oxford.

Last week, as a part of our first course, our class went on an overnight trip to Oxford to visit the Sobell House Hospice and the Clinical Exercise and Rehabilitation (CLEAR) unit at Oxford Brookes University to witness how various professionals worked together on their care teams and learn about their application of interprofessional collaborative practice.

Graduation Hall at Oxford University

I really liked the hospice. I wasn't sure what to expect, but their facility really promoted community and living, rather than focusing on the death part of end-of-life care. The building itself was in a circular donut shape, with an outdoor garden in the middle and each of the patient rooms has access to the inner garden, promoting a relaxing and comfortable living environment for in-patients. One of the patients called the hospice a place to live, not to die. This statement really resonated with me. It tugged at my heart, as my preconception of a hospice was to facilitate comfortable end-of-life care, and preparation for death.

The next day, we visited the CLEAR Unit at Oxford Brookes University. I was the most intrigued by the experience of the service user - he identified himself as a service user, and not a patient. He mentioned that he was in hospital for a few years, and was wheelchair bound for 5 years. At that point, he was told that he would never walk again. However, when he came to the CLEAR unit, he was asked to identify his goals and was told that they would work toward it together. Our group asked him to demonstrate his walk, and it was very impressive to see the progress that he had made. Though his walk was not perfect, it was very functional and he could walk in a straight path, getting from point A to point B. Overall, I was very impressed.

On the less school side of things, I also really enjoyed having the chance to walk around the Ashmolean museum. There were lots of old artifacts or replications that explored many different ancient civilizations and world religions. I do not know much about either, and I would definitely be interested in learning so much more!! Mostly, I was reminded of something my dad pointed out last time he was in the UK - these museums clearly depict the power dynamics of British rule and imperialism. It is both exciting to see all these cool things in one place, and it is also such a tragedy that cultures have lost them to the British.

Ashmolean Museum

We also went on a walking tour of Oxford which was lots of fun. I love walking, and I love Oxford!! It was always my dream to go there. When I didn't get my Hogwarts letter, I was convinced I'd go to Oxford instead. It's almost the same. Both the architecture and the history of the place was super interesting. I love that they keep so much tradition and still have oral exams and write exams in fancy robes. Sometimes it is the little things that count!

This hall was used as the Hospital Wing among other things in the filming of Harry Potter

I was also eagerly anticipating finally having some british pub food. We finally got a chance to do that in Oxford. We went to a place called the Three Goats Head Pub. The bartender there was really friendly and helpful. What a fun guy. He had to help me count my money.. tourist problems!! I had mushroom and chicken pie and a pint of cider (which I did not finish). I should really know better and order smaller drinks, haha! But both the food and the drink were delicious!! I'm just the slowest drinker of life.. don't worry about me. I also discovered that I really like Pimms though. It reminds me of sangria, which I love.

My pub food!

Anyway, we weren't in Oxford for long, but it was a fun trip. I would love to go back and explore some more Harry Potter sites, but other than that it was just a lovely university town that would be so charming to live in. I still wish I went to school there!! Oh well, in another life. Jks. I love my school.

Oxford

interdisciplinary studies in global health and disability, aka ISGHD #longestacronymever

On Sunday evening, our program started off with two great guest speakers - Steve Brown, a british paralympian (he plays wheelchair rugby..!), and Maddy O’Shaughnessy-Hunter, who graduated from Queen's with a degree in Health Studies and now works for the British Paralympian Association. They talked a bit about their lives and their stories. It was definitely a fun way to start off our program with a BANG.

In Maddy's talk, I think the thing that stuck with me the most was the Paralympic games' aim to change perceptions about disabilities. They hoped to inspire people to look at the individuals as athletes, and their sports as real sports.. Not disabled people playing for pity. Steve had a chance to share about his experience, from before his injury to where he is now. He was very honest and open about telling us about his ups and downs and in the different views he had of himself as a person with a disability. The take-home phrase that stuck out was the importance of using what you have and not fretting over what you don't have. In his case, using the 1/3 of his body that he can use and not crying over the 2/3 of this body that he cannot use.

Overall, it was highly emotional and I was not ready to be so inspired or to cry at the first presentation of the program!! Afterwards, I had a chance to talk to Maddy a little, but Steve was always really busy talking to other people. He is really charismatic! I am super inspired to look into paralympic sports and watch videos about athlete stories and watch their sports too! And this is coming from someone who doesn't watch sports, really. I also hope I can take the lessons I got from each speaker and apply them to other things too.

