that this part of my education journey here is finished.
My research project was approved and I have been given the green light to start gathering my data. (Right after I finish those two assignments.....) So that was a plus this week. I kept being told that the ethics committee would take 2 - 4 weeks to get an answer from. I sent my papers to my advisor on Monday, She approved the project and sent it to the committee on Tuesday. Friday I received an email that it had been approved. Maybe it only takes that long if you wait until end of the exam term time to send it in.... I'm just grateful that it went through without any problems and that I can move forward with what I need to do.
I was also able to get commitments from people to be participants in my study. That was another major hurdle that I cleared rather easily. (that's saying something because when I stand next to the smallest hurdle it comes up to my waist...) So things are moving fairly nicely there for me.
Wednesday night I took a break from my studies to go see Riverdance. First time I've been able to see one of their performances. Yes, they are awesome to watch live! At the intermission we were discussing the storyline of the show. One of my fellow Irish dancers summed it up "well, it's about how in about 1850 there was a potato famine in Ireland and they all moved to America." In a nutshell, yep. They have incredible musicians who perform with them with amazing music, including vocals. Their precision is unreal and they are just graceful with beautiful form and technique. Our teacher for the Uni Irish dance society is an award winning international Irish Dancer and she knows members of Riverdance, so after the show we went around to the gate and several of the dancers and the two leads came out and chatted with us. Yep, normal British folk, down to earth who happen to be incredibly talented with their feet! It was worth the time and money to go!
Time keeps moving and as I stop for a moment I can see how far I have come and how far I still have to go, but the progress is real. I take the chances that I can for any "firsts" because sometimes they are also "lasts", but the memories remain and each one makes its mark on me. Life is truly an adventure. I am closing another chapter and it simultaneously is opening the next. It is a never ending process of endings, beginnings and firsts, and I wouldn't change it.
For starters it is hard to believe that this was the last week of my classes. I think this school year went faster than when I teach. I have two major assignments still to complete, but attending classes is finished. One of my classmates on the program summed it up nicely when she said that this was the most diverse intercultural group she has ever studied with. My classmates were from England, Cyprus, Greece, Czech Republic, Japan, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Caribbean, Libya, Taiwan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Latvia. I truly have friends in about every corner of the world now. Some of them I will see off and on this summer, but for the most of them, I won't see them again. We each have taken a part of what we have learned from each other and it has become part of who we are. We have all been changed by the experience. It is strange to think that this part of my education journey here is finished.
My research project was approved and I have been given the green light to start gathering my data. (Right after I finish those two assignments.....) So that was a plus this week. I kept being told that the ethics committee would take 2 - 4 weeks to get an answer from. I sent my papers to my advisor on Monday, She approved the project and sent it to the committee on Tuesday. Friday I received an email that it had been approved. Maybe it only takes that long if you wait until end of the exam term time to send it in.... I'm just grateful that it went through without any problems and that I can move forward with what I need to do.
I was also able to get commitments from people to be participants in my study. That was another major hurdle that I cleared rather easily. (that's saying something because when I stand next to the smallest hurdle it comes up to my waist...) So things are moving fairly nicely there for me.
Wednesday night I took a break from my studies to go see Riverdance. First time I've been able to see one of their performances. Yes, they are awesome to watch live! At the intermission we were discussing the storyline of the show. One of my fellow Irish dancers summed it up "well, it's about how in about 1850 there was a potato famine in Ireland and they all moved to America." In a nutshell, yep. They have incredible musicians who perform with them with amazing music, including vocals. Their precision is unreal and they are just graceful with beautiful form and technique. Our teacher for the Uni Irish dance society is an award winning international Irish Dancer and she knows members of Riverdance, so after the show we went around to the gate and several of the dancers and the two leads came out and chatted with us. Yep, normal British folk, down to earth who happen to be incredibly talented with their feet! It was worth the time and money to go!
Time keeps moving and as I stop for a moment I can see how far I have come and how far I still have to go, but the progress is real. I take the chances that I can for any "firsts" because sometimes they are also "lasts", but the memories remain and each one makes its mark on me. Life is truly an adventure. I am closing another chapter and it simultaneously is opening the next. It is a never ending process of endings, beginnings and firsts, and I wouldn't change it.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Shakespeare and ASL
Sorry for the late post, The weekend was busy (I'll explain) and yesterday and earlier this morning, my computer refused to connect to the internet. I think it has decided I have been working it too hard and so it took a mini holiday.
This last week was rough for many reasons, so I will focus on the one day that wasn't - Saturday. I spent the day at the Reading (pronounced redding) Single Adult Conference. I knew the day could go one of two ways, and based on the rest of the week I feared for how it would go down. However, it ended up being a very pleasant experience.
