Why the Southampton Chaplaincy is Important to Me

Why Chaplaincy is important to me:

The chaplaincy is like a glorified sixth form common room on campus where people of all faiths and none hang out together. It's the only working example of a Christian community I've come across. Gay, Straight, Jewish, Christian, Atheist and Pagan organise social events, support each other and live love throughout campus. When I say anyone is welcome, I mean anyone is welcome. Which is rare in a religious organisation.

When I was really depressed after a serious of personal crisis type events the Chaplain ended up inviting me to the chaplaincy for a cup of coffee after a chance meeting in the Union pub. I have debated politics, philosophy, religion, ethics and Star Wars long into the night.

There I found this amazing group of people who loved me and looked after me and helped me. One of the Chaplaincy Groupies as they're known sat up late with me into the night till 4am when I was going a bit manic. Others helped me deal with my demons about church leftover from an awful relationship by walking out of services with me, talking with me about why I couldn't face church. People cooked meals and brought flowers. Invited me out dancing and to the pub.

And when I became an active member of the community I did the same. It's the reality of Christian living. It's something I would want everyone to experience.

The chaplaincy raises money for local charities, has cooked breakfast for £1 for anyone who wants to come in and eat it during freshers week feeding hundreds of homesick new and old students. Simon, the Anglican chaplain has sat talking with me for three hours and tested me on my revision. I have met friends there that will last me a life time. I met my future husband there. I learnt the importance of social action there, about the Student Christian Movement.

The idea of this place not being there for other students horrifies me. All the people who don't feel like they fit in anywhere else seem to end up at Chaplaincy where they are welcomed in with open arms and included. People like me.

http://www.savesotonchaplaincy.co.uk/

Posted via email from Alex E Jones

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Petition Against the Closing of the Chaplaincy at the University of Southampton and the removal of the Anglican Chaplain

If the latest Budget is passed by the Dioceasan Synod (the council that runs the CofE in the Winchester area) all ministry that is not Parish ministry will be cut to help decrease the deficit. This will see the following posts being abolished:

1. Chaplain to the Deaf
2. Chaplain to the University of Southampton
3. Chaplain to Southampton Solent University
4. Chaplain to FE Colleges in Bournemouth and Poole.

We would like to express our objection to this motion in the budget. Whilst we cannot comment on the ministry of 1, 3 and 4, cutting the Chaplin to the University of Southampton will do the following:

1. Make the Reverend Simon Stevens redundant and homeless with a young family of a wife and three small children. We consider this a highly un-Christian thing for the church to do, and
indeed unacceptable by any moral compass.
2. Make the University of Southampton, a prestigious and large university one of two universities in the country without an Anglican Chaplain(the other being Southampton Solent university.
3. Have serious ramifications on the provision of any Chaplaincy on the University of Southampton grounds as the Anglican community provides the largest part of the financial backing.
4. If Chaplaincy leaves the University, important links and relationships will be lost. It would be hard for the Chaplaincy to return to the University at this level.

The work of the Chaplain and the Chaplaincy are inseparable. The Chaplain has saved many lives directly and indirectly, has brought many people to new, renewed or strengthened faith though his work, and the chaplaincy work, which has come about because of his ministry. There have been thousands of students on campus today touched by the work of the Chaplain and/or Chaplaincy, who otherwise would have no contact with the church, and may have had no where to go for support. There are many more Alumni who have know this, and we would hope, many future students who could be similarly touched

The end of the Ecumenical Chaplaincy at the University of Southampton would see the end of a vibrant and growing ministry amongst students at the University. The following groups would be without a suitable venue for various activities:
The Christian Union
The Student Christian Movement
The Jewish Society
The Catholic Society

The Chaplaincy is used by a large community of students of all faiths and none as a safe space on campus and as a a venue for social events. On any given day during term time, students can be found working and socialising the Chaplaincy or using the services of the Chaplains such as bible studies and confidential conversations on spiritual and emotional matters. Vulnerable students are often referred to the Chaplaincy as the Chaplaincy community is a welcoming space for them. In recent years user groups have had to find alternative venues for large meetings as the community has grown through the work of Rev. Stevens and the other Chaplains. Perhaps more prevision for the Chaplaincy should be being sought not less!

