Final Thoughts: The Dream That Is England

It's hard to believe that our time in England is ending. This has been an incredible experience in so many ways; it's very difficult to capture in words our feelings about our time here and our departure. But this post is an attempt to do that, a collective family effort at summarizing our experience of England.

The first highlight is certainly the people. Generally, we've found people to be very friendly everywhere we've gone, if not always welcoming. And there are many people that we have met who will be always etched in our memories: merciful Brian and his mini-bus; Stuart, Andy, Steve, Carol, Peter, and all the good folks at Christian Life Centre; David, whose advice has always been helpful and whose kindness goes beyond the official responsibilities of postgraduate supervision; also Philip, Richard, and the other good folks at the University; Maggie, Judith, Rima, Oksana, Rebecca, Mariko, Pradhma, Godfrey, Oral, and everyone else at Asbury Overseas House. Special mention has to be made of three couples that have become good friends in our short time here: Nigel and Michelle, along with Dan, Max, Maisy, and Boo, who welcomed us as if we'd always been good friends (pic 1); Laurence and Peggy, our fellow expatriates who took us under their wings as if we were their own children and grandchildren (pic 2); and Jon and Su, who brought us joy in shared interests and enjoyed our children as if they were a favourite niece and nephews (pic 3).

A second feature of our experience that will always be etched in our minds has to be the tangible history and culture here. We have relished every moment spent walking in ancient churchyards and castles, sitting in beautiful chapels and cathedrals, pausing in inspiring galleries and museums, marvelling over monuments and statues and ancient effigies. We've seen the birthplaces of poets, the graves of kings, the churches of reformers, the homes of queens. We've touched history and been touched by culture, from two thousand years ago to the present day. Cambridge and Oxford, London and Edinburgh, Stratford and Warwick, even "young" Birmingham itself--these are now very dear places in our hearts and minds.

Another highlight of our time here has been our experience of nature. As much as we've found the weather here bland, we'll readily confess that it's been nice to have a break from the extreme freezing-and-frostbite to boiling-and-baking climate of central Alberta. And we have loved the diversity and the lushness of the vegetation here, with flowers and trees we couldn't name all growing together against a constant backdrop of green, green grass. We will very much miss our walks through this living panoply down to the "duck pond" and Bournville Park, or any number of other places. And yes, we'll even miss the rain--that light drizzle that is hardly noticeable until you suddenly realize that you are somehow rather wet.

The kids will return with their own special memories of England. First among their favourite places is certainly Legoland. They loved every bit of it, and it will always be magical in their minds. Jostling for second and third spots would probably be Cadbury World and Warwick Castle, with Warwick being a special family favourite. But it's not as if the children have been unwilling sight-seers on our more historical and cultural experiences. We were constantly amazed at the way they walked endlessly to look at a bunch of old stuff or listen to a bunch of old music, with hardly ever a complaint and almost always a genuine interest and excitement.

As great as these things are, however, the best aspect of our time in England has been the bond we've experienced as a family. A big reason for this has been the reality of moving to a foreign country and being forced to live as a five (now six!)-member family in a two-bedroom flat. Another basic reason has been my schedule: always working on my research and writing, but without the pressures of incessant and innumerable deadlines. We have had an unusual opportunity to spend quantity and quality time together, without an overabundance of external pressures. We've lived, laughed, and loved together for nine months in a way we've never done before, and likely never will again.

It has always been a dream to come to England. We've now lived that dream, dreamed it into living reality, and it will always retain that special, ethereal, too-good-to-be-real, dream-like quality for us. As we now wake up back in our life in Canada, the dream will remain, inscribed on our hearts and minds for the rest of our lives.