Dunhams in England/Germany

Hi, I'm trying this out to see if I can make it work. Hopefully, I'll be able to add photos later. After spending a great week visiting friends in Oxford and Grantham, we moved into Harlaxton Manor on Wednesday, 7 January 2009. We have a spacious and beautiful room facing the front circle and drive, with bathroom down the hall. We are fast making friends with the British and American faculty and are also getting acquainted with a number of the students (who didn't arrive until Friday). We helped with their "Joining" procedures this afternoon by checking on student railroad card applications, etc. Later we were invited by the Dean of Students to join all the other "workers" to go out for Indian Cuisine at a great restaurant in Grantham. It was delicious food and a lot of fun.

Yesterday we had the Opening Convocation (where I played the piano for the two national anthems) complete with all of us in faculty robes. It was an impressive, interesting, and enjoyable hour together; of course, Gordon's speech was terrific! Then last night we had the High Table Dinner, again wearing our academic robes (like in Harry Potter movies) during the dinner. Each one of the faculty was introduced with lots of bio info given; Dean & I were both introduced (separately) as a "Distinguished Visiting Fellow." Wow! We've never had that title before, either one of us. This morning was the Welcome Service at the Harlaxton Village Church, where about 50 of us joined about 20 of the locals for a good service--singing 6 American hymns and having Gordon preach a great sermon.

Tomorrow classes begin; get this, BOTH of us plan to go to the opening British Studies Lecture (one-hour) at 8:30 am! We'll see how long that lasts for me to go Mon and Wed at 8:30 am for these lectures. We plan to ride the mini-bus into town after that to do some banking and shopping. We'll begin some "duties/tasks" on Tuesday, we think.