Dear Friends and Family,
So much has happened since we last wrote to you all! We apologise for how long it has been since we were in contact with several of you. This is the third Criswell Clarion drafted in the 2 months, but we are determined that this one will actually make it into the “sent” folder.
Several of the highlights since we last wrote have included:
Brian is celebrating, as of June 1, his third month with Oxford Computer Consultants. The second round of interviews did lead to a full-time job a brief 20 minute commute from home. He is working in a team of four people on a project that has entailed immersing himself in computer code for a program that assists local governments with their subsidised programmes for various welfare needs. He seems to have an attraction to projects named in acronyms that begin with the letter S, as at World
Vision he worked on SIMMA and he is now working on SPOCC. To Rachel’s delight work on this project requires regular meetings with clients, so Brian is seen much more frequently in a suit. In out of office time, Brian is getting to know his co-workers through events like their monthly ethnic food night (April was Indian curry, May was Japanese sushi, and June will be Polish cuisine).
Rachel spent the majority of the month of April in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This was a course field trip that involved three weeks of travel around both Bosnia and Croatia, speaking with everyone from children, to local farmers, and government representatives. The goal of the trip was to gain a level of understanding of the post-war context in this nation and the role (for better or worse) of the international community in the current situation. It was an excellent trip, although slightly
exhausting. In many instances the “hosts” in the towns Rachel was visiting were students (between 16-20 years of age). This group was selected because they have been educated in English as a second language; while their parents learned German and their grandparents Russian (the geo-political reasons for this in itself are fascinating). Rachel and several of her classmates quickly discovered that they didn’t
have quite as much stamina as they used to. This was especially apparent one evening when the group was at their fourth hello/good-bye party in as many days with enthusiastic dancing high school students who were quite happy to stay up all night if they got the opportunity to do so.
Although we were not together for Easter because of Rachel’s travels, we did slip away for the weekend of our anniversary to Bruges, Belgium. For the first time we took the Eurostar train (often frequented by North American young people backpacking through Europe). It was a very enjoyable trip through the Chunnel (the Channel Tunnel), which ended in a lovely medieval city. Brian particularly enjoyed the fresh seafood in the local cuisine, while Rachel gained a healthy respect for the Belgian hospitality industry. (To be a hotel front desk clerk you must speak a
minimum of three languages, a lot different from Rachel’s days doing this job in Minnesota). We both enjoyed greatly the chance for long walks past windmills and ancient buildings and the opportunity for good conversation. (The preceding month had been extraordinary hectic for both of us).
May brought beautiful flowers to Oxford and an awakening of the city. Since it is getting warmer, people can finally enjoy meals outside in street cafes and it does not now get dark until after 9pm, so there is plenty of time for socializing with friends. May also brought a lot tour guiding for Rachel. She has picked up a summer job as a guide on one of the bus tours of the city. As a result, she can now point out
things on the left and right was facing backwards and would be very adept at the Oxford edition of Trivial Pursuit.
As we look towards summer Rachel faces the writing of her dissertation and a much quieter list of university events (she can normally be found in the afternoon now at one of the many coffee shops, or bakery’s in Oxford sipping a mocha and typing away). Brian is looking forward to a move to a new office building (with air conditioning!).
This spring has also brought many events for you, our friends and family. Probably two of the most exciting were the engagement of Brian and Rachel’s best friends (respectively) Tim Davis and Teresa Johnston and the addition to the extended family in the form of a baby girl born to Dan and Tanya, two of Rachel’s cousins in Vancouver, Canada. We know many other events have been going on with all of you and hope you might drop us a line to tell us about them in the coming weeks. Finally, congratulations to all of the teachers and students among you who are completing another year in these first weeks of June!
