"I am the happiest creature in the world. Perhaps other people have said so before, but not one with such justice. I am happier even than Jane; she only smiles, I laugh." - Jane Austen
You know that scene in the Keira Knightley version of "Pride and Prejudice," when Elizabeth Bennet first sees Mr. Darcy's estate, and she obstructs traffic while giving a ladylike giggle?
Picture me doing that - over and over again on Monday - but especially when I first saw New College, which is where the University of Edinburgh houses its School of Divinity.
Because that means Lucy J. Schouten of Payson, Arizona, is receiving a postgraduate education - in a castle - with this view...
...living in a house that looks like this...
...with people who dress like this.
(I jest, this is a statue of the great economist Adam Smith, located on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.)
Here is a short recap for those who are still (understandably!) confused about the strange path of a small-town Mormon girl who grew up here...
....then went to school here:
- I arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Saturday. I left Boston one week prior, bidding farewell to dear friends (love you all - keep in touch!), a dysfunctional train system, and the best ice cream in the world. I spent a week in Arizona, then departed for the United Kingdom on Friday.
- I didn't decide to come until July. Late July. I had felt spiritually guided in this direction from the beginning, but only a surprising series of events made it financially and logistically possible. I am still not certain how it's all going to work - financially and logistically. But when the Lord opens a path using a gate you didn't even know existed, you step through even if there's a bend several feet (I mean - meters) ahead.
- I am attending the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh (hence the castle), but I am still a practicing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons - would you like to know more?). In my case, Divinity School simply requires studying a religious topic.
- It's a fairly new field, so if you don't remember anyone studying for a masters in World Christianity with an emphasis in Arab Christianity, it's because it hasn't really happened before. I am attending the University of Edinburgh because of its unique expertise. The lecturer I will work with on this topic is new to the university, and the program is just commencing for masters students.
- My research is based on my undergraduate honors thesis about Arab Christians in Jordan.
After all, this is what we're going for here:
