Good day!
We’ve made it! We departed Louisville around 10:30AM on
Thursday, January 3rd and came rolling into London at 6AM-ish local
time. Our travels were smooth with no delays. The flight from Louisville to
Chicago was tight, so tight that I was lucky enough to sit straddling my “too
small for luggage but too big for a carry-on” backpack. After eating Manchu-wok
as my last meal in the states at the Chicago airport, we boarded the flight of
eternity to London which featured a 6 year old leaning his seat back against me
the whole time and 4 re-runs of “Pitch Perfect” in both English and French on a
screen the size of a playing card. With all of this said, we got from point A
to point B safely and in time, so it couldn’t have been much better.
In London we were met by 6-7 Harlaxton faculty that were way
too excited for 6AM. We boarded buses and went on our way. As we pulled into
the Grantham area, the top of the castle appeared. As we got closer and closer,
more and more of the building was revealed and subsequently I became more and
more in awe.
Over here, they call the castle a “house”, which is hardly
does it any justice whatsoever. As we drove up the driveway, under the arched
gates and into the cinematic front circle, I couldn’t do anything but smile.
This may have been caused by a few things. 1) Anticipation- I’ve known for 7
months that I would be traveling here, so when we pulled into the house’s lot
and I stepped on British soil for the first time, it was finally real.
2) Awe- the house is mind-blowing. Words hardly can describe
it. The area in which I’m staying was occupied by the Vikings and then also by
the Romans. The house itself has a history that could fill books (In fact it
has). The manor (another name for the castle) was built by a rich guy named Gregory
Gregory (not kidding). Gregory (am I referring to his first name or last name?
You’ll never know) was an interesting fellow. Other than the building of this
enormous castle, his trace can’t be found anywhere else in history. In fact, he
died shortly after the house was finished, but his gravesite has never been
found. Other owners include Gregory
Gregory’s family members, a philanthropist, and Jesuits. Additionally, the house and the land have been
used as a machine gun training center and an airfield base during the World Wars.
If you’re into this kinda stuff, for a much more professional and detailed
history, click here http://www2.harlaxton.ac.uk/harlaxton/briefj.htm.
I’m not super artsy, nor do I really care about architecture
whatsoever, but I have to admit that this castle is truly incredible and I can’t
begin to appreciate the impressiveness of it. There are tons of cool lions,
gargoyles, statues of super old people, shields, chandeliers, and anything else
you could ever imagine being at Hogwarts. Walking through the building is
overwhelming and I’ve gotten lost dozens of times due to its intricate design
and enormity. Don’t trust me? Google “Harlaxton manor” and watch your jaw drop.
Next, the food. I’ve eaten pretty well so far, with the only
thing out of the ordinary being a meat-like substance they loosely called “prime
rib” that tasted scarily identical to a slim jim.
Enough of that, though. I’ve enjoyed frolicking around this
place for a couple days now. The staff here is incredibly personal and down to
earth. If you ask them a question, they will walk with you wherever you need to
go and help you find the answer. It’s an environment I’ve never been exposed to
and never will get the chance again. I’m living in the same building as some of
my closest friends, all of my professors and their kids, and the principal of
the college. I eat with them, drink with them, and definitely get to be merry
with all of them.
I realize this is long, but it’s tough to explain this stuff
in a few words. I’ll close by saying this: I ask that you continue to pray for
me and anyone else here that you know. It’s an exciting time for growth but it
will only be healthy if Christ is in the center of it.
Until next time where I’ll have more information on classes,
other bad food that is supposed to be good but tastes like crappy American beef
jerky, and much much more!
Kyle
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