Last one from the UK...

Okay, so I know it has been a long time, but I have a lot to tell you. Since my last post, I went to the Southwest Coast of England to St. Ives, Cornwall to the beach with some friends. The weather was absolutely amazing! See the picture...I spent a lot of time on the beach with some wonderful people, and I made some new friends in the process. The food there was great, and the scenery was just as good! Shortly after my return from the coast, Sarah and I spent a couple of days in London. We went to the Victoria and Albert museum, the Science museum, the British Museum, Camden Market, China Town, and Leicster Square (said Les-ter). I have so many pictures from that you will have to check out my facebook album for it. Then, the Homerton May ball got into full swing. For all of you who do not know what a May ball is, it is the last hoorah for all of the students in Cambridge. Every college has one, and they are extravagant. Black tie, themes (ours was Bond), and the event goes from 6pm to 6am...we even take a survivor's photo in the morning. It was a blast. They had a casino inside, bond movies playing all night, live bands (Noah and the Whale played!), a carousel, and a ton of food and drink. See next photo...I stayed the whole night, and had a choir rehearsal at 10am the next morning. Interesting day on very little sleep. However, as soon as I caught up on my sleep, Suicide Sunday happened. Suicide Sunday is the day that everyone in the university is done with exams, so a lot of the colleges host garden parties with pimms, bbq's, and just a lot of sun. I got burnt, but I had an absolutely wonderful time. Oi...I have one more May Ball to attend on Wednesday night, and the dress code is white tie (Wikipedia it). The choir records this weekend, and I will provide information for all of you as to how to find the recording after it is finished...I know it will be on itunes, but not sure what is going to be called yet. I leave a week from today to return to the States, and will be back in KC for a couple of days before I return to Arkansas for the month of July to spend time with the family and help at Praiseworks. I will then go back to KC for the end of July on to try and find a job and study for the GRE so that I can get into grad school. Okay, so that's it for now, but I hope that all of you are doing well, and know that I miss you tremendously. This year has provided me with the most amazing opportunities to study with the brightest people on the planet, sing in an amazing choir in one of the historic chapels in Cambridge, I have travelled Europed and toured it with the choir, I am to record and be on an album with the choir, I have gone to balls, dinners, and formals with Lords and Ladies, Vicars, Bishops, Presidents of the Colleges, and even the Vice-chancellor of the university. All in all, I think that this has been a year well spent. I have made friends here that will last a lifetime, and I can't wait to come back to visit them all. Tiddly-pip and what what...Cheerio!

Catching up as usual...

Hey yall...So, the beer festival was AWESOME!!! Myself and the four other guys I went with reverted to six-year-old-boy-in-toy-store mode when we entered the tent with over 200 beers...we spent 5 1/2 hours there! Most of my friends are starting their exams, so I am left to entertain myself, but I haven't felt too good the past couple of days, so it's not like I could do much anyways. However, immediately before I came under the weather, my friend Josh Jowitt suggested that we have a Pimm's afternoon...so we did. Look up "Pimm's Cup" on wikipedia if you wish, but imagine sangria based on gin with citrus fruits, strawberries, and cucumber slices on ice on a hot summer day with the sun out. We had a great time. Also, when my choir records in a couple of weeks, we will wind up on iTunes, so you will only be a click away from hearing our angellic voices! Enjoy the pictures, and I will try to update this after this weekend since I will be in St. Ives all next week. Much love,

Cody

The week ahead...

Not too much exciting this past week, but I did go to St. John's College Chapel yesterday morning for the sung Eucharist (that's communion for all you Baptists out there). It was a beautiful and very insightful service...more than I can say for the preacher at Queens' Evensong last night....she was a bore. Anyways, tomorrow is Cambridge's Annual Beer Festival! It actually started today, but goes on until Saturday, and we are going tomorrow...Over 200 real ales, 80 ciders and perrys (that's pear-cider), and local wine too...website: http://www.cambridgebeerfestival.com/summer/. Enjoy, I do. Also, Thursday at 1:00 in the neighboring town of Ely, the William Jewell Concert Choir is going to have a concert as a part of their tour of England and Scotland, and I can't wait to go to hear and see my friends from school. After the concert, I intend to show them around Cambridge before they go to evensong at King's College. I have my own evensong that night, so I can't join them, but we are singing great music at the sung Eucharist for Ascension Day. I have really enjoyed getting to know the High Anglican tradition...I promise to update this later on this week with pictures of the beer festival and the choir if they will let me take pictures, but until then I leave you with a gratutitous picture of friends and joy (from left: Luke, Tobias, Me, and Josh)...Much love to all.