This week in class we started our first course, Interprofessional Collaborative Education and Practice. Because of the way our program is structured, we only do one course at a time and so I am actually halfway through my first course! It's gone by soo fast. But it's been a really interesting perspective so far. We talk a lot about practical and theoretical aspects of teamwork, communication and patient-centred care.

Our second speaker, Elizabeth Hawkins from CAIPE, came to talk to us about what the Centre For The Advancement Of Interprofessional Education (CAIPE) does. CAIPE is the UK centre for interprofessional education and a leader in its area, so it was really cool to have Elizabeth come in and talk to us! It definitely aligned really well with the material we've been learning and she was really interested to hear our input and feedback too. It was a very comfortable and collaborative speaker presentation!

As a part of this course, we are going to Oxford this weekend to visit a hospice, a clinical exercise and rehabilitation unit at Oxford to see how they operate in interprofessional teams there, and we will also get a chance to explore the city. It'll be super cool to integrate this trip into the course! It hasn't really hit me that travelling is actually part of the learning experience here!

nearby sights.

On Sunday, our third (and last) day of orientation, we got to visit a few nearby sites. First we went to Pevensey Castle. As cool as it was, there was only so much to see. There was a lot of history but I don't really remember any of it (haha, oops) except that it got sieged multiple times and is now in ruins. Yep. Not a history kid.

 
Pevensey Castle (and my amazing photography skills.. not)

Then we went to Eastbourne which was quite cute. Beautiful, really. My roommate, Sarah, and I walked down the boardwalk and checked out the various international stalls (so cute) that were set up there. It was a little market type thing where vendors were selling international foods, clothing, and other various trinkets. I know I am travelling on a budget so I didn't indulge, but I kind of wish I did. But I'm okay with that cause we stopped in the cuuutest little cafe called Neate's and had lattes and scones. Well, actually Sarah got scones and I just nibbled some of it (thanks Sarah!). They were delicious!!!

Lattes and scones at Neate's!


Beautiful boardwalk and coast view from Eastbourne pier

On our way to Brighton we drove by Beachy Head which is a cliff that goes straight down. It is something like the 3rd most popular suicide location in the UK? I didn't write down the number, but it was hiigh. Three jumpers a week..!! But the cliff itself looked pretty cool. Also, the quidditch games in Harry Potter were supposedly filmed nearby. Not really sure where, but that's what we were told, haha! We also drove through Cuckmere where there was a really cool looking kayaking park. Seriously, so cool!

You can kayak in Cuckmere Haven! Looks the best!

When we got to Brighton, my group split up a big and we did very practical tasks such as buy sim cards (I have a UK number and can text now!) and others bought shampoo and whatnot. It was a cute city too, but I feel like we didn't have enough time to really shop (long lines, trying on clothes, etc) so we just wandered a little. My pictures of Brighton are super random and not really reflective of the city.. oh well.

 
Shirts in the clock tower, not sure why? And a photo taken walking down the street (raaandom!)

When we got back, our program officially started with two guest speakers and a welcoming ceremony where we got to mingle with staff and students in the other programs as well. But more on that later! I am excited to do more travelling.. we are already going on our first field study to Oxford this coming weekend! More on that after we go, haha.

safe and sound.

Hello from the UK! It has been such a whirlwind of an experience since I got here. It has been a little overwhelming, but soo amazing. Since arriving, we have had residence orientation, castle tours, garden tours, academic presentations, etc etc etc. All the necessary, sometimes awesome (mostly still awesome) information thrown at us! But through it all it's still so so so amazing being here in the English countryside. I love it. It's absolutely gorgeous!

Herstmonceux Castle!!!

When we arrived, the weather definitely cooperated and we got to see the castle grounds in beautiful and warm sunny weather. Today was more like the typical misty UK weather I expected.. Hopefully it'll warm up again, though!

I've also met a lot of people here who are quite lovely! My program is really small and there are only 15 of us. We haven't actually started yet, but I'm already super excited to start learning too. Everyone seems to be super involved back at home and I'm sure we will all bring different perspectives to the classroom.

