Elisabeth Moss
Elisabeth Moss
England, September 2024 - April 2025
My name is Elisabeth, and I recently graduated from Belmont with degrees in Songwriting and English. I'll be traveling to Bournemouth, England to lead free creative writing workshops for disadvantaged youth. Read More About Elisabeth →

A Change in Weather

I’ve reached the point in my trip where the excitement and newness is wearing off and I’m settling into mundane rhythms. This is life now; it’s tea in the mornings, long bus rides, Harry Potter reruns and homemade dinners. It’s slow and sweet, and I’m learning to be patient with it. The last two weeks in both my work and my personal life have been rather slow, but there are still things to look back on and be grateful for.

This week was half-term (or fall break), and last week’s workshop got canceled, so I’ve spent the remaining time devising a songwriting workshop and an adult writing group. Last week my boss and I met with the leader of a local charity that works with families to discuss a full-family workshop, one where kids and parents break off and each attend a unique writing session. If we go through with this, I would lead the adult session! To prepare, I combed through old writing prompts from my English classes and Porch workshops to gather some ideas. As much as I’ve enjoyed working with kids, I’m very excited about the prospect of an adult group. I think there’s a lack of spaces in Bournemouth for adults, specifically in their twenties and thirties, to share their art and writing, so I want to help foster a space like that. 

My biggest challenge in devising these classes and in setting up our regular workshops has been what you’d think would be the easiest part: emails. It is so hard to get a prompt reply especially from teachers, so it’s been a little discouraging to feel like I’m not making any progress. In the meantime, I’ll keep chasing people up and work to strengthen the class plans. 

A sweet comment from a recent workshop. Someone found a new friend!

My mental health and personal life has also seen a bit of a slump. A combination of conflict back home, dreary weather, and a nasty cold resulted in more screen time and me feeling overall less present. Despite that, I’m still trying to get out and maintain my rituals. My weekly fiddle lessons, youth group, and football practice have been helpful in establishing a rhythm and helping me regularly see people. I have at least one good friend outside of work who I frequently hang out with, and we’ve been making our way through the Harry Potter films together. 

When I’m feeling down, I find it helpful to compile a list of the things that made me happy in a day or over the course of a week. Here are a few things that have brightened my mood recently and reminded me that there is always beauty around:

  1. On a particularly sad day, a rainbow appeared on my run. It’s the only rainbow I’ve seen here thus far, and it only lasted for a few minutes, but I think I was meant to see it.
  2. My friend Alex and I made a really delicious dinner, combining my favorite salad recipe and his favorite pasta recipe. 
  3. Even though I wasn’t there to see it, my band (The Scarecrows) played a Halloween show in my hometown and stayed with my parents. It made my heart explode to witness that crossover.
  4. I got to see the New Forest with my boss Dee and his wife Mel. The New Forest used to be King Henry VIII’s private hunting grounds, and today wild horses and ponies roam it.
  5. I made a new friend from America!

Rainbow!

Horses in the New Forest

As of writing this, I have a few exciting adventures ahead of me: I’m flying to Belfast this upcoming weekend to see my friend and fellow LUMOS recipient Eleri, I’m visiting my friend Lydia in mid November, and my family is coming to visit me in December! There’s lots to be grateful for, and I’m excited for what’s ahead. 

Elisabeth

From Here to Anywhere

The weeks are going by faster and faster, and I’m reminded of how quickly these next eight months will come and go. I’ve settled into a rhythm here in Bournemouth, and I’ve found myself a bit stagnant: I haven’t been trying as many new things as I was two weeks ago, and I’m spending more time working or in my room. It’s not a bad thing, but I want to make sure I’m continuing to stretch myself and making the most of my time here.

Since I last wrote, two big things have happened: (1) I visited London, and (2) my charity ran our first workshop of the season, and I attended my first few meetings as the face of the charity. 

