Many nice people helped me along the way. I started out this morning in Liverpool, got an early train with only one change to Oxford. Not far outside of Crewe, England there was trouble on the tracks ahead and we sat for 40 minutes, which meant that I missed the connection to Oxford. Two pull bags, a big book bag, coat, hat (I bought in Derry, wait to you see, it is purple wool handmade by women in Donegal and I was told to twitch it down over one eye to wear it properly), hurting knees, two train changes, a 45 minute wait for a taxi at Oxford and I should have been really beat, but there was one reason why not: fantastic people who helped along the way and talked with me. At every juncture someone picked up my bags and either lifted them off the train or on to the train. At Oxford, the man of a couple I met from South Africa having attended a wedding and were off to The Netherlands even left his seat half way up the car and came back, lifted my bags and put them out of the train for me. There was the Catholic sister who stopped on her way to the dining car to talk with me and keep me company while we were stranded on the tracks outside of Crewe. Then there was a bright young man with braided goatee, an ecologist from Uruguay, with his charming 6 year old son who talked about permaculture. They were on their every 3 year visit to grandparents. And I can’t forget the lady in line at the bus coming to the flat this evening. She edits an academic journal but her heart is in theatre and on her 40th birthday, her husband created a threatre company for her. She will do 3 plays this year all related to science. She is performing in Pride and Prejudice on the lawn within one of the college quads and is playing Mrs. Bennett. I will be here when the performance happens and plan on going to see her. There were numerous people who lifted, smiled, chatted, and made my day a delight. What should have been a really bad day has been full of wonderful people who have touched my life today. I am thankful.
I start the program at Oxford tomorrow. The town is how I remember it: architecturally incredible, full of characters and enchantment. I will share.
Leara Rhodes 