First, it helps to go with a friend. That way it isn't so awkward and the friend can introduce you to people she knows and it becomes less intimidating. It was a small conference, only about 30 or so showed up, but we had fun. The conference was Shakespeare themed. Unfortunately the archery and courtly dancing were cancelled... however We learned fascinating information about Shakespeare's life (what little there is to know) and his writing. Are you aware that there is a goodly part of English vocabulary that was invented by him? There wouldn't be a word for what he wanted,so he made it up. Not to mention the many phrases, cliches and idioms that were penned by him. (Vanish into thin air, Jealousy is a green-eyed monster, eat me out of house and home.....) The skits were a blast, as was just getting to know people.
I learned the art of making a crisp sandwich. It goes against the whole stereotypical "how to eat like the British". Normally they eat everything with a fork and knife... pizza, tacos, fajitas, hamburgers...anything an American would pick up and eat with their fingers. However a crisp sandwich is anything but proper and dignified to eat. Since lunch was sandwiches (you get them packaged in a box, but they are freshly made... just roll with this one for now) mine was a bit dry. I had picked up a bag of Worcestershire (pronounced worsher... for those of you who always argue about that....) flavored crisps. I first had to explain that though I had had Worcestershire sauce, I had never had it as a crisp flavor. I was told to put them on my sandwich, and that they were really good that way. I was trying to decide if this was a huge joke on me, but no it is a real thing. I was instructed to take the lid off of my sandwich and cover the inside of it with crisps. Then put the lid on, mash it to crush the crisps, then take it back off and fill in the gaps with more crisps. Then balance the box in your lap so to catch anything that falls, pick up the sandwich and cradle it with both hands to keep it together and enjoy. Anything that falls in the box you can then eat after. I'm thinking ok, this is a British thing I would never put my crisps (chips) in my sandwich in the states and in order to eat it, I have to be very American and undignified.... However I was told that I'm in England and need to do as the English....Bon apetit! It was delicious by the way and helped with the dryness of the sandwich....
I learned a few Scottish phrases.... understand that the Scots say things that only the Scot understand because it is a mix of English and Gaelic. One of the guys there comes down from Glasgow and is a riot to begin with and the the scottish accent with it is priceless. Since I was introduced to him as a linguist, my friend asked him to share Scottish words, or phrases that were very Scottish. I learned that shuggie or shogan is to be wobbly. If a person is on a shuggie peg at work - he is likely to lose his job. Another one was "he is so hungry he can eat a scabby bern". Bern is a shorten word that means "wee babe" (Little baby).... you can decipher the rest of that.....
This led to him making me aware that there was a deaf girl at the conference, since in the course of the conversation he learned that I knew ASL. I tried to explain that I didn't know BSL. As it happened, the gal ended up in the room with us as we were being divided up for skits and she was in our group. So I asked her if she knew ASL..... and she did! She had come to the conference on her own and knew no one there. No one there signed, except me and it was not BSL, however she was fairly fluent in ASL so I became her unofficial interpreter. We chatted, a lot, and I learned some basic BSL. It was fun at times because when she would get excited while signing it became a mix of BSL and ASL. She would also think about spelling in BSL first then use ASL fingerspelling. I worked on BSL fingerspelling for things which made her smile. I really appreciated that when our group was chatting, The person speaking would say his/her thought and then let me interpret it. She would respond, I would watch and then voice. Much like you would do if a person were interpreting for a voiced language. They didn't expect simultaneous interpretation which is much much harder to to. Of course if it was a group announcement, general interpreting of things going on like side conversations in the group, or the skits I would do simultaneous interpreting. She ended up leaving before the fireside and dinner which we were all sad to see her go so soon. Throughout the day as I was chatting with her I could feel and see people watching the conversation. For some reason people are always fascinated by signing. It felt so good to sign with someone! I hadn't realised how much I missed it. When you use a language every day for over 20 years it becomes a part of you. I haven't had a signed conversation in over a year. It was nice for a few hours to not feel awkward with language and very conscious of my American accent. True we were using ASL, but trust me, it's different when signing.
It was a fun filled day. I met many new friends, learned a ton of things and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Two cultures merged for me (possibly three or four) and the definition of who I am has again been molded and changed. Shakespeare and ASL now have a connection that I don't think I can actually explain. The day gave me a deeper appreciation for many things and in that process caused Shakespeare to hold a new place in my heart - right next to ASL.