Shakespeare Garden

Of all the tours, I think the residence building is the most overwhelming. I am super lost, do not remember many of the keycodes to various rooms, and am not sure I will ever be able to find the laundry room (PS laundry costs £3.. whaat!?). The castle is way easier to navigate as it is essentially a box around a courtyard (so beautiful!!) and the gardens behind the castle are by far my favourite part. If (and when) the weather gets nicer (and I'm convinced that it will), I anticipate spending a lot of time out there. The grounds are huuge!

Roomies!

But I think the most exciting part has been finding a Christian community already. Big answer to prayer, for suure. My roommate, Sarah, is a Christian and is in my program here at the castle too (what whaaaat!!), and two other girls on my floor are also Christian. We're hoping to explore the local church together and start up a bible study in res too. Everyone is totally welcome and we might even order pizza.. just cause food is great, obvi.

God has been so good, and I can't believe I was worried or doubted that he would provide a community at all. My continued prayer request is to trust God in all the situations, experiences and opportunities that we are given here on this campus and in this country.

Adventure times, here we come!

bon voyage!

I fly out today, and will be at the Castle by tomorrow!!! It's all happening so soon!

As I write this post, I am still packing my bags.. Don't judge, I actually hate packing. However, I love planning my packing!! Remember this post on weekend trip packing tips from last summer? My packing strategies are not much different for my 2 month trip, except with some particular changes.

Bags: 30L backpack, large suitcase, large lulu bag/purse and small crossbody purse. You have no idea how much deliberation went into this decision!! After my program ends, I will travel out of only the backpack and store the suitcase to pick up later. It needed to be a bag big enough to carry 2 weeks worth of belongings, but small enough that I can handle it. It looks reasonable, but I will let you know how it goes! However, to fly out I am packing clothes into the backpack, and packing the backpack into the suitcase so I still only have 2 bags to handle (suitcase + purse). It is much less of a hassle to deal with less bags, and it also gives me an entire backpack of space to buy clothes/food/souvenirs to bring back from my travels!

Money: I feel awkward publishing how much cash I will be carrying so if you are actually curious you can ask me, but otherwise... I will be carrying cash, duh. I also got my credit card limit increased for just-in-case purposes, and also called VISA to let them know that I will be travelling so they don't freeze my card if I start spending in Europe all of a sudden!!

Clothing: As a general rule I do like to pack in the same colour family, but I also had to expand that colour scheme because I also tried to pack in non-cotton clothing as much as I could! Generally packing in the same colour schemes (and neutrals) reduces the amount of clothing cause you can mix and match more clothing. But because I will be backpacking/sweating/who knows how clean I will be... I also wanted to pack sweat-friendly non-cotton clothing. I packed my non-cotton socks, non-cotton bras, non-cotton underwear, non-cotton shirts and non-cotton shorts. Good to go! Cotton is not your friend!

Shoes: I'm bringing running shoes, keds, flats and flip flops. I opted to not bring rainboots because I can't wear them all the time and pretty much everyone I talked to told me they are a waste of space. My rain shoes will be my flip flops then, I guess. Not the most comfortable footwear but I definitely need them as shower shoes too. What shoes I bring backpacking is still up in the air. I don't think I will bring both runners and keds, and I won't bring my flats. But I'm not sure what I will do as of yet.

Important documents: passport, driver's licence, health card, travel health insurance, bank card, VISA, letter of attendance (to show that I am going to the UK to study). Photocopies in my bag, photocopies to my mother, and originals in my purse. That should do it.

Necessities: Bible, notebook, pens, water bottle, converter and adapter, tylenol, phone, laptop, flashlight.. I tried hard to pare down the items I'm bringing but it's so hard! I decided that these were the necessities.

And a few prayer requests before I go (thanks!!):
1. For community: to find like minded Christ followers, to find a church, and to trust that God will never leave me or forsake me- He is a God beyond all borders!
2. For ministry: to use the opportunities that I will have to share Christ's name, and the gospel / to disciple others while away!

I'm super excited, super nervous, but totally psyched to go! I will continue to post here to keep you updated. I cannot wait to embark on this adventure!

castle!

I'm going to study at a castle in the UK for 6 weeks this summer!!!!

Herstmonceux Castle

I can't wait!! I'm participating in a summer field program called Interdisciplinary Studies in Global Health and Disability (such a long name!) and taking 3 courses while I'm there: Interprofessional Collaborative Education; Disability Studies: Issues, Research, and Policy; and Global Perspectives in Community Based Rehabilitation. We will also be taking field trips to various places including Oxford, London and Geneva (to visit the World Health Organization!). And on top of that we are given local volunteering opportunities as well. I have no idea what I might be doing, but I could not say no. When would you ever get an experience like that elsewhere? I love volunteering, and would love to see how the material I am learning in class can apply in the real world. That is my favourite part about being a health student, after all.

