A seven hour flight, a questionable plane meal and a fitful night of upright sleep later, our Group Study Exchange team has arrived in the UK -- and we couldn't be happier. Bill, Colette, Joe, Eric and I boarded a US Airways flight from Charlotte on Friday evening and were met at Gatwick Airport in London on Saturday morning (English time!) by District 1070 Governor Iain Vernon and Rotarian Mac Warwick. The two greeted us with hugs and kisses and loaded us into a van (our month's worth of luggage in tow!) and chauffeured us the two and a half hours to Peterborough. We stopped briefly at a travel plaza/rest stop area for a cup of coffee at Costa Coffee -- a nice departure from Starbucks!
Then when we arrived in Peterborough, we met our host families who were waiting for us at the Ramblewood Inn -- a beautiful building with a very intersting history. We went our separate ways with our hosts, Joe and Eric jetting off with their joint host family to a rugby match in Leicester. From talking with them today, it sounds like they thoroughly enjoyed themselves and may even be converts from American football!
I went to the home of Mary-Helen and Martin Shakespeare (apparently no relation to the one who's just a tad famous!) and immediately fell in love with their lovely place. I took a very welcomed hour or so to shower and freshen up and then the festivities began. The Shakespeares hosted a small party that evening, with 20 or so guests, including Colette and her hosts Lawrie and Janet Cooke. It was quite a delightful evening of sipping wine, munching on yummy food and engaging in wonderful conversations.
This morning Iain Vernon and his wife Jo took Bill and me to church with them at Westgate Church, a United Reform Methodist church. Bill and I both enjoyed the service very much, and afterward, Iain walked us to the nearby Catholic church for Bill's sake (he is Catholic) and then a Baptist church close by (for my benefit). After that, our team gathered at the Holiday Inn for our official welcome lunch with a large crowd of local Rotarians. It's amazing to have been here only two days and already met so many wonderful people and had such hospitality extended to us.
This afternoon, Bill and I got a chance to go sailing at a lake a Ferry Meadows park, thanks to Bill's hosts Bob and Su Bailey. The weather was beautiful, and we each enjoyed a turn in the small sailboat. I, knowing very little when it comes to sailing, enjoyed my lessons from Bob on port side, starboard side, luffing and tightening the sails!
Tomorrow, we will tour Peterborough Cathedral and then later in the evening will give our first presentation before a club. Wish us luck!
Photos to come soon...
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
And we're off!
All the months of planning have paid off! As I write this, I'm accompanied by my team members Eric, Colette and Joe and our team leader Dr. Greene at Gate D11 at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport as we await our flight to Gatwick Airport in London. Hard to believe the day has finally arrived!
Stay tuned!
Stay tuned!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
T minus three days
I can hardly believe it, but the time of departure is nearly upon us! It's hard for me to believe I just met my fellow team members at the end of May to start plotting and planning our trip together. Now four-ish months later, we are already a cohesive team with a plan for action and common goals. I can hardly wait for all that we're going to encounter while abroad!
I, like my teammates I feel sure, have been busy buying last minute travel essentials, doing laundry and packing my bags. It's been surreal this week saying goodbyes to the people I typically encounter on a regular basis. I've received so many "good lucks" and other well wishes, I know that we'll have a huge group of people wishing us the best and keeping us in their thoughts while we're away.
I can't express enough thanks to the Rotarians here in Sumter who have shown their support and have helped make this trip possible for me.
Well -- back to the getting ready and checking off of items on the seemingly never-ending to-do list!
I, like my teammates I feel sure, have been busy buying last minute travel essentials, doing laundry and packing my bags. It's been surreal this week saying goodbyes to the people I typically encounter on a regular basis. I've received so many "good lucks" and other well wishes, I know that we'll have a huge group of people wishing us the best and keeping us in their thoughts while we're away.
I can't express enough thanks to the Rotarians here in Sumter who have shown their support and have helped make this trip possible for me.
Well -- back to the getting ready and checking off of items on the seemingly never-ending to-do list!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
We're almost there!
September 2
I hosted our final meeting in Charleston August 31st to finish preparations for our trip to England, less than 2 weeks away! The whole team had a sense of anticipation as we got down to business to refine our presentations and cover logistics of the impending trip. We were delighted to have Pat Campbell with us from the East Cooper Breakfast Club who gave us all the details about the "Gift of Life" program he helps organize for District 7770. Thanks also to East Cooper Breakfast Club for sponsoring our lunch! Bill passed around our new jackets we'll be bringing to England, and we couldn't resist trying them on.
I think I can speak for everyone when I say how excited we are to be nearing our departure day. A huge thanks to all of our sponsoring clubs, behind the scenes organizers both in SC and England, and our alternates who have supported us.
