Im back, for a short time

Well it brings me great joy to be writing on my laptop in my own bedroom in Ballwillwill, northern Ireland and i must say its been so good catching up with old friends and meeting a few new ones along the way as well.

Around 2 months ago i decided that it would be a wise thing for me to head on home for Christmas, for both financial and emotional reasons(i.e. i missed home).
Whilst talking to Niall (my brother) on the phone about this, a plan was hatched to surprise everyone and so the secret began!! I will say at this stage sorry to all of you who i may have told a few white lies too especially if they seemed quite detailed, oops
So after 2 months of trying to keep this a secret the time came for me to make my journey, it was a wednesday morning when i arrived in to Dublin airport, and despite stupid delta forgetting my luggage i was in good spirits! My brother picked me up from sprucefield and we headed over to the folks house:
Surprise 1: At the end of the lane i got into the boot of my brothers new alfa romeo gt and drove up to the house. my brother walked in and said something along the lines of "hi mum and dad look what i picked up at the end of the lane, i think its still alive just open up the boot there. watch it doesn't jump out!!" their faces were priceless!! so after getting a quick dinner we hit the road to:
Surprise 2: Erin, my sister. Niall walked into her house and said something along the lines of "hey Erin hows it going, hope you don't mind but i brought a friend along with me" at which point i stepped out from behind him. Her face was a mix of every emotion you could ever imagine fun times.
So after a quick visit with my cousin dave( who is back blogging and for some reason quoting me in one of his entries??!!) we headed of to:

Surprise 3: the party that louise had so kindly organised for me. face of the night had to go to stu bothwell who couldn't understand why i was in the same room as him fun times!!


So iv been back home for nearly 2 weeks now and christmas has come and gone and new years is tomorrow. Iv had such a wonderful time since being back, iv loved meeting up with so many wonderful people, and being around a great family. Its kinda hard to put in the mixed feeling i have right now, because on one hand being home has made me realise two things
Firstly that on most levels four months is not a long time at all and that nothing really has changed. My friends are still here in norn iron and doing well and it has been easy just to get along side them again. So for that reason another four months in alabama should fly in and i shouldn't really miss all that much back home.
But on the other hand iv found myself saying on a number of occasions "well if i was in northern ireland this year i would be able to do this or that". I know that sounds really stupid considering iv been given this great opportunity to live in the states and meet some awesome people but sometimes you cant help it. I guess that its just one of those things, it is easy to look back and think "what would my life look like if i had chosen the other option?" but again i cant let myself dwell to long on things like that as there is no way to ever know. All i can do is rest in the knowledge that its all been part of Gods sovereign plan and i think id prefer to trust his judgement than my own flawed self.

Update coming soon!!

Due to unforeseen circumstances i have been unable to update my blog recently, and when i say unforeseen circumstances i mean iv been lazy and traveling, this will be rectified soon!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Just wanted to wish y'all a very happy thanksgiving.
We all have so much to be thankful for and so on this wonderful day lets enjoy the great things that god has given us.
(How american do i sound!!!)

Halloween and my Fu Manschu

So i had been growing my beard for around a month in preparation for one night and one night only. I had decided a long time ago that while i was in south i would embrace the redneck culture and so for halloween the one night where u can dress up as anything you like i decided..... Its Redneck time!! So here is a formula to a successive redneck look.

Ingredients:

* One set of overalls
* One checkered shirt
* One wife beater
* One pair of boots
* One Alabama baseball cap
* One can of Budwieser
* One shaggy hair cut
* One FU MANSHU

When you mix all these ingedients together you get this:


For more information go to the following link. Rednecks

Also for more information on my amazing Fu Manchu and how to grow one email me at johnpnixon@hotmail.com or follow the link. Fu Manchu

Fishing!!

So i went fishing on friday past and caught two fish!!

The first one was massive!!!! bigger than any fish id ever caught before.

