I would like to think of myself as a sensibly, organized individual. I like the fact that things have places and I like for the things to be in their designated places. I am one of those weird people that color codes my closet in length order (or wardrobe in England) and I even line things (like books, boxes, bottles) in height order.. I'm not too OCD about these desires, because on occasion, my life does look like it has been hit by a tornado and everything thrown everywhere. But on most days, I like things orderly.
Organization seems less than possible in my current job. I feel like at times I can't keep my head on straight. I am the Queen of To Do lists, but nothing ever seems to get marked off nor does the list ever seem to shorten.
I have over 1000 emails in my work inbox 60 of which haven't been read. I have many hand written notes that need to be typed and thoughts in my brain that need to go down on paper.
I have GREAT ideas about how to bring organization into my work life, but I lack time to implement this structure and feel like I would NEVER get caught up to make it work well. OH MAN....
Sadly, this does roll over into my personal life as well. I want to scream when I think about looking at my home email account. I have many emails that need responding, but well....I "just can't be bothered" (a frequently used English saying" to type anything else or think in general at the end of a long working day.
So, I apologize if you are awaiting an email response from me. I hope to one day respond to you, but please know that I have read your sweet message and am very thankful you have sent it! :)
I think I need a personal assistant. Any takers? Anyone want to move to England to help me stay organized!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
"Good morning this is Hannah. Hi this is Hannah. How can I help you, this is Hannah."
Today was a duty day. :(
AYI YAI YIAYI was I busy.
I spent the entire day taking and making phone calls. I didn't even leave the office. How many calls did I take/make today?
FORTY ONE! That is 4 - 1 !!!! Holy Moly!
When I realized it was going to be one of "those days," I quickly opened a word document, put on my head piece, and gave my fingers a little stretch. Ready.... set..... go!
Call after call .....I listened, typed, responded, typed, made quick bandaid decisions typed and moved on to the next issue.
....after call after call after call all the way to 41. I actually think it may be over 41 calls, but at the end of the day I counted my word document and only had written down 41.
I spent the final hour and 45 minutes copying and pasting all of the call notes on our computer system and processing and planning problems.
WOWZERS I'm glad I'm not on duty everyday.
AYI YAI YIAYI was I busy.
I spent the entire day taking and making phone calls. I didn't even leave the office. How many calls did I take/make today?
FORTY ONE! That is 4 - 1 !!!! Holy Moly!
When I realized it was going to be one of "those days," I quickly opened a word document, put on my head piece, and gave my fingers a little stretch. Ready.... set..... go!
Call after call .....I listened, typed, responded, typed, made quick bandaid decisions typed and moved on to the next issue.
....after call after call after call all the way to 41. I actually think it may be over 41 calls, but at the end of the day I counted my word document and only had written down 41.
I spent the final hour and 45 minutes copying and pasting all of the call notes on our computer system and processing and planning problems.
WOWZERS I'm glad I'm not on duty everyday.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Recipes!
Hi Friends/family!
I am on a cooking kick where I am really enjoying cooking dinner these days. It is also an attempt to domesticate myself for the future! The only problem is, I don't know what to make besides the few recipes I have up my sleeves.
I would be super grateful for YOU to email me (h.r.daugherty@gmail.com) your favorite dinner time meal recipes.
YUM!
I am on a cooking kick where I am really enjoying cooking dinner these days. It is also an attempt to domesticate myself for the future! The only problem is, I don't know what to make besides the few recipes I have up my sleeves.
I would be super grateful for YOU to email me (h.r.daugherty@gmail.com) your favorite dinner time meal recipes.
YUM!
Sweet Southern Sounds
A few weeks ago, my coworker Hannah turned to me when I finished a phone call and said, "You're starting to sound more like us!" --"us" being the English.
"EEWWW," I thought. The novelty and the attractiveness of the English accent has gone right out the window for me. In my job, I don't hear the properest of accents, nor do they sound really pretty down here in Kent. They say and pronounce a lot of things that drive me a little bonkers. For instance, they don't pronounce their Ts or Hs in many words. And, they say "me" instead of "my". example - Where are "me" keys.
Don't get me wrong, I would like to improve my English accent during my time here, but I WOULD not like to lose my slightly Southern sound.
The redeeming factor of this story is that I got a facebook note today from roommate, Sarah from Boston, who is currently in Boston. She says her friends are making fun of her because instead of going to England and coming back with an English accent, she has come home with a Southern one!!!! Sweet North Eastern Sarah has started saying y'all like a born and breed Southerner!
That's right! At least I influence someone around these parts! :)
"EEWWW," I thought. The novelty and the attractiveness of the English accent has gone right out the window for me. In my job, I don't hear the properest of accents, nor do they sound really pretty down here in Kent. They say and pronounce a lot of things that drive me a little bonkers. For instance, they don't pronounce their Ts or Hs in many words. And, they say "me" instead of "my". example - Where are "me" keys.
Don't get me wrong, I would like to improve my English accent during my time here, but I WOULD not like to lose my slightly Southern sound.
The redeeming factor of this story is that I got a facebook note today from roommate, Sarah from Boston, who is currently in Boston. She says her friends are making fun of her because instead of going to England and coming back with an English accent, she has come home with a Southern one!!!! Sweet North Eastern Sarah has started saying y'all like a born and breed Southerner!
That's right! At least I influence someone around these parts! :)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Espana!
As I tend to be a sporadic, slow blogger (as evident by no blog postings during the month of August), I thought I would leave y'all the link to three blog postings that Jen has already written about our Spain trip so you get a little perspective of our adventures while you await my postings! :)
Valencia
Barcelona
Madrid
Valencia
Barcelona
Madrid
Monday, July 19, 2010
To my faithful followers....
I am still here!
I'm just a busy little bee .... running around like a chicken with its head cut off at work.
Just when I thought I was getting the hang of my job, I have been introduced into a new area of work : COURT WORK.
YIKES.....here goes nothing!!!!
In other news, I have some friend YAAAAY!!!! (it's about time!)
And, I'm going to Spain in August!!!
Life is good!
I'm just a busy little bee .... running around like a chicken with its head cut off at work.
Just when I thought I was getting the hang of my job, I have been introduced into a new area of work : COURT WORK.
YIKES.....here goes nothing!!!!
In other news, I have some friend YAAAAY!!!! (it's about time!)
And, I'm going to Spain in August!!!
Life is good!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Minivan Mama Han!
I felt like a mother today.
I picked up a sweet, adorable little girl from primary school today and took her to a family member's home about an hour away. What a sweetheart!
The more I work with children, the more I realize that all they want, expect, and deserve from their mummy's and daddy's is love.
They don't understands the tough things that are going on in mummy's and daddy's life. They don't care about finances, drugs and alcohol, relationship problems, or sexuality; but they do understand LOVE. Sadly, love isn't enough to adequately raise a chid ... there are other expectation of food, shelter, school, clothing, baths...etc. But showing children that they are loved is a big first step.
They want hugs, affirmation, and sweet smiles so they know they are doing a good job and are cared about.
When I met the sweet little sister, she attached her self my leg and hugged me for a long time. She just wanted love. The love that children don't receive from mummy and daddy they try to get from other people. I'm happy to give cuddles to little kids. I wish they would get them from their parents instead, but I will happily step in when needed.
I'm happy to get to transport this sweet little one again next week.
I picked up a sweet, adorable little girl from primary school today and took her to a family member's home about an hour away. What a sweetheart!
The more I work with children, the more I realize that all they want, expect, and deserve from their mummy's and daddy's is love.
They don't understands the tough things that are going on in mummy's and daddy's life. They don't care about finances, drugs and alcohol, relationship problems, or sexuality; but they do understand LOVE. Sadly, love isn't enough to adequately raise a chid ... there are other expectation of food, shelter, school, clothing, baths...etc. But showing children that they are loved is a big first step.
They want hugs, affirmation, and sweet smiles so they know they are doing a good job and are cared about.
When I met the sweet little sister, she attached her self my leg and hugged me for a long time. She just wanted love. The love that children don't receive from mummy and daddy they try to get from other people. I'm happy to give cuddles to little kids. I wish they would get them from their parents instead, but I will happily step in when needed.
I'm happy to get to transport this sweet little one again next week.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Yesu!
Tonight I experienced an American accented, German girl that grew up in Japan and learned English from an American school, explain the gospel in Japanese to a Japanese boy that is studying at a Uni in Canterbury.
It was interestingly beautiful!!!!
It was interestingly beautiful!!!!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Nour means light
When I checked out at Asda today, I went through Nour's line. I like going through Nour's line. She intrigues me. She is a Muslim girl, which is evident by her hijab. But, she is also white---my guess is British. White Muslims are so interesting to me.
I typically don't talk to Nour too much when I am in her line because, well....people don't talk here.
However, today I asked if she pronounced her name Noor. She said yes, I said, "oh that means "light" in Arabic right?" YEP!
Then she told me that Nour was her second name and her other name is Vicky.
"Oh really?"
She said when she converted her religions, she was given the name Nour.
This was so interesting to me. I wonder if it is common to be given a new name if you convert to Islam?
I plan to talk to Nour more .... she IS at Asda every week I am!
I typically don't talk to Nour too much when I am in her line because, well....people don't talk here.
However, today I asked if she pronounced her name Noor. She said yes, I said, "oh that means "light" in Arabic right?" YEP!
Then she told me that Nour was her second name and her other name is Vicky.
"Oh really?"
She said when she converted her religions, she was given the name Nour.
This was so interesting to me. I wonder if it is common to be given a new name if you convert to Islam?
I plan to talk to Nour more .... she IS at Asda every week I am!
Two thumbs up for you!!!
I love it, when I am driving and am able to let someone out in front of me.
They give me the thumbs up!!! .... rather than a wave.
Recently, I let a few young boys cross the road in front of me.
One of these little guys gave me TWO THUMBS UP!!!!
Made my day.
They give me the thumbs up!!! .... rather than a wave.
Recently, I let a few young boys cross the road in front of me.
One of these little guys gave me TWO THUMBS UP!!!!
Made my day.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
OH the motherland....
Just some funny English - isms I've been thinking about sharing with y'all.
THE WORDS: For some reason the English pronounce 3 MAJOR athletic company names super strange.
1. Nike (said in British English like Mike)
2. Puma (said in British English like pewma)
3. Adidas (said in British English like addy-das)
THE PEOPLE: Not to over stereotype the English or anything, but they don't talk to you and they don't look at you. It is kinda miserable. Walking through the grocery store, everyone looks at the ground and if you just happen to make eye contact with someone, they look away very quickly. booo....
THE WIND: It causes everyday to be back funny hair day for me. Most of the time it all gets blown straight up and swirls around all over the place. The wind is so rough that every time I drive down the motorway, I think my car is going to blow into the car next to me.
THE SHEEP: I do believe that every sheep in the country had a hair cut this past weekend. They don't look like cuddly cotton balls anymore.....more like sad goats.
THE POLICE: They stand on the side of the road and videotape you speeding by them and then send you a ticket in the mail. This adds to my theory that the British don't like confrontation.
Okay...that's all on the inside scoop for today! :)
THE WORDS: For some reason the English pronounce 3 MAJOR athletic company names super strange.
1. Nike (said in British English like Mike)
2. Puma (said in British English like pewma)
3. Adidas (said in British English like addy-das)
THE PEOPLE: Not to over stereotype the English or anything, but they don't talk to you and they don't look at you. It is kinda miserable. Walking through the grocery store, everyone looks at the ground and if you just happen to make eye contact with someone, they look away very quickly. booo....
THE WIND: It causes everyday to be back funny hair day for me. Most of the time it all gets blown straight up and swirls around all over the place. The wind is so rough that every time I drive down the motorway, I think my car is going to blow into the car next to me.
THE SHEEP: I do believe that every sheep in the country had a hair cut this past weekend. They don't look like cuddly cotton balls anymore.....more like sad goats.
THE POLICE: They stand on the side of the road and videotape you speeding by them and then send you a ticket in the mail. This adds to my theory that the British don't like confrontation.
Okay...that's all on the inside scoop for today! :)
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Have I told you yet about my new case?
.....young person who has been trafficked into the country.
The details are sad and obviously I can't share them on a public blog (DUH!), but I am so grateful to work this case. And, I totally see the Lord's sovereignty in the assignment of this case.
I meet my new client tomorrow and I get to speak using an interpreter! :)
That's whats up! :)
The details are sad and obviously I can't share them on a public blog (DUH!), but I am so grateful to work this case. And, I totally see the Lord's sovereignty in the assignment of this case.
I meet my new client tomorrow and I get to speak using an interpreter! :)
That's whats up! :)
Sunday, May 30, 2010
coffee shop Sunday
I am currently sitting a coffee shop in Canterbury catching up on blogs and listening to music that stirs my soul.
I thought I heard an American accent, so I just took off my headphones. Yep an American!
This American girl (probably my age) is chatting about the gospel with her male, English friend that just described himself as an atheist. The best part is that she is being SO HONEST and talking about all the "Christian" stuff she doesn't really understand or know if she agrees with. It is cool to hear how interested he is and how honest and confused she is.
I wonder if they think I am ease dropping.... :/
I may go talk to them soon. :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I waited until the guy went downstairs to get more coffee, then asked the girl about her accent! :)
Sadly my ears deceived me....she is NOT American. She is Swedish, BUT has a fabulous American accent. She went to an American school growing up and her British father lived in the states for awhile and returned speaking American English. I was so intrigued at how American she sounded...accent, words she used, slang, etc. She said that most people think she is American. But, she's not. So weird to me. I know two Swedish guys that live here, but neither of them sound American. And, she said that there weren't many Americans in her American school. hmmm....
I spent about an hour talking to the girl and guy. It was so NICE to talk to people!!! They did comment on how American I was to walk up to a stranger in a coffee shop and start talking. The guy said the British definitely don't do that because then people think you want something from them. All I want is to talk to people DANG IT! Okay...and maybe I want some friends too. :)
The girl and I exchanged contact information upon my initiation, so I will give it a few days and then email her. I would hate to overwhelm her with my American forwardness too soon....HAHA!
I thought I heard an American accent, so I just took off my headphones. Yep an American!
This American girl (probably my age) is chatting about the gospel with her male, English friend that just described himself as an atheist. The best part is that she is being SO HONEST and talking about all the "Christian" stuff she doesn't really understand or know if she agrees with. It is cool to hear how interested he is and how honest and confused she is.
I wonder if they think I am ease dropping.... :/
I may go talk to them soon. :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I waited until the guy went downstairs to get more coffee, then asked the girl about her accent! :)
Sadly my ears deceived me....she is NOT American. She is Swedish, BUT has a fabulous American accent. She went to an American school growing up and her British father lived in the states for awhile and returned speaking American English. I was so intrigued at how American she sounded...accent, words she used, slang, etc. She said that most people think she is American. But, she's not. So weird to me. I know two Swedish guys that live here, but neither of them sound American. And, she said that there weren't many Americans in her American school. hmmm....
I spent about an hour talking to the girl and guy. It was so NICE to talk to people!!! They did comment on how American I was to walk up to a stranger in a coffee shop and start talking. The guy said the British definitely don't do that because then people think you want something from them. All I want is to talk to people DANG IT! Okay...and maybe I want some friends too. :)
The girl and I exchanged contact information upon my initiation, so I will give it a few days and then email her. I would hate to overwhelm her with my American forwardness too soon....HAHA!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
what a blessing
By now, I may have mentioned the ridiculousness of our "car park" situation at work. We have like 50 permit spaces for a building of about 200 employees. Just like desks, parking spots are a hot commodity around these parts. Its typical to A: see someone racing through the car park to beat another car to the spot or B: employees waiting around stalking workers as they come out of the building to pounce on their spot. (I reminds me of both TCU and UT parking at times.)
The sad part is there are hundreds of spots in the lot that surrounds our building, but only 50 are for permit holders and the rest are metered spots. So, a few days a week, I find myself scrummaging for 50 now 60 p to put in the silly meter to park in the close lot for 2 hours. A few times, I have had to borrow change from a coworker or write an IOU to the office fund since I rarely carry cash.
Anyways, this morning I parked in the pay lot, but forgot to move my car at 10:45 when my two hours were up. Sadly, there are two meter patrols that swarm our car parks writing tickets to anyone that have over stayed what they paid for.
Some how, at 11:15 my heart went into panic mode when I realized I was 45 minutes late to move my car. I jumped up from my desk, yelled DANG IT, grabbed my keys, and ran down stairs.
To my glorious surprise, there was NOT a ticket on my car! PTL!!!!!