We recognise that in these tough times a compromise needs to be met. Suggestions include
merging the Southampton and Solent Chaplains Roles
making the Role of Chaplain part - time
merging the currently vacant Free Church Chaplain role with the Anglican role to make a single Protestant Chaplain.

Please sign your full name and leave your email address if you would like to express your support for the Chaplaincy at the University of Southampton.

Name: *

Email: *

Message of Support for the work of Rev. Stevens and the Chaplaincy

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Posted via email from Alex E Jones

NaBloPoMo 1 - Pumpkin

The first of November saw me tidying up party food and drinks at the Chaplaincy dressed at Kaylee from Firefly. I'd had the most charming afternoon sewing two pairs of combat trousers in to a khaki jumpsuit, finding an purple patterned top and twirling my hair into two bedknobs. I'd also made pumpkin rock cakes and pumpkin bread for the SCM pumkpin party.

Alas I didn't win the bake off, but I enjoyed dressing Tom as Book and Lula as Inara from Firefly and watching fun films with the SCM crowd.

Today, Tom and I went to church at St. Christophers in Thornhill, the parish with which the Southampton SCM has a link. The church family at St. Christophers really feels like a family, everyone knowing everyone else's name and people coming to the service especially to see us again and catch up since our last visit. We had a lovely lunch with the vicar and his wife and the curate and discussed everything from the X Factor to Nuclear Physics.

I found it especially interesting talking to Anne about being a vicar's wife. Tom might be going to be a vicar, so I may end up a vicar's wife. She said that you have to throw yourself into it wholeheartedly to get the most of it, and it is hard having a husband who cannot commit to any family event. Nevertheless the benefits are enormous and it is extremely rewarding. It's something that fills me slightly with dread, as if I am honest with myself, I am quite selfish. I like to have time alone to do me things, and I like to spend time with Tom alone at least once a week. Still, nothing is certain yet, so I should have plenty of time to get used to the idea if it is going to happen.

Now I think I shall knit a little more and go do some pilates.

Posted via email from Alex E Jones

Goodbyes.

"You've been a really good friend to me."

"You've been a really good friend to me too."

After that it was the desperate little rush of words you use when you are to prolong the goodbye because you don't want to accept that this is potentially the last time you might see this person. The "Take cares" and "Enjoy your selves."

Four goodbyes today, Flic, Simon, Jess and Mel. Now most of these I'll see about the place, and the latter two I will see at Jess' party later in the month. But today was the last day of hanging about in the chaplaincy. Simon came downstairs and talked with the hangabouts, and it was like the first time I remember meeting Mel. Sat about with tea made by Andy, talking rubbish, flitting from subject to subject. 

I'm rubbish at goodbyes. There's always something more I want to say. Maybe I'll write an email or a letter explaining. I just didn't want to cry too much. 

It's going to be scary moving on into this big world of work without the giant therapy sessions that were afternoons mooching about in Chaplaincy. And I'll miss them so.

Finally finished my gobbet…

….lots going on in Alex land. Gobbet is finished and being handed in tomorrow. Tom has been a rock during the writing of this as I've been a nightmare to be around. Kudos and brownies and lots of thanks to you. Thanks to Spanky for proof reading it for me. Thanks to Felicity for all her encouragement whilst I've been trying to write it and thanks to Laura for helping me keep up with the new term's Aramaic.

Lots of knitting going on all over Chaplaincy over the last few days. We're knitting a blanket as a keep sake for Chaplaincy. Lots of people are leaving, so we're all doing a square, and then Ruth will crochet them together. It should look great when its done. Then we're moving on to making teeny tiny clothes for premature babies at the Princess Anne Hospital here in Southampton. Any friends out there who want to get involved, please look up preemie patterns on the net and knit away. Drop the finished items in at the Chaplaincy when you're done. If you can't knit but still want to help, please make a small donation towards yarn and needles. We and the tiny babies would appreciate it.

Here is a very belated picture of the gloves I made Tom for Christmas. I think he likes them. He wears them a lot. That's me by the way.