First, London. Just before I left Nashville I discovered that my friend and mix engineer, Sam Jenkins, would be touring with an act in London about a month after I was set to arrive. I thought this would be the perfect excuse to venture outside of Bournemouth for the first time and see a familiar face. One of my favorite musicians, Orla Gartland, was playing just outside of London a few days prior, so I thought I’d make a weekend out of it. I learned a few important lessons from this trip, as follows:

  1. I don’t need to be a tourist in a city I’ve already been to, unless I’m with friends or there for an event. The time I spent walking around London by myself was quite lonely. I found myself revisiting the same places I’d been to a year, two years ago, but without the people that made it special then. Two out of three nights I stayed with my friend Mik, who I met through writing events with The Porch in Nashville, and the day that we spent walking through their old neighborhood in the East End was a highlight for me. It was good to see the city through a new perspective, one where I can make new memories instead of simply revisiting old ones.
  2. My perception of a city is so closely tied to who I experience it with. I’ve known three Londons now, and each is so different from the last. I’ve always been keen on moving to London, but I see even more now that it would be very difficult without a friend by my side. 
  3. Buy a portable charger. It’s funny how much my weekend was thrown off because my phone died several times after not charging through the night. 

An evening near Hyde Park

Getting to talk to Sam after his set was worth all the tassel and loneliness the rest of the weekend held. It’s so nice to have a friend, someone I don’t have to introduce myself to or trade get-to-know-you questions with. It filled my soul with a warmth I didn’t know I needed, and I was just so proud to see fellow Belmont grads playing at a big theater in London. They really mean it when they say From Here to Anywhere. 

The view from Mik and Lilly’s house. Autumn is fully here in England!!

Classic fish and chips dinner. It was overpriced, but I needed it.

Second, the workshop! I was nervous at the start of the session, but it went so well. The kids were hilarious (my favorite idea, which was shot down, was about a Spider Toilet, operated by Mr. Beast, whose biggest foe is a large roll of toilet paper), and they seemed very excited to write. One of the things I love most about The Story Works is that we empower both the students and our volunteers, so two of our volunteers from Bournemouth University led the session and many more illustrated the childrens’ work or served as writing mentors. It’s cool to see how their confidence grows from the start to the end of the session.

The next two days I went to a few meetings alone to speak for the charity. The first was with a big construction group who wanted to promote our charity on their hoardings, and the next was a school for teens and adults learning English as a second language. Neither felt like a typical business meeting—both parties were simply passionate about interacting with the local community and being a part of something good, and that was encouraging to witness. I didn’t feel like I lacked knowledge or experience despite only living here for a month; all those I spoke with were excited about the work I was doing and commended me for coming from America all by myself. I left the meetings feeling encouraged and more confident about my abilities as a charity manager. 

Apart from that, I ran an impromptu half marathon and released a new song (you can listen here)! 

Bournemouth Half Marathon! I ran for my boss, who wasn’t able to run it.

Until the next time,

 

Elisabeth

Square One: New Friends & New Challenges

A lot can happen in two weeks.

Two weeks ago I had no friends outside of my host family and job, I wasn’t involved in any activities or organizations, and I hadn’t even started my official job. As I write this I have a few friends, I’m a part of several local organizations, and I’ve started my work full-force.

Let me start from the beginning: Scottish Dancing. One fateful Monday night I decided to attend a traditional dance at the Scottish Society, a club for those of Scottish heritage or those interested in Scottish culture that met just down my street. I was desperate to make friends and meet new people, so I decided to pop in with my house mate’s partner, Melissa, since I had nothing better to do. Were Melissa and I the only people under the age of sixty? Yes. But something really beautiful happened at the end of the night: one of the dancers, Nicola, invited me to her church, and it just so happened to be the church that I was planning on visiting that weekend. That following Sunday I met so many kind people and even made a few friends my age. Since then, I’ve started taking fiddle lessons (something I’ve always wanted to do!), joined a football (soccer) club and a running club, started playing at open jams (I would have never done this a year ago), attended my church’s youth group, and formed a full live band. 

This is the church where I take fiddle lessons! What a dream!