I will also be travelling for a few weeks after my school term. I don't know too much about what I will be doing when I am away, but will keep you all posted as to what I will be up to! I can't wait to share my adventures with you!

As for now, I will be busy this week figuring out what to pack/how to pack/exchanging money/and all the other preparations for the trip! If you have any tips on packing for overseas travel/backpacking/hostels/food/europe in general/sights to see/good footwear/clothing choices/ANYTHING at all, I would love to hear it!

end-of-the-year cards + gifts!

True to my style, the cards I have been making as of lately are simple. I have really enjoyed finding myself in cardmaking. In reverse chronological order, here are some cards I have made lately for various end-of-the-year purposes!

To the best co-CGL, ever.

To the best housemates, whom I will miss greatly!

To the craziest but loveliest DG girls, whom I love dearly!

 

Grad notebooks filled with notes and pictures to the grads in our CG - you are loved!

I don't seem to have a picture of the final product.. but here are the grad dinner invites before they were cut up! Rachel and I made these together and it was my first experience with invite/type design on the computer.. so much fun!

A generic birthday card that I gave to Angie for her 21st birthday! A simple design that I am sure I will reprise sometime.

what a journey!

I took a break from blogging because I got busy, and found blogging to be a burden. I did not find joy in blogging and could not remember why I was blogging anymore. I'll be honest, the past few months have been an absolute journey for me in the greatest way.

I took a break to invest in the relationships in my life, and I am glad I did! With that being said, I now remember why I started blogging in the first place. Not to be cute and share fun crafts (although that is obviously a big part of it!) but to keep up with the few readers who do join me here, and invest in my relationships with you guys too!!

I have a very relationship-centric approach to life. I have learned in the past few months just how important relationships are to me (with God, with family, with friends, ...), and it has become obvious that I thrive off them! I was not meant to be alone, but to live in a community. Will you join me?

I will be posting a few update posts in the coming week.. big things are happening! Get excited! (I am!)

photos: cards

I love paper, and all things paper-related. Well, maybe not paper cuts, but I digress.

I love greeting cards and love to make them! But usually I am too lazy, or busy. My cards are not anything amazing (I have some friends who are amazing card makers.. I aspire to be them!!), but I love doing it, and hopefully my handmade cards will be something beautiful one day. Until then, here is a snapshot of some of the cards I have made in the last few months!

Jenna's birthday was way back in December, and this was the first card I had made in a long time that uses different materials/layers and isn't just drawn on (like the one below). As simple as it is, I thought it was SO BEAUTIFUL when I made it, haha.


My pastor and his wife celebrated their 25th anniversary around Christmastime, so our congregation got together to give them a Christmaversary present and card! This was the card, and the inside read: "Wishing you the best on your/the 25th" because it was their 25th anniversary, and Christmas is on the 25th!! So funny, right? It was all Jocelyn. I can take no credit.


Now, this card I had am amazing idea for it way back when and got really excited but had to hold tight because I know that Rosemarie reads my blog.. eep. I was so hyped up about the card itself, I had no idea what to write on/in it. So I'm not a big fan of how I wrote "Happy 20th Birthday Rosemarie" on the front, but oh well. (Oh, and she's a mountain climber, hence the mountain)


My housemate, Angela's birthday was recently too! I really really like how the individual lettering turned out. It looks fab, but cutting out the tiny letters took waaay longer than any of my other cards. But hard work always pays off, right?

That's it for the time being! If I make any other cool cards, I'll be sure to share them too.

internet famous... kind of.

GUYS, I'M FAMOUS!!!

Okay, not really. But wedding photographer extraordinaire Joee Wong finally posted about my cousin's wedding, and I'm in the post!!!!

Please check out the post if you want to see his amazing shots of the wedding, and a VERY HAPPY me!! He's an amazing dude, and I'm glad I got to meet him. I would highly recommend him if you're looking for a wedding photographer (cause I know soooo many of you reading this blog are, hah < /sarcasm >). But in all seriousness, I value his style, his relationship-centric business model, and overall awesomeness.

SMILES ALL AROUND :D