What else has happened to me then? Well I didn't get the place at UCL. I was quite disappointed. In the last week or so before the interview I had started to let myself believe I might just get the place and it was not very nice to be rejected. Apparently I don't have enough experience in the Museums sector to do the course. Unfortunately I'm now in a bit of a catch 22 situation where it's almost impossible to get an entry level museums job without a MA in Museum Studies and I can't get on the MA course I want without more museums experience. The only way out this cycle is to volunteer a lot. I do have a place at Durham, but I can't take that up as I can't afford to live in halls in a college. So I will be taking 1 -2 years out to work in a soul destroying sales role to save up the £8k I need to do an MA and live, and volunteer at as many museums as possible around the place. I've just applied for a bursary from our careers department for 2k towards career development. I've said in my proposal that I would put the money towards learning to drive and rent. I started to learn to drive before I came to uni, but had to stop when I lost my nerve and ran out of money. Museums around here tend to be off the beaten track a bit, and not accessible by public transport, so a car is a bit of must. As for rent, I currently pay my fees and live off about £9k a year. Take out the fees and that's about 8k. The extra money from the grant would be a nice bit to tide me over while I Iook for work the summer after graduating. There's no loan then!

Oh well… just need to sort out my dissertation now! It'll have to wait till next week for the huge kick start as my little sister is down to stay for the weekend. It's great fun.

She returns hurtling at a thousand miles of an hour…

Many thanks to my startling scribe, Toddy. He has provided this blog with the most beautiful writing it has seen for a while. I salute his eloquence and his inspiring style. Here's to many more guest posts by him when I am otherwise occupied or out of commission.

I broke my arm. I fell off a balance board on to my right side really heavily on New Years. I swear I hadn't had an alcoholic beverage. It was at the start of my second party of the evening. It seemed fine. Then it swelled up overnight, and Tom took me to casualty on New Years Day. We were there for five hours. He must love me.

Chaos and mayhem ensued. I broke it at the worst possible time. I was half way through essay writing period. I had an exam to sit and a gobbet to translate. I did everything I could. I went to the uni. I got extensions, I petitioned for scribes to help me get things in for the deadlines. Unfortunately, even though I pay lots of money to go to this uni, my department refused to pay for any other help except a scribe for my exam. The scribe was appalling. She'd never done it before and could only type with two fingers. She clearly wasn't an arts scholar as she couldn't spell simple biblical names. Dictating to a scribe is disconcerting enough, let alone under exam conditions.

I'm not moaning that much. I was grateful for the help I did get, but considering my fees, and how students on other courses pay the same for far more contact hours, practicals and field trips, I feel a little bit of ill will is allowed. What was even more astonishing is the way my friends and family rallied around me. Many people have sat and typed for me, helped me revised, cooked for me, cleaned for me, organized and planned for me and looked after me and listened to me moan. Peter, Toddy, Yellow, Spanky, Dave, Matt, Cecil, Hannah, Dad, all the chaplaincy people, my grandparents and Tom. Thank you. Thank you for helping. I feel like I can get through this. Oh and anyone else I've not thanked.

One essay is done. The other one is half way there, and I will write more since I seem to be in a writing mood. Then next week sees me writing my gobbet. The weeks have flown away from me. I have a dinner party to cook for this weekend. Then on the 5^th I have an interview at UCL for their MA in Museums Studies. I'm extremely nervous. Extremely nervous. I have no idea what they will ask. The guy interview me literally wrote the text book so I am going to swot up on that. Growing up scares me somewhat. I just want to get through this last term, write an interesting dissertation, and start finding myself again. What a cliché ? University has been killing me in someways, as I feel like I have no time to do creative things, the things that I enjoy the most and make me happiest.

When I try to explain this to people, they quite often tell me that I just need to find a proper job and make some money. I know little shreds of me will die if I have to do that. I live frugally now, and won't need much more money once uni is over. I want to go to work smiling as often as possible and being satisfied with what I do. My mum and dad do that quite often. I'm a realist, I know it can't happen all the time, but I know that their jobs fulfill them. That's all I want.

 

Picture and more lightweight fluff to come when I have it. All I have today is words about confusion.