This last week was rough for many reasons, so I will focus on the one day that wasn't - Saturday. I spent the day at the Reading (pronounced redding) Single Adult Conference. I knew the day could go one of two ways, and based on the rest of the week I feared for how it would go down. However, it ended up being a very pleasant experience.
First, it helps to go with a friend. That way it isn't so awkward and the friend can introduce you to people she knows and it becomes less intimidating. It was a small conference, only about 30 or so showed up, but we had fun. The conference was Shakespeare themed. Unfortunately the archery and courtly dancing were cancelled... however We learned fascinating information about Shakespeare's life (what little there is to know) and his writing. Are you aware that there is a goodly part of English vocabulary that was invented by him? There wouldn't be a word for what he wanted,so he made it up. Not to mention the many phrases, cliches and idioms that were penned by him. (Vanish into thin air, Jealousy is a green-eyed monster, eat me out of house and home.....) The skits were a blast, as was just getting to know people.
I learned the art of making a crisp sandwich. It goes against the whole stereotypical "how to eat like the British". Normally they eat everything with a fork and knife... pizza, tacos, fajitas, hamburgers...anything an American would pick up and eat with their fingers. However a crisp sandwich is anything but proper and dignified to eat. Since lunch was sandwiches (you get them packaged in a box, but they are freshly made... just roll with this one for now) mine was a bit dry. I had picked up a bag of Worcestershire (pronounced worsher... for those of you who always argue about that....) flavored crisps. I first had to explain that though I had had Worcestershire sauce, I had never had it as a crisp flavor. I was told to put them on my sandwich, and that they were really good that way. I was trying to decide if this was a huge joke on me, but no it is a real thing. I was instructed to take the lid off of my sandwich and cover the inside of it with crisps. Then put the lid on, mash it to crush the crisps, then take it back off and fill in the gaps with more crisps. Then balance the box in your lap so to catch anything that falls, pick up the sandwich and cradle it with both hands to keep it together and enjoy. Anything that falls in the box you can then eat after. I'm thinking ok, this is a British thing I would never put my crisps (chips) in my sandwich in the states and in order to eat it, I have to be very American and undignified.... However I was told that I'm in England and need to do as the English....Bon apetit! It was delicious by the way and helped with the dryness of the sandwich....
I learned a few Scottish phrases.... understand that the Scots say things that only the Scot understand because it is a mix of English and Gaelic. One of the guys there comes down from Glasgow and is a riot to begin with and the the scottish accent with it is priceless. Since I was introduced to him as a linguist, my friend asked him to share Scottish words, or phrases that were very Scottish. I learned that shuggie or shogan is to be wobbly. If a person is on a shuggie peg at work - he is likely to lose his job. Another one was "he is so hungry he can eat a scabby bern". Bern is a shorten word that means "wee babe" (Little baby).... you can decipher the rest of that.....
This led to him making me aware that there was a deaf girl at the conference, since in the course of the conversation he learned that I knew ASL. I tried to explain that I didn't know BSL. As it happened, the gal ended up in the room with us as we were being divided up for skits and she was in our group. So I asked her if she knew ASL..... and she did! She had come to the conference on her own and knew no one there. No one there signed, except me and it was not BSL, however she was fairly fluent in ASL so I became her unofficial interpreter. We chatted, a lot, and I learned some basic BSL. It was fun at times because when she would get excited while signing it became a mix of BSL and ASL. She would also think about spelling in BSL first then use ASL fingerspelling. I worked on BSL fingerspelling for things which made her smile. I really appreciated that when our group was chatting, The person speaking would say his/her thought and then let me interpret it. She would respond, I would watch and then voice. Much like you would do if a person were interpreting for a voiced language. They didn't expect simultaneous interpretation which is much much harder to to. Of course if it was a group announcement, general interpreting of things going on like side conversations in the group, or the skits I would do simultaneous interpreting. She ended up leaving before the fireside and dinner which we were all sad to see her go so soon. Throughout the day as I was chatting with her I could feel and see people watching the conversation. For some reason people are always fascinated by signing. It felt so good to sign with someone! I hadn't realised how much I missed it. When you use a language every day for over 20 years it becomes a part of you. I haven't had a signed conversation in over a year. It was nice for a few hours to not feel awkward with language and very conscious of my American accent. True we were using ASL, but trust me, it's different when signing.
It was a fun filled day. I met many new friends, learned a ton of things and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Two cultures merged for me (possibly three or four) and the definition of who I am has again been molded and changed. Shakespeare and ASL now have a connection that I don't think I can actually explain. The day gave me a deeper appreciation for many things and in that process caused Shakespeare to hold a new place in my heart - right next to ASL.
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