The Classics Department at Durham University had a certain smell. It smelt of clever people. People who didn’t always know how to maintain eye contact; or boil an egg; or wash. But boy! They knew a thing or so about an Epicurean poem!

In my memory, it also has a distinctive colour. As a person who thinks in colours, I associate it with a specific tone of grey (or, as the creative people at the illustrious paint and furnishing company ‘Farrow and Ball’ have nobly suggested, “Elephant’s Breath.”)

Fitting, I think.

I came to study classics by a highly dubious route. To my utter discredit, the following story is totally true: On the day that we were meant to register our courses for the following year, I overslept. Not only that, but my room-mate and our friend across the corridor in halls, also overslept. Not just a little, but a lot.

As the Cathedral bells began to chime midday, I believe that my room mate and I stirred. Alarmed (but not by the usual alarm clock method) to see the time, we raced to get dressed, shouting for our neighbour across the hall to wake too. Roused and in disarray we ran, laughing naughtily, headlong and headstrong into The Bailey.

“We need to register!” I shouted.
“Where shall we go?” the others giggled.

The classics department is the nearest one to St John’s college, where we now stood.

What harm could it do?

We raced towards it, arriving silly and breathless at 12.09. We threw ourselves on the mercy of the secretary who took pity on us and signed us up for a whole year of classical education lectures and tutorials. We tried to sound as though we had all read the prospectus thoroughly. Kate was a fabulous actor (Handily she is Prunella Scales and Timothy West’s niece and has inherited their genes) and won the day with a convincing display of half-learnt names and lots of pointing and nodding.

I need you understand something at this point. I got 44% in my mock Latin GSCE so decided WISELY not to take it. I had no interest in Troy, or the derivation of words. I wasn’t keen on Homer or Atlas or Athanasius. In fact, I wasn’t even sure who they were.

So basically there I was signing up to a whole YEAR of classical education in a musty room with a man with a HUUUUUUGE beard. Why?
Because I had been to a great party the night before.

Epic tales, impossibly mythical creatures and sage words from the lips of dusty old Greeks and Romans awaited me.

It wasn’t as bad as I feared. I followed in the footsteps of my eldest brother who was also at the department studying his Latin degree. I actually learnt a few things – one of which is my love of writing.

It is funny the journeys God takes us on isn’t it? Sometimes, through our own fault and sometimes on a slightly less woeful path, God allows us to experience what He desires and designs for us. Today, trust Him to lead you and guide you to new places. You may find yourself in strange company in a strange place, but it may well be His plan unfolding!

I leave you with a quote from Homer himself; but Homer of the Simpson variety:

“I want to shake off the dust of this one-horse town. I want to explore the world. I want to watch TV in a different time zone. I want to visit strange, exotic shopping malls.”

That’s the spirit!!