There’s something very humbling about starting back at square one. For years I haven’t had to go out of my way to make new friends, but the only way I’ll make any now is to intentionally put myself in social settings. I’m scanning the signs on every lamppost, checking the weekly events at cafes, searching for signs of compatibility in the strangers I pass on the street. It’s exciting to have a major life shake-up. Now is the time I can be all of the versions of myself I’ve always wanted to be but never had the time for, and I’m proud of how I’ve handled it thus far. 

Last week we went to the city library to hang up all the activity sheets I handed out to schools.

This past weekend was the Arts by the Sea Festival, the event I’d been promoting at primary schools during my first few weeks here. Lots of families stopped by to hear more about our charity and engage in some story-based activities. Several adults expressed interest in either helping promote our charity or attending workshops with us, and it dawned on me that I was the one who’d be making these decisions. Our founder, Dee, said that I could design an adult class if I wanted to, even though it’s something we’ve never done before. It’s new and exciting to have all this freedom, but I’ve also been met with the age-old imposter syndrome. I’ve never run a charity before, so I have no idea what I’m doing, but I know that I’m passionate about our charity’s cause and can figure things out. 

Me and our student volunteers at the Arts by the Sea Festival

Something I have struggled with is how to schedule my time and find a good work-life balance: I want to design a new songwriting course and an adult writing group, but that’s extra work on top of my pre-existing work. This job will be entirely what I make of it, so I want to push myself to work hard and try new things, but I also want to enjoy my time here without stressing too much. I’m currently working on finding that happy medium. 

All in all, I’m so grateful that I get to be here, and I’m excited to see how my life will continue to surprise me.

Bournemouth beach 

English majors will get this. Shout out to my ENG 200 class and Dr J. I miss y’all.

Welcome to Bournemouth!

Well folks, I made it! I’ve spent nearly a week in England, and it has both been a whirlwind and has stretched by slowly. Let me update you:

The journey there was quite breezy. The last time I traveled internationally by myself, I felt a huge weight once I stepped into the security line and said goodbye to my parents, but this time I felt a lot more relaxed. It’s good to know that this process is getting easier for me. 

Leaving my family at IND

Once I arrived, my host dad, George, picked me up from the bus station and drove me to the house I’ll be staying at for the next nine months. It’s a sweet two-story home on a very traditionally English street: each house is practically indistinguishable sans its door, which tends to be colored brightly to contrast the uniformity found elsewhere. The inside is full of brightly colored walls, pastel sofas, and a diverse collection of abstract art. I quickly met Ed and Sally, the other two who share the home. Sally is a social work professor at Bournemouth University, George is a gardener, and Ed, their son, is a musician. Upon meeting Ed, he showed me his studio, played me a few of his tracks (it’s just like I haven’t left Nashville), and even offered up one of his guitars for me to use during my stay. I felt very welcomed.

My room

Ed’s studio

My first walk into town was less of a welcoming experience: the nearest “high street” (a street lined with shops) was full of boarded up buildings, vape shops, convenient stores, and plenty of places to buy kebabs that did not mirror the image of an idyllic English street I had conjured. I walked past the gloomy shops in my Victorian-looking long skirt and black turtleneck feeling like the most posh person in existence as others stared at me down. I felt like an outsider. 

It’s been hard not to compare Bournemouth to other UK cities I’ve visited or lived in. London, Manchester, and even Belfast cannot compare to here–Bournemouth is a town, not a city, (I learned that a city is classified so by the presence of a cathedral, which Bournemouth does not have) and it won’t have all of the components and activities that a bustling city has. Truth be told, I’ve never lived in a place that doesn’t have an arts theater or a string of local coffee shops within a ten minute drive, so living in a quieter area will be an adjustment. The past week has given me a greater appreciation for the vibrant arts community in Nashville—there’s simply nothing else like it, and I hope to never take that for granted.