It weighed a tonne and i could hardly get it out of the water.

and the second one i caught was this one:

The lake itself is gorgeous, just goes to show that there are parts of alabama that are extremly pretty. I love getting out to this lake and away from civilization.

I also uncovered a rock and found a tiny wee scorpian, it was a vicious wee blitter, prob killed the piece of grass i was poking it with ten times over.

Thought provoking thoughts

So i was bored in between classes today so decided to have a wee surf on the Internet to see if i could find something interesting to amuse myself.
So while listening to some classical Beethoven i came across some web sites dedicated to famous quotes throughout history so i thought i would add a few to inspire, provoke and challenge all four of you who read this thing.

1. “My Mother said to me, If you become a soldier you’ll be a general, if you become a monk, you’ll end up as the Pope. Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.”
Pablo Picasso - (1881-1973) - Spanish Painter and Sculptor

2. "The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense."
Tom Clancy (1947-) - Author

3. “The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.”
Edward J. Phelps (1822-1900) - Lawyer and Diplomat

4. “To loves one’s self is the beginning of a life-long romance”
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) - Irish Born English Poet, playwright and Novelist

5. "If you lose your temper, you’ve lost the argument."
Proverb

Also over the last few days iv been struck by how amazing creation is. We have squirrels here on campus and even thought they are the gray kind and regarded as vermin by many i still kinda love them. Its amazing how G0d created such a resourceful wee animal how goes on day by day collecting nuts and burying them. I find it a joy to watch them hopping around, maybe I'm a bit of a nature freak but i thought i would just add that in. If you want to learn more here is a link to Squirrel land fun times!!

I have a pretty easy week lined up i think. Going fishing on Thursday and also two of my friends out here have a one year anniversary party im going to it should be good fun.

My beard is back!! and its getting kinda long.

Church was real good this sunday, pastor Rob who reminds me so much of Gordan McDade was speaking on submission as part of his series on holy disciplines. He brought out some real insightful stuff.

Jogging and the like

Hey Hey Hey guess what, I'm back with another fun filled update that's going to enthral and thrill every single reader....... happy days!!!

So i haven't updated my blog properly since 10:59 on the first of September 2008.

That's a whole months and 12 days and so i owe y'all my most sincere apologies.

"So what have you been doing john?" i hear you all asking, well your all about to find out..... ps if i use Americanisms don't worry I'm just trying to wind y'all up. ( i did actually catch my self saying DEfence (emphasis on the D) as a apposed to the norn iron way dfnce....sorry.)

So here it all is in a nut shell.

Since my last update i have been to an american football game, visited my good friend from school andrew wallace down in Auburn, been fishing, started playing "soccer" in a 7 a side team, been sorting out my plans for the christmas holidays, missed my cousins wedding, bought a hat, got addicted to sunflower seeds and been doing a heck a lot of jogging.

So went to see Alabama play western kentucky ages ago now. the stadium was packed with 93,000 people and i have to give it to the americans, they can put on a good show. The game was pretty good, alabama dominated WK the whole match and won out easily 41 - 7. The half time show was pretty good with the band doing some rendition of queens greatest hits whilst sauntering around the football field. On the downside the whole 93,000 people didnt make any were near the sound that windsor park does and the atmosphere felt really forced by the wee cheerleaders shouting Defence Defence Defence, like can they not be a bit more creative than that!! a load of people left at half time and the atmosphere died after that. so iv decided that you need to go to a big game for american football o be exciting.

Like i said earlier i went to see andrew and daniel wallace down in the other big university in Alabama, Auburn. Was really good to see those guys again and i really enjoyed the road trip with Mike, Steve and CJ good banter was had by all. started playing "soccer" for a university team, 7 a side, we have won both our matches so far relatively easily, the standards out here is surprisingly good and our team has a few good wee players. really enjoying playing in a team again, i doubt it will live up to the standard of the COI football team though. All the best lads for the season ahead!!
Other things of note, salted sunflower seeds rock. Also my beard is back. The plan is that i shave the sides and bottom then put on a set of overalls, a checkered shirt and put a can of beer in my hand and become a proper redneck for Halloween how awesome would that be!! il get some photos up of that. Iv been playing pro evo with the guys at mikes house flipping great!!!