This was such a blessing to my day. The meter patrols are always walking up and down the lot, but by the grace of God, my expired parking ticket was not caught! :)
The sad part is there are hundreds of spots in the lot that surrounds our building, but only 50 are for permit holders and the rest are metered spots. So, a few days a week, I find myself scrummaging for 50 now 60 p to put in the silly meter to park in the close lot for 2 hours. A few times, I have had to borrow change from a coworker or write an IOU to the office fund since I rarely carry cash.
Anyways, this morning I parked in the pay lot, but forgot to move my car at 10:45 when my two hours were up. Sadly, there are two meter patrols that swarm our car parks writing tickets to anyone that have over stayed what they paid for.
Some how, at 11:15 my heart went into panic mode when I realized I was 45 minutes late to move my car. I jumped up from my desk, yelled DANG IT, grabbed my keys, and ran down stairs.
To my glorious surprise, there was NOT a ticket on my car! PTL!!!!!
This was such a blessing to my day. The meter patrols are always walking up and down the lot, but by the grace of God, my expired parking ticket was not caught! :)
Monday, May 24, 2010
duty SUCKS!!!
Today, was my very first day as the "duty social worker." Put simply, it means that I don't work on any of my own cases that I am super behind on, but instead, complete tasks regarding the unallocated cases and cases of coworkers on vacation or out of the office. CRAP!
To start out the day, I had the privilege of CHAIRING a meeting. Personally, I have only attended two other meetings like this one, and I have NOT chaired any yet. SO, I spent about two hours stumbling through the meeting with a major problem being mom's moving to America and lucky them, America (that's me!) came to help fix their problem! I thought that part was pretty funny!
Upon returning to the office, I received two duty phone calls with yelling/extremely irritated people on the other line. One a parent and one a professional. Sadly, many people forget their manners when they call our office.
Next, I met a lad in reception, who wanted me to find him a new Bed and Breakfast, because he was receiving threats at his current B&B. I spent the next three hours calling 20 B&B in one town, 5 in another, and 4 in another all to tell me A: they do not accept young people on benefits or B: they do accept young people on benefits, but they are full because this is a bank holiday weekend. I called two other social services offices, and three other professionals offices as well to help me assist this kid. By the time I had to leave for my next assignment, I called the kid back to tell him I had no luck and tomorrow's duty social worker would try again.
During my final assignment of the day, I met two ADORABLE little girls and a less than polite parent. We talked in circles for about an hour, and at one point he told me to leave, but then asked me to stay, and then showed me his baseball bat he would use a protection if ever need be (not threatening me or anything).
On my 30 minute journey back to the office, I again wondered why I am doing this ridiculous job.
When I returned at 5:30, I called one of my morning yellers to tell him I had not accomplished his request, but his social worker would be in tomorrow. Surprisingly, he said okay and was really kind to me! :)
I then spent the next hour clearing the mound of files off my desk and documenting all the exciting events of the day. I was officially the last person to leave my office and parking lot at 7 pm. I even met the lovely cleaning lady way on my way through to the kitchen to grab my lunch that I did not have time to eat.
What a freaking RIDICULOUS day!
I have decided that "duty" work is ineffective and way less than best practice. We just bandaid big issues and wait for the next problem to flair up to add another bandaid. But, what else do you do if you have more cases than social workers?
However, just for once in the next year and a half I am here, I would like for ONE parent, young person, or professional I work with to take responsibility for ONE issue they are experiencing and STOP blaming social services. Because, dear families, if we are involved with you, it must mean you are doing at least one thing wrong! I promise we don't come out and visit for fun!
Okay...that's the end of my soap box!
Thanks for reading! :)
To start out the day, I had the privilege of CHAIRING a meeting. Personally, I have only attended two other meetings like this one, and I have NOT chaired any yet. SO, I spent about two hours stumbling through the meeting with a major problem being mom's moving to America and lucky them, America (that's me!) came to help fix their problem! I thought that part was pretty funny!
Upon returning to the office, I received two duty phone calls with yelling/extremely irritated people on the other line. One a parent and one a professional. Sadly, many people forget their manners when they call our office.
Next, I met a lad in reception, who wanted me to find him a new Bed and Breakfast, because he was receiving threats at his current B&B. I spent the next three hours calling 20 B&B in one town, 5 in another, and 4 in another all to tell me A: they do not accept young people on benefits or B: they do accept young people on benefits, but they are full because this is a bank holiday weekend. I called two other social services offices, and three other professionals offices as well to help me assist this kid. By the time I had to leave for my next assignment, I called the kid back to tell him I had no luck and tomorrow's duty social worker would try again.
During my final assignment of the day, I met two ADORABLE little girls and a less than polite parent. We talked in circles for about an hour, and at one point he told me to leave, but then asked me to stay, and then showed me his baseball bat he would use a protection if ever need be (not threatening me or anything).
On my 30 minute journey back to the office, I again wondered why I am doing this ridiculous job.
When I returned at 5:30, I called one of my morning yellers to tell him I had not accomplished his request, but his social worker would be in tomorrow. Surprisingly, he said okay and was really kind to me! :)
I then spent the next hour clearing the mound of files off my desk and documenting all the exciting events of the day. I was officially the last person to leave my office and parking lot at 7 pm. I even met the lovely cleaning lady way on my way through to the kitchen to grab my lunch that I did not have time to eat.
What a freaking RIDICULOUS day!
I have decided that "duty" work is ineffective and way less than best practice. We just bandaid big issues and wait for the next problem to flair up to add another bandaid. But, what else do you do if you have more cases than social workers?
However, just for once in the next year and a half I am here, I would like for ONE parent, young person, or professional I work with to take responsibility for ONE issue they are experiencing and STOP blaming social services. Because, dear families, if we are involved with you, it must mean you are doing at least one thing wrong! I promise we don't come out and visit for fun!
Okay...that's the end of my soap box!
Thanks for reading! :)
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Happy Graduation sweet friends!
Today, is graduation day for my two sweet friends, Rachael and Abby. They both will graduation with their Masters in Social Work from the University of Texas.
These two girls were so influential during my time in Austin. At points, I lived with both of them, and was able to share life with them on a daily basis. I was able to see the passion they had and what brought joy to their hearts.
Both are about to embark on two year commitments using their social work degree and their love of Jesus to impact the world around them.
Abby will shortly begin working for Child Protection Services in Williamson County Texas, where she will work to safeguard children and families. Even though she may not be sooo excited about her upcoming job, she is grateful for the benefits she received during grad school and the opportunity to use her degree for good. I pray she remains confident in God's purpose for her few years in CPS and leans into Christ when the going gets tough. LOVE YOU AB!
Rachael will be moving to Ethiopia in July to work for two years as the volunteer coordinator for a non-profit house that she volunteered through for two summers in the past. Rachael has such a big heart for Ethiopia and I am excited that she is walking in this calling and leaving certain hopes and dreams in the Lord's hand and timing. She is so excited for this journey. I pray that she develops a strong community in Ethiopia and feels love and connectedness with her friends and family at home and her new community in Ethiopia. I LOVE YOU SWEET RACHAEL!
The Lord has blessed me with such great friends to walk alongside with. I am grateful these girls are choosing to follow Christ in His plans for their lives. I so hope to be in a similar location as them again at some point in the future, but I know that we will remain connected no matter how distant we are.
CONGRATULATIONS Rachael and Abby! Enjoy your day of celebration! I am celebrating with you from England! :)
These two girls were so influential during my time in Austin. At points, I lived with both of them, and was able to share life with them on a daily basis. I was able to see the passion they had and what brought joy to their hearts.
Both are about to embark on two year commitments using their social work degree and their love of Jesus to impact the world around them.
Abby will shortly begin working for Child Protection Services in Williamson County Texas, where she will work to safeguard children and families. Even though she may not be sooo excited about her upcoming job, she is grateful for the benefits she received during grad school and the opportunity to use her degree for good. I pray she remains confident in God's purpose for her few years in CPS and leans into Christ when the going gets tough. LOVE YOU AB!
Rachael will be moving to Ethiopia in July to work for two years as the volunteer coordinator for a non-profit house that she volunteered through for two summers in the past. Rachael has such a big heart for Ethiopia and I am excited that she is walking in this calling and leaving certain hopes and dreams in the Lord's hand and timing. She is so excited for this journey. I pray that she develops a strong community in Ethiopia and feels love and connectedness with her friends and family at home and her new community in Ethiopia. I LOVE YOU SWEET RACHAEL!
The Lord has blessed me with such great friends to walk alongside with. I am grateful these girls are choosing to follow Christ in His plans for their lives. I so hope to be in a similar location as them again at some point in the future, but I know that we will remain connected no matter how distant we are.
CONGRATULATIONS Rachael and Abby! Enjoy your day of celebration! I am celebrating with you from England! :)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
back to the grind
Sleep or no sleep, I'm back to the grind at work.
I returned this week to 69 unread emails, an urgent phone call request, a young person that absconded 3 times, another child that disclosed some serious allegations against a parent, an request for an urgent unscheduled visit, another team requesting I wait another month to transfer my already overdue case, and a foster carer that has put in her 28 day notice to no longer care for a young person.
Now, the majority of these issues, emails, phone calls, and visits all have to do with one client. A client, who I believe, is currently lying to my face and causing me a BIG headache and a lot of paperwork. This was the ONLY case I worried about while I was in Texas.... I guess I had good reason too.
I think people are right when they say you need another vacation shortly after you return from vacation. These past two days have been INTENSE!
I did something that I am super against today ..... I stayed at work until 7 pm tonight. UGH.... I really hate cutting into my self care time, especially since I still need to catch up on sleep due to jet lag.
But, I was in good company at the office since half of the staff was also in the office late. Apparently, my office is known to work late. Who would have known, since I try to leave by 5:30 at the latest everyday.
I did confirm tonight that I can get an eye test paid for by my employer since I have to use the computer so much. I think my eyes are going bad with all this computer and file reading I do....boo.....
Oh...and I also went to the dentist yesterday. The NHS -- "free" dentist. (but you really have to pay). I mean, I was in the chair for maybe 7 minutes total, and she took some x-rays (surprisingly), told me I had one cavity that needs filling, and I learned that they apparently don't clean teeth here in the UK on visits like I am used to in the US. After my NHS dentist visit, I understand why the English are known for having bad teeth. On a positive note, it is relatively really cheap for me to have an "exam" and a filling!
Last thought of the night....why do journalist put themselves in the line of fire to get a good shot and/or story? I just finished looking at the Boston Globe Big Picture blog, and saw all of these pictures from the protests in Bangkok. Some included journalist following around the military or ducking on the ground or behind stuff. I mean WHY? Why is America and the rest of the world so enthralled with good news or stories that journalist think it is necessary to put their lives in danger and get in the way of a HUGE conflict. It doesn't make sense to me.
There's a party at my house this weekend for one of my housemate's birthday. There are a lot of American's coming over. This should be fun and/or interesting!
I returned this week to 69 unread emails, an urgent phone call request, a young person that absconded 3 times, another child that disclosed some serious allegations against a parent, an request for an urgent unscheduled visit, another team requesting I wait another month to transfer my already overdue case, and a foster carer that has put in her 28 day notice to no longer care for a young person.
Now, the majority of these issues, emails, phone calls, and visits all have to do with one client. A client, who I believe, is currently lying to my face and causing me a BIG headache and a lot of paperwork. This was the ONLY case I worried about while I was in Texas.... I guess I had good reason too.
I think people are right when they say you need another vacation shortly after you return from vacation. These past two days have been INTENSE!
I did something that I am super against today ..... I stayed at work until 7 pm tonight. UGH.... I really hate cutting into my self care time, especially since I still need to catch up on sleep due to jet lag.
But, I was in good company at the office since half of the staff was also in the office late. Apparently, my office is known to work late. Who would have known, since I try to leave by 5:30 at the latest everyday.
I did confirm tonight that I can get an eye test paid for by my employer since I have to use the computer so much. I think my eyes are going bad with all this computer and file reading I do....boo.....
Oh...and I also went to the dentist yesterday. The NHS -- "free" dentist. (but you really have to pay). I mean, I was in the chair for maybe 7 minutes total, and she took some x-rays (surprisingly), told me I had one cavity that needs filling, and I learned that they apparently don't clean teeth here in the UK on visits like I am used to in the US. After my NHS dentist visit, I understand why the English are known for having bad teeth. On a positive note, it is relatively really cheap for me to have an "exam" and a filling!
Last thought of the night....why do journalist put themselves in the line of fire to get a good shot and/or story? I just finished looking at the Boston Globe Big Picture blog, and saw all of these pictures from the protests in Bangkok. Some included journalist following around the military or ducking on the ground or behind stuff. I mean WHY? Why is America and the rest of the world so enthralled with good news or stories that journalist think it is necessary to put their lives in danger and get in the way of a HUGE conflict. It doesn't make sense to me.
There's a party at my house this weekend for one of my housemate's birthday. There are a lot of American's coming over. This should be fun and/or interesting!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Hi! I'm still here...
Has it really almost been a month since I last wrote a blog?!?!?!
DANG IT!
Just when I thought people didn't read this thing, people start asking why I haven't written on here in awhile.
I think I did mention in my very first post that I am bad at these kind of commitments, but I want to be a good blogger! So... will keep trying.
To update those that did not know, I just arrived back in England today from spending 10 days in Texas. I pulled off a fabulous Mother's day surprise, attended a great wedding, and raced around a few cities seeing people that I know and love. It was an amazing, super needed trip home, and I am glad I was able to see so many people that know and love me! It was fun to see the reaction of some people that saw me and wondered if I was a ghost or a look-a-like, since they thought I should be in another country.
On an opposite note, I feel like a zombie today. My flight arrived in London at 9:15 am GMT or 3:15 am Texas time. OUCH! Sadly I didn't sleep very well on the plane, but I did meet an interesting fellow. Since London Heathrow was closed for 6 hours early Monday morning, due to volcanic ash, my plane was maxed out with those that had been stranded for a day. Instead of taking up two seats like I have become accustomed two on these international flights, I sat by an African man. His name was Enoch -- like in Genesis 5 I said, he said no like in Hebrews. Yea yea....the same Enoch who walked faithfully with God, and was taken up so he would not see death (YEP....I listened to the podcast sermon that Matt Carter preached at Austin Stone a few weeks ago!).
This Enoch is from Malawi and works for or owns a freight company, so he frequently travels internationally. Enoch proudly wore a USA sweatshirt that also said Washington DC because that was where he was flying from. We chatted on and off for the first few hours of the trip. The more we chatted, the more Enoch found interest in me. hmmm..... Enoch mentioned several times that he wanted to give me his London phone number because he would be in London for the next 7 days and he travels there once to twice a year. He also asked me if he bought me a plane ticket to Malawi, would I come. hmmm.... a little too close for comfort airplane buddy. I said I don't know, I would like to visit Africa some day, but thought I would start by visiting my friends that live/will live there. Later he told me that he would fly me into Nairobi, Kenya and meet me there and then we could travel to Malawi together. He also rattled off his London phone number and asked me if I remembered it. No.
Thankfully as the hours ticked on, he fell asleep for a long time and I tossed, turned, and slept a little. When we arrived in London, I jetted off the plane a little faster than usually, hoping he would not ask me for my number. I also never made eye contact with him in the immigration line. Am I a mean person? Enoch seems to have a little different boundaries than me. I just don't think I want to be Enoch's African princess at this point in my life. I know I say I would like to get married soon, but why do I keep attracting all the one's I'm not interested in?
So, after two plane rides and three underground trains later, I made it back across London to Taryn and Paul's to get my car. I then drove an hour home, where I almost fell asleep on the motor way, so I had to stop take a five minute power nap, walk around, and get some coffee.
I took a two hour nap when I got home, opened the two gifts I received in the mail while I was gone (thanks Aunt Debbie and Laura!), and went grocery shopping. I just ate dinner....and realized one reason I may feel like a zombie was because I had a croissant on the plane at 8 am or 2 am Texas time and a cup of coffee this afternoon. That doesn't sound like real people fuel for a day.
I am trying to stay awake until about 8:30 or 9 tonight so hopefully I can get back on a normal schedule for work tomorrow.
DANG IT!
Just when I thought people didn't read this thing, people start asking why I haven't written on here in awhile.
I think I did mention in my very first post that I am bad at these kind of commitments, but I want to be a good blogger! So... will keep trying.
To update those that did not know, I just arrived back in England today from spending 10 days in Texas. I pulled off a fabulous Mother's day surprise, attended a great wedding, and raced around a few cities seeing people that I know and love. It was an amazing, super needed trip home, and I am glad I was able to see so many people that know and love me! It was fun to see the reaction of some people that saw me and wondered if I was a ghost or a look-a-like, since they thought I should be in another country.