Yo! So I have to say that the English Springtime is absolutely wonderful. It has been a cool but sunny 60 or 65 most of the time since I have returned. I have gotten to catch back up with all of my friends here who are starting to stress out about exams (I don't have to take them until the end of my senior year, so although it is nice now, my time will come). Choir has been great so far this term with absolutely wonderful music, and great times with my friends in choir. I have become rather proficient at the game of croquet, and challenge any of you to beat me upon my return. I am starting to prepare for next year, so I am already looking into graduate schools and fellowships (coming back to Cambridge maybe?). Picked up a GRE prep book, and already feeling the pressure to succeed again in that all-too-American fashion. You can take the boy out of America...Also, per my mother's request (happy Mother's day again btw, since I know you will read this soon), I have posted a couple of pictures of the more common streets in Cambridge...what the Brits would call the "High Street." This is very similart to our concept of "Downtown," which they don't understand because it is not geographically "down." I hasten to point out that the "Highstreet" is not "up," and they scamper away in shame in their red coats. As seen in the picture here, The Mitre is one of my favorite pubs in Cambridge...It is right on the river and has an incription inside that reads "Here, many drinks and food rended upon the river once depended." Enjoy the pictures, and I hope to hear from all of you soon. God bless!

It's been a long time...

Dear Everybody,

I know that I have been really crap at these posts ever since I went home, but I'm back, I'm busy, and I am in business...sounded catchy didn't it? Anyways, ever since I have been back, I have just been trying to get used to things again. It is amazing how much you can forget about in a few short weeks. I loved being home, but I also love being here. It is incredible to be taught by the people in this university who quite literally wrote the book on their subjects. The academic atmosphere here is astounding, and it encourages me to look beyond my small little world that seems exponentially smaller as time goes by. I haven't taken many pictures since I have bee back yet, but I do have a few more from France...so here's one of them. This is the choir singing with the cathedral choir at the cathedral in Angers (pronounced "On-sjay" for you French unsavvy) I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I am here for less than two more months, and am facing the reality of having to face reality when I get back. If any of you reading this feel like giving me a job that doesn't require a sledge-hammer or shovel for when I get back, it would make my life a lot easier :). Much love to all of you, and God bless.

Cody

So, France...

It was awesome! As we rode into Angers on the coach, we could see the river La Maine and the castle...it was absolutely astounding. We were immediately greeted by our host families, and were carted off to our host homes. Our family consisted of two parents and, wait for it...five children! They then graciously accepted my friend Geoff and I into their home. The parent's names were Larent and Emmanuel, and the children ranged in age from 3 to 15. In ascending order their names are: Charlotte, Margot, Ines, Quentin (the only boy), and Julie. We had the most amazing food every night for dinner that, were I to describe in detail here, I would begin to drool on my keyboard and cease to blog. For all of our sakes, I will just tell you that it was AWESOME!!! We sang at the Catholic university, the Cathedral at Angers (in front of some 1,000 people including royalty, clergy, and politicians), and the Cathedral at Saumur (they train the horses for the military in Saumur). Every day was packed with rehearsals, sight-seeing, and performances. I have posted tons of pictures on facebook, so if you fancy a peek at them, I suggest looking there. I leave at 6:50AM from Cambridge tomorrow morning, and I will arrive at Little Rock Airport at 10:35PM local (that would be 2:35AM Cambridge time). If all goes well, I will travel for almost 22hrs, so keep me in your prayers and thoughts, and I will hopefully see many of you back in the States very very soon! Au revoir!

Just a Quick Note...