Now to my new found love of jogging. Im not sure why i started running round the track here at stillman but three weeks ago i decided i was gona keep in shape while im out here. So i took to the 400m track and started jogging three times a week. Im now up to doin 5 miles a session. I have always found running to be kinda boring especially just running around and around a track but iv decided that in order to teach myself discipline and all that type of thing that i should stick at this thing. Iv found that while im running my mind can be cleared and so iv had some really good times of prayer and fellowship with God. By making the run a spiritual thing it becomes so much more beneficial and enjoyable.
Many of you know that i want to do a full marathon whenever i get back home and so i plan to try and get a real good base fitness when out here, do a few 10 mile jogs and the like and see how i get on.

And so i hope you all are doing well and once again i miss you all very much, looks like i will be home mid may by the way. peace and love

announcement!!

My sister got engaged!! congratulations Erin and Mike!!!!!

Football and the Lighthouse

Hey Hey Hey!!

This is my room mate

Welcome to a new post of life in Tuscaloosa Alabama, home of the crimson tide that is the university of Alabama Football team.
I know im irish and should hate american sports but being in a town that is so passionate about american football is kinda addictive so much so that i actually enjoy watching the sport!!
On saterday night past I went to a friends house. He had a blacked out room with an HD projector which created a scream of 108 inches!!! he had massive speakers recliners and a fridge for the beers absolutely perfect set up for watching an american football game. Alabama were playing Clemson and were slight underdogs as Clemson was ranked in the top 10 in the confrence. but Bama took the game to them and won convincingly 34-10.
Enough about American Football.


Iv found my new home church. Its called the "lighthouse" (ring any bells sophie). Its a church of around 100 - 150 people, they meet in a converted warehouse and as soon as i walked in the door i felt at home. people were casually dressed (last week i was the only one wearing jeans to the church i visited) and engaging in meaningfull conversations with each other. the teaching was awsome the people were so friendly and i had a sense of God's hand in bringing me to this place. I went with my mate Michael and he really liked it as well. we went to the college bible study that night as well which was great as everyone was so welcoming i even got mentioned as the honourary irish student!! fun times

Went to atlanta last week like i said last post we had a really good road trip, John Butler trio were absolutely unbelievably good, probably the best musicians iv ever seen truely mesmorising. we went to a pub after it to get soom food and a few beers, the place we went to had wait for it 100 beers on tap!!! thats right, spoilt for choice. was a fun night.


Classes this week have been grand had a few assignments already completed had to do a speech as well. so apart from all that nothing else has been happening, I really am having a great time out here and as always your prayers have been much appreciated!!

real quick update

Right just wanted to let you all know what iv been doin the last few days and what im gona be doin tonight.

Firstly iv meet some real great guys who go to Alabama state university and so iv been hanging

with them a lot. They live in this place called university village, it has 4 swimming pools, a pool table in one of the pools, a massive club house witha 50 inch tv ect, volley ball court..... its pretty awsome.

Anways Michael brought me to this place called the well. its a college sorta worship thing that happens every week, was pretty big reminded me of manafest only for college student. the band played all hillsongs stuff so i only knew a few of the songs but they were pretty tight. The speaker was good when he was talking about his subject of choice but like a lot of american speakers iv heard he thought he wasa comedian as well.

Played some football yesterday was pretty exhausting playing in the heat. but it was good to get a ball kicking about again. bought mself some football boots and a football for $50. man i love this country!!!

Anyways after class today im heading to Atlanta Georgia to see a band called "the John Butler Trio". I came accross these guys a few years back and was blown away by the guitar playing its truelly mesmorising. so when michael asked me if i wanted to come i jumped at the chance. so tonight shoul be a great night of good music and good banter. il let you know how it all goes.