This Is Not Alex

Alex Jones is still... unavailable... and I realise I didn't tell you why.
I am Alex's internet... representative... "T". I've had some joyously diverting times and, now
that I'm the daddy here, I can tell you all about them.
The Jones family party took us late into Saturday night (including the song, of course). We
stuffed ourselves, played the best party games and did some particularly photogenic dancing.
Sunday was slow. I ended up at the House Of The Yellow Cushion, drinking Bailey's and watching
Family Guy till far too late.
Last night at the Curry House we fondid (a lot. Beef in oil; most things in cheese; marshmallows
and giant strawberries in chocolate), watched Black Books & Bill Bailey and said words beginning
with P. It got late. I had little sleep (at least, in bed), but a deliciously late morning (ie.
in at the rakish time of 8.40). Work involved the silent undressing of a Christmas tree; a lot of
Earl Grey and some other things that I won't tell you about just yet.
My painting now won't be needed for three weeks and I must do something different for this Sunday.
That will take time. I'm making cakes too. I'm making anything that will use up my superfluity
of treacle.
As a result of last night I am the subject of a Facebook application. Someone said I'm "quietly
awesome" (not "arsesome", treacherous fingers).
I went on an odyssey to Regent's Park to return a blackboard to a cats' home; and then took lots
of wallpaper samples from Wickes, thinking that there must be some artistic use for them. What I
actually bought was a dozen rolls of gaffer tape.
This evening SCM were to go bowling with the Atheist Society. Tom didn't get my text asking about
a lift. I went to Chaplaincy and found that I'd just missed the motor party. I walked home very
quickly, girded up my bicycle and rode very quickly to the bowling place, which, this year, is
called "Tenpin". Tebourba Way knackered my shoulders. We had fun and good company, although I
did some weird bowling stance and Helen kept laughing at me. I think Jens won over all. After a
while I went to leave. It was raining. I went back in to button up everything that could be
upbuttoned, in the absence of anything waterproof, and left. I had a flat tyre. Now, I don't
know if the Millbrook Pixies had paid a visit, or if I'd run over... one of them with their sharp
pointy hats... and I had to replace the other tyre only last week... but, despite Tom's pump
action, I'd have to walk home. But no: Charlie gave me a lift. Now I'm in at an almost-sensible
time and have not gone to Let's Kill Disco (http://www.letskilldisco.com/) to get Jupped up. Must
go next time.
Now: sleep.

Of course, I have an essay to write, so I'm blogging...

...What did you expect?

I have nearly finished compiling my bibliography for this beastly essay, which seems to take as long as the actual writing process will.

Christmas was had. I wasn't feeling especially festive this year at all. I can see the signs of last year's January black dog reoccurring. This was not helped with my rents asking questions about my future that I can't answer. I have no idea what's happenning with the chaplaincy assistants job, I don't know which master course I'm going to be on, and no, I don't know where I will be living come next July. It just made me panic more. Christmas eve and Boxing day were horrid little episodes where I tried to stop myself from crying all the time, and I had the anxious knot on my chest like I couldn't breathe. The only time it lifted was at Midnight Communion, where Dad and I had our yearly competition to see who could sing the loudest. I wish I knew the proper soprano or alto parts to complement all the parts Dad learnt when he was in the choir. It did sound lovely.

I managed to be on my best behaviour on Christmas Day, being first down, and surprisingly cheery. This is most likely to do with the lovely soppy texts Tom was sending me on Christmas Eve. They reminded me that there's more to live for that mere career things. Soon I shall renounce it all and be the spinning weaving painting artist on a farm somewhere I've always wanted to be. With some sheeps. And a Tom. Hopefully. Anyway, the Day itself went well, I curled up in front of my Auntie and Uncle's new stove in their new living, having decamped there from my Gran's for lunch. I played with babies and Barbies and was throughly gifted. My favourite presents were the awesome snuggly dressing gown from my rents, the red pijamas from my grandparents,( *) the anime picture of me and my sister's the littlest sister drew, and the fleecy hoodie the next sister down gave me. When we had finished eating the traditional turkey et all I enjoyed a phone call all the way from France from Tom, despite loosing the signal out in the sticks every five minutes and then went back to my Gran's to watch Love Actually. Which I did in my snuggly dressing gown, and managed to finish Tom's gloves. They are now wrapped up and in his stocking.

Getting back to mine last night was a relief, as the heat and manic-ness at my Gran's was making me feel a bit loopy. I had a huge cry and snotted into lots of hankies. I also tried to find a home for all my new stuff, and assembled the big mirror my rents had also bought me. Really I wanted to phone Tom and cry at him, but I thought that would make me a little too dependant on him, and probably make him feel miserable too. So I didn't. I tried not to think about my essay, had an earlish night for me, and got some good sleep.