I am literally leaving in five minutes to go to France, and I just wanted to let everyone know how excited I am, and that I will be in Angers, France to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the father of Margeret of Anjou (one of the foundresses of Queens' college). It is apparently the most beautiful city in France, and I will bring back copious amounts of pictures for you all, and will sample the delicious wines, cheeses, and breads for all of you....Auviore!

Ely Cathedral and Birthday Formal

Hello again everyone! You should all be very proud of me for updating my blog before I actually get back to America. However, awesomeness has ensued, and my pictures show it. This was the last week of term, and I had three essays to turn in at no small effort. I slept little, and am now done! I now look forward to a week of rehearsals to prepare us for the tour of Angers, France to honor the anniversary of Margaret of Angers' death or birth...I don't remember. Anyways, she was one of the two foundresses of Queens' College (thus the appropriately placed apostrophe). Last Tuesday, I celebrated my birthday early with some friends from Homerton at formal hall. It was AWESOME!!! Much frivolity ensued...The day before, they baked me a delicious birthday cake! Everyone left to go home for the break yesterday, so I went to Ely (about 15 min. train ride away from Cambridge) to see the Cathedral with Sarah Percival. The Cathedral was beautiful, and we had lunch at this really cool little cafe where one lady ran a little shop with about four tables for the actual food part. The food was great, and it was a great morning in all. Enjoy the pictures, and hopefully I will have plenty of pictures for you check out when I get back from France!

With all my love,

Cody

Contemplations

I know that it has almost a month since I last posted, and to be honest, there is not a lot to tell. My travel plans are pretty much the same, and nothing spectacular has happened recently. However, there has been a great improvement in my personal life. I struggled to fit in with the other Americans I came here with I think for the fact that there are 9 women and me...and until recently I didn't realize that the remedy to this was to find close friends here. I have, and they are wonderful. Now the crux of the matter here, is that I have to leave them in a matter of about 11 weeks, but the time that we have all shared with each other is just as priceless as the time that I have spent with all of you. They, like you, have seen me grow, hurt, and laugh, and are valuable to me. I still miss home and the people there (home being Arkansas AND Jewell), and there is nothing and no one that can replace that, it is just going to make the transition a little harder. I miss my boys in the fraternity...I still get their emails, and they make me so proud to be a part of something bigger than I am. I miss my family who have sacrificed so much so that I can be happy and have the experiences that I do. I miss my friends from home and church for their open ears and open hearts that supported and do support me for the short stints that I am at home. I am so very thankful for everyone in my life, and I am excited more than anxious to see what God has in store in the next couple of years. I'm terrified because I am going to have to make some very big decisions, but with a little help from all of you, I'll deal. Much love...

Cody

Time Flies

The pic to the left is of Laurel and Jessie in the courtyard at King's College after we went to Eucharist. These two in addition to Ashton Botts came and visited me last week, and it was soooo good to see them. They made my week....On an unrelated note, I swear that someone has pressed fast-forward on life in general because we started the fifth week of term this week....ahhh! School work has been okay, but it has intermittently been interrupted with choir rehearsals. We perform in London tomorrow, and I will be in London from 9ish in the morning until lateish at night. I really look forward to it though. The philharmonia chorus and the royal philharmonic orch. both sound great, and the opera is to die for. The bass soloist is a Welshman that I think could single-handedly conquer the rest of the U.K...Tonight I am continuing the weekly ritual of going to Taj Tandoori which is our favorite local Indian restaurant. It is half-price on Monday's for students, so myself and my English compatriots take advantage of it. A pint of Cobra and a lamb Ceylon...my mouth is already watering. I think that it is finally done snowing here, but you never know. I am told that Summer is much prettier, but I'm waiting for that one to come to fruition before I believe it. Life is soooo wonderful despite the occasional busy spell, and I am still having the time of my life. This place is really starting to grow on me, and I am going to miss it tremendously when I leave it despite how much I miss the U.S. and everything and everyone I left there. I miss you all, and cannot wait to see you in March!

Cody

P.S. The pic to the right is Sarah Percival, myself, Briony Jones, and Josh Jowitt in the college bar after a formal.