College begins

Yesterday was my first day of college in Alabama, As most of you know im studying mostly business classes but iv also decided to do a module in safety and first aid, should be a breeze. My classes are all on Monday, Wednesday Fridays an hour each day per module. Class sizes are generally around 15 - 20 and so far my class mates all seem really dead on.
Iv really enjoyed my last few days here im starting to feel more and more comfortable around campus everyone has been really dead on. On Saturday there was a back to school party. The party was held outside in the car park were the DJ's had set up two speakers and their decks. Around 300-400 students turned up. it was so funny all the songs have a set dance which everybody knows. I was really the token white boy and felt totally inadequate when it came to dancing. but it was a lot of fun and im getting to know a lot of people around campus.
Just thought i would let you all know that today we had 35 degree heat and clear skies, sorry bout all the flooding, i saw some of the photos was kinda mental!!
Hope everyone back home is doing well miss you all
I will try and get some photos up soon!!

Very quick observation

White people are in general uncoordinated and self-conscious when it comes to dancing

First few days

Hey ya'll watup!!!
Only kidding I'm not speaking like that yet, please pray that i never do!!!!!
Things here are going well enough i guess. this week has been orientation so iv done a lot of queueing and the likes which had been so boring. I found it easy enough to chat to people but sometimes its hard to get past the "so your from Ireland" phase if you know what i mean but that will come especially when i start my classes on Monday.
Picked my classes today, I'm in Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8am!!! fun times. Thing is people go to bed earlier and get up earlier here so i don't think it will be all that bad. I'm off Tuesdays and Thursdays which gives me a good bit of time to recover from the early mornings.
Campus itself is lovely, its so strange seeing the an American football stadium on campus and the likes. Also there are these benches that only members of a certain fraternity can sit at... strange!!!
So at the minute my life involves not doing an awful lot but that will soon change
Miss you all

Address:

John Nixon 4776
stillman college
p.o. box 1430
Tuscaloosa, AL 35403
United States of America

Quick update

So i have arrived into Stillman college after 26 hours without sleep. travel went really well apart from a wait of two hours in birmigham for my pick up. that was worrying but god answers prayers so it all got sorted out. Talking about answered prayers, lost my wallet this morning searched the room up and down, no where to be seen. but it eventually turned up in the back of soom dudes car.

So first impressions of college:

When we turned into the college we happened to come accross a car being chased by the cops within campus, then got told that there where seven murders in Tuscaloosa in a weekend not so long ago. fun times.
Got to my room and my roomie who's a good guy was fast asleep and my bed had no sheets no pillows no duvet. so i managed to get a few guys to take me to wall mart and get myself sorted. wal mart is so cheap. got a duvet sheets pillow and some other stuff for like £20.
Im now just back from brunch and so i've managed to see most of the freshmen on the college and iv yet to see a white face. They are all such dude's its awsome but so daunting at the same time.
Found out i might be able to play soccer at the university of alabama which warms my heart.

Il do a full update soon

Time to start blogging again

Iv been of the blog for a few months now and I feel its about the right time to start using the old thing again.

As I move away from the familiar routine that comes from living in northern Ireland and start a new adventure in the US I realise that this is an opportunity of a lifetime I have.
For this reason I feel that its important to write down some thoughts and ramblings about my time in Tuscaloosa Alabama more for my own sake as well as any body who is daft enough to read this page.

My summer holidays have come to an end and my new semester starts on Monday.... mental
I'm moving without having any idea what modules I'm doing, who I will be sharing a room with, what church I should go to, what sports I should take up, when I'll get a chance to set up a bank account etc. etc.......kinda nervous
Despite all of this unknown I feel a sense of ease about it, which is strange. I feel that these types of emotions don't really sink in with me until I get on a plane. The fact that I will be essentially starting a new life should scare me so much but because I have a God who will be there with me every step of the way fills me with a confidence that I will be all right. After all what's the worst that can happen? - I can grow as a person from the experience. So bring it on!!!