Next stop....ENGLAND!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Our Rotary UK Advisor, Colin Bain has done a ton of work arranging our itinerary and lining up our host families for our visit. He sent me a map of our travels, which everyone can view by clicking:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104355077562199012890.000453b6fcef7639be242
We have been assured that we will have high speed Internet available throughout the trip. We plan to make free family phone calls to the U.S. using Skype.
Our final team meeting will be hosted by Colette DeGarady in Charleston, on Sunday, August 31.
Bill Greene
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104355077562199012890.000453b6fcef7639be242
We have been assured that we will have high speed Internet available throughout the trip. We plan to make free family phone calls to the U.S. using Skype.
Our final team meeting will be hosted by Colette DeGarady in Charleston, on Sunday, August 31.
Bill Greene
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Our Third Meeting, August 2, 2008
August 3
The challenge riddle: What did the monkey say when he got his tail caught in the lawn mower?
Yesterday, our GSE met for the third time in Myrtle Beach at my home. We had a barbecue and a small beach party. Fellow Rotarian Richard Scott is the manager of the Carolina Oprey; he generously provided tickets for the team to enjoy the wonderful musical show in the evening. Two team members stayed overnight.
Unfortunately, Alternate Team Leader, Roy Prescott, was forced to resign his position because of illness in his family. We will miss him, although I am relieved that the contract on my life has been withdrawn (an inside joke).
David Wright has agreed to fill the position. David withdrew his name earlier because of significant threat from Colon Cancer. He has since undergone successful laparoscopic surgery followed by chemotherapy. His rapid recovery will permit him to serve with us.
We met at my home, after a change in locations to permit us to visit the annual Carolina Craftsman Arts and Crafts show. We had the opportunity to purchase gifts for our British host families.
Colin Bain, our GSE leader in Peterborough, has been working on the difficult task of creating our in-country itinerary. At present, we will stay with no less than 8 families in the 4 weeks.
We have received confirmation that our travel requests were accepted by the Rotary International Travel Service. We will drive to Charlotte on Friday, Sept. 12 and take a non-stop flight on USAIR. Flight 732 departs at 7:55 PM and arrives in London, Saturday, Sept. 13 at 8:45 AM. (Sleeping pills will be offered to all members.)
The team returns on USAIR Flight 333 on Saturday, October 11, departing London at 10:40 AM arriving in Charlotte at 2:25 PM. I will have the opportunity to remain in London for 3 days of sightseeing. I depart London on the same USAIR Flight on Tuesday, October 14.
The following items were on the agenda:
The “Memory Switch Presentation” on how to rapidly recall names.
PowerPoint Presentation practice.
Study Assignment presentations on British life by Mary, Joe and Bill.
We are still working on our business cards, tri-fold, and uniforms.
We plan to have our final meeting on August 31, hosted by Colette DeGarady in Mt. Pleasant.
The riddle answer: “It won’t be long now.”
Bill Greene
PS For those who have been following the progress of my tennis team, we won the SC State Championships, which qualifid us to go to the Sectionals in Mobile, Alabama (a 12 hour drive from home, but, we flew). There, we competed against 9 other states. We won all 4 of our preliminary matches and qualified for the finals against Georgia. We then won one match, lost one match, and my partner and I played in the #1 position. We won the first set 6-2. We lost the second set 6-2. We then played a 10 point tie-breaker. We led 6-0, then 8-2. Georgia then ran off 8 points in a row and won 10-8. We were only 2 points away from competing in the Nationals. C'est la vie!
The challenge riddle: What did the monkey say when he got his tail caught in the lawn mower?
Yesterday, our GSE met for the third time in Myrtle Beach at my home. We had a barbecue and a small beach party. Fellow Rotarian Richard Scott is the manager of the Carolina Oprey; he generously provided tickets for the team to enjoy the wonderful musical show in the evening. Two team members stayed overnight.
Unfortunately, Alternate Team Leader, Roy Prescott, was forced to resign his position because of illness in his family. We will miss him, although I am relieved that the contract on my life has been withdrawn (an inside joke).
David Wright has agreed to fill the position. David withdrew his name earlier because of significant threat from Colon Cancer. He has since undergone successful laparoscopic surgery followed by chemotherapy. His rapid recovery will permit him to serve with us.
We met at my home, after a change in locations to permit us to visit the annual Carolina Craftsman Arts and Crafts show. We had the opportunity to purchase gifts for our British host families.
Colin Bain, our GSE leader in Peterborough, has been working on the difficult task of creating our in-country itinerary. At present, we will stay