Today I was out of bed by ten, went shopping for goodies with Mr. Hunt, my new honourary brother, and have sat here for the rest of the day, collating information. That sounds terribly productive, n'eh? I hope so. I actually feel like I'm in the position to write something, and blogging this has got me into the typing mood, which is what I hoped it would do. Please please please let me have written 2000 words by the time I go to bed tonight. And then I will write 2000 tomorrow. Before the lovely Tom comes home. Then I get to do Christmas with him.

Oh the lovely Tom. It's been very nice this season of talking to family to be able to talk about lovely things I've done with this lovely man. It's nice to be with someone who seems to actually want me around, just as I am. *does a few carthwheels in her head because she can't do them in real life*

* the red pjs are size 8 - 10 and they fit me. They may be of the cotton jersey variety, and slightly stretchy, but fitting into them brings me an insubordiate amount of joy. Must remember to do another 100 sit ups tonight. When I have written 2000 words.

Thank you to the lady who restored my faith in humanity

Today is not a good day. I started it by removing all my kitchen equipment into my room, because my housemates were using it and leaving it dirty for weeks on end. I know its an extreme move, but some of it was growing mould.

Then it started pouring it down.

I had to fight my way through christmas shopping crowds to get plastic cups for the Chaplaincy meal.

I feel grumpy and damp and behind on my work.

The one bright spot was the lady who stood in an empty car sparking space in the very busy car park to save it for Tom, when some idiot in front of him started playing silly buggers with the one way system. There are some nice people in the world after all.

This blog just writes itself sometimes...

...continuing on from Simon's idea that blogs write themselves and giving us a break from the schedule of not very interest NaBloPoMo posts, here are some very strange happennings.

Yesterday Tom kissed my folder and nudged my head out the way. I think he meant to do it the other way around. Sometimes he can be a bit silly like that. He's currently swearing about the price of kettles. Aww. Except I've now just head banged him by accident. I'm clearly special too.

Yesterday I also spent part of the evening gaffer taping up my housemate Hannah's breasts. Yes you did read that right. She's off the to Student Radio Awards on Thursday night, having been nominated for the news category. She bought a cracking dress from Jane Norman, black strapless satin fishtail with green and silver embroidered flowers flowing accross it. However said dress is skin tight, and so a bra just wasn't working. Hence the gaffer tape, the one thing known to hold the whole universe together. Boobs weren't going to be a problem. It worked beautifully, but the removal left Hannah with smoother breasts than legs so a new solution to the dress problem will be sought in Oxford Street the day before the awards.

Today Karuna accidently spilt her tea in Chaplaincy. However because Karuna is awesome, she had already arranged her cup so when she tipped the table it slid towards in a manner that meant she could catch the cup between her knees and the only spillage was a minor splash on the floor, with neither Karuna or her laptop being harmed. She is truly awesome.

In other news, I got up to verse 11 of Ezra 5, we only got upto Ezra 6 in class, I've not started my essay yet and I feel spectacularly on my arse at Ballet class whilst attempting to do pirrouettes. I'm soooooooooooooo out of practice! I also snapped my pointe shoes and so need to go pointe shoe shopping. It's a toss up between a pair of Bloch Suprima Strongs like my last pair , or try something new in a pair of Bloch Synergy Rehearsals. Both are extra strong shoes as I tend to wear them out very, very quickly. High insteps you know.

Little Shop, Little Shop of Horrors!

Eleanor was astounding in her show. In fact I was extremely impressed with the whole thing. Matravers, my old school, really does do school productions really well. The set was cleverly painted, the hired plant puppets impressive, the leads well tuned and so on. I do think having leads that can reliably sing in tune is very important. Helps the rest of the cast. This year's lot were also blessed to have two or three sixth form lads who could sing, were willing to get up on stage and gave it their all. Spine shivering stuff. Amiee Berrington is one to watch. She was the voice of the Audrey II plant, and wow can that girl sing...

Pity my sister isn't especially well at the moment. The docs aren't sure what the problem is and she's wasting away before our eyes. She slept all day in front of the telly to conserve her energy, then went to bed as soon as she got home. Despite this she was all bright eyes and pretty facial expressions and making the part come alive. (Thank God for the undo function on blogger as I just accidently selected the whole post by accident and deleted it!)