Should inform you guys on the type of college I'm going to and the town.
Its called Stillman college and its situated in the middle of Alabama in a town called Tuscaloosa, population 80 000. It has a 92% black student population, total number of students being around 800-1000. Its a Presbyterian college with quite an emphasis on Christianity which is great. Tuscaloosa itself is home to the Alabama state university so it really is a student town. Tuscaloosa itself has 126 different Baptist churches alone which is crazy when you think about it. I will be sharing a room with some dude I haven't met yet.

While I'm out there I will study 4 business modules and 1 elective module per semester and I'm the equivalent of a junior year student.


We'll I'm sure I will be updating my blog more regularly from now on. Hope “Y'all” will like it!!

Two posts in a day!!!! whats going on!!

Here are some fun filled strange laws:

1. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast is legally the property of the King; the tail, on the other hand, belongs to the Queen - in case she needs the bones for her corset.

2. In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman’s genitals but is forbidden from looking directly at them during the examination; he may only see their reflection in a mirror.

3. In London, it is illegal to flag down a taxi if you have the plague.

4. In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.

5. In Boulder, Colorado, it is illegal to kill a bird within the city limits and also to “own” a pet – the town’s citizens, legally speaking, are merely “pet minders”.

6. In the city of York, it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.

7. In Chester, Welshmen are banned from entering the city before sunrise and from staying after sunset.

8. In Kentucky, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon more than six-feet long.

9. In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays can be jailed.

10. In the UK, a man who feels compelled to urinate in public can do so only if he aims for his rear wheel and keeps his right hand on his vehicle.

hope you enjoyed those!!

Last two months!!

I am so bad at updating this thing sorry. In my defence the amount of course work iv had has been rather fustrating anyways things have happened over that time.

Firstly brazil!! im heading of to Sao Paulo with 13 of my house mates to work on a tearfund project. while were there we will be working with kids who have been affected by HIV aids in some way. We will be doing some practical work as well as help running a youth club. Im really excited about this and feel that god will really work in and through us during this time.

To help fund this trip im doin a 7 mile leg of the belfast marathon on
monday the 5th if you wana sponser me grab me next time you see me cheers!!

Secondly iv sorted out what im doin next year!! looks like im heading to stillman college which is an historically black college in alabama!!! i actually cant wait to go and an added bonus is that im only going to be living 45 minutes away from the wallace family who are an american family that lived in dundrum for 2 years!!


And so all thats left to do is pass my exams and earn as much money as possible over the summer months.

hopefully il give you all some fun facts on my next post!!!

baths

After having my second bath in 2 days i think i may have been converted.
So i would urge anyone who participates in manual labour or sporting activities to take a bath after your work put on some nice music ( i would recommend explosions in the sky or sigur ros) possibly a candle or two ( i haven't done this yet but im sure it would be nice) and some nice bubble bath especially Radox!!!



by the way im still straight

Update

Haven't posted anything of real importance for a while so thought i would do a wee update on where i am at the min.

In terms of going away to America next year with BEI i have been moved up the reserve list to number 8 which is class. I really hope i get to go and spend a year in another culture and enjoy the American dream for a short time. il keep you all updated on how that goes.

Brasil!!!

I'm heading to sao paulo on the 9th of June for 3 weeks with a group of 14 people who i live with. we're going under the banner of tearfund and we will be working with children who have aids or who have been affected by it. should be an awesome time and i cant wait to see how God moves in the situations we encounter. please be praying for that! with a foreign mission trip comes the great joy of fundraising great...... and so i will be doing a leg of the marathon on may day to help as well as a number of different other fundraising activities if i advertise something please come and support us.

Essays. what a drag i have two due for the 7th of April which i really should get working on especially considering the weekend before it is my birthday and the fact that its 6000 words lovely.