Bournemouth Pier from afar

I didn’t have long to settle in before starting the first part of my job: going into primary schools to deliver a twenty minute assembly (presentation) about the Arts by the Sea Festival, a free arts festival sponsored by the government that my organization is helping out with. I was meant to go by myself, but the co-founder of the charity, Tom, offered to accompany me, which had me brimming with tears of relief. The kids were very interactive and enthused, and both my Thursday and Friday presentations went better than expected. Even though workshops have not begun, I already feel privileged to share this festival with children in low-income areas. Like many places in the UK, the arts are underfunded here, and children don’t often get to experience the arts for free. My life would be radically different without arts education, so I’m very grateful to play a small role in expanding that. 

Me before speaking to an assembly of 500 primary school kids

After the assemblies Tom drove me around, and we chatted about the cities we’d lived in and the jobs we’d worked.

“It’s my first time having to really make friends as an adult,” I told him. “I’m curious to see how I’ll do it.”

“Yeah… if you find out, let me know,” he replied. “With all my friends starting families and moving, it’s hard to stay in touch.”

His response was slightly deflating, but honest. This is going to be hard, and I will have to make a very active effort to go out and meet people. I called my parents last night to express my disappointment that I’d found work in Bournemouth instead of somewhere exciting like London or Manchester, but they reminded me that I need to trust and commit myself fully to this project. I must have the courage to seek out the beauty that’s here and to find my place. If I see an area of lack, I have the power, in whatever small ways I’m given, to address it. This place—and all places—are what you make of it, and I’m trying not to see Bournemouth as a place that’s lacking.

A lovely sunset to close out my week

Hello, Goodbye

Yesterday I moved from Nashville, my home of four years, back to Indianapolis for a week. The sun is less harsh, the streets are quieter, and I get to listen to my parents bemoan how the neighborhood fountain hasn’t been turned on all summer. I am once again in a different sector of my life, and in less than a week I will begin a new one in Bournemouth, England, a little town on the South coast of the country.

Why am I moving to Bournemouth? I’m glad you asked. After months of skepticism toward LUMOS and if it was the right decision for me, I took a leap of faith in early February and decided that I was going to apply for the March 15th deadline. There’s a reason it’s recommended that you prepare your application in at least four months—I spent day after day waking up at the crack of dawn to Zoom with non-profit leaders across Europe and stayed up late all of Spring break writing essays. I decided pretty early on that I wanted to work with a creative writing non-profit; after interning with the Porch, the South’s leading creative writing non-profit, I realized how much I loved being part of an organization that promotes creative writing and forms community around it. In a storm of luck and diligence, I found The Story Works in late February, and after a few minutes of speaking with their director, I knew I had found the right place. I submitted my application just in time on March 14th at 11:59 p.m.—my opponents were fuming.

The pure ecstasy I felt upon receiving the news that I was moving to England turned into practicality as I spent much of the summer in preparation mode. This included fighting bureaucracy and crossing my fingers to receive my visa in time, which, despite its frustrations, was an insightful look into the immigration process. I secured housing (I’ll be living with a host family), bought my flights with my fancy new credit card, registered with the NHS, and prepared for my job by scheduling and preparing assemblies with ten elementary schools in the Bournemouth area.

I’m ready for a change, but it’s bittersweet to say goodbye to a community that means so much to me. Last week I had my last day at Cafe Ma’kai, the cafe that I’ve worked at for nearly three years, and it was the first time the reality of my move sunk in. Several loved ones came in to see me, and the following week I played a house show with my band, The Scarecrows, to say my final goodbyes. I’ve noticed that goodbyes come easy for me—I have a strong instinct that I’ll return to the people and places that matter to me most, and I know that I’ll be seeing my Nashville friends very soon.

With a lot of things coming to an end—college, jobs, and even Portland Brew—I’m reminded that sometimes temporality is necessary to make something special. I wouldn’t love college anymore if I’d have spent ten years enrolled, and I’d probably start to loathe being a barista if I stayed at Ma’kai full time. I’m ready to look back on the past four years in Nashville as what it was—a very special time—and to walk into this next chapter with faith and courage.

I’ll talk to you in England!

Elisabeth

My going away house show