Old Friends, Old Town, Old Country, New Experiences

I hope that all of you are still having a jolly good time without me to enrich and fulfill your lives, but fear not...I shall return eventually. My time here has made me realize how much I mean to all of you, and has fill me with a sense of great humility...alright, maybe not, but you miss me and I miss you and we will leave it at that. Nothing extraordinary has been going on here, but I have had a ton of rehearsals recently to prepare for the upcoming opera performance with the choir as well as a recital I have to do soon. The essays keep coming as they always do, but I really like the classes I am taking. One of them is on the Mighty Handful and its Legacy (Rimsky-Korsokov, Balakirev, Mussorgsky, etc..) and the other is on Early Sacred Music. They take their choral music here very seriously since all of the early choral music in English IS English (Tallis, Byrd, etc.). I really like it, and I wish we had an equivelant to it back home. Their chapels here are pristine. They hold evensongs weekly, and the one that I sing in is going to start a Compline service once a fortnight (compline is the oldest still practiced service in the Catholick church, not to be confused with Catholic). Going to a friend's birthday tonight in black-tie, so I'm sure I will have cool and suave pictures to post for next time. Oh, it snowed A LOT Monday and I took part in an enormous midnight snowball fight! Watching the snow-deprived English was a hoot! Good pictures from that will come later too. Love all. Miss all. Talk to you soon.

Cody

Oh Cambridge...

To all and singular (stole that from a plaque somewhere in the college),

I have been ridiculously busy recently, so I'm sorry I haven't been posting like mad. However, for those of you that know me well, busy is what I do rather than a specific time for me. But I digress...Life at Cambridge starts IMMEDIATELY when you get back. I had essays (and still do) from the first day back on. Despite this, it has been good to see all of my friends here again. The adjustment to come back was inexplicably easier than the beginning of last term, and it will be hard to leave it (despite how much I really miss America). I have had tons of choir rehearsals for special services, and we (the choir) are providing the chorus for a performance of Fidelio (Beethoven opera) in London...really cool, but it means a lot of extra rehearsals. The Cambridge Winter Beer Festival was last weekend, and it was really cool because all of the little microbreweries from around the area bring their real ales (flat beer), and you drink out of a little tankard...I love English culture. There is another festival in May, in addition to all of the May balls (which are actually in June, but I'll get to that in a couple of months). I hope that everyone at Jewell is having a good start to the semester, all of my other friends are enjoying life as usual, and that my family knows that I miss them dearly. Best to you all, and feel free to facebook, email, or skype me (codyjohnson1208), because I would love to hear from any of you (hard to keep up over here).

Cheers,

Cody

P.S. The picture is in front of the Astrological Clock in Prague...Pretty cool, and cold (like zero degrees F cold).

Back "Home"

Dear Friends,

I cannot begin to tell you how good it is to be back. Almost 40 days of traveling that took me back to the States to New York and Massachusetts, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Six major European cities (Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, and Prague) that are full of so much history and architecture that if I started now I would end up with a book at the end of it. I took 550 pictures, and wound up with the ONLY pictures from some places because Jacque and Nicole (through two unforeseeable tragedies) lost all of their pictures up until Vienna. I am, quite understandably, very tired from all of my travels. The experience was priceless and a once in a lifetime experience, but it was very hard. I missed my family and friends and the comforts of home, as I still miss all of you tremendously (especially the ones of you who care enough to check this blog). I will unfortunately not be recounting my experiences to you right now, because I need time for it all to soak in. You will hear about my many adventures and misadventures as time goes on and I am able to reestablish my close relationships with all of you who the nature of this year has distanced me from. I have never had so much time to my thoughts in my life as I have had on this trip, even on Outward Bound. I have grown so much by being tossed by the ebb and flow of life's waves. There were moments of giddy delight (the Hofbrauhaus in Munich), and times of great sorrow and contemplation, but I will definately never forget the 5 weeks that I spent on the move away from all familiarity and most comfort. I will keep updating this blog as time goes on, but know that I miss and love you all, and hope that you think of me fondly as well.

Cody

P.S. The picture is in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin