What do they mean??

As Americans, we speak English, don't we?  And in England, they speak English.  Same language, right?  But even as we have a common tongue, there are many differences as well.

Some of the differences are well known:
      We know that "fish and chips" means fish and French fries, right?
       And that a scone is what we call a biscuit.
       Their biscuits are what we call cookies.
       And potato chips are crisps.

Some usages are different, but understandable.
       They use the word "brilliant" quite regularly to mean great, wonderful, or cool.  I really like this one!  It seems like a brilliant one to bring back with us!
       If they tell you to look "smart," they mean well dressed or dressed up.
       If they want to tell you you are smart, they would say "clever," or quite clever.  (For us, clever has a more nuanced meaning, like tricky.)

When you get dressed for cold weather, you would want a "cardigan" (a sweater that buttons up the front) or a "jumper" (a pullover sweater).  And you would want warm trousers (not pants.  "Pants" here mean underwear.)  And if' it's wet, you would definitely want your "wellies" (Wellingtons or galoshes), not plimsoles (light weight tennis shoes).

If you are sick, you would need to go to the "surgery."  Surgery is a place, the doctor's office, not an operation.  While you are there, you could get a "flu jab" (a flu shot).  Or if you're really sick, you might need to go to the "A&E" (the emergency room)--A&E stands for accident and emergency.

On a nice day, it would be fun to go into the "garden" (the back yard).  "Yard" is a paved section.  And what we call a garden is a vegetable patch.  And sidewalk is called "pavement" here.

There is much to be "sorted".  We would say "sorted out."  Here sorted is a very handy word to mean to organize or put in order.  We sometimes have a "Bring and Share" (a covered dish dinner). And you might cook the dish you were going to take on the "hob" (the stove).  And if you are making a drink, you would put it in a "jug," not a pitcher.  And after you'd finished with the cooking you'd need to do the "washing up" (doing the dishes).  And the trash that's left should be put in the "bin" (trash can).  Then you could rest by spending time in the "lounge," which we call the living room.   And if you need to get things sorted, you would often put out a "rota" for people to sign up on.  We would call that a sign-up sheet.

And if you want to go downtown, you would go to the "Town Centre," or toward the "High Street" (not Main Street).   And usually you would go there to go to the "shops" (not the store).   And if you're driving to get there, you need to watch to know when to "give way" (yield) and when to "overtake" (pass), and be careful if you come to an area of "road works" (construction).  And it would be nice if you could drive on "dual carriageway" (divided highway).

And if you're ready for a break, you should plan a "holiday" (a vacation).  Or if you just need a smaller break, you might go to the "cinema" (the movie theater.)  Or if you're going to church, you might want to put your babies in the "creche" (the nursery).

Same language, but different.  Fortunately, most of the time we understand each other pretty well.


 

Christmas Wishes from us to you!

 It's Christmas time!!  And here are the signs of Christmas in our apartment!  And downtown:

It's helping us get into the Christmas spirit.  We're excited about the celebrations here, but also about the privilege of coming back to the states for two and a half weeks to see our kids and grandkids!!

It's hard to believe we've been in the UK for four and a half months!  What adventures we have had!!  As I was beginning to think about writing this, I was trying to even remember what had happened in the first seven months of the year.  It seems so long ago - - -

But a couple of milestones came to mind.  Buist was celebrated for 40 years on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary.

 He had reunion activities with his seminary graduation class--40 years.  And that same weekend, I was up at Wheaton with two of my roommates from many years ago, celebrating our 45th reunion.

In June I retired from my job as School Partnership Catalyst and founder/director of School Works.  I left that post in very capable hands to a lady that is carrying on that ministry for Irving Bible Church.  It was the end of my serving on staff at IBC for more than 22 years--as Children's Pastor and then in my more recent ministry.

Buist and I celebrated 45 years of marriage on June 14th.  And then in late June, our family all gathered together at a beautiful house on a lake in East Texas for a week.

It's always such a highlight to have our families all together and see the cousins interacting with each other and to see the relationship of aunts and uncles to all the kids--and of course, for us to have all our grandchildren together.

Our kids have had momentous years as well.  Joe and Jenny welcomed a sweet new baby girl Ellis in February.  She's a cutie!  And Joe has returned to teaching math at a middle school in Fort Worth, while taking graduate courses in Administration, while Jenny is working part time as a nurse anesthetist.

Ben and Emily are living in our house for this year and taking care of our dog.  Their kids are all doing well.  And Ben has started a new business Dependable Handyman DFW (http://www.dependablehandymandfw.com/) while Emily is working in a new job at Michaels.

Lydia and Kevin haven't had big changes this year.  Kevin has had two extended trips to China in his work as a mechanical engineer.  Lydia continues to homeschool, this year having two students as Caleb has started kindergarten.  And their youngest is absorbing lots in the process.

Martin and Shelly are doing well in Alabama.  They decided to try homeschooling this year, and Shelly is teaching all three of them at home.  They were able to do a trip to VA this fall--going to Jamestown and Williamsburg (as well as visiting family) as part of their home school curriculum.  This spring they are planning to visit us and take in much history while they are here.

Then in late July we packed up and headed on our way!

We started our time in the UK with a trip to northern Scotland as a celebration of our 45th anniversary.

We saw some amazing sights, and had a wonderful time seeing a part of the world that we had never gotten to see before.

Then on August 1st, we moved into our apartment for the year at Tyndale House, a wonderful evangelical study center and library.

Since then Buist has been working hard on writing the commentary on Revelation that he is under contract to write.  He spends his days at his study desk in the library working hard.

I've gotten involved with a Bible study/prayer group here at Tyndale House and with the International Women's Group at our church and with a One to One mentor relationship with a student at Cambridge University.  Those activities have given my week form and function, and I've also had a wonderful time getting to know the men and women from all over the world studying here at Tyndale House.

We've enjoyed getting to explore the city of Cambridge.

 We've taken a couple of smaller trips on weekends to see various sights around this area.

 And we've enjoyed our first set of company that came to stay with us.

So it is with full hearts that we look back over this year and think of the many, many ways that God has met us in our plans, and in our travels, and in the work we are doing here, and in the amazing people we have had the privilege to meet and interact with here at Tyndale House.

We'll look forward to hearing about your year.  And we hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
                                                      With love, Jan and Buist

The Roads of Britain

Some of the things that constantly remind you that you're not in America are the roads and the signs that go along with them.  Some are the same with different language.  For example, the yield sign is the same, but instead says "give way."

The other thing that England is famous for is roundabouts!  It is one of the key parts of their driving system.  There are huge roundabouts, but also some that are symbolic, with just a painted circle to remind you of what it is.

In a fairly flat city like Cambridge, there is a plethora of bikes.  There are probably as many bikes as cars, and they work pretty well together.  It also means there is a big need for bike parking places.

And at the Railroad station, they even have double decker bike parking!

 

When they want to slow traffic down, one of the ways is to make bottlenecks that narrow the road to one lane--with a hump.

But they have a system to help people to take turns going through.  They have signs letting people know which side has the primary right of way.

And if they really want to limit access, they have this nifty way of limiting roads to allow only buses and taxis to go through.  They have "rising bollards" which retract for the right kinds of vehicles, but absolutely keep others from sneaking through.

They also have zebra crossings, striped areas, where pedestrians have the right of way.

And we ran across this sign, which helps drivers be reminded a little more about needing to slow down for pedestrians.

The other complication is the placement of street signs.  Sometimes they are fairly clear like this one.

Other times they are high up on the side of a building.

It's always an adventure to find the street you're looking for!

And along the streets, you can see the classic British phone boxes and the round red mailboxes.

And some phone boxes have been ingeniously re-purposed, like this one that is now a defibrillator!

What fun to learn new ways of looking at life--and the roads that take you through it!!

 

Life at Tyndale House

We're spending this year in Cambridge, but our life is centered here at Tyndale House.  Here is a little insight into what our life is like here.

