This is the final installment of a 5 part blog series. To start from the beginning click here. To read part 4, click here.
One year ago today I woke up in Scotland; in the room my friends had so graciously let me stay in the last month or so of my time there. The morning was rushed, and while I wish I had had more time to say proper goodbyes, the rush helped me focus on catching flights instead of who and what I was leaving. However, the weather was appropriately stormy. I still look back on that day and get teary eyed.
Like I said, I woke up in Aberdeen, Scotland, but I went to bed that night in Sacramento, California - after touching down and wandering through airports in London, England; Calgary, Canada; and San Francisco, California. Despite all I had seen and done and all the places I had gone in the weeks before - not to mention the year before; I was neither prepared for nor really thinking about the next year. That day I was still trying to process the past year. So much of me wishes I had taken the time to blog or at least journal about it in retrospect; as I have this year.
I wanted to be more profound in this 1-year post but despite looking back at the intervening year in the previous four posts, I have little to say - in a conclusion-ary manner, about it. It has been fantastic and hard; with moments of pain and joy. There are many more things that have been happening in my life this year, that I need to write about at some point, but it'll have to wait.
I think there are only two things I can and want to say to round out this (my first blog) series.
The first, has a couple parts. Part one: whether we're spending a year in a foreign country or a year at home, a lot happens in that 365 day trip around the sun. And therefore, at least for me, (part two) reflection is vital, and spending time to learn from the joys and trials that have come our way and celebrating them or mourning them is something I want to make a point to keep doing; although probably not in epic 5-part blog serials. I'm so glad I was able to take this time to look back on this year; thanks for looking at with me. I'm also glad that I was in a place where I was able to see how the puzzle pieces of the past year start to fit together.
The second, is something I've already said: that God's plans for our lives, when we let Him lead us, can be so much better than anything we can conceive. And my prayer is that I continue to lean into that in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.
Showing posts with label Aberdeen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aberdeen. Show all posts
25 September 2013
03 August 2011
Wow!
Hello Dear Readers,
If you've been here from the beginning of this grad school process, then you'll know the story I'm about to tell - in which case, just hang on for a bit, the latest news/announcement is coming shortly!
Back in November/December of 2009 I noticed that one of the ads on my facebook account was telling me to go study in Scotland. Thinking that it was for some undergraduate study-abroad program, I ignored it.
When, about a month later, it changed it's tune and started to advertise getting one's Masters in a year in Scotland, it regained my attentions. I don't think I'd ever followed an ad from facebook before, but I couldn't help it. It took me to this website for the Saltire Scholarship. I started looking at the different schools and programmes which worked with this scholarship, and after quite an interesting search found the one that captured my imagination: the Taught MLitt in the Novel from the University of Aberdeen. To make a long story short, I applied, was accepted, postponed my enrollment, spent a year trying to save, raise funds, and apply to scholarships - this one included. And today, after a couple months of waiting, I got this:
If you've been here from the beginning of this grad school process, then you'll know the story I'm about to tell - in which case, just hang on for a bit, the latest news/announcement is coming shortly!
Back in November/December of 2009 I noticed that one of the ads on my facebook account was telling me to go study in Scotland. Thinking that it was for some undergraduate study-abroad program, I ignored it.
When, about a month later, it changed it's tune and started to advertise getting one's Masters in a year in Scotland, it regained my attentions. I don't think I'd ever followed an ad from facebook before, but I couldn't help it. It took me to this website for the Saltire Scholarship. I started looking at the different schools and programmes which worked with this scholarship, and after quite an interesting search found the one that captured my imagination: the Taught MLitt in the Novel from the University of Aberdeen. To make a long story short, I applied, was accepted, postponed my enrollment, spent a year trying to save, raise funds, and apply to scholarships - this one included. And today, after a couple months of waiting, I got this:
Thank you all for your prayers about this and the many other scholarships! I'm so blessed to have you all praying for me and my journey in this way. And tonight I intend to celebrate by doing what I've been doing on Wednesday nights this Summer - going to Downtown Disney to go swing dancing!
allons-y!
27 July 2011
I feel like I just got the Golden Ticket!
I have, in my little hand, my Entry Clearance for the UK! Yay! a Visa! It's a moment that feels a little like: they like me, they really like me! or something to that extent!
To keep me grounded and focused, however, it's come in this week where there's been too much else to think about. Why does life have to do that? Why does it always seem to come at you at once? Fortunately this week has had both ups and downs, and so even it it's not stable, it's evening itself out.
To keep me grounded and focused, however, it's come in this week where there's been too much else to think about. Why does life have to do that? Why does it always seem to come at you at once? Fortunately this week has had both ups and downs, and so even it it's not stable, it's evening itself out.