Football. loving it at the minute

Squash. loving it at the minute

Music. check out MGMT and i was a cub scout two very good bands maybe MGMT is a bit weird for a few people but i like them.

Later with jools Holland what a good show!!

Anyways that's a lot of writing and not any pictures so here's one

and another....

My name

Was watching the rob bell dvd the other day entitled "name"
It got me thinking
Can the question "what is my name?" ever really be answered?
surely it would take a lifetime to fully consider all the things that define you as a person.
hmmmm pondering......

New Posts

So i had a great idea for a post on saturday and today sunday i have totally forgotten what it was just shows you how much it played on my mind.

I shall post it when i remember it.

Nostalgia

Its funny how something so small can trigger so many emotions.
For those who dont know i lived in ecuador for six months from jan 06 till july 06, this is nearly two years ago and it hit me how quickly i have forgotten so many of the fantastic memories i have of that place.
I lost more or less all my photos of ecuador when my computer crashed last year and at the time i was real annoyed but i figured im not overly sentimental and thought it wouldnt be such a big deal. However as we've started uncluttering our house in anticipation of moving i came across a cd called ecuador 06. So i stuffed it into my laptop and realised it was all my dad's photos that he took when him and mum came to visit.

The simple act of looking at a few photos brought back so much nostalgia for me, so i thought id just post a few photos up and let you guys see how beautiful a country ecuador is.


Il put some more on my flicker.

Also want to leave you all with a question:

What is it that makes northern ireland home when the world is waiting to be discovered?

Amsterdam!!

Back from a fantastic wee trip to Amsterdam, what a lovely city
It has so much to offer as a cheap getaway (only cost £45 return).

I was really taken aback by the amazing beauty in this city especially with the reputation that Amsterdam has. The canals are every where all the buildings are stunning and the small bridges are so quaint. Another thing that struck me was the sense of social togetherness. Let me explain. On a tram in the dam you will find Kids, young people, adults and elderly people and they will be from different social and economic backgrounds. The same was true for the bicycles everyone rode them! I even managed to pick one up for Roy, Micah's flat mate amazing!!


Managed to hit a few sites when i was there too. Went for a tour of the Ajax stadium and when i was there they unveiled their new star winger awesome!!!


I also visited the van Gogh museum and the sunflower were mine for all of 10 seconds. Was a good museum but i can only take so much of art museums so i didn't spend all day in there.

Also went to Artis Zoo. I hadn't been to a zoo in so long and i guess i rediscovered a love for them. Was kinda sad though seeing such amazing creatures in such small surroundings. The zoo has 700 different species of animal but is in a relatively small area. i could have spent all day there. Sea Lions are cool!!!

At night we went to a small local pub, the alto jazz club and a squatters house( squatting is legal). Its such a great city if you love jazz music.

Had such an amazing few days. It was a joy to hang out with a true friend for my time there.

Thanks to Micah for being a fantastic host.
Cheers

Freedom and the Dam

So i can now emerge from my deep hole of revision and boredom.

Thank goodness there all over!! I think i have done ok....ish last one was a pain but who cares there over.

So i can now show you all the pictures of the snow we had three weeks ago what an amazing time we had. There was around 8 of us up in belfast at the time and we must have had near 6 inches over the course of the night so here for your appreciation are some of the pics:





So anyway that was loads of fun and such a welcome distraction from revision!!!

so i now depart of to the land of amsterdam for 4 days to visit my good friend micah. should be good banter so i shall post another update when i get back

My wee cousin joins the blog revolution!

Welcome inconsiderate dave to the blogging world,

Did i tell you he decided to go and plan the wedding for when im out of the country!!!

tut tut

Dizzee Rascal - Fix Up Look Sharp Vs. The Knife - Heartbeats

I love mash up's i.e. two songs blended into one, enjoy!!

Also check out The apples and the song "killing" micah you will love it!!