Was it really only yesterday morning that I flew in to London? It feels like I've been here for weeks at least. I've met just scads of people, all with names I have to put to memory and I've never been good at that. I've been playing association games all day in my head. There's a funny older lady named Zena who has blond hair and is about the furthest thing from the warrior princes. Then there's Fozzy who is Greek and has a full mostly white beard that is most likely "fuzzy." There's more and almost all have such uniquely British names that I'm afraid I'll never get them all strait!
Yesterday the founder and president of the C. S. Lewis Foundation and The Kilns (the place I'm living; C. S. Lewis' old home) Coordinator (my boss) and I arrived at the Heathrow Airport. We had flown overnight from Massachusetts and I tried to sleep on the plane, but who ever accomplishes that with any great success is either deaf with major nerve damage or dead. I watched bits of movies, puttered around on my laptop, and moved around in my seat a lot with my eyes closed for long periods of time.
Customs, which I was quite nervous about passing since the last one in my position had been detained on a technicality for a whole year, went "swimmingly." The customs lady was all cheerfulness and sunshine. The drive to Oxford from England was a bit more tense! Driving on the left-hand side of the road is hard enough for a "Yanky," but our president's lack of sleep and habit of driving while talking on the phone and looking at directions, and all in a mini stick shift, was a bit harrowing at times. However, we all made it to Lewis Close (the road Lewis' house is on) in one piece.
I immediately walked through every room and looked through all the bookshelves. Hopefully I'll have enough time to go through them all! My room is the upstairs bedroom across the hall from Lewis' study and bedroom where the children that staid with him and his household during WWII lived, along with Mrs. Moore, her daughter Maureen, and his brother Warnie at different times throughout the years. I absolutely love my room! There's a large wardrobe just when you walk in and I have hung all my coats into it. I will make sure to press my hand through them every once in a while to see if my hand ever goes further than the back wall! There's also a wonderful three pained window with a desk underneath, and since it's on the second floor, I have a great view of green trees, mist, creepers, and little English cottages. If I can't find inspiration here, my imagination must be made of rock.
More to come, but it's two o'clock in the morning here and I've got a big day of training tomorrow, so I'll have to say goodnight.
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