On an opposite note, I feel like a zombie today. My flight arrived in London at 9:15 am GMT or 3:15 am Texas time. OUCH! Sadly I didn't sleep very well on the plane, but I did meet an interesting fellow. Since London Heathrow was closed for 6 hours early Monday morning, due to volcanic ash, my plane was maxed out with those that had been stranded for a day. Instead of taking up two seats like I have become accustomed two on these international flights, I sat by an African man. His name was Enoch -- like in Genesis 5 I said, he said no like in Hebrews. Yea yea....the same Enoch who walked faithfully with God, and was taken up so he would not see death (YEP....I listened to the podcast sermon that Matt Carter preached at Austin Stone a few weeks ago!).
This Enoch is from Malawi and works for or owns a freight company, so he frequently travels internationally. Enoch proudly wore a USA sweatshirt that also said Washington DC because that was where he was flying from. We chatted on and off for the first few hours of the trip. The more we chatted, the more Enoch found interest in me. hmmm..... Enoch mentioned several times that he wanted to give me his London phone number because he would be in London for the next 7 days and he travels there once to twice a year. He also asked me if he bought me a plane ticket to Malawi, would I come. hmmm.... a little too close for comfort airplane buddy. I said I don't know, I would like to visit Africa some day, but thought I would start by visiting my friends that live/will live there. Later he told me that he would fly me into Nairobi, Kenya and meet me there and then we could travel to Malawi together. He also rattled off his London phone number and asked me if I remembered it. No.
Thankfully as the hours ticked on, he fell asleep for a long time and I tossed, turned, and slept a little. When we arrived in London, I jetted off the plane a little faster than usually, hoping he would not ask me for my number. I also never made eye contact with him in the immigration line. Am I a mean person? Enoch seems to have a little different boundaries than me. I just don't think I want to be Enoch's African princess at this point in my life. I know I say I would like to get married soon, but why do I keep attracting all the one's I'm not interested in?
So, after two plane rides and three underground trains later, I made it back across London to Taryn and Paul's to get my car. I then drove an hour home, where I almost fell asleep on the motor way, so I had to stop take a five minute power nap, walk around, and get some coffee.
I took a two hour nap when I got home, opened the two gifts I received in the mail while I was gone (thanks Aunt Debbie and Laura!), and went grocery shopping. I just ate dinner....and realized one reason I may feel like a zombie was because I had a croissant on the plane at 8 am or 2 am Texas time and a cup of coffee this afternoon. That doesn't sound like real people fuel for a day.
I am trying to stay awake until about 8:30 or 9 tonight so hopefully I can get back on a normal schedule for work tomorrow.
Monday, April 19, 2010
a lovely accent
While I was on the phone with the cable man tonight, every other thing he asked me I said, "HUH?" "Do what?" "excuse me?"
Let's face it, I could barely understand him. I knew he had to be either Irish or Scottish, but at this point, I still get the two accents confused (unless of course I have both an I Irish and a Scottish person talking to me at the same time, then I can tell the difference).
Half way through the conversation, he asked me where I was from. I told him the US, and he thought Canada. When I asked him where he was from he made me guess, to which he confirmed Scotland.
Later in the conversation he said, "I could just listen to your accent all day long!" (well...alright).
I asked him if the TV channels in Scotland were the same as England because almost all the channels here are American shows. I said he could just listen to American accents all day if he really wanted.
But, apparently its different in person...or over the phone I guess.
At the end, I asked him what a Welch accent sounded like. He suggested a cross between a Scottish accent and an American accent, and noted that you can't understand them at all. Scottish/American .... I'm not buying that!
HA! Oh good fun in the accent department of life! :)
Let's face it, I could barely understand him. I knew he had to be either Irish or Scottish, but at this point, I still get the two accents confused (unless of course I have both an I Irish and a Scottish person talking to me at the same time, then I can tell the difference).
Half way through the conversation, he asked me where I was from. I told him the US, and he thought Canada. When I asked him where he was from he made me guess, to which he confirmed Scotland.
Later in the conversation he said, "I could just listen to your accent all day long!" (well...alright).
I asked him if the TV channels in Scotland were the same as England because almost all the channels here are American shows. I said he could just listen to American accents all day if he really wanted.
But, apparently its different in person...or over the phone I guess.
At the end, I asked him what a Welch accent sounded like. He suggested a cross between a Scottish accent and an American accent, and noted that you can't understand them at all. Scottish/American .... I'm not buying that!
HA! Oh good fun in the accent department of life! :)
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Spectacular Sunday!
Well...today didn't start out spectacular by any means, but it ended up so great!!
My original plan was to go into London yesterday afternoon with my roommates to celebrate one of their birthdays. However, at the last minute, I decided not to go for a few reasons. One of which, was because I was having a pretty emotional day and found myself crying over every little thing that went semi-wrong. Homesickness sank in again, and I was definitely not on my A game. Therefore, I had NO desire to spend the evening in the London party crowd.
After about a 3 hour trip to England's Walmart equivalent, I spent the evening watching movies on cable. It was just what the doctor ordered!!!
This morning I woke up excited to start my day.
However, while I was getting ready for church, someone knocked on my door. Slightly confused at who would be knocking at my door so early in the morning, I cracked the door open to a middle age woman dressed in work-out attire. After I said hello, she asked whose car was parked at the end of the drive way. I said mine. And, she preceded to raise her voice as she yelled at me asking why I thought it was appropriate to park my car over the 'pavement'. Kicking my British translator into gear, I realized she wanted to know why my car was parked over the 'sidewalk' in American English terms. You see, my car was parked behind another housemate's car at the end of the driveway blocking a straight path on the sidewalk. I apologized, and told her I didn't even think about the fact that my car was covering the sidewalk when I parked it. Sadly, apology NOT accepted. She spent the next 2 minutes yelling my direction about why I would be so inconsiderate to park that way, and did I know she had to walk her blind dog into the road to get around my car, and she couldn't believe my car didn't get vandalized last night for a parking job like that, and finally, if she ever saw my car parked like that again she would first call the police, then call the city council, and then call my landlord. With her frustration vented, she turned around and stormed off, as I apologized again. I noticed she walked to the house across the street....what a great way to meet my neighbor! Still being in the slightly emotional state I was in the day before, the tears came a streaming....I didn't understand why a simple parking job would frustrate someone so much to spend 5 minutes yelling at me. UGH....
After that less than ideal start to the day, I returned to the Baptist church I visited last week. I was greeted at the door by a man I had met the week before who remembered my name! When I entered, the 2 old ladies that oohed and aahed over me being American the week before shot me quick waves and smiles across the pews. I actually really liked the sermon that was preached today, so that was good. After church, a woman named Ester, that I met last week stopped me to say that she had tried to call me last week to invite me to dinner, but the number she had for me did not work. We exchanged numbers again, and she invited me to dinner this Thursday night and to their house group after dinner. I gladly accepted! Ester than took me to meet people 'more my age'. I was introduced to about 4 girls that are in a similar life stage as me, who invited me to a picnic in the park.
By the time we actually left the church, the group multiplied to about 8 and we went to the grocery store to grab food. We ended up in the Westgate park near the cute little river where the riverboats -- or gondolas-- float by and little duckies and swans play. We sat outside for hours soaking up the sun and enjoying each others company.
I learned a lot about some of the other churches in town, because apparently "all the Christians decided to have a picnic at the park today". One of the girls pointed out 3 other church groups represented in the park. By the end of the afternoon, the groups collided and played a game of ultimate frisbee and a game of soccer.
When I went home, I decided I wanted to catch the night service of The City Church Canterbury, which I had visited twice before (it was represented at the park today too) because I thought that I should give it a third chance to see if I'd like it better. When I arrived, no one was there, so I am guessing they cancelled service tonight....which is probable since the universities are still on holiday. As I sat in the parking lot, I googled the two other churches that were at the park to see if either of them had night services. Barton Church did, so I drove to a new area of Canterbury to randomly try it out.
When I arrived, I was greeted at the door by a guy named Eric. He immediately noticed I wasn't from Canterbury, and asked me about myself. I told him a little and then he told me he was the pastor of the church. He asked me what kind of church I was looking for, and I .... well, laid it out really honestly and frank. He smiled and told me a little more about the church. At this point, I had this feeling that I would really like the church. Eric apologized a few times throughout our conversation because he said that the night service doesn't usually have many people and I should visit the morning service which is a lot bigger.
During the service, something just told me that this could be the church for me. After the service three girls sitting around me stopped to talk. By the time I left, I had the names, numbers, and invitations to random things from each of them. (One is in the upcoming production of Oklahoma!!! in Canterbury--what a site to see a bunch of British singing in American accents!)
I think I may really like this church! Even though I could really tell the pastor was nervous that I wouldn't like it because there were only about 25 people at the service. He stopped me at the end and told me again to come back to a morning service to get a better idea of the church. I will for sure! I think I am going to the women's bible study on Tuesday night. Sadly, I have to skip a house group I was invited to on Thursday because I had already made plans with Ester from the Baptist church.
Things are looking up around here. I have this idea that I may have a friend or two soon! :)
My original plan was to go into London yesterday afternoon with my roommates to celebrate one of their birthdays. However, at the last minute, I decided not to go for a few reasons. One of which, was because I was having a pretty emotional day and found myself crying over every little thing that went semi-wrong. Homesickness sank in again, and I was definitely not on my A game. Therefore, I had NO desire to spend the evening in the London party crowd.
After about a 3 hour trip to England's Walmart equivalent, I spent the evening watching movies on cable. It was just what the doctor ordered!!!
This morning I woke up excited to start my day.
However, while I was getting ready for church, someone knocked on my door. Slightly confused at who would be knocking at my door so early in the morning, I cracked the door open to a middle age woman dressed in work-out attire. After I said hello, she asked whose car was parked at the end of the drive way. I said mine. And, she preceded to raise her voice as she yelled at me asking why I thought it was appropriate to park my car over the 'pavement'. Kicking my British translator into gear, I realized she wanted to know why my car was parked over the 'sidewalk' in American English terms. You see, my car was parked behind another housemate's car at the end of the driveway blocking a straight path on the sidewalk. I apologized, and told her I didn't even think about the fact that my car was covering the sidewalk when I parked it. Sadly, apology NOT accepted. She spent the next 2 minutes yelling my direction about why I would be so inconsiderate to park that way, and did I know she had to walk her blind dog into the road to get around my car, and she couldn't believe my car didn't get vandalized last night for a parking job like that, and finally, if she ever saw my car parked like that again she would first call the police, then call the city council, and then call my landlord. With her frustration vented, she turned around and stormed off, as I apologized again. I noticed she walked to the house across the street....what a great way to meet my neighbor! Still being in the slightly emotional state I was in the day before, the tears came a streaming....I didn't understand why a simple parking job would frustrate someone so much to spend 5 minutes yelling at me. UGH....
After that less than ideal start to the day, I returned to the Baptist church I visited last week. I was greeted at the door by a man I had met the week before who remembered my name! When I entered, the 2 old ladies that oohed and aahed over me being American the week before shot me quick waves and smiles across the pews. I actually really liked the sermon that was preached today, so that was good. After church, a woman named Ester, that I met last week stopped me to say that she had tried to call me last week to invite me to dinner, but the number she had for me did not work. We exchanged numbers again, and she invited me to dinner this Thursday night and to their house group after dinner. I gladly accepted! Ester than took me to meet people 'more my age'. I was introduced to about 4 girls that are in a similar life stage as me, who invited me to a picnic in the park.
By the time we actually left the church, the group multiplied to about 8 and we went to the grocery store to grab food. We ended up in the Westgate park near the cute little river where the riverboats -- or gondolas-- float by and little duckies and swans play. We sat outside for hours soaking up the sun and enjoying each others company.
I learned a lot about some of the other churches in town, because apparently "all the Christians decided to have a picnic at the park today". One of the girls pointed out 3 other church groups represented in the park. By the end of the afternoon, the groups collided and played a game of ultimate frisbee and a game of soccer.
When I went home, I decided I wanted to catch the night service of The City Church Canterbury, which I had visited twice before (it was represented at the park today too) because I thought that I should give it a third chance to see if I'd like it better. When I arrived, no one was there, so I am guessing they cancelled service tonight....which is probable since the universities are still on holiday. As I sat in the parking lot, I googled the two other churches that were at the park to see if either of them had night services. Barton Church did, so I drove to a new area of Canterbury to randomly try it out.
When I arrived, I was greeted at the door by a guy named Eric. He immediately noticed I wasn't from Canterbury, and asked me about myself. I told him a little and then he told me he was the pastor of the church. He asked me what kind of church I was looking for, and I .... well, laid it out really honestly and frank. He smiled and told me a little more about the church. At this point, I had this feeling that I would really like the church. Eric apologized a few times throughout our conversation because he said that the night service doesn't usually have many people and I should visit the morning service which is a lot bigger.
During the service, something just told me that this could be the church for me. After the service three girls sitting around me stopped to talk. By the time I left, I had the names, numbers, and invitations to random things from each of them. (One is in the upcoming production of Oklahoma!!! in Canterbury--what a site to see a bunch of British singing in American accents!)
I think I may really like this church! Even though I could really tell the pastor was nervous that I wouldn't like it because there were only about 25 people at the service. He stopped me at the end and told me again to come back to a morning service to get a better idea of the church. I will for sure! I think I am going to the women's bible study on Tuesday night. Sadly, I have to skip a house group I was invited to on Thursday because I had already made plans with Ester from the Baptist church.
Things are looking up around here. I have this idea that I may have a friend or two soon! :)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Bonjourno Italy, Ciao England - Day One!!!
Here is my attempt to accurately capture the unexpected randomness, glorious beauty, slightly painful, but all around wonderful experience of my first 'holiday' via blog and pictures. (WARNING...this is super long and will be over a few posts).
Day 1:
Flight: London-Stansted to Milan-Bergamo on Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 14:00
Adventurers: Jen, Kelli, Christina, and me
Christina left her house in Margate at 8 am to drive to Canterbury to pick me up at 9. I gave her a short tour of our house and then we left at about 9:15 to Bearsted to head to Jen's house. After one near death experience in a roundabout (yes I do mean NEAR DEATH...we were in the wrong lane to go around the roundabout and another car almost slammed into us as it exited..YIKES!), we arrived safely at Jen's house around 10:05. Meanwhile, Jen was on the phone with Kelli attempting to direct her back on course, as Kelli had made a wrong turn on her trek from Tunbridge Wells.
The four of us left Jen's via Christina's car headed to London-Stansted with a quick stop at the post office to turn a little pounds into more euros. The drive to Stansted is projected to take about an hour to 1.5 hours depending on the circumstances that one crosses along the way.
The second mishap (the first being the near death roundabout experience) occurred, when we ended up in the construction barricaded center lane when we needed to exit onto another motorway. Nevertheless, we trotted on an extra 3 miles to the next exit to turn around and get back on track.
Third mishap : OH NO! As we were exiting the motorway toward the 'long stay car park,' Christina said, "uh-oh...I think there is something wrong with the car!" as she coasted to the shoulder of the roundabout. She stopped the car and attempted to start it again....NOTHING. I said, "did you run out of gas?" "hmmm...I don't know--I had over half a tank when I left my house this morning." UGH....if you reread the first part of the story so far, you will soon realize that YES we had run out of gas (about two hours before our flight, I might add), as Christina had already been driving for HOURS.
While Christina called the recovery number to have someone bring us gas, I got out of the car to look around. I decided that I would walk down the exit ramp to see if there were any gas stations within walking distance, because I could not sit in the car and count as the minutes ticked closer to take off time. Kelli joined me as we marched down the exit like idiots.
Down the exit and up the road, we found a Hilton that we walked to. After making a plan to take one of the taxis at the Hilton to a gas station, I called Jen, who said that the recovery guy was 10 minutes away. PERFECT!!! I told Jen we would wait at the Hilton. A few minutes later, I got a call from Jen saying that the recovery man was on the wrong side of the motorway and it would take him too long to turn around, so he would have to call into his office to have another person dispatched. WHAT?!?!?! Jen said that Christina wanted her to grab our bags and meet us to take a taxi to the airport so the 3 of us would make the flight since by this point we had less than a hour and a half until take off. Feeling super sorry for Christina, but more sad that we may miss our flight, Jen grabbed our bags and walked our direction as we walked hers.
Here's Pack Mule Jen!
After we met, I called the taxi number I received from the Hilton. Unfortunately, the taxi company said it would take 10 minutes to get to us. Instead, we chose to walk back to the Hilton to look for a taxi or catch the shuttle.
We caught the shuttle, scrounged up 20 pounds because we thought the driver said 6 pounds each, but no, he meant 6 pounds for all of us, and headed to the airport.