22 July 2011
we're all mad here!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! (sorry for the yelling, but I just had to get that out)
I'm going insane over here right now. I know that it can take up to 12 weeks for a Visa application to be processed and a decision returned, but I really really really want to know if mine has made it any further in the process than "being opened".
I got an email from the British Consulate in New York that said:
Dear Applicant,
The package containing your UK visa application has been opened and your supporting documents organized in preparation for consideration by an Entry Clearance Officer.
Please note UKBA customer service standards for all applications are: to complete 90% of visa applications (except settlement categories) in not more than three weeks, 98%in six weeks and 100% in 12 weeks.
To view the current processing times for visa applications submitted to the British Consulate General in New York, please click the following link:
http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/
You will receive further e-mails advising you of -
1. When your application reaches the next stage of the process; review by an Entry Clearance Officer, and
2. The outcome of your application. This e-mail will also provide you with details of your return package.
We regret we are unable to respond to status enquiries. Further information on our services is available at www.visainfoservices.com
Sincerely,
UK Border Agency, New York
Since that email last week, I haven't heard another thing from them. I sent in my application 2 weeks ago. I figured that this week I'd at least have heard that it was being reviewed by now. Of course my state of mind isn't being helped by the fact that someone else I know has already had her visa approved and she sent hers in later than I sent mine. It's sort of freaking me out. I really want to know whether or not the UK is going to let me in!
Ok, well, rant over, for now. I just had to get that out there. I even woke up in the middle of the night last night after a dream that I'd gotten an email from them -and then I couldn't go back to sleep because my mind just kept racing. Well, happy Friday!
I'm going insane over here right now. I know that it can take up to 12 weeks for a Visa application to be processed and a decision returned, but I really really really want to know if mine has made it any further in the process than "being opened".
I got an email from the British Consulate in New York that said:
Dear Applicant,
The package containing your UK visa application has been opened and your supporting documents organized in preparation for consideration by an Entry Clearance Officer.
Please note UKBA customer service standards for all applications are: to complete 90% of visa applications (except settlement categories) in not more than three weeks, 98%in six weeks and 100% in 12 weeks.
To view the current processing times for visa applications submitted to the British Consulate General in New York, please click the following link:
http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/
You will receive further e-mails advising you of -
1. When your application reaches the next stage of the process; review by an Entry Clearance Officer, and
2. The outcome of your application. This e-mail will also provide you with details of your return package.
We regret we are unable to respond to status enquiries. Further information on our services is available at www.visainfoservices.com
Sincerely,
UK Border Agency, New York
Since that email last week, I haven't heard another thing from them. I sent in my application 2 weeks ago. I figured that this week I'd at least have heard that it was being reviewed by now. Of course my state of mind isn't being helped by the fact that someone else I know has already had her visa approved and she sent hers in later than I sent mine. It's sort of freaking me out. I really want to know whether or not the UK is going to let me in!
Ok, well, rant over, for now. I just had to get that out there. I even woke up in the middle of the night last night after a dream that I'd gotten an email from them -and then I couldn't go back to sleep because my mind just kept racing. Well, happy Friday!
12 July 2011
books books books
Well, today I purchased my first two grad school books! Both are for one of my compulsory courses. And for the first time since high school I once again have summer homework.
Since it was requested, here's a list of the books I know for sure that I'll be reading:
1st half-session:
for Theory of the Novel (1st of 3 compulsory courses) I'll be reading:
2nd half-session:
for Investigating Literature (2nd of 3 compulsory courses) - there are no set texts, however the short essays and articles will be handed out week by week.
for Romanticism and Genre (2nd of 2 elective courses) I'll be reading:
Since it was requested, here's a list of the books I know for sure that I'll be reading:
1st half-session:
for Theory of the Novel (1st of 3 compulsory courses) I'll be reading:
- Dorothy J. Hale, ed., The Novel: An Anthology of Criticism and Theory 1900-2000 (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006)
- Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991)
- Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own (London: Vintage, 2006)
- and a large amount of supplemental articles from an extensive list of suggested titles.
2nd half-session:
for Investigating Literature (2nd of 3 compulsory courses) - there are no set texts, however the short essays and articles will be handed out week by week.
for Romanticism and Genre (2nd of 2 elective courses) I'll be reading:
- Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey
- Lord Byron, Don Juan
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, ‘Kubla Khan’, ‘The Ancient Mariner’, Biographia Literaria
- William Hazlitt, ‘My First Acquaintance with Poets’ and other essays
- Charles Lamb, ‘Imperfect Sympathies’ and other essays
- John Keats, the two versions of Hyperion and other poems
- Thomas Love Peacock, The Four Ages of Poetry
- Thomas Percy, Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (extracts)
- Ann Radcliffe, A Sicilian Romance
- Friedrich Schiller, On Naïve and Sentimental Poetry
- August Wilhelm Schelgel, Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature (extracts)
- Friedrich Schlegel, Dialogue on Poetry (extracts)
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, Prometheus Unbound
- William Wordsworth, ‘Tintern Abbey’, The Prelude (1805)
05 July 2011
Speaking of which
As of Saturday, the 2nd of July, 2011, I received, by email, a list of courses and books! Three of the courses are compulsory, the others the options from which I am to choose two. Although a couple of the courses The Novel has offered in the past won't be offered this year, I'm having a hard time selecting between the ones that are available to me! My literary heart beats faster at these lists of books and authors! I can't wait! In fact, I don't intend to wait, as it seems that some of these things should be read sooner rather than later! Well, all that said, the next step is to go get my visa picture taken and send in all of that visa paperwork. It's getting so near, so close....