My gradnparents took me home, which was very kind of them, and then I had a brisk lunch with Tom in Chaplaincy before trundling off to a lecture on Islamic Jerusalem, which just draaaaaaaaaaaaaaged! But I did manage to catch up with what I missed last week with being feek and weeble in the not very useful post presentation discussion. The post presentation discussion that I felt was mainly me trying to converse with lecturers, me being asked to read poetry out loud to the class by lecturers and then deciding to change my essay completely because well the best-in-class (tm) was doing the sametopic as me, and there's no point in competing. Also , no one has attempted a history of what living in Jerusalem was like for the everyday person, and I get to write about blogging , so yay!

NaBloPoMo

Rather than being one of the amazing few who can manage National Novel Writing Month in Novemember, I'm going to try and manage National Blog Posting Month. A little everyday about my everyday.

The mood today has mainly been Aramaic flavoured. I feel like I have been falling behind in my Aramaic a little. After a late breakfast of boiled eggs and toast and melon with Tom, I went to Chaplaincy to work in their peace and quiet. Of course Chaplaincy is not always peace and quiet, there is often major talking of nonsense, but there is more space than in the library, it is less distracting than home, and there are people there who are quite willing to talk to you in LolCat in between your flurries sessions of work, and respect your quiet when you are working.

I managed at least another 4 sentences, working at my very slow rate. I'm not yet recognising the verb endings, what with the verb table taking up a whole side of A3, but slowly the vocabulary is coming. I can recognise the words for king, city, scribe, commander and the people of the trans Euphrates area. Oh and most of the pronouns.

I stayed in Chaplaincy until it was time for the quiz at the Stile, eating Koren Ramen noodles for dinner. Not the most nutritious of meals but cheap and easy to make. The quiz was ok, our team had no hope of winning, what with messing up the killer round, getting one question wrong and therefore not getting any points for the previous questions that we had got right. So many people come from my circle of friends and acquaintances that we have to have two teams now, but some how it's not quite the same atmosphere. I always seem to end up on the team that doesn't seem to really want to talk to each other, so I try an make up for that subconsciously by talking to much.

Now I'm sat procrastinating away from these last two sentences, and planning my weekend and week ahead. It's a busy one. Tomorrow there are fireworks on campus, Saturday I am meeting Tom's mum in my new official capacity, and Sunday I am going back home for my sisters confirmation....*sigh*

ATTENTION SIMON STEVENS - YOUR HAT HAS BEEN TAKEN HOSTAGE!

Simon Stevens, your hat has been taken hostage.



We demand a Nintendo Wii for the chaplaincy, a good wheel of cheese and lots of wine, (communion
or otherwise).


How much do you value your hat?



You have till term starts to meet our demands!

Out of my system and into my mind.

Well today I bucked my ideas up and did some work. Jessica kindly tested me on my revision whilst we were picnicking in the chaplaincy garden. The same garden that gets turned into a car park tomorrow.

It was a glorious day today. I lay in the sunshine looking at the clouds and now I'm all freckley. (Should that be freckly?)

I'm so cross with myself for moping for a week and thus not doing my usual amount of revision. Instead I have concentrated on three topics I feel confident with, and tried to include as much detail as possible. I shall read over them a few times tonight and tomorrow and hopefully I will not have sabotaged myself too much. The exam is tomorrow afternoon.

My course is my thing, and as much as I have been taken aback by my depression this term and then Chris and I splitting up, I should have thrown myself into my work. I need good marks to get anywhere, and if I do flunk this exam it will entirely be my fault. It will also make me work especially hard next year. I hate failing at anything. I don't have any reason to feel down apart from not doing myself justice. Of course I was sad Chris didn't want to be my bf anymore, but I had a fab time being with him and don't regret it at all, except that I made him miserable with my miserableness. The depression is something I need to work on so it stops affecting my work and personal life. As the anonymous but fairly wise commenter on the last few posts has said, I can't dwell in the fact I feel shit right now. There are things that need to be getting on with, sorting out my future being an important one.

I've been looking into my postgrad options. A straight history degree is pretty rubbish employment prospects wise no matter what the Uni tell you. I was considering a straight history MA, leading to a Phd and then a life of academia. However I do have a crafty practical vein to me, and I think I'd be happier doing something that uses those skills too. Right now its a toss up between an MA in Museum Studies/Curatorship, or further training looking into an Msc in Conservation of Artefacts. Now none of these guarentee me a job, and the Museums Association say most people are far better off getting their PGCE's, accounting or marketing qualifications and serving museums in those ways. However, I'm hoping I might just be one of those people who are especially suited to museum work. The work experience at the beginning of July will help find that out.