After Kelli's fabulous "we must expect the unexpected, because nothing ever turns out the way you expect in England" Speech. BRILLIANT!!
In the airport, we rushed to get our passport checked at check-in and through security, where my bag was completely dumped and searched thanks to my bottle of mousse. After a quick repack, I met the other two girls at to grab a sandwich. (about 35 minutes until take off). As we started walking to the gate, we noticed a sign that said 12 minutes to all gates. WHAT?!?!?! Our tickets said we must be at the gate 30 minutes before take off or we cannot get on. CRAP....
So....this is the part of the story where we ran through the airport dodging people and scaling escalators. There was NO WAY I was missing a flight I had worked so hard to make! When we arrived to at the gate, OF COURSE the line was super long and they had not even begun boarding (so much for our run).... So, we stood in line for the next 20 minutes catching our breath, peeling off layers of clothing, and eating our sandwiches.
Poor Christina Update: The recovery man came an hour and a half after we left her car. He towed her to the nearest gas station because recovery cars do not carry gas in their cars (WHAT?!?!). Christina chose not to change her flight, and instead spent the weekend in London with some other Americans.
Thankfully, there is nothing exciting to report from the airplane. It did, however, mark my first Ryan Air flight!! People that have lived in Europe will understand the excitement of this. Cheap flight = no free drink, a hideous yellow and blue decor, lovely flight attendants from all over the world, who try to sell items to people over the entire ie: food, drinks, train tickets, scratch off lottery tickets, smokeless cigarettes...not even kidding!
We arrived in rainy Milan and caught a hour long bus ride into the city train station, where we managed to figure out which bus to hop on in order to go to our hostel. Unfortunately, we did not figure out how to pay for the bus ride, so we sat nervously hoping no one would ask to see our tickets. Thankfully, we discovered which stop to get off at, and walked around in circles to find our hostel.
Check in went okay besides the fact the man said he wouldn't cut the price even though we lost a person. After that, we walked around town attempting to find a good Italian place to eat and then went back to the hostel/hotel to get some sleep.
My first REAL Italian PIZZA!!!
Adventures of DAY 2 to come!!
Day 1:
Flight: London-Stansted to Milan-Bergamo on Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 14:00
Adventurers: Jen, Kelli, Christina, and me
Christina left her house in Margate at 8 am to drive to Canterbury to pick me up at 9. I gave her a short tour of our house and then we left at about 9:15 to Bearsted to head to Jen's house. After one near death experience in a roundabout (yes I do mean NEAR DEATH...we were in the wrong lane to go around the roundabout and another car almost slammed into us as it exited..YIKES!), we arrived safely at Jen's house around 10:05. Meanwhile, Jen was on the phone with Kelli attempting to direct her back on course, as Kelli had made a wrong turn on her trek from Tunbridge Wells.
The four of us left Jen's via Christina's car headed to London-Stansted with a quick stop at the post office to turn a little pounds into more euros. The drive to Stansted is projected to take about an hour to 1.5 hours depending on the circumstances that one crosses along the way.
The second mishap (the first being the near death roundabout experience) occurred, when we ended up in the construction barricaded center lane when we needed to exit onto another motorway. Nevertheless, we trotted on an extra 3 miles to the next exit to turn around and get back on track.
Third mishap : OH NO! As we were exiting the motorway toward the 'long stay car park,' Christina said, "uh-oh...I think there is something wrong with the car!" as she coasted to the shoulder of the roundabout. She stopped the car and attempted to start it again....NOTHING. I said, "did you run out of gas?" "hmmm...I don't know--I had over half a tank when I left my house this morning." UGH....if you reread the first part of the story so far, you will soon realize that YES we had run out of gas (about two hours before our flight, I might add), as Christina had already been driving for HOURS.
While Christina called the recovery number to have someone bring us gas, I got out of the car to look around. I decided that I would walk down the exit ramp to see if there were any gas stations within walking distance, because I could not sit in the car and count as the minutes ticked closer to take off time. Kelli joined me as we marched down the exit like idiots.
Down the exit and up the road, we found a Hilton that we walked to. After making a plan to take one of the taxis at the Hilton to a gas station, I called Jen, who said that the recovery guy was 10 minutes away. PERFECT!!! I told Jen we would wait at the Hilton. A few minutes later, I got a call from Jen saying that the recovery man was on the wrong side of the motorway and it would take him too long to turn around, so he would have to call into his office to have another person dispatched. WHAT?!?!?! Jen said that Christina wanted her to grab our bags and meet us to take a taxi to the airport so the 3 of us would make the flight since by this point we had less than a hour and a half until take off. Feeling super sorry for Christina, but more sad that we may miss our flight, Jen grabbed our bags and walked our direction as we walked hers.
Here's Pack Mule Jen!
After we met, I called the taxi number I received from the Hilton. Unfortunately, the taxi company said it would take 10 minutes to get to us. Instead, we chose to walk back to the Hilton to look for a taxi or catch the shuttle.
We caught the shuttle, scrounged up 20 pounds because we thought the driver said 6 pounds each, but no, he meant 6 pounds for all of us, and headed to the airport.
After Kelli's fabulous "we must expect the unexpected, because nothing ever turns out the way you expect in England" Speech. BRILLIANT!!
In the airport, we rushed to get our passport checked at check-in and through security, where my bag was completely dumped and searched thanks to my bottle of mousse. After a quick repack, I met the other two girls at to grab a sandwich. (about 35 minutes until take off). As we started walking to the gate, we noticed a sign that said 12 minutes to all gates. WHAT?!?!?! Our tickets said we must be at the gate 30 minutes before take off or we cannot get on. CRAP....
So....this is the part of the story where we ran through the airport dodging people and scaling escalators. There was NO WAY I was missing a flight I had worked so hard to make! When we arrived to at the gate, OF COURSE the line was super long and they had not even begun boarding (so much for our run).... So, we stood in line for the next 20 minutes catching our breath, peeling off layers of clothing, and eating our sandwiches.
Poor Christina Update: The recovery man came an hour and a half after we left her car. He towed her to the nearest gas station because recovery cars do not carry gas in their cars (WHAT?!?!). Christina chose not to change her flight, and instead spent the weekend in London with some other Americans.
Thankfully, there is nothing exciting to report from the airplane. It did, however, mark my first Ryan Air flight!! People that have lived in Europe will understand the excitement of this. Cheap flight = no free drink, a hideous yellow and blue decor, lovely flight attendants from all over the world, who try to sell items to people over the entire ie: food, drinks, train tickets, scratch off lottery tickets, smokeless cigarettes...not even kidding!
We arrived in rainy Milan and caught a hour long bus ride into the city train station, where we managed to figure out which bus to hop on in order to go to our hostel. Unfortunately, we did not figure out how to pay for the bus ride, so we sat nervously hoping no one would ask to see our tickets. Thankfully, we discovered which stop to get off at, and walked around in circles to find our hostel.
Check in went okay besides the fact the man said he wouldn't cut the price even though we lost a person. After that, we walked around town attempting to find a good Italian place to eat and then went back to the hostel/hotel to get some sleep.
My first REAL Italian PIZZA!!!
Adventures of DAY 2 to come!!
Everyone seems to be moving back to Texas....
I have 3 friends that are moving back to Texas (from oversees) over the next couple of months. Two of them are moving back a little sooner that I'd thought.
This has been tough for me to digest. I realized it is easy and exciting to think about moving abroad when your good friends live abroad as well. But then, I start to think about all the fun memories I had with them at home, and get a little sad that I won't be in Texas when they get back.
At this point....I keep reminding myself that 2 years isn't that long!
PLUS... I have a whole wave of friends that are still oversees and/or are preparing to go oversees in the coming months. :)
And finally, today marks the completion of my second month/beginning of my third month in England. It has gone by pretty fast so far.
This has been tough for me to digest. I realized it is easy and exciting to think about moving abroad when your good friends live abroad as well. But then, I start to think about all the fun memories I had with them at home, and get a little sad that I won't be in Texas when they get back.
At this point....I keep reminding myself that 2 years isn't that long!
PLUS... I have a whole wave of friends that are still oversees and/or are preparing to go oversees in the coming months. :)
And finally, today marks the completion of my second month/beginning of my third month in England. It has gone by pretty fast so far.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Milan!
I am leaving for Milan, Italy today and will be back on Sunday evening. I am flying out with three other Americans and tomorrow 4 Americans are meeting us in Milan. On the agenda: visiting the Last Supper painting, touring Milan, taking the train to Venice, and maybe visiting Lake Como. I am excited about some time off and my first 'holiday'.
Happy Easter! I hope you take sometime to reflect on the ressurection.
Happy Easter! I hope you take sometime to reflect on the ressurection.
Monday, March 29, 2010
How are you getting on?
My coworkers typically ask me this question with curiousity as to how I am settling into the job and more importantly whether or not I like my job.
Its a tough question to answer.
At this point, It is hard to know if I "like" my job or not.
Nobody in my office really seems to like their job, but they do it any way. It's sad in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, my coworkers do seem to like the good that comes from safeguarding children and young people. But, the tremendous amount of paperwork that goes along with it, the parents that verbally abuse you, the horrific sights and stories, and the feeling that you can never get caught up is overwhelming.
As I read through my case files, I saw social worker after social worker listed in the files of my young people that have been involved with social services for awhile. Let's face it, the job is HARD, and it seems that most people move on to the next job as soon as possible.
I have this internal dilemma as I continue to meet and invest in the young people that make up my caseload. From the beginning, I've known that I want to work on the Asylum team, and I am waiting for any opportunity possible to switch teams. However, I do not want to be just another social worker assigned to these young people's lives for a few months then move on to the next job.
I also think about some guidance that a good friend told me he was given regarding choosing a country to move abroad and work in. He was told to go to the country that no one else wanted to go to. The country where the work would most likely be the most challenging. Well, I am definitely in a job that in the scale of social work jobs is considered one of the most challenging---and at some level think that this job needs more "people like me". I know for the time being - I am placed here for a purpose.
On a more upbeat note:
There was one day last week that I really liked my job!
I was in a school meeting regarding a 10 year 'cheeky' little boy - the meeting is a statutory requirement. He had me internally laughing my butt off the whole meeting -- but I tried so hard not to laugh out loud because he was intentionally trying to make myself, the school professional, and his foster carer (grandma) crack. My favorite quote from him ... "oh homework....well... you see....I'm just RUBBISH at it!" (said with the straightest, most adorable British face). He then cracked a big smile and said... "no, I'm just kidding!"
Later I met with another young person and her foster carer, and she was so excited that she had finally been allocated a social worker. Her foster care placement was going really well, and she has gained so many social and life skills over past few months. Success stories... I just LOVE them!
It was this day that I realized, I am currently really lucky when it comes to my cases.
You see, I only have cases that are considered LAC (Looked After Children ie. children in foster care) and CHIN (Child In Need). I currently do not have a CP (child protection cases) because I am still considered newly qualified (PTL!!!).
My LAC kids fall under two categories: one is that their parents voluntarily have allowed the child to enter foster care for a time being and have joint parental responsibility for the young person along with social services. Or two, social services has gone through court proceedings in which the parent(s) were deemed unable to properly parent the child, so social services has a court order in which grants us parental responsibility for the child.
My CHIN cases are families that need extra support so that they do not enter into CP. Families have to agree to be considered CHIN, so at some level the family tends to work well with social services --- if they do not they will most likely become CP.
As of now, I get to work with young people, families, and foster carers that tend to engage well with social services. For the most part, my children are safe and are not in conditions in which their quality of life is being extremely negatively impacted at the time being.
I like this part of the job ..... but I tend to get really nervous when I think about taking on CP cases in the future.
Its a tough question to answer.
At this point, It is hard to know if I "like" my job or not.
Nobody in my office really seems to like their job, but they do it any way. It's sad in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, my coworkers do seem to like the good that comes from safeguarding children and young people. But, the tremendous amount of paperwork that goes along with it, the parents that verbally abuse you, the horrific sights and stories, and the feeling that you can never get caught up is overwhelming.
As I read through my case files, I saw social worker after social worker listed in the files of my young people that have been involved with social services for awhile. Let's face it, the job is HARD, and it seems that most people move on to the next job as soon as possible.
I have this internal dilemma as I continue to meet and invest in the young people that make up my caseload. From the beginning, I've known that I want to work on the Asylum team, and I am waiting for any opportunity possible to switch teams. However, I do not want to be just another social worker assigned to these young people's lives for a few months then move on to the next job.
I also think about some guidance that a good friend told me he was given regarding choosing a country to move abroad and work in. He was told to go to the country that no one else wanted to go to. The country where the work would most likely be the most challenging. Well, I am definitely in a job that in the scale of social work jobs is considered one of the most challenging---and at some level think that this job needs more "people like me". I know for the time being - I am placed here for a purpose.
On a more upbeat note:
There was one day last week that I really liked my job!
I was in a school meeting regarding a 10 year 'cheeky' little boy - the meeting is a statutory requirement. He had me internally laughing my butt off the whole meeting -- but I tried so hard not to laugh out loud because he was intentionally trying to make myself, the school professional, and his foster carer (grandma) crack. My favorite quote from him ... "oh homework....well... you see....I'm just RUBBISH at it!" (said with the straightest, most adorable British face). He then cracked a big smile and said... "no, I'm just kidding!"
Later I met with another young person and her foster carer, and she was so excited that she had finally been allocated a social worker. Her foster care placement was going really well, and she has gained so many social and life skills over past few months. Success stories... I just LOVE them!
It was this day that I realized, I am currently really lucky when it comes to my cases.
You see, I only have cases that are considered LAC (Looked After Children ie. children in foster care) and CHIN (Child In Need). I currently do not have a CP (child protection cases) because I am still considered newly qualified (PTL!!!).
My LAC kids fall under two categories: one is that their parents voluntarily have allowed the child to enter foster care for a time being and have joint parental responsibility for the young person along with social services. Or two, social services has gone through court proceedings in which the parent(s) were deemed unable to properly parent the child, so social services has a court order in which grants us parental responsibility for the child.
My CHIN cases are families that need extra support so that they do not enter into CP. Families have to agree to be considered CHIN, so at some level the family tends to work well with social services --- if they do not they will most likely become CP.
As of now, I get to work with young people, families, and foster carers that tend to engage well with social services. For the most part, my children are safe and are not in conditions in which their quality of life is being extremely negatively impacted at the time being.
I like this part of the job ..... but I tend to get really nervous when I think about taking on CP cases in the future.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
"You Alright?"
This is the question I am asked about 15-20 times each day.
I would like to say that I have gotten used to it, but I still cock my head a little sideways in confusion when my supervisor or another coworker asks me this.
You see.... "you alright?" is the British version of "how are you?" You know the random phrase people insert after they say hello to you. In the States most people say "good" or "fine" to answer the question, but it doesn't really matter because the person asking probably doesn't even care, we are just accustomed to saying "how are you?" after "hello."
The only problem with the British version is that every time someone says "you alright?" I get confused and think they think something is wrong with me. I mean, the only time I ask someone if they are alright is when they have a certain look that makes me think they are not.
culture difference #450980539258409 and counting.
I would like to say that I have gotten used to it, but I still cock my head a little sideways in confusion when my supervisor or another coworker asks me this.
You see.... "you alright?" is the British version of "how are you?" You know the random phrase people insert after they say hello to you. In the States most people say "good" or "fine" to answer the question, but it doesn't really matter because the person asking probably doesn't even care, we are just accustomed to saying "how are you?" after "hello."
The only problem with the British version is that every time someone says "you alright?" I get confused and think they think something is wrong with me. I mean, the only time I ask someone if they are alright is when they have a certain look that makes me think they are not.
culture difference #450980539258409 and counting.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Ping Me!!!
I fell into temptation and followed a large portion of the world and bought an IPHONE!!!
Please feel free to judge me, because I have been judging myself too. (Yes, I know that I am the one that agreed the Iphone might be the mark of the beast....but I really hope not).
The really sad part is that I may already be addicted....because I LOVE IT.
UGH..........
But, besides being able to check my email, facebook, and twitter (gross!) on my phone daily, other apps have really been helpful lately like the train schedule app, and the London tube app, and google maps app....so I can help my one driving roommate decipher her satnav directions.
I am really ashamed of myself.
I could justify it and say I got a really good deal on the phone and it is relatively super cheap monthly, but I still know I have fallen into peer pressure.
ANYWAYS.....for my American friends with Iphones:
Download an app called PING (it cost 99cents) and we can text message internationally for free. It is really great. I have been able to text with Kerby and Rachael M quite frequently the past few days.
My Ping name is hannah-daugherty.
Please feel free to judge me, because I have been judging myself too. (Yes, I know that I am the one that agreed the Iphone might be the mark of the beast....but I really hope not).
