Evidence that I really am in York!

I thought it might be high time I tried to post some pictures.

 The Minster

 A lovely sign outside of a cafe

 The corner of the Minster and the front of St. Michael le Belfry's (baptism site of Guy Fawkes)

 Statue commemorating the crowning of Constantine in York

 Minster from the city walls

 Part of the Walls

 The abbey at Whitby (a bus ride of a couple of hours away)

 Whitby!

 Marie Antoinette's, home of beautiful cakes and homey sitting rooms

 Half of Whitby from the pier

 Captain Cook

 Back at York, the Minster at sunset

 Reflection of the Minster in the windows of Bennett's, a cafe

 A bicycle outside the public library

Some ruins outside the public library

It's been another busy couple of weeks here: turning in school work, getting tea with friends, preparing for events week with the Christian Union, and enjoying some lovely weather. It was definitively spring last week; I wore a dress and flip flops one day. More and more things are blooming all the time, and I think it's safe to say ice cream and milkshake sales throughout the city have been on the rise. Yesterday, I availed myself of the warmer temperatures and sunshine and went to the museum gardens to read. The fresh air refreshed and revitalized, and the only dubious aspect of the gardens was the swarms of pigeons. Today it turned cool, and the clouds and wind were back, but such is the nature of spring.
All has not been sunny and pleasant since I last wrote. I was shocked and greatly saddened to hear that Professor Jennifer Young died a week ago due to complications related to premature childbirth. She was my First Year Seminar teacher, and thus one of the first people to make me feel truly welcome in the Hope College community. I respected and admired her all the more as I got to know her through other classes and conversations. She was cool, and encouraging, a vibrant, passionate soul. Without her support and friendship, I might not have declared an English major. To say she affected my life in a positive way is a gross understatement. She is, and will continue to be, deeply missed. My deepest sympathies go out to her husband and her baby, Solomon.

Sisterhood of the 19th Century Literature Students

This is a momentous evening. I submitted my first assignment that will be graded. It was a 3000-word essay discussing Jane Austen and Charles Dickens' use of the endings of their novels Mansfield Park and Oliver Twist, respectively, to make commentary on the society in which they lived. This essay has occupied a chief place in my thoughts for at least two weeks, so I'm delighted to have it written, revised, revised again and out of my hands. My flatmate Maria, from Poland, is also in 19th Century Writing, so we convened in the kitchen for a session of peer editing and trying to ensure our Harvard referencing is beyond reproach. Maria is one of my heroes; she has an MA in English Literature, and at this moment is reading a book for her PhD across the kitchen table. I think I may have gotten the better end of the peer-editing deal. After we checked and re-checked these magnificent essays we've been sculpting for days, we turned with anticipation and awe to Moodle to submit these things 16 hours before the deadline! What did we do first, in that moment when our screens cheerfully informed us that our submissions were successful? Watched a Looney Tunes video on YouTube, of course! A dinner, late, but made more delicious by the freedom and lightness we felt after submission, followed.

Other highlights?
Friday last I went to dinner at Bella Italia with some friends. I tried a lovely rosé wine and quattro stagioni (four seasons) pizza that blew me away. I do believe the pizza had mozzarella di buffala on it. When I got back to my flat, I found some friends watching "Bright Star" in the kitchen and joined them. It's a beautiful film about Keats.
Last Saturday, I spent a lovely evening with a friend after a long day of writing. We went to Nando's, a Portuguese chicken restaurant, which was a most delightful experience. You can choose from a range of heat levels for your chicken. I had a "hot" quarter chicken with a side of sweet potato mash which was amazing, as well as a few of my friends chips (meaning fries, to you Americans out there). We also indulged in some dessert. We shared a custard tart, and a little tart thing that was like a macaroon in pie crust. After dinner, we went to a pub and caught some live music while enjoying some cider. To end the evening, we watched "Remember Me," which was good, but expect a sad ending. As great as all this was, the best part of the evening was undoubtedly the company.
That's all for now from York!