I’m rounding out my first term at Bethel now – and I’m glad to be finally heading home! On the 20th we broke up for Thanksgiving break, which is the States’ second largest holiday. Normally students would return to Bethel for another two weeks after this; classes begin again on the 30th and last right up until the final exams on the 17th. These exams are important, but they’re not as important as they might. You’re grade in class hinges on the amount of work that you’ve put in over the semester, so if your grades suck going into them then there’s no point nailing this final exam because, chances are, it’s not going to save you. I’m currently sat on all A’s in my classes, so we’ll have too see if I can maintain that in the final stretch.
Anyway, that’s not
overly exciting. I was much more excited to experience a genuine Thanksgiving
holiday for the first time! I’m not going to name names, but I have spoken to a
disturbingly large number of Americans who thought that we English also
celebrated Thanksgiving. There are even some people, though thankfully a
smaller amount, who have asked me whether I celebrate the Fourth of July
Holiday. Yes - I tell them – we Brits love celebrating our most famous defeats,
we’re just really sporting like that.
I’ve spent
Thanksgiving at the Bartels, and it’s been great fun. The actual holiday always
takes place on the third Thursday of every November, but it seems to go on for most
of the week, which is probably why Bethel gave us seven days off. I was obviously
a bit of an awkward guest for the poor family to cater to, but they really
pulled out all the stops. They made sure that all the dishes were suitable for
me, with the exception of the Turkey of course, and I was extremely touched by
the amount of effort they put in. On a broader note, my dietary restrictions
have really not been as big of a problem as I thought they would be; both Bethel
and the Bartels have been extremely accommodating. That being said, even I have
to question the logic of me, a gluten free vegetarian, travelling to a state
which has built its entire economy on Wheat and Beef.
I think that this
will likely be my final installation for this term – I am set to race at an indoor
meet in Nebraska on the 6th November, which is the day before I’m heading
home, which means that I’m unlikely to find the time to write an update on it.
Therefore, I guess I’ll sum up my impressions of my first term here. First of
all, it’s all been rather fantastic. The classes have been really engaging; I
feel that I’ve made some great strides on the cross country, and I’ve settled
into Bethel College pretty well. I was very nervous about what life would be
like out here, and whether I would adapt to it, but things have been much
easier than I could have hoped. For this relatively smooth transition I owe an
awful lot to Coach Parsley - who’s dedication to his team and his athletes is really
quite remarkable; to my fantastic team mates; and finally to my roommate Isaiah
and his family – who have really gone above and beyond anything that I could
have imagined to help me feel welcome.
I have also realized
a lot of other things whilst I’ve been over here. I’m not really one for
expressing my internal feelings, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my
own family, who I have just learned are in isolation back in England. I miss
them all very much, and I’m really looking forward to being reunited with them
for Christmas. I’ve also missed being away from the Wirral AC team – I think I’ve
just come to appreciate the athletes even more since I’ve come out here. The
dedication that the kids have shown to their running, despite the best efforts
of the government to stop them doing it, has been really remarkable. I don’t
think that Wirral AC has ever seen anything like this group before - I
certainly didn’t know anything like back when I was a lad. I’m very much
looking forward to getting home so that I can get battered in training once
again!
In conclusion, I’m very happy with my life out here, but I also can’t wait to get home. I think the words of Wordsworth are most apt here;
I travelled amongst unknown men, in lands beyond the sea -
Nor England! did I know 'till then, what love I owed to thee.
See ya'll soon!
 |
| Yay! |
Comments
Post a Comment