The really sad part is that I may already be addicted....because I LOVE IT.
UGH..........
But, besides being able to check my email, facebook, and twitter (gross!) on my phone daily, other apps have really been helpful lately like the train schedule app, and the London tube app, and google maps app....so I can help my one driving roommate decipher her satnav directions.
I am really ashamed of myself.
I could justify it and say I got a really good deal on the phone and it is relatively super cheap monthly, but I still know I have fallen into peer pressure.
ANYWAYS.....for my American friends with Iphones:
Download an app called PING (it cost 99cents) and we can text message internationally for free. It is really great. I have been able to text with Kerby and Rachael M quite frequently the past few days.
My Ping name is hannah-daugherty.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
When did water aerobics become a spectators sport?
One of my roommates and I decided to take the water aerobics class at our new gym tonight. We thought it would be an easy class with a bunch of older women kicking around in the water.... we were wrong!!!
We forgot to take into account that we go to the new 'posh' gym in town.
The class was taught by the same instructor that teaches kickboxing....and there were no old ladies!!! (just one person significantly older than us).
PLUS there are two hot tubs in the same room as the pool ---attached to one side. So while we were working out in the water, loads of people were sitting in the hot tub being entertained by our moves.
If you would like a good laugh then just imagine yourself relaxing in a hot tub watching me look like an idiot jumping up and down with foam noodles in the swimming pool! :)
It was really fun! :)
We forgot to take into account that we go to the new 'posh' gym in town.
The class was taught by the same instructor that teaches kickboxing....and there were no old ladies!!! (just one person significantly older than us).
PLUS there are two hot tubs in the same room as the pool ---attached to one side. So while we were working out in the water, loads of people were sitting in the hot tub being entertained by our moves.
If you would like a good laugh then just imagine yourself relaxing in a hot tub watching me look like an idiot jumping up and down with foam noodles in the swimming pool! :)
It was really fun! :)
I have discovered that the English are not okay with tears
Wednesday was a LONG day at work.
I had been out of the office in trainings Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. Needless to say, I had an email list a mile long. One of the main email topics was the fact that one of my children absconded on Friday (yep, thats me using my new vocabulary!). My inbox was filled with multiple emails asking what I was going to do about helping this child and that people were disappointed that things were not being accomplished. In response, I sent a kind email reminding people that I am still in the induction phase and am not in the office all the time and am not officially working all of my cases on my own yet.
At this point, I learned that most of my clients have known my name for four months. So, they have been waiting for me to come and have begun seeking me for months worth of needs. Whereas, I learned their names 2.5 weeks ago, and have slowly been reading case files, attending days worth of training, and still trying to wrap my head around what I am actually doing and cultural differences like how a child in 'college' can still be on my children and families caseload (ie learning the British schooling system).
So the day was overwhelming....
Plus my supervisor is on 'holiday' this week, so I have had to fend for myself in saying that I am not allowed to do certain tasks yet. The other supervisor is less...hmm...less empathetic compared to my supervisor, so since she is really busy all the time I feel like I am breaking her arm every time I ask her a question.
The first tears came when I asked the supervisor a question, and I was given a short, harsh, abrasive answer (...oh the English) because she was busy. After I completed my task, I excused myself to the 'toilet' (restroom) to let out the tears. Of course as I was wiping my face and washing my hands to leave, the supervisor comes through the door to go...not who I wanted to see.
As the rest of the day pattered on, a secretary that has been in charge of all the unallocated cases (ie mine and the other new American's) reminded 100 things I needed to do about my cases. Half of which I did not know how to do and my supervisor had told me not to do the tasks yet so she said she would just do them in an indirectly frustrated way.
So after a LONG LONG LONG day.....
As I was packing my things up to leave, the secretary leaned over to tell me that she just wanted to warn me that when she talked to the foster carers of one of my clients today, she mentioned that the teenager was really disappointed that I had not even called the teen to say hello yet. This was the last hole in the well for me. Tears came streaming down my face as I told her I felt like I was doing a terrible job since I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing in the midst of a million things that need to be completed.
Of course, this started an office commotion....the new girl....the American....crying IN the the office!!!! My officemates all swarmed in to fix my tears. I let them all know (multiple times) that I am crier and when I get overwhelmed, I just need to let it out. But, that was still not okay with them. They needed to all tell me a thousand times that it was okay, and explain that everyone understands that I am new, and justify me not knowing what to do...and blah blah blah. They gave me loads of kleenex and I even got a ride home instead of having to take the train. At the end of it all, the secretary asked me to please not tell my supervisor that she made me cry next week when she returns from holiday. what?!?!? (I am not sure if they really realize that I was telling the truth when I said I was a crier, because this will happen again).
I had been out of the office in trainings Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. Needless to say, I had an email list a mile long. One of the main email topics was the fact that one of my children absconded on Friday (yep, thats me using my new vocabulary!). My inbox was filled with multiple emails asking what I was going to do about helping this child and that people were disappointed that things were not being accomplished. In response, I sent a kind email reminding people that I am still in the induction phase and am not in the office all the time and am not officially working all of my cases on my own yet.
At this point, I learned that most of my clients have known my name for four months. So, they have been waiting for me to come and have begun seeking me for months worth of needs. Whereas, I learned their names 2.5 weeks ago, and have slowly been reading case files, attending days worth of training, and still trying to wrap my head around what I am actually doing and cultural differences like how a child in 'college' can still be on my children and families caseload (ie learning the British schooling system).
So the day was overwhelming....
Plus my supervisor is on 'holiday' this week, so I have had to fend for myself in saying that I am not allowed to do certain tasks yet. The other supervisor is less...hmm...less empathetic compared to my supervisor, so since she is really busy all the time I feel like I am breaking her arm every time I ask her a question.
The first tears came when I asked the supervisor a question, and I was given a short, harsh, abrasive answer (...oh the English) because she was busy. After I completed my task, I excused myself to the 'toilet' (restroom) to let out the tears. Of course as I was wiping my face and washing my hands to leave, the supervisor comes through the door to go...not who I wanted to see.
As the rest of the day pattered on, a secretary that has been in charge of all the unallocated cases (ie mine and the other new American's) reminded 100 things I needed to do about my cases. Half of which I did not know how to do and my supervisor had told me not to do the tasks yet so she said she would just do them in an indirectly frustrated way.
So after a LONG LONG LONG day.....
As I was packing my things up to leave, the secretary leaned over to tell me that she just wanted to warn me that when she talked to the foster carers of one of my clients today, she mentioned that the teenager was really disappointed that I had not even called the teen to say hello yet. This was the last hole in the well for me. Tears came streaming down my face as I told her I felt like I was doing a terrible job since I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing in the midst of a million things that need to be completed.
Of course, this started an office commotion....the new girl....the American....crying IN the the office!!!! My officemates all swarmed in to fix my tears. I let them all know (multiple times) that I am crier and when I get overwhelmed, I just need to let it out. But, that was still not okay with them. They needed to all tell me a thousand times that it was okay, and explain that everyone understands that I am new, and justify me not knowing what to do...and blah blah blah. They gave me loads of kleenex and I even got a ride home instead of having to take the train. At the end of it all, the secretary asked me to please not tell my supervisor that she made me cry next week when she returns from holiday. what?!?!? (I am not sure if they really realize that I was telling the truth when I said I was a crier, because this will happen again).
Monday, March 8, 2010
I'm still here
I have a lot more to write about and update, but I haven't found time to actually do it (and by that I mean, I haven't made any time).
Here are some quick updates:
I have been in England one month.
We have HEAT!!! It is very nice, and warms me well at night!
I visited another church yesterday....it was okay. The funny thing is that it is called The City Church Canterbury. For those of you that don't know, my college pastor, Ben (Hi Ben!), just planted a church in Fort Worth called The City Church.
One of my roommates got her car on Thursday, so we have had some transportation.
I might be getting a "real" phone tomorrow---if all works out well....it has taken me a MONTH to do this.
I saw an Austin friend, Bryan, in London on Saturday. He is working in London for two weeks. We had some great Turkish food, walked around the Tate Art Gallery, and walked around London. He also has some fantastic subway navigating skills.
I signed up for a gym today. It is a REALLY NICE gym. It opened two months ago and it is in walking distance from my house. It has a swimming pool, a hot tube, and a bunch of classes. Also, the girl, Sam, that enrolled me really wants to move to America to work. She also wanted to know if Samantha or Sam was an American name too. I told her yes.
A man asked me if I was Canadian on Saturday. Nope.
Oh I asked a the cashier at Asda for "some small bills with my cash back," and he laughed and said, "you Americans are always changing our words around!" hahaha! He would have said notes instead of bills.
The sun was out EVERYDAY this week!!
Okay question: do any of y'all have any church connections in South East England (or in England in general). I hear (via second had information at the Verge Conference) there is a big house church movement in England right now. Does anyone have any contacts that would know more about this....or anything related to Jesus? Send them my way!
BYYYYYEEEEEEEEE (said in true English song-y fashion)
Here are some quick updates:
I have been in England one month.
We have HEAT!!! It is very nice, and warms me well at night!
I visited another church yesterday....it was okay. The funny thing is that it is called The City Church Canterbury. For those of you that don't know, my college pastor, Ben (Hi Ben!), just planted a church in Fort Worth called The City Church.
One of my roommates got her car on Thursday, so we have had some transportation.
I might be getting a "real" phone tomorrow---if all works out well....it has taken me a MONTH to do this.
I saw an Austin friend, Bryan, in London on Saturday. He is working in London for two weeks. We had some great Turkish food, walked around the Tate Art Gallery, and walked around London. He also has some fantastic subway navigating skills.
I signed up for a gym today. It is a REALLY NICE gym. It opened two months ago and it is in walking distance from my house. It has a swimming pool, a hot tube, and a bunch of classes. Also, the girl, Sam, that enrolled me really wants to move to America to work. She also wanted to know if Samantha or Sam was an American name too. I told her yes.
A man asked me if I was Canadian on Saturday. Nope.
Oh I asked a the cashier at Asda for "some small bills with my cash back," and he laughed and said, "you Americans are always changing our words around!" hahaha! He would have said notes instead of bills.
The sun was out EVERYDAY this week!!
Okay question: do any of y'all have any church connections in South East England (or in England in general). I hear (via second had information at the Verge Conference) there is a big house church movement in England right now. Does anyone have any contacts that would know more about this....or anything related to Jesus? Send them my way!
BYYYYYEEEEEEEEE (said in true English song-y fashion)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
I think that American thing might work for you....
I met a teenage girl today, and the first thing she said after I introduced myself was, "are you an American" --- complete with the cocky teenage head turn, eye roll, and glare that could laser a hole right through you. I said "yes," and her face lit up followed by, "I've never met an American before!"
Later, when she showed me around her house, she asked if I had ever met any famous people. I told her about my slight (okay less than slight) connection to Kelly Clarkson --- but that was it.
Her family also had a lot of questions about what Texas is like.... you know the stereotypes.... cowboys, horses, guns, etc.
I think they might like me! :)
When I left, a social work supervisor said to me in the car, "you know, I think that American thing might work for you...." I thought 'well, I sure hope it will since I am an American'. My only other option would be to pull a Ross Gellar on Friends and pretend to talk in an accent while I'm at work all day everyday. (Come on Kerb and Alex, you know that's funny---you friends fanatics!) I mean, I getting pretty good at my British accent. HA!
Later, when she showed me around her house, she asked if I had ever met any famous people. I told her about my slight (okay less than slight) connection to Kelly Clarkson --- but that was it.
Her family also had a lot of questions about what Texas is like.... you know the stereotypes.... cowboys, horses, guns, etc.
I think they might like me! :)
When I left, a social work supervisor said to me in the car, "you know, I think that American thing might work for you...." I thought 'well, I sure hope it will since I am an American'. My only other option would be to pull a Ross Gellar on Friends and pretend to talk in an accent while I'm at work all day everyday. (Come on Kerb and Alex, you know that's funny---you friends fanatics!) I mean, I getting pretty good at my British accent. HA!
Monday, March 1, 2010
nobody's fooling this kid
Today, I co-supervised a contact between 5 brothers and sisters that are placed in separate foster homes. The eldest boy (9) said multiple times throughout the visit that I spoke a different language. I continued to tell him that I spoke the same language, but with a different accent. At the end of our time together, a worker at the facility began "hoovering" the carpet with the "hoover" while we waited for the child's taxi. I told the boy that I would say the man is "vacuuming the carpet with a vacuum." The little boy said, "see I told you you speak a different language!" What do you say to that?
First load of laundry
3 pair of pants
2 shirts
underwear
European washing machines are so small! And, this fancy machine that takes about 85 minutes to do a simple wash job. My 3 weeks of laundry could take a few days at this rate.
2 shirts
underwear
European washing machines are so small! And, this fancy machine that takes about 85 minutes to do a simple wash job. My 3 weeks of laundry could take a few days at this rate.
Friday, February 26, 2010
some expressions translate the same!
I overheard my supervisor say to a colleague today, "sounds like she (a client) has her knickers in a bundle!"
--HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!! I laughed and told my supervisor I knew what that meant!
My brother used to tell me all the time, "Hannah, don't get your panties in wad."
Meaning, don't get all worked up, agitated, worried, stressed out about nothing.
--HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!! I laughed and told my supervisor I knew what that meant!
My brother used to tell me all the time, "Hannah, don't get your panties in wad."
Meaning, don't get all worked up, agitated, worried, stressed out about nothing.
The art of "Hot Desking"
As with most social services, there is always more needs than resources will provide for.
Well, on the Ashford team there is a great need for desks. However, there is no money to buy more desks nor space to place desks.
Instead, we play "hot desking." It's like a game, really. I am "assigned" a "base desk" to "share" with another coworker. But actually, anyone uses whatever desk in the office is open when you walk in. I have yet to sit at "my" assigned desk.
I think I will start keeping score soon. A point will be given whenever someone actually sits in the desk they are assigned. Whoever has the most points after a few weeks will WIN!!! HECK, I think I will even celebrate the first time I actually sit at "my" desk. :)
Just to give you an idea of what I am talking about. I counted today. There are 30 desks in the main area of the office. (I will take a picture one day soon...it is a really small office), 2 desks in a nice quiet corner of the office, 2 desks in one attached office (with a door!), and 1 desk in another attached office (with a door). Desk count = 35.
Number of Ashford Duty/Long Term team social workers/social work assistants/supervisors/secretaries/district managers that I counted from a list today = 53! (I don't think this number includes the 4 social work students).
"Hot Desking".....I better learn the art of this game QUICK! :)
Well, on the Ashford team there is a great need for desks. However, there is no money to buy more desks nor space to place desks.
Instead, we play "hot desking." It's like a game, really. I am "assigned" a "base desk" to "share" with another coworker. But actually, anyone uses whatever desk in the office is open when you walk in. I have yet to sit at "my" assigned desk.
I think I will start keeping score soon. A point will be given whenever someone actually sits in the desk they are assigned. Whoever has the most points after a few weeks will WIN!!! HECK, I think I will even celebrate the first time I actually sit at "my" desk. :)
Just to give you an idea of what I am talking about. I counted today. There are 30 desks in the main area of the office. (I will take a picture one day soon...it is a really small office), 2 desks in a nice quiet corner of the office, 2 desks in one attached office (with a door!), and 1 desk in another attached office (with a door). Desk count = 35.
Number of Ashford Duty/Long Term team social workers/social work assistants/supervisors/secretaries/district managers that I counted from a list today = 53! (I don't think this number includes the 4 social work students).
"Hot Desking".....I better learn the art of this game QUICK! :)
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Same language, COMPLETELY different words
I am not kidding when I say that the English use completely different words than we do in the US. I find myself saying HUH? or listening very carefully to hopefully understand a word using context clues (glad I learned this skill in elementary school). Interestingly, this happens in EVERY conversation I have.
I have already listed some word differences in previous posts, but am going to keep a running list here:
fortnight = two weeks
abscond = run away (do we use abscond in the US? I have NEVER heard this word and was in a meeting about a client who always "absconding," and thought "what the heck is absconding." This is one example in which my context clues trick prevented me from looking like an idiot).
nappy = diaper
buggy = child's stroller
holiday = vacation (I have 4 pro-rated holiday days to use before the end of the "year," which is March 31st. That means I can either go on a 4 day vacation in the next few weeks or roll them over to for next "year" which starts April 1st. If I do that, I will have 29 holiday days for next year!!!! Thats almost 6 full weeks people!!!!
dairy = schedule/planner
lovely, brilliant = great (I PROMISE one of these words are used as a filler word/response-every other word. Therefore, you hear these two words 8 to 10 thousand times a day)
Cheers! = Thanks! (and its not only used for a goodbye "cheers," but for like opening the door for someone or grabbing someone some tea, etc)
Cheeky = loosely translated to mischievous
ADDED 2/25/10
on a tag = house arrest (you know with the attractive bracelet attached to your leg)
primary school = 5-11 y/o school
secondary school = 12-16 y/o school
college = school a teenager attends after secondary school if he/she wants to. Can either get a technical certificate (ie: mechanics, cosmetology, etc) or take courses needed to transfer to university
"uni"/university = college
more to come as I continue to say HUH? (sideways head tilt) in England....
