I'm beginning to understand why British people talk about the weather so frequently.
Today, for instance, the sun was shining this morning as we left for church. It was absolutely gorgeous on the ride home as well; but when we sat down for lunch, in the space of five minutes the clouds came and it rained steadily for about five minutes. And then the sun came back out, and it's lovely again! 

Last night, a lady from the church I'm going to here invited some girls from small group over to her flat for dinner. It was fine when we cycled down, but started pouring a half hour before we left. I felt like I had gained some kind of bragging rights by the time we got home, as all three of us were dripping wet. 

Speaking of church, I have been attending Headington Baptist Church since coming to Oxford, and am loving it there. In the past couple of weeks, I have gone to (and served at!) a church dinner, joined a small group, and have had the chance to mingle with non-students. I do love being around families! There are so many friendly people in the church, and overall there is a very homey feeling to it. I'm very grateful for finding a church so quickly! The church is much smaller than E Free or New City Fellowship, and it seems like everyone knows almost everyone else, as several people have walked up to me after services and said, "I don't think I recognize you, are you new here?" which is impressive on two levels - that they know people in the congregation enough to be able to tell when a visitor comes, and also that they are so welcoming when new people are there. 

As odd as this may sound, grocery shopping has also been really fun. I am in a food group, so three of us share dinner some nights a week, which has worked out nicely, as I have been making one big meal a week for the group (and then eat leftovers for lunch), and then I get fed two other nights! Since food storage is limited in The Vines, I usually go to the grocery store twice a week to pick up fruit and vegetables, and then to get whatever stuffs I need to make a meal. So far, I have discovered that Cilantro is called Coriander. I have heard of Coriander seeds being used in recipes, but I had no idea that they were the same thing as Cilantro! There are several grocery store options, the most popular being Tesco, the Food Cooperative, and Sainsbury's. I prefer the Food Cooperative, as it's close to church, and the ride back to The Vines is downhill, which is quite nice when you have groceries in your bike basket! 

For my C.S. Lewis tutorial this week, I am reading The Great Divorce. Looking over the notes I have been taking, I might as well just copy the book word-for-word; I want to quote almost everything that he writes! For Shakespeare, I am reading Richard II. Since my first Lewis tutorial was postponed, it feels like I have had two tutorials each week so far, and I am looking forward to next week and only having one. I love the homework (so much reading!! YES!!), but balance is always nice, too...



Here are a few pictures from the snow week that I took while walking home from lectures