Lost in Austen

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife"

The Steventon Church

This week's adventure was to the home country of Jane Austen!  Needless to say, I more than a little excited for this trip!  We started with visiting her hometown of Steventon, where her father was vicar until 1800.  Her house is no longer standing, but we were able to walk around the small village church where she attended.  We then moved on to Chawton, where she spent the later part of her life (1809-1817).  The Manor House, once owned by Austen's brother,  Edward Knight, is now the Chawton House Library, an extensive collection of early women writers.  Our class not only was able to tour the house, but we also had time to look at the collection.  From there we walked down to the Austen's cottage in Chawton, which has been turned into a museum about Austen's family and career.  Our final stop of the day was Winchester, the burial place of Austen.  We toured the cathedral (one of the largest in England!), and of course took lots of pictures! :)  I loved seeing all of the Austen memorabilia and souvenirs,  and even indulged myself in a few little purchases at the gift shop. :)

Chawton House Library

This week, I was also able to see Steph, one of my friends from W&M.  Steph and I have been in RUF Small Groups together since we were freshmen, and so it was really wonderful to catch up with her for a grand total of...23 hours!  She is studying abroad in Lyon, and so she's been touring England on her mid-semester break.

The Austen Cottage in Chawton

Speaking of William & Mary, I've been thinking a lot about the upcoming year.  We were just assigned time slots for the housing lottery, and the course schedule is up online already!  It's very weird to think that I only have a year left at W&M.  And, I'm taking my last English class next semester!  I feel so attached to the school - to the people, activities, and really just the environment, that it will be hard to leave!  But, I've decided that I'm not going to say the word "senior" until I am actually on campus for my final year - I still have two-thirds of a semester and a whole summer to get through! :)