I have already listed some word differences in previous posts, but am going to keep a running list here:
fortnight = two weeks
abscond = run away (do we use abscond in the US? I have NEVER heard this word and was in a meeting about a client who always "absconding," and thought "what the heck is absconding." This is one example in which my context clues trick prevented me from looking like an idiot).
nappy = diaper
buggy = child's stroller
holiday = vacation (I have 4 pro-rated holiday days to use before the end of the "year," which is March 31st. That means I can either go on a 4 day vacation in the next few weeks or roll them over to for next "year" which starts April 1st. If I do that, I will have 29 holiday days for next year!!!! Thats almost 6 full weeks people!!!!
dairy = schedule/planner
lovely, brilliant = great (I PROMISE one of these words are used as a filler word/response-every other word. Therefore, you hear these two words 8 to 10 thousand times a day)
Cheers! = Thanks! (and its not only used for a goodbye "cheers," but for like opening the door for someone or grabbing someone some tea, etc)
Cheeky = loosely translated to mischievous
ADDED 2/25/10
on a tag = house arrest (you know with the attractive bracelet attached to your leg)
primary school = 5-11 y/o school
secondary school = 12-16 y/o school
college = school a teenager attends after secondary school if he/she wants to. Can either get a technical certificate (ie: mechanics, cosmetology, etc) or take courses needed to transfer to university
"uni"/university = college
more to come as I continue to say HUH? (sideways head tilt) in England....
Monday, February 22, 2010
why am I not on this team?
Two of my new roommates are on the Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children Team.
Tonight, one told me a story her coworker told about two children that chose not to follow through with a terrorist mission and fled their country because they realized that the Qur'an did not promote hurting innocent people. Humdulillah!
Again, why am I not on this team? THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO. And, whats worse is that some new Americans would rather be on my team rather than this team. UGH.
I'm praying that at some point in the next two years, I can switch to UASC. Feel free to pray with me too....hopefully for the switch soon rather than later. Ahhh, I need to pray for patience and diligence too because I have this desire not to get too involved on my current team, because I want to switch to the other one SO BAD.
Tonight, one told me a story her coworker told about two children that chose not to follow through with a terrorist mission and fled their country because they realized that the Qur'an did not promote hurting innocent people. Humdulillah!
Again, why am I not on this team? THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO. And, whats worse is that some new Americans would rather be on my team rather than this team. UGH.
I'm praying that at some point in the next two years, I can switch to UASC. Feel free to pray with me too....hopefully for the switch soon rather than later. Ahhh, I need to pray for patience and diligence too because I have this desire not to get too involved on my current team, because I want to switch to the other one SO BAD.
"Hannah, where are you from in the US?...."
-----....."Texas!"
"Are you really religious?"
-----(think fast, think fast) "what makes you ask that?"
"I heard that Texas is a really religious state."
-----"It is apart of the Bible belt."
...............
...............(a few minutes later)
...............
"Hannah, you dodged that question really well."
-----(smile and nod)
Intro to day one on the job. People ask the darnest things. No matter if I had said yes or no, I could have negatively impacted this professional relationship. Instead, I chose to the prescribed social work thing and avoid answering personal questions. Sometimes I hate this, but either way, my definition of "religious" was not the ladies' connotation of "religious." It was not the time nor place to go into details either.
Other than that, I received a file full of cases today. Here's to diving in head first.....
"Are you really religious?"
-----(think fast, think fast) "what makes you ask that?"
"I heard that Texas is a really religious state."
-----"It is apart of the Bible belt."
...............
...............(a few minutes later)
...............
"Hannah, you dodged that question really well."
-----(smile and nod)
Intro to day one on the job. People ask the darnest things. No matter if I had said yes or no, I could have negatively impacted this professional relationship. Instead, I chose to the prescribed social work thing and avoid answering personal questions. Sometimes I hate this, but either way, my definition of "religious" was not the ladies' connotation of "religious." It was not the time nor place to go into details either.
Other than that, I received a file full of cases today. Here's to diving in head first.....
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Around the roundabouts and through the rain…
I visited my first UK church this morning in Maidstone. I found this church by googling churches in Maidstone and then weeding out ones of certain denominations, ones that did not include a belief statement on their websites, and ones with loose or fishy doctrine. I was excited to check out the one church that withstood the selection process. Plus, I read that this church desires to be an equipping center to send believers to the nations and is highly involved in the local community…all things I strongly support!
Since, the bus near my hotel does not run on Sundays, I mentally prepared myself last night to make the 2ish mile walk into town. Sadly, it decided to rain this morning, so I had to make the trek in the cold rain accompanied my rain jacket, gloves, umbrella, earmuffs, and rain boots. I’m sure I was a site to see, especially since no one else on the walk used an umbrella and people barely covered their heads around here. Just another day in England for these Brits, until they pass the crazy American all decked out like the Flood in Genesis was expected or something.
I google mapped walking directions and had my faithful copy of a terrible map of Maidstone with me on the journey. Here’s something to think about though….left and right is all relative in a roundabout….even if you’re walking. No matter which “exit” you take off a roundabout, your car is still veering left, but some exits are known as a right turn. WHAT?!?!? I decided to ignore the lefts and rights mentioned on googlemaps because my terrible maps showed one straight road, which had four name changes (I’m beginning to think that most things British are roundabout and complicated). I did make it to the church after about a 45-minute walk, 3 roundabouts, 1 wind sucking umbrella mess, and several glances back to the directions and map. Whew...look at what a girl’s got to do for a little community on a Sunday morning in Maidstone.
The door greeter, Laurie, was super welcoming and quickly realized I was not from here. What a big change attending a church of about 200 compared to Austin Stone’s thousands. Everyone knew I was new. But sweet Laurie pointed me to sit with one of her roommates, which I did. After a long period of announcements, the worship team played some songs. One that really spoke to me today was Awesome is the Lord Most High by Chris Tomlin (an added plus was that he used to play at Austin Stone before my time, but it still reminded me of the Stone). Here are the lyrics:
Great are You, Lord
Mighty in strength
You are faithful
You will ever be
We will praise You
All of our days
It’s for Your glory
We offer everything
Raise your hands, all you nations
Shout to God all creation
How awesome is the Lord most high
Where You send us
God, we will go
You’re the answer
We want the world to know
We will trust You
When You call our name
Where You lead us
We’ll follow all the way
We will praise You together
For now and forever
How awesome is the Lord most high
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
How awesome is the Lord most high
(google it if you want to actually hear it)
Anyways, the verses “Where You send us; God, we will go. You’re the answer; we want the world to know. We will trust You when You call our name. Where You lead us, we’ll follow all the way. “ really impacted me today. If you’ve heard me significantly talk about this move to England, I don’t really know why God has sent me here. England is not a country I desire to do ministry in. And, my specific social work job is one of the only social work jobs I said I would never do in the states. So, why England? I don’t know. But, I said yes when God decided to send me, because I want the world to know Him, and I trust Him as he calls my name that He will lead me while I am here and I desire to follow His way. Thank you Chris Tomlin for these lyrics and thank you Lord for their significant impact in me.
After worship, the main speaker asked people to share testimonies of what God has been doing in them or through them over the last few months. It was awesome to hear numerous ways in which God is at work here in tiny little Maidstone as similar to large Austin, TX and the US.
The pastor spoke about being the light of the world, and went through a bunch of fairly well known verses talking about light. At one point, he said that when we are immature light we need to be with other light to be restored and refined, and as we continue to mature we are put into darkness, so that we can be the light. I can see this pattern in my life---so hello dark and cloudy England.
I also love when I am reminded that God does not have a plan B. Jesus was the original plan and the kingdom of God is being restored as I write this and the words of Revelation (and the entire Bible) promise this. I find great hope in Jesus’ return and find myself doing crazy things like moving to England to help expedite the process. ☺
At the end of service, we had tea (oh the English and their tea…). I met the two other Americans that go to the church; one from DC, the other from Atlanta. The DC girl, Selena, is apart of the Year of Training program through the church studying theology. The Atlanta girl, Ida, also did that program and is about to marry a South African man she met here in a few weeks. Both girls have adapted a lot of British vocabulary with their American accent….makes me laugh. Oh the church is super diverse and there were a lot of people from South Africa and Zimbabwe, and a girl from Belgium that I met.
After church, I went to lunch with Laurie, the one that greeted me at the door, and another girl, Suzie. It was really nice. We discussed American and English Christianity, the Bible Belt, and other stuff like the capitol of Texas is Austin (the important things!). Suzie also dropped me back at the hotel so I thankfully did not have to walk back around the roundabouts and through the rain.
It was definitely great to be around believers again after these past two weeks.
Since, the bus near my hotel does not run on Sundays, I mentally prepared myself last night to make the 2ish mile walk into town. Sadly, it decided to rain this morning, so I had to make the trek in the cold rain accompanied my rain jacket, gloves, umbrella, earmuffs, and rain boots. I’m sure I was a site to see, especially since no one else on the walk used an umbrella and people barely covered their heads around here. Just another day in England for these Brits, until they pass the crazy American all decked out like the Flood in Genesis was expected or something.
I google mapped walking directions and had my faithful copy of a terrible map of Maidstone with me on the journey. Here’s something to think about though….left and right is all relative in a roundabout….even if you’re walking. No matter which “exit” you take off a roundabout, your car is still veering left, but some exits are known as a right turn. WHAT?!?!? I decided to ignore the lefts and rights mentioned on googlemaps because my terrible maps showed one straight road, which had four name changes (I’m beginning to think that most things British are roundabout and complicated). I did make it to the church after about a 45-minute walk, 3 roundabouts, 1 wind sucking umbrella mess, and several glances back to the directions and map. Whew...look at what a girl’s got to do for a little community on a Sunday morning in Maidstone.
The door greeter, Laurie, was super welcoming and quickly realized I was not from here. What a big change attending a church of about 200 compared to Austin Stone’s thousands. Everyone knew I was new. But sweet Laurie pointed me to sit with one of her roommates, which I did. After a long period of announcements, the worship team played some songs. One that really spoke to me today was Awesome is the Lord Most High by Chris Tomlin (an added plus was that he used to play at Austin Stone before my time, but it still reminded me of the Stone). Here are the lyrics:
Great are You, Lord
Mighty in strength
You are faithful
You will ever be
We will praise You
All of our days
It’s for Your glory
We offer everything
Raise your hands, all you nations
Shout to God all creation
How awesome is the Lord most high
Where You send us
God, we will go
You’re the answer
We want the world to know
We will trust You
When You call our name
Where You lead us
We’ll follow all the way
We will praise You together
For now and forever
How awesome is the Lord most high
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
How awesome is the Lord most high
(google it if you want to actually hear it)
Anyways, the verses “Where You send us; God, we will go. You’re the answer; we want the world to know. We will trust You when You call our name. Where You lead us, we’ll follow all the way. “ really impacted me today. If you’ve heard me significantly talk about this move to England, I don’t really know why God has sent me here. England is not a country I desire to do ministry in. And, my specific social work job is one of the only social work jobs I said I would never do in the states. So, why England? I don’t know. But, I said yes when God decided to send me, because I want the world to know Him, and I trust Him as he calls my name that He will lead me while I am here and I desire to follow His way. Thank you Chris Tomlin for these lyrics and thank you Lord for their significant impact in me.
After worship, the main speaker asked people to share testimonies of what God has been doing in them or through them over the last few months. It was awesome to hear numerous ways in which God is at work here in tiny little Maidstone as similar to large Austin, TX and the US.
The pastor spoke about being the light of the world, and went through a bunch of fairly well known verses talking about light. At one point, he said that when we are immature light we need to be with other light to be restored and refined, and as we continue to mature we are put into darkness, so that we can be the light. I can see this pattern in my life---so hello dark and cloudy England.
I also love when I am reminded that God does not have a plan B. Jesus was the original plan and the kingdom of God is being restored as I write this and the words of Revelation (and the entire Bible) promise this. I find great hope in Jesus’ return and find myself doing crazy things like moving to England to help expedite the process. ☺
At the end of service, we had tea (oh the English and their tea…). I met the two other Americans that go to the church; one from DC, the other from Atlanta. The DC girl, Selena, is apart of the Year of Training program through the church studying theology. The Atlanta girl, Ida, also did that program and is about to marry a South African man she met here in a few weeks. Both girls have adapted a lot of British vocabulary with their American accent….makes me laugh. Oh the church is super diverse and there were a lot of people from South Africa and Zimbabwe, and a girl from Belgium that I met.
After church, I went to lunch with Laurie, the one that greeted me at the door, and another girl, Suzie. It was really nice. We discussed American and English Christianity, the Bible Belt, and other stuff like the capitol of Texas is Austin (the important things!). Suzie also dropped me back at the hotel so I thankfully did not have to walk back around the roundabouts and through the rain.
It was definitely great to be around believers again after these past two weeks.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Me Time!
Today, I spent the day with myself.
For an extreme extrovert, it is sometimes hard for me to tell when I truly need some massive alone time, but towards the end of this past week, I knew it was time.
Most of the 27 Americans moved out of the Hilton into their new accommodations on Thursday and Friday, but there have been some logistical complications with my housing; so myself, and the 3 roommates are still living in the hotel. The masses of the group decided to meet up in London this weekend to spend the night on the town. I, however, had no desire to go out, be around a lot of drinking, nor have to find/and pay for a place to spend the night since the train home ends at midnight; and I want to attempt to go to a church in Maidstone in the morning.
A PERFECT ME DAY! :)
I had breakfast with my roommates before they left for London. Then I rode the bus into Maidstone town center to hang out. I had a copy of a map and wanted to branch out of the main few streets I have grown comfortable with to see if I could find my way to the movie theater and the church I want to attend tomorrow. Since I was a little early for the movies, I walked across the river to the larger shopping stores like Asda (Walmart), HobbyCraft (Hobby Lobby), B & Q (Home Depot), and TK Maxx (TJ Maxx). I stopped in Asda to see what an English Walmart was like (no judgements anti-Walmart friends (JOY)). It was way nicer than Walmart in my opinion.
On the way out, I asked the security man to point me in the direction of the Odeon Theater. He pointed me back across the river and through the streets. These directions confused me because I thought the theater was somewhere on the side of the river I was on. Instead of following my gut and my excellent map navigation skills, I went with his word and crossed back over the river toward the direction the security guard led. Along the route, I saw a tourist sign for a Amphitheater and realized that the security man probably got lost someone in my accent and was sending me to the wrong place. I decided to turn around and find my own way --- which successfully landed me at the movie theater on the side of the river I originally thought it was on.
I planned to see Valentine's Day--which a bunch of the American group saw last weekend. I've only been to one other movie by myself, and was semi-exicted to do it again. However in England, or Maidstone at least, when you buy a movie ticket you are given a seat number, and the staff look at your ticket and direct you to your seat. I was placed in the middle of a pair of English pre-teen girls and another pair of English late teen girls. GREAT! My solo movie adventure put right me in the middle of British strangers. I felt like a loner. :(
I loved the movie though. I also appreciated being able to laugh a few times at American jokes that the English crowd did not get. I also wanted to yell "YAY Texas" when one of the actors referred to something as the size of Texas, but I thought it was a little too much for my stranger neighbors to handle. Besides, they did look at me funny when I laughed at the jokes they did not get. The girls to my right really liked the accents of the American school children in the movie. It reminded me of myself loving the British accents of the little girls in The Holiday.
I have realized over the past few days just how influential American is when it comes to pop culture. Everywhere I go....ie the hotel and shops --- American music is playing. Also, almost all the movies playing in the theater were American blockbusters. Half of the TV stations on my hotel room TV play American shows --- (I have been so thankful for the opportunity to watch Friends on a daily basis). It is weird. I can't decide whether I should think that England is obsessed with all things American, or if the US is just so dominate that it pushes its way into English life. hmmm.....
Towards the end of the movie, I forgot I was in England. So, when I left the theater, I was pretty sad thinking that I don't know when I will be in Texas again (it was kind of a scary, weighty thought) and I don't have any real friends here yet (besides the Americans, I guess). :( I will be glad to finally move in and begin to develop a routine.