21 June 2011
Accommodation!
Today I received some more exciting news from Aberdeen! I have a place to live! This year they started a new discount scheme for International Student housing that provided places in a particular group of residence halls at a significant discount! So, when I could I applied for that. I'm not sure who my flatmates will be, and I'm not sure if Aberdeen will supply that information or if I'll just have to wait and see. If you could be praying for whomever they may be, that would be wonderful! The residence hall I'll be in is named Hector Boece after the first president of King's College in Aberdeen (one of the schools that would become University of Aberdeen).
After receiving this today there's very little left that I need to procure in order to start making my application for a student visa! It's crazy how quickly things seem to be moving despite what has felt like endless waiting before this point. It's becoming more real and more exciting every day!
allons-y!
After receiving this today there's very little left that I need to procure in order to start making my application for a student visa! It's crazy how quickly things seem to be moving despite what has felt like endless waiting before this point. It's becoming more real and more exciting every day!
allons-y!
01 September 2010
upate time!
Dear Friends and Family,
I hope this little update letter finds you all doing well. I just wanted to let you know what's going on in my life. As you may know, back in February I applied to the MLitt. Programme in the Novel at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Although there was a good bit of waiting, I found out in April that I was accepted! Of course, at that point, I knew that didn't necessarily mean I'd be going this Fall, simply because, well, school - especially internationally - is expensive. In the meantime, I searched out as many of the various scholarships and other funding sources that were still available to me, and I used some of my own means - from recycling to hosting several murder mystery parties for the cause - to try to raise some of the money. And, praise God, I did raise a good amount of money, unfortunately, as I drew closer to the end of the Summer, it looked like it would only barely scratch the surface, leaving a significant amount that would have to be covered by student loans.
I spent the month of July in prayer about whether I should go; taking on nearly double my school debt and whether that would be the wisest way to steward God's resources. After seeking God, and asking many of you to join me in doing so, I also sought counsel from my parents and others in my life that I trust as wise advisors. In the end, as you may have been able to figure out, since you're getting this update, I contacted Aberdeen and requested to defer my enrollment date to next September and will be spending this year applying for scholarship after scholarship and continuing to seek God with this now-and-not-yet part of my life.
If you could keep me in your prayers for this year, I would greatly appreciate it! I've decided to see this year as a time to live and grow in the relationships God has brought me into here, but also with an eye towards what the next year will bring as I head to Scotland. Already, in the month of August, I've seen God show up in working on my heart as I have been dealing with the disappointment about not leaving for Scotland as soon as I would have hoped, as well as the ways in which He's blessed me with great friends and church family! Also, be praying about the scholarships as I go searching.
Thanks for all of your love and support from the beginning of this process and your continued prayer through these next stages!
grace and peace,
Janelle Hann
I hope this little update letter finds you all doing well. I just wanted to let you know what's going on in my life. As you may know, back in February I applied to the MLitt. Programme in the Novel at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Although there was a good bit of waiting, I found out in April that I was accepted! Of course, at that point, I knew that didn't necessarily mean I'd be going this Fall, simply because, well, school - especially internationally - is expensive. In the meantime, I searched out as many of the various scholarships and other funding sources that were still available to me, and I used some of my own means - from recycling to hosting several murder mystery parties for the cause - to try to raise some of the money. And, praise God, I did raise a good amount of money, unfortunately, as I drew closer to the end of the Summer, it looked like it would only barely scratch the surface, leaving a significant amount that would have to be covered by student loans.
I spent the month of July in prayer about whether I should go; taking on nearly double my school debt and whether that would be the wisest way to steward God's resources. After seeking God, and asking many of you to join me in doing so, I also sought counsel from my parents and others in my life that I trust as wise advisors. In the end, as you may have been able to figure out, since you're getting this update, I contacted Aberdeen and requested to defer my enrollment date to next September and will be spending this year applying for scholarship after scholarship and continuing to seek God with this now-and-not-yet part of my life.