 

Tyndale House is about 70 years old (although the house itself is much older, built in the 1800's).  It is an evangelical study center in Cambridge that welcomes scholars from all over the world--giving them the opportunity to spend time here doing research and work in biblical studies.

One of the key things is the amazing library they have with a very extensive collection of books--with holdings in theology, biblical studies, biblical languages, etc.

Interspersed among the shelves and shelves of books are 61 study desks, which people can reserve and use for the time they are here.

 This is Buist's study desk.  He originally had the one below, but when the lady using the one above left, Buist was able to get upgraded to this one.  It is so nice and spacious and will be a great place for him to work.  He can leave his study materials there, and he is spending most of every day working there.

The other amazing thing about Tyndale House is the variety of people that study here.  Some come for a week, or a month, or a semester--or like us for a year.  And there is a group of people that are here for several years--working on PhD's.  They are the long termers!  We've met people from England, Scotland, France, the Netherlands, Hungary, Kenya, Australia, New Zealand, China, South Korea, the U.S., Canada, Zimbabwe, Lebanon, Germany, Greece, Czech Republic, Wales, Brazil, Singapore, and many other places.

The other unique thing about Tyndale House is that it is a community.  Every day there is a coffee break at 11:00 and a tea break at 4:00.  They ring a gong, and most everyone comes out, has a cup of something (and many times snacks as well) and visits with other scholars--with conversation ranging from deep academic topics, to what progress people are making, to weather, family, life, etc.

And on pretty days, the tea time flows out into the back garden.

We actually live here at Tyndale House.  Our apartment is on the very top floor.  The two sets of windows on the top left are our apartment--or flat!!

 And this is the view from our windows, looking out at the tree tops--and the back garden.  The two houses behind us also belong to Tyndale House and house families that are here for study--many PhD students and their families.  And there are a couple of houses beyond that that are also part of the Tyndale House community.

On Tuesdays, everyone gathers for a prayer time (or during term time for a chapel service).  This is a very meaningful time of people sharing needs and going to our Father together to commit those to Him.  It's impressive what a humble and grateful group it is!  Below is our meeting room after the meeting has broken up.

For a few Wednesday mornings before term begins, the wives of students and readers are doing some work for the library.  We're relabeling the books to make them more consistent.  See before and after below.

It's nice to do something that makes a difference long term--beyond the daily routines of things that have to be done over and over (like meals, dishes, housework, etc.).

We feel very privileged to have this year to be a part of this community--and to have this time away for Buist to be doing research and writing!

Cooking in another country!

It's always an adventure to cook in another country.  You have to find the ingredients you need and learn different names for various ingredients.  Baking soda is called Bicarbonate of Soda--sounding a little more serious than baking soda.
And baking powder comes in envelopes rather than the familiar round containers we're used to.  Each envelope contains about a teaspoon of baking powder.

And then there's the oven problem:

There are NO markings on the oven or grill knobs!!!  But we found this inside one of our cupboards:

A kind former tenant put these instructions to help us.  (The degrees are in centigrade.)  (And the grill doesn't work.)

Yesterday, we were having company for dinner, and I decided to bake my Hot Fudge Sundae Cake for dessert.  It's an interesting recipe where you mix the ingredients for the cake, then put brown sugar, cocoa, and hot water on top--and in the process of baking, the cake rises to the top and you end up with lovely pudding on the bottom--a family favorite.  350 degrees is 176 degrees centigrade, so I set the knob half way between the 150 and the 200 position.

Part way through the baking, I started smelling burning.  (We have a very sensitive smoke detector, so the first thing I did was to open the door and windows.)  Then I went to the oven to see it overflowing onto the bottom of the oven - - -  But it had cooked, and I took it out with grand hopes that all was OK.

The outside of the pan was caked with hard pudding, and when we cut into the cake, the pudding just had a hint of its potential.

As you can see, it still tasted good, and we're well on our way to eating it all up!  And topped with ice cream, it still had its own charm - - -  so not a total disaster - - -
So I'm back to the drawing board, and I'll try again next week (for our next set of company) and see if a lower temperature might make a difference.