I spent the rest of my town venture shopping around the "high street" -- mainly window shopping, but I did finally buy a world travel adapter pack for my mac at the fake apple store. It makes me laugh every time I say something and catch a store clerk off guard with my "accent." I usually get a really confused look for about two seconds, and then huh?, followed by me smiling and repeating my question.
I also headed the direction of the church, but never actually made it because it started to get dark. Hopefully, I will wake up in time to walk the 2 miles and actually find the church from the hotel, since the buses do not run on Sunday.
Oh random note.....everything closes SO EARLY here...like 5:30! All the shops on the high street, all the stores in the mall, everything. Maybe it is because it gets dark earlier. Thats okay because I had to catch the last bus back by 6:30.
The rest of the night I scrounged up some dinner in my room, watched part of Mona Lisa Smiles, fell asleep at 7:30, and then woke back up to find directions to church, and write this blog post :).
I have a few pictures to post to this blog post, so look back later.
For an extreme extrovert, it is sometimes hard for me to tell when I truly need some massive alone time, but towards the end of this past week, I knew it was time.
Most of the 27 Americans moved out of the Hilton into their new accommodations on Thursday and Friday, but there have been some logistical complications with my housing; so myself, and the 3 roommates are still living in the hotel. The masses of the group decided to meet up in London this weekend to spend the night on the town. I, however, had no desire to go out, be around a lot of drinking, nor have to find/and pay for a place to spend the night since the train home ends at midnight; and I want to attempt to go to a church in Maidstone in the morning.
A PERFECT ME DAY! :)
I had breakfast with my roommates before they left for London. Then I rode the bus into Maidstone town center to hang out. I had a copy of a map and wanted to branch out of the main few streets I have grown comfortable with to see if I could find my way to the movie theater and the church I want to attend tomorrow. Since I was a little early for the movies, I walked across the river to the larger shopping stores like Asda (Walmart), HobbyCraft (Hobby Lobby), B & Q (Home Depot), and TK Maxx (TJ Maxx). I stopped in Asda to see what an English Walmart was like (no judgements anti-Walmart friends (JOY)). It was way nicer than Walmart in my opinion.
On the way out, I asked the security man to point me in the direction of the Odeon Theater. He pointed me back across the river and through the streets. These directions confused me because I thought the theater was somewhere on the side of the river I was on. Instead of following my gut and my excellent map navigation skills, I went with his word and crossed back over the river toward the direction the security guard led. Along the route, I saw a tourist sign for a Amphitheater and realized that the security man probably got lost someone in my accent and was sending me to the wrong place. I decided to turn around and find my own way --- which successfully landed me at the movie theater on the side of the river I originally thought it was on.
I planned to see Valentine's Day--which a bunch of the American group saw last weekend. I've only been to one other movie by myself, and was semi-exicted to do it again. However in England, or Maidstone at least, when you buy a movie ticket you are given a seat number, and the staff look at your ticket and direct you to your seat. I was placed in the middle of a pair of English pre-teen girls and another pair of English late teen girls. GREAT! My solo movie adventure put right me in the middle of British strangers. I felt like a loner. :(
I loved the movie though. I also appreciated being able to laugh a few times at American jokes that the English crowd did not get. I also wanted to yell "YAY Texas" when one of the actors referred to something as the size of Texas, but I thought it was a little too much for my stranger neighbors to handle. Besides, they did look at me funny when I laughed at the jokes they did not get. The girls to my right really liked the accents of the American school children in the movie. It reminded me of myself loving the British accents of the little girls in The Holiday.
I have realized over the past few days just how influential American is when it comes to pop culture. Everywhere I go....ie the hotel and shops --- American music is playing. Also, almost all the movies playing in the theater were American blockbusters. Half of the TV stations on my hotel room TV play American shows --- (I have been so thankful for the opportunity to watch Friends on a daily basis). It is weird. I can't decide whether I should think that England is obsessed with all things American, or if the US is just so dominate that it pushes its way into English life. hmmm.....
Towards the end of the movie, I forgot I was in England. So, when I left the theater, I was pretty sad thinking that I don't know when I will be in Texas again (it was kind of a scary, weighty thought) and I don't have any real friends here yet (besides the Americans, I guess). :( I will be glad to finally move in and begin to develop a routine.
I spent the rest of my town venture shopping around the "high street" -- mainly window shopping, but I did finally buy a world travel adapter pack for my mac at the fake apple store. It makes me laugh every time I say something and catch a store clerk off guard with my "accent." I usually get a really confused look for about two seconds, and then huh?, followed by me smiling and repeating my question.
I also headed the direction of the church, but never actually made it because it started to get dark. Hopefully, I will wake up in time to walk the 2 miles and actually find the church from the hotel, since the buses do not run on Sunday.
Oh random note.....everything closes SO EARLY here...like 5:30! All the shops on the high street, all the stores in the mall, everything. Maybe it is because it gets dark earlier. Thats okay because I had to catch the last bus back by 6:30.
The rest of the night I scrounged up some dinner in my room, watched part of Mona Lisa Smiles, fell asleep at 7:30, and then woke back up to find directions to church, and write this blog post :).
I have a few pictures to post to this blog post, so look back later.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
An AMERICAN!!!
Anytime I go out, someone comments on my accent. Here are a few conversations I’ve had so far….
Employee at Wilkinson’s (similar to target)
“What part of America are you from?”
-“Texas--- good guess on my accent.”
“Oh I’ve been to Virginia before…..The mountains are beautiful, but I hear Texas is FLAT.”
-“its true”
A girl on the street promoting a child abuse awareness organization
“Where are you from? Please don’t say LA…”
-“I’m from Texas.”
“Oh my cousin’s cousin….I guess that makes him my cousin too... lives in Texas.” He says they do this stomp dance thing.”
-“hmmmm like line dancing?”
“NO….like stomping” (demonstration given)
-“OHHHHH stepping! Yea, I have friends that do that”
“can you do it too?”
-“Oh NO! and you don’t want to see me try.”
“Are high schools really like the movies?”
-“NO!”
(most excited/expressive British girl I’ve met to date)
Two Car Phone Warehouse employees
#1: “May I ask you where your accent is from?”
-“The United States”
#2: “Oh like totally” (in his best valley girl accent)
stay tuned from more updates.
Employee at Wilkinson’s (similar to target)
“What part of America are you from?”
-“Texas--- good guess on my accent.”
“Oh I’ve been to Virginia before…..The mountains are beautiful, but I hear Texas is FLAT.”
-“its true”
A girl on the street promoting a child abuse awareness organization
“Where are you from? Please don’t say LA…”
-“I’m from Texas.”
“Oh my cousin’s cousin….I guess that makes him my cousin too... lives in Texas.” He says they do this stomp dance thing.”
-“hmmmm like line dancing?”
“NO….like stomping” (demonstration given)
-“OHHHHH stepping! Yea, I have friends that do that”
“can you do it too?”
-“Oh NO! and you don’t want to see me try.”
“Are high schools really like the movies?”
-“NO!”
(most excited/expressive British girl I’ve met to date)
Two Car Phone Warehouse employees
#1: “May I ask you where your accent is from?”
-“The United States”
#2: “Oh like totally” (in his best valley girl accent)
stay tuned from more updates.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Ahh....DIVERSITY!!!
Today was my first visit to my new office.
In one large room, there are about 30 desks for the duty and long term teams of Ashford (I'm on the long term team). The room seems a little chaotic-loud, messy, desk hoping. But, the people seem really nice! :)
I am excited about the rich culture in our office.
one woman from Scotland (my buddy)
one man from South Africa
two men from Zimbabwe - one white, one black
many English
three Americans
and maybe some more countries represented that I don't know about yet! :)
I'm excited!!!!!
I was introduced to about 35 people today. Only the non-English and my supervisor shook my hand. It was awkward. I wanted to shake everyone's hand, but apparently the English don't like shaking hands. My buddy (from Scotland) asked me if I noticed it. I told her YES! She said it bothered her too when she started.
On a scary/frustrating note: a woman in the office today said, "don't worry, the Americans are finally here, everything will be okay." YIKES....little do they know, I don't know what I'm doing.....AND.....Americans do NOT save the day just because they are Americans. (More to come regarding preferential treatment to Americans)
In one large room, there are about 30 desks for the duty and long term teams of Ashford (I'm on the long term team). The room seems a little chaotic-loud, messy, desk hoping. But, the people seem really nice! :)
I am excited about the rich culture in our office.
one woman from Scotland (my buddy)
one man from South Africa
two men from Zimbabwe - one white, one black
many English
three Americans
and maybe some more countries represented that I don't know about yet! :)
I'm excited!!!!!
I was introduced to about 35 people today. Only the non-English and my supervisor shook my hand. It was awkward. I wanted to shake everyone's hand, but apparently the English don't like shaking hands. My buddy (from Scotland) asked me if I noticed it. I told her YES! She said it bothered her too when she started.
On a scary/frustrating note: a woman in the office today said, "don't worry, the Americans are finally here, everything will be okay." YIKES....little do they know, I don't know what I'm doing.....AND.....Americans do NOT save the day just because they are Americans. (More to come regarding preferential treatment to Americans)
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Housing
I have a place to live!....kinda......
Last Thursday, my new roommates and I were unable to search for housing with the relocator because it snowed in Ashford and Canterbury. We were really bummed, but were still excited to go out on Friday.
We viewed 6 properties (4 in Canterbury, 1 in nowheresville, and 1 in Ashford). We decided on a place in Canterbury. It was BY FAR the nicest place we saw and it is furnished with new age furniture! :)
Here's a picture of the outside:
The only hold now is paperwork, being approved, and some gas certificate which could take some time. We may have to stay in a random place when we check out of the Hilton on Friday. I'm not too worried, but don't really want to move all my stuff twice. I hope our place is ready by Friday...fingers crossed.
For your viewing pleasure, here is a picture of something RIDICULOUS I saw during our house hunting:
A shower in the corner of a bedroom....WHAT?
Last Thursday, my new roommates and I were unable to search for housing with the relocator because it snowed in Ashford and Canterbury. We were really bummed, but were still excited to go out on Friday.
We viewed 6 properties (4 in Canterbury, 1 in nowheresville, and 1 in Ashford). We decided on a place in Canterbury. It was BY FAR the nicest place we saw and it is furnished with new age furniture! :)
Here's a picture of the outside:
The only hold now is paperwork, being approved, and some gas certificate which could take some time. We may have to stay in a random place when we check out of the Hilton on Friday. I'm not too worried, but don't really want to move all my stuff twice. I hope our place is ready by Friday...fingers crossed.
For your viewing pleasure, here is a picture of something RIDICULOUS I saw during our house hunting:
A shower in the corner of a bedroom....WHAT?
“Perhaps you might like to think about….”
We had a 9-5 training on cultural awareness and differences regarding living and working in the UK from a British woman that lived in the US for about 14 years. Here are a few things I learned.
• Typical British impression of Americans: loud and superficial
• Typical American impression of British: stiff and formal
•It takes a very long time for things to change in England because they like things the way they’ve always been and cling to the past
•British are non-confrontational and speak indirectly to avoid confrontation.
o If my supervisor says, “maybe you should consider it this way”….she actually means that is how I need to do something.
o READ BETWEEN THE LINES….There’s probably a hidden message a Brit wants to convey.
•British enjoy humor and are fairly sarcastic, but probably mean what they are joking about.
•It takes a long time for a friendship relationship to form.
Kent management has this same training -- only reversed -- next week. I wonder what they will say about stereotypical Americans?
Some more word differences
Pants = underwear
Trainers = tennis shoes
Hair slide = barrette
Queue = line
Bobby = cop
Guillotine = paper cutter
Plaster = band-aid
Car park = parking lot
Chips = French fries
Crisps = chips
Restroom = loo, toilet, w/c (water closet)
Mom = MUM --- I wish I was kidding.
• Typical British impression of Americans: loud and superficial
• Typical American impression of British: stiff and formal
•It takes a very long time for things to change in England because they like things the way they’ve always been and cling to the past
•British are non-confrontational and speak indirectly to avoid confrontation.
o If my supervisor says, “maybe you should consider it this way”….she actually means that is how I need to do something.
o READ BETWEEN THE LINES….There’s probably a hidden message a Brit wants to convey.
•British enjoy humor and are fairly sarcastic, but probably mean what they are joking about.
•It takes a long time for a friendship relationship to form.
Kent management has this same training -- only reversed -- next week. I wonder what they will say about stereotypical Americans?
Some more word differences
Pants = underwear
Trainers = tennis shoes
Hair slide = barrette
Queue = line
Bobby = cop
Guillotine = paper cutter
Plaster = band-aid
Car park = parking lot
Chips = French fries
Crisps = chips
Restroom = loo, toilet, w/c (water closet)
Mom = MUM --- I wish I was kidding.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Sun’s out today and I PASSED the driving training!
I was first up with Lorraine, the driving instructor, for two hours of UK driving training this morning. With an American drivers license, anyone is legal to drive in the UK for one year. However, since we are receiving lease cars, the county wanted to provide us tutorials and deem us competent and confident to drive before we are given our cars.
Lorraine said she would drive me to an estate area and let me take the wheel because there are two fairly large roundabouts outside the hotel parking lot she did not want me to start with. Of course, as we walked to the car, I walked to the typical American passenger side to enter the car……WRONG…..that is the driver side here in the UK.
I took the wheel in a residential area with “baby roundabouts” as I like to call them. It is similar to a four way stop in a US neighborhood, but here you only have to yield.
Sitting on the right side of the car and driving on the left side of the road feels okay once you get in because you are still positioned near the inside lane within the car.
There are MANY things that throw you for a loop though….
Speed limit signs do not say “speed limit” like they do at home.
• They are just numbers on a white circular sign with a red ring around the edge. Some are large signs, some are small posted on poles with other signs.
• You also have to know that if you are in an area with no signs and the light poles are equally spaced apart the limit is 30 mph.
• If you see a circular sign with a black diagonal line through it means that is national speed limit.
• You have to know that national speed limit is 60 mph for a single carriageway (road without a middle divider) and 70 mph for a dual carriageway (road with a middle divider like grass or a barricade).
• These speed limits are different for different types of vehicles, but I am only remembering the limits for cars at this point.
The center stripes are NOT yellow!
• They are white.
• White lines/stripes to separate one lane from the other going the same direction.
• White lines/stripes to separate one lane from the other going the opposite direction.
• Does this sound a bit confusing? Well it is! At one point, I was on a single carriageway (with no middle divider). My direction had two lanes,; the opposite direction had one lane.
• The only way to tell which lanes belonged to which side was to see what ways the other cars were facing.
I have been warned about driving at night:
• The more tired you get, the more you revert back to what you’re used to.
• There are fewer cars on the road to follow the lead of.
They have speed cameras galore here:
• In many areas these cameras take your picture if you’re speeding.
• You are mailed a ticket.
• The fine is 60 pounds
• You get 3 endorsement points on your license.
• I can only have 6 points and then I can’t drive or something like that.
• YIKES!
“Watch out for the WHITE VAN MAN!”
• A quote from Lorraine.
• She said that all white vans are bad drivers because that is typically a work van (like plumber, electrician, etc) and they drive terrible and do not care about their vehicle.
“Watch out for the Lithuanians!”
• Lorraine says they are bad drivers too!
“Watch out for all European drivers not from the UK!”
• The rest of Europe drives on the same side of the road and car as America---they are in the same boat as me.
• They also will drive their car across the Chunnel into England. So they will be driving a car with the steering wheel on the left side of the car and driving on the left side of the road. (That sounds confusing!)
“Watch out for the Indians and Pakistanis!”
• They drive on whatever side of the road they chose!
(At this point I wondered if Lorraine tells non-Americans to watch out for the Americans too?!?!?!?!)
After two hours of driving, areas that need improvement:
• Judging the distance of the left side of the car. I am used to judging the distance of the right side of the car. I drove on the left curb (or kerb as the English spell it) a few times….oops!
• Right hand turns. I tried to turn into the right lane more than once (that is for on coming traffic!).
Other things that are different:
• Roads are ridiculously SMALL here! Especially if they are a “B road” --- (typically rural road).
• One lane can be for both ways of traffic if the road is too small.
• There is no room on the outside lane of the car (left side). No break down lane, no side space, nothing! Usually either a close curb or a tall bush.
• Trucks are called lorries. “Follow that lorry.” “--WHAT? That truck?”
• I taught Lorraine the word “chicken break” for the trainer’s break on the passenger side. “What do they call it that for?” “Because if the instructor pushes it he or she is chicken. – you know, nervous.” She laughed….A LOT! They call it “dual control”---boring!
I felt most comfortable driving on the motorway (interstate/freeway).