If you could keep me in your prayers for this year, I would greatly appreciate it! I've decided to see this year as a time to live and grow in the relationships God has brought me into here, but also with an eye towards what the next year will bring as I head to Scotland. Already, in the month of August, I've seen God show up in working on my heart as I have been dealing with the disappointment about not leaving for Scotland as soon as I would have hoped, as well as the ways in which He's blessed me with great friends and church family! Also, be praying about the scholarships as I go searching.
Thanks for all of your love and support from the beginning of this process and your continued prayer through these next stages!
grace and peace,
Janelle Hann
26 July 2010
beginning again...
or at least that's what it feels like. It feels like I'm back at the beginning of this process of school. Knowing I have a year until I leave is a little sad, a significant relief, and altogether strange. When I'd set my mind on leaving in a month it's weird to think that it will be a month and a year. But I'm glad I'll have the time to save more/raise more/find more funding and get the other aspects together.
I'm sure it doesn't help the feeling of starting over that I'll still be moving into a new place in the new future. So it's beginning again in many ways. Which makes me think of the things that begin again all the time: days, grace,...what a cyclical life we have here on Earth.
allons-y!
I'm sure it doesn't help the feeling of starting over that I'll still be moving into a new place in the new future. So it's beginning again in many ways. Which makes me think of the things that begin again all the time: days, grace,...what a cyclical life we have here on Earth.
allons-y!
20 July 2010
news!
Hello Dear Friends (and/or random internet readers).
So, since the post I made about prayer requests, my life has been full of exciting new twists and turns. Everyday in July, my resolve to defer my start date for Aberdeen has become more firm. There have been different reassurances of that direction. I still am waiting to see if I hear about the scholarships, but it seems more likely that I'll be around here for another year. To explain: I've been weighing the possibility of taking on almost double the school debt I have currently in order to pay for the year in Aberdeen or, taking the opportunity to defer my start date (which I'm allowed to do once, before having to re-apply) and spend the interim year saving like crazy, maybe picking up another job or just working even harder at my mary kay and murder mystery businesses in order to not have to rely only on student loans.
With that being said, the other part of what's been going on is that my current apartment is being blown to the four corners. As I was going to be leaving for school and one of the other gals is going to be leaving for the Middle East in the near future, we were all making plans for leaving this place around August. Well, a good number of the plans changed (like mine and my immediate room-roommate's) but not everyone's did, so we gave our 30-days on July 8th, and we've all been hustling to find new places. It's sad to see this apartment split. It's been fun living with these girls! I'm fortunate enough to be able to keep living with my flattie (the room-roommate) and to be adding another friend from church/biola, but the process for finding a place, and now, for trying to find a 4th person has certainly been interesting. Please pray for us as we try to get everything sorted. Thanks!
allons-y!
So, since the post I made about prayer requests, my life has been full of exciting new twists and turns. Everyday in July, my resolve to defer my start date for Aberdeen has become more firm. There have been different reassurances of that direction. I still am waiting to see if I hear about the scholarships, but it seems more likely that I'll be around here for another year. To explain: I've been weighing the possibility of taking on almost double the school debt I have currently in order to pay for the year in Aberdeen or, taking the opportunity to defer my start date (which I'm allowed to do once, before having to re-apply) and spend the interim year saving like crazy, maybe picking up another job or just working even harder at my mary kay and murder mystery businesses in order to not have to rely only on student loans.
With that being said, the other part of what's been going on is that my current apartment is being blown to the four corners. As I was going to be leaving for school and one of the other gals is going to be leaving for the Middle East in the near future, we were all making plans for leaving this place around August. Well, a good number of the plans changed (like mine and my immediate room-roommate's) but not everyone's did, so we gave our 30-days on July 8th, and we've all been hustling to find new places. It's sad to see this apartment split. It's been fun living with these girls! I'm fortunate enough to be able to keep living with my flattie (the room-roommate) and to be adding another friend from church/biola, but the process for finding a place, and now, for trying to find a 4th person has certainly been interesting. Please pray for us as we try to get everything sorted. Thanks!
allons-y!
29 June 2010
prayer requests
*post updated 6/30/10
as June ends, I want to ask for lots of prayer, that sounds a little selfish, but I believe that prayer is hugely important. Mostly, for the month of July, pray for me to a. have clarity b. wisdom, and c. feel palpably God's guidance. Thank you, so very much.
time to pack
time with friends
finances for school
transitioning well
travel
friends-yet-to-be-made
church family here
potential church family there
family
focus
time management
living situations
processing
and processes
and being processed
as June ends, I want to ask for lots of prayer, that sounds a little selfish, but I believe that prayer is hugely important. Mostly, for the month of July, pray for me to a. have clarity b. wisdom, and c. feel palpably God's guidance. Thank you, so very much.
time to pack
time with friends
finances for school
transitioning well
travel
friends-yet-to-be-made
church family here
potential church family there
family
focus
time management
living situations
processing
and processes
and being processed
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