I have good news regarding E- she is now conscious and coherent, and some of the iBASE girls have been round to see her. Unfortunately she is still very much depressed, and we had a good long chat with the girls about what depression is, how it affects a person, and how to support and encourage a person who has it. Can I just say that these girls have really exhibited JC's love to E- E has been very difficult to love for the past 8 months. She frequently speaks out of turn at meetings, argues with people, and is a bit demanding. I've really seen some true love from these girls toward E, even though her depression has made her not such a good friend to them.
E apparently made an attempt to commit suicide last week- most of us didn't hear about it because she wasn't rushed to the hospital in a dramatic way. They pumped her stomach out and sent her back home. She sent her suicide text out to everyone she knew, even her roommate, and when her roommate knocked on her door to see if she was ok she said yes, she was fine. Anyway someone else got her text shortly after she sent it and called the police, so she was taken to the hospital quickly after she swallowed the sleeping pills. Anyway pr for E's mental treatment, and for the girls who are trying to love her in spite of all of this.
The garden experience was good- I saw about 8 gardens, and only a few of the owners were there. Of those who were present, I forced one poor woman to tell me her name against her will. :) I asked her what her name was, and she said Pook! And I thought, goodness- that sounds a bit Hobbit like....anyway I introduced myself, and then she said "Oh, my name's Carol." It was very very awkward, and unpleasant, and from this experience I learned something valuable about not forcing your own cultural understanding onto other cultures. :) In America introducing yourself to a stranger by name is common, and polite, and expected basically in a situation like this. I mean I talked to her for at least 10 minutes! Unfortunately here they simply don't do that. You just don't introduce yourself to other people- names are too familiar for most people to share with others. I was disappointed, but persevered through the other 6 gardens with good spirit anyway. :)
The London Mozart Players are coming to perform in our parish church believe it or not- even as small as Swavesey is! So we're going to the performance, and hoping to meet some of the local parish people. The contact person on the flyer whom G called about tickets was an American woman, so hopefully we can at least meet her. :) I met the vicar at the booth yesterday for the bell ringers, and I got a strange vibe from him so we'll see what happens. Anyway all of this seems exciting I'm sure, but keep pring for me to be able to make some relationships here, and to do it in a culturally appropriate way. At least Carol recognized from my accent that I wasn't British and we had a short chat about Edmonton Canada and other friendly topics. :) Sometimes I wish I had a "Excuse my bad manners, I'm an ignorant American" sign. :)
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