Driving around was BEAUTIFUL!
• The hills were covered in snow.
• The towns are quaint.
• (I wasn’t able to site see too much because I was nervously driving).
• The sun was OUT! (I commented on the sun and Lorraine told me not to spoil my luck. HA!) It was only 2 degrees Celsius though.
I will definitely need a GPS system (“sat-nav” in British terms).
We found out that we may not get our cars for 4 to 8 weeks because the manufacture is slow. (Except Carlos---his is in). The county doesn’t know what to do about that yet. We may be walking, busing, training, or hitching a ride with a coworker to work for a bit when we start at the offices. Some people want to live far (like an hour) away from their office, so that may be problematic. Who knows! I may choose to take the free remedial driver training if I do not get a car for 8 weeks. I may need a little brush up by then!
CHEERS to my first UK driving experience! I lived----and so did everyone else around me! ☺
Last note of the day: I think jet lag kicked in last night. I woke up at 3:30 am. I couldn’t sleep so I watched the BBC for awhile and then went down to the lobby and read for awhile. YUCK!
Lorraine said she would drive me to an estate area and let me take the wheel because there are two fairly large roundabouts outside the hotel parking lot she did not want me to start with. Of course, as we walked to the car, I walked to the typical American passenger side to enter the car……WRONG…..that is the driver side here in the UK.
I took the wheel in a residential area with “baby roundabouts” as I like to call them. It is similar to a four way stop in a US neighborhood, but here you only have to yield.
Sitting on the right side of the car and driving on the left side of the road feels okay once you get in because you are still positioned near the inside lane within the car.
There are MANY things that throw you for a loop though….
Speed limit signs do not say “speed limit” like they do at home.
• They are just numbers on a white circular sign with a red ring around the edge. Some are large signs, some are small posted on poles with other signs.
• You also have to know that if you are in an area with no signs and the light poles are equally spaced apart the limit is 30 mph.
• If you see a circular sign with a black diagonal line through it means that is national speed limit.
• You have to know that national speed limit is 60 mph for a single carriageway (road without a middle divider) and 70 mph for a dual carriageway (road with a middle divider like grass or a barricade).
• These speed limits are different for different types of vehicles, but I am only remembering the limits for cars at this point.
The center stripes are NOT yellow!
• They are white.
• White lines/stripes to separate one lane from the other going the same direction.
• White lines/stripes to separate one lane from the other going the opposite direction.
• Does this sound a bit confusing? Well it is! At one point, I was on a single carriageway (with no middle divider). My direction had two lanes,; the opposite direction had one lane.
• The only way to tell which lanes belonged to which side was to see what ways the other cars were facing.
I have been warned about driving at night:
• The more tired you get, the more you revert back to what you’re used to.
• There are fewer cars on the road to follow the lead of.
They have speed cameras galore here:
• In many areas these cameras take your picture if you’re speeding.
• You are mailed a ticket.
• The fine is 60 pounds
• You get 3 endorsement points on your license.
• I can only have 6 points and then I can’t drive or something like that.
• YIKES!
“Watch out for the WHITE VAN MAN!”
• A quote from Lorraine.
• She said that all white vans are bad drivers because that is typically a work van (like plumber, electrician, etc) and they drive terrible and do not care about their vehicle.
“Watch out for the Lithuanians!”
• Lorraine says they are bad drivers too!
“Watch out for all European drivers not from the UK!”
• The rest of Europe drives on the same side of the road and car as America---they are in the same boat as me.
• They also will drive their car across the Chunnel into England. So they will be driving a car with the steering wheel on the left side of the car and driving on the left side of the road. (That sounds confusing!)
“Watch out for the Indians and Pakistanis!”
• They drive on whatever side of the road they chose!
(At this point I wondered if Lorraine tells non-Americans to watch out for the Americans too?!?!?!?!)
After two hours of driving, areas that need improvement:
• Judging the distance of the left side of the car. I am used to judging the distance of the right side of the car. I drove on the left curb (or kerb as the English spell it) a few times….oops!
• Right hand turns. I tried to turn into the right lane more than once (that is for on coming traffic!).
Other things that are different:
• Roads are ridiculously SMALL here! Especially if they are a “B road” --- (typically rural road).
• One lane can be for both ways of traffic if the road is too small.
• There is no room on the outside lane of the car (left side). No break down lane, no side space, nothing! Usually either a close curb or a tall bush.
• Trucks are called lorries. “Follow that lorry.” “--WHAT? That truck?”
• I taught Lorraine the word “chicken break” for the trainer’s break on the passenger side. “What do they call it that for?” “Because if the instructor pushes it he or she is chicken. – you know, nervous.” She laughed….A LOT! They call it “dual control”---boring!
I felt most comfortable driving on the motorway (interstate/freeway).
Driving around was BEAUTIFUL!
• The hills were covered in snow.
• The towns are quaint.
• (I wasn’t able to site see too much because I was nervously driving).
• The sun was OUT! (I commented on the sun and Lorraine told me not to spoil my luck. HA!) It was only 2 degrees Celsius though.
I will definitely need a GPS system (“sat-nav” in British terms).
We found out that we may not get our cars for 4 to 8 weeks because the manufacture is slow. (Except Carlos---his is in). The county doesn’t know what to do about that yet. We may be walking, busing, training, or hitching a ride with a coworker to work for a bit when we start at the offices. Some people want to live far (like an hour) away from their office, so that may be problematic. Who knows! I may choose to take the free remedial driver training if I do not get a car for 8 weeks. I may need a little brush up by then!
CHEERS to my first UK driving experience! I lived----and so did everyone else around me! ☺
Last note of the day: I think jet lag kicked in last night. I woke up at 3:30 am. I couldn’t sleep so I watched the BBC for awhile and then went down to the lobby and read for awhile. YUCK!
Teach Americans to Drive Safely in the UK! - YES PLEASE!
It SNOWED today in Kent! Apparently it is supposed to be fairly snowy around here this week., which is uncommon. Thankfully it did NOT stick to the ground. I say thankfully, because tomorrow I have to drive. AHHHH!!!
This evening we had a “transport training” entitled “TEACH AMERICANS TO DIVE SAFELY IN THE UK!” It was fairly entertaining in that most of us are pretty nervous about driving here. I learned that Americans typically drive significantly faster than Brits and the roads are a lot smaller here. I am slated to practice driving in the morning with an instructor, whom will either “pass” me to receive my car or place me in a “remedial” driving tutorial. HA!
Today, I road in a car to one of the Kent County Council offices to sign my lease car agreement and it was really weird. Every time I thought the driver should go right he went left. And, their roundabouts can be terrifying. I am hoping that I will pick up driving on the opposite side of the car and road quickly because I think I will doing a lot of driving for work.
Here are some funny word differences we learned in the training that I hope provides you a laugh:
•Fly over = overpass
•Overtaking = passing a car
•Dual carriageway = divided highway
•Zebra crossing = cross walk
•Indicators = blinkers
•High street = main street
And my 3 personal favorites
•Boot = trunk
•Bonnet = hood
•Cats eye = reflectors
A little more about my first day and a half:
I have met the girls I plan to live with and like them. We will look for a place to live on Thursday and Friday of this week.
There are 27 of us that started today. Many are around my age, but there are some that are older and more experienced than us. One coworker’s family (wife and daughter) will be moving here are well. We talked today about how difficult it was to get everything together for one person much less an entire family to move.
We are all upset about the internet charge which is 15 pounds for 24 consecutive hours or about $24. RIDICULOUS. A few of us have buddied up and are alternating to buy internet cards and share computers instead.
A few funny things I’ve noticed:
•The light switches flip down instead of up to turn on --- at least in my hotel room.
•There is a mirror in the shower the size of the entire back wall.
•There is also a food called blood or black pudding, which is made of pig’s blood. GROSS
•None of us really know the details of our job description, but are trusting the process enough to move here and start a job we know little to nothing about.
•English people do cuss in professional settings without hesitation.
•Words that Brits says with funny annunciation: process, schedule, pedophiles
•Other favorite words I’ve heard frequently: “posh” (it is similar to swanky or fancy) and pop (in context: Just pop into the bank to activate your debit card). They seem to use “pop” a lot instead of “stop by.”
That’s all for now, more to come later!
This evening we had a “transport training” entitled “TEACH AMERICANS TO DIVE SAFELY IN THE UK!” It was fairly entertaining in that most of us are pretty nervous about driving here. I learned that Americans typically drive significantly faster than Brits and the roads are a lot smaller here. I am slated to practice driving in the morning with an instructor, whom will either “pass” me to receive my car or place me in a “remedial” driving tutorial. HA!
Today, I road in a car to one of the Kent County Council offices to sign my lease car agreement and it was really weird. Every time I thought the driver should go right he went left. And, their roundabouts can be terrifying. I am hoping that I will pick up driving on the opposite side of the car and road quickly because I think I will doing a lot of driving for work.
Here are some funny word differences we learned in the training that I hope provides you a laugh:
•Fly over = overpass
•Overtaking = passing a car
•Dual carriageway = divided highway
•Zebra crossing = cross walk
•Indicators = blinkers
•High street = main street
And my 3 personal favorites
•Boot = trunk
•Bonnet = hood
•Cats eye = reflectors
A little more about my first day and a half:
I have met the girls I plan to live with and like them. We will look for a place to live on Thursday and Friday of this week.
There are 27 of us that started today. Many are around my age, but there are some that are older and more experienced than us. One coworker’s family (wife and daughter) will be moving here are well. We talked today about how difficult it was to get everything together for one person much less an entire family to move.
We are all upset about the internet charge which is 15 pounds for 24 consecutive hours or about $24. RIDICULOUS. A few of us have buddied up and are alternating to buy internet cards and share computers instead.
A few funny things I’ve noticed:
•The light switches flip down instead of up to turn on --- at least in my hotel room.
•There is a mirror in the shower the size of the entire back wall.
•There is also a food called blood or black pudding, which is made of pig’s blood. GROSS
•None of us really know the details of our job description, but are trusting the process enough to move here and start a job we know little to nothing about.
•English people do cuss in professional settings without hesitation.
•Words that Brits says with funny annunciation: process, schedule, pedophiles
•Other favorite words I’ve heard frequently: “posh” (it is similar to swanky or fancy) and pop (in context: Just pop into the bank to activate your debit card). They seem to use “pop” a lot instead of “stop by.”
That’s all for now, more to come later!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
In England!
I have arrived in London!
I landed at 10:37 am or 4:37 am Texas time.
I am pretty exhausted, but was able to sleep some on the plane.
A few things I have been SO GRATEFUL for regarding the flight/airport experience.
•Danu—the gracious Turkish American Airlines agent that checked me in and took my bags at DFW. I had two bags that were overweight, but she did not charge me. She also gave my mom a priority access pass to come to the gate with me (past security!). Bless you Danu!
•My cheap airplane ticket --- because my luggage cost more than me to fly.
•Only two people assigned to the middle section of row 42. My flight was not full. Myself and another man were the only people assigned to the four seats of the middle section of row 42. I was able to stretch out on two seats for the majority of the flight.
•Receiving TWO meals on my flight. Who would’ve known! I thought meals on the flights was soooo 1990s.
•The sweet sweet notes some of y’all wrote to me at my commissioning service. I read them this morning before I landed. Yep…I cried.
•A DIRECT 8.5 hour flight into Heathrow. I was definitely ready to be done at the end.
•The ability to stand in the “All Other Country” line at immigration. The diversity was great! (the other option was the “UK/EU” line).
•The FREE luggage cart at the Heathrow airport. I had to pay $3 at DFW.
•The UK cell phone that Michelle gave me before I left. I used it to call Shane, the driver that picked me up, to find out where to meet him, since I forgot to write it down. I also called and left a message with my mom to tell her I was here.
•The faces and languages of the Heathrow airport! (I was the first of six to arrive so I waited a bit for the transportation service). So, I was able to get a good amount of people watching in because the wireless internet cost too much (in my opinion) to use.
•You guys that were/have been praying for me! I can tell! ☺
On another note: Please let it be known that someone has already mocked my accent. A man at an info desk in the Heathrow airport asked if I needed help (probably because I had a LARGE amount of bags and was attempting to push a cart and pull a bag at the same time…not an easy task people) after I spoke he said “oh an American!” and started to speak in an American accent! It was quite entertaining! His favorite word to practice – “water” and he also liked “elevator” after he told me to “take the lift” and I said “Oh the elevator?” FINALLY, I’m the one with an accent!
Oh, It is pretty grey outside here today, BUT right before I landed the sun was shinning so BRIGHT above the clouds. I think a little light just needs to bust through those dark clouds. (I mean that in the deepest way).
I am not sure how much internet I will have yet because it is 15 GBP for 24 hours which is so expensive, so we shall see.
So….I guess I am moving to England --for a bit. Here we go…..
Hannah
I landed at 10:37 am or 4:37 am Texas time.
I am pretty exhausted, but was able to sleep some on the plane.
A few things I have been SO GRATEFUL for regarding the flight/airport experience.
•Danu—the gracious Turkish American Airlines agent that checked me in and took my bags at DFW. I had two bags that were overweight, but she did not charge me. She also gave my mom a priority access pass to come to the gate with me (past security!). Bless you Danu!
•My cheap airplane ticket --- because my luggage cost more than me to fly.
•Only two people assigned to the middle section of row 42. My flight was not full. Myself and another man were the only people assigned to the four seats of the middle section of row 42. I was able to stretch out on two seats for the majority of the flight.
•Receiving TWO meals on my flight. Who would’ve known! I thought meals on the flights was soooo 1990s.
•The sweet sweet notes some of y’all wrote to me at my commissioning service. I read them this morning before I landed. Yep…I cried.
•A DIRECT 8.5 hour flight into Heathrow. I was definitely ready to be done at the end.
•The ability to stand in the “All Other Country” line at immigration. The diversity was great! (the other option was the “UK/EU” line).
•The FREE luggage cart at the Heathrow airport. I had to pay $3 at DFW.
•The UK cell phone that Michelle gave me before I left. I used it to call Shane, the driver that picked me up, to find out where to meet him, since I forgot to write it down. I also called and left a message with my mom to tell her I was here.
•The faces and languages of the Heathrow airport! (I was the first of six to arrive so I waited a bit for the transportation service). So, I was able to get a good amount of people watching in because the wireless internet cost too much (in my opinion) to use.
•You guys that were/have been praying for me! I can tell! ☺
On another note: Please let it be known that someone has already mocked my accent. A man at an info desk in the Heathrow airport asked if I needed help (probably because I had a LARGE amount of bags and was attempting to push a cart and pull a bag at the same time…not an easy task people) after I spoke he said “oh an American!” and started to speak in an American accent! It was quite entertaining! His favorite word to practice – “water” and he also liked “elevator” after he told me to “take the lift” and I said “Oh the elevator?” FINALLY, I’m the one with an accent!
Oh, It is pretty grey outside here today, BUT right before I landed the sun was shinning so BRIGHT above the clouds. I think a little light just needs to bust through those dark clouds. (I mean that in the deepest way).
I am not sure how much internet I will have yet because it is 15 GBP for 24 hours which is so expensive, so we shall see.
So….I guess I am moving to England --for a bit. Here we go…..
Hannah
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Iraqis know how to party!
The girls (minus Pam). What a great group of women!
Last night after my commissioning, I attended a birthday party for some of my Iraqi neighbors. The party celebrated the birthday's of Ahmed (5) and Zaneb (4), Anjila and Saif's children. An interesting note, Ahmed and Zaneb were the ONLY children at the party....
Instead of herd of children running around, there were two, amazingly dressed, children, and a gaggle of adults to commemorate the event. The Hartsfields, the Pam/Jon duo, and myself made up the non-Arabic speaking bunch. My two new neighbors, rounded out the girl group. And, the men outnumbered women.
Highlights of the party that made it memorable...
*initial separation in the room: women side/men side
*Anjila & Nora's love for dancing
*the Arabic/English Happy Birthday song
*secure men enjoying dancing with one another
*learning to dance like Iraqis
*teaching a few American dances
*my pitiful Arab finger snap
*practicing/perfecting my Arab finger snap after lessons from "the teacher"
*video cameras: knowing highlights from the party will be played over and over and over for all to see
*group pictures
*no alcohol ... but still a WONDERFUL time
*the moving monkey
*the love that these Iraqi friends showed little Ahmed and Zaneb at their birthday celebration
*Anjila's hospitality
This was such a wonderful night with fantastic company!
Anjila, Zaneb, Saif, & Ahmed!
YIKES...watch out with that knife!
Birthday kids: Zaneb & Ahmed!
What great neighbors! :)
Semi-group picture
Kristin and I practicing our Arab finger snap!
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