Small things that make the world.

I did something I don't normally do today. I went to a church service. I say church service, but it was in Chaplaincy.

That's not the point.

Simon talked about the horrendous shootings at Virginia Tech. He talked about the welcome we had received at various churches. He talked about the reading from Acts 16v 1- 15 and renewing relationships after Easter.

I was sat there thinking that none of these topics seemed to be related.

However, then in a moment of what I can only describe as sublime, he linked the three together.

There are students here at Southampton, and no doubt in all universities, schools, and workplaces who are lonely. Not alone, I am alone at the moment but I am not lonely. I have friends I can reach via MSN or my mobile phone, or by popping down the road and round the corner. (Hey Andy!) My boyfriend and his housemates are 15 minutes walk away.

I am not lonely because I was lucky enough to be born with the ability to make friends easily.

There are people who find it hard to make friends, who find it hard to realate to people. They could be shy. They could have issues with their sele - esteem. They could think no one would want to spend time with them.

Simon mentioned that students who had been in the same hall as the gunman had expressed shock at what he had done. However they had also said that they barely knew him, that he was a "loner".

I used to be a bit of loner. Whilst I complete condemn the actions of this person, can understand how being lonely is unbearable. You have no one to talk to but the voices in your head. And they don't think straight. We need friends to be the objective sounding boards in our lives. To share our thoughts and feelings, our worries and hopes.

The link between Simon's three points is thus; in the spirit of renewing relationships, we should all take the time to reach out and welcome people. Renew our relationships with people we are already friends with, and with God if you believe in one, but also to try and make new friends.

Small things make the world. I can't say that the shooting would never had happenned. if the people in the halls of the gun man had reached out to him. I just don't know if that would have been true.

But it might have done.

Smiling at someone could save their life.

I'm endevouring to do little things for people. Just so they know they're loved.

This all sounds to twee and pretentious. I know though, that if people hadn't done this for me, I wouldn't be so happy as I am now. I know I'm worth something.

So thank you Chris for the lime with my Corona, the glow in the dark stars, the tulips, the turning up in the middle of the night when I need a hug.
Thank you Andy for the cake on mondays and the time you bought tea and penguin biscuits up to Simon's office.
Thank you Emma for the gossipping.
Thank you Jess for the fudge.
Thank you Karuna for playing the piano till three in the morning so I could sing.
Thank you Simon for listening to me.
Thank you Adam for putting Latin notes through my door.
Thank you Rachel for the candle and teaching me how to write lists.
Thank you Amy for tea and sympathy and curry and Eddie Izzard.
Thank you Alex for telling me where the dimple above our lips comes from.
And so on and so forth...

All the People so many People...

I have been making new friends recently. I'm one of those people who like to have different groups of friends. Usually as different as possible. The people in question this time are known as the 'Chaplaincy Groupies' because, well, they hang out at Chaplaincy. So you could say I met them all through Yellow. They remind me of all the best qualities of the people from school, and there's a nice sense of community when we're all together. In fact, one could say Chaplaincy has become the Sixth Form Common Room of my university career.

One of the best things about all these people is that they are welcoming, but not in that insincere, 'let me convert you', way that I have experienced in so many religious settings. They just want to get to know you.

The other thing I enjoy when I spend time with them is how well 'liberal' they are. I never feel I am being judged, or that I have to live up to any label in their company. The 'being on your best behaviour' feeling is something I experience in most of my daily life, save perhaps in the company of Chris and his friends. So its refreshing and greatly appreciated to have a place where I can relax, be as loud and witty and obnoxious as I like, and have people enjoy it.

Most of them are Christians in one way or another, and whilst I'm not really on speaking terms with God and organised religion atm, its so nice to debate history and biblical texts and theology and science with people who have that shared kind of Anglican upbringing.

Most of all they're mine. A group of friends that I stumbled across myself. They're not friends with me because I'm friends with one of their friends. They quite simply started talking to me because I was sat in Chaplaincy with a cuppa. They're not friends with me because of my course either. So I can win any argument. Something I can't do when with History friends! So this is thank you for having me Chaplaincy Groupies, and see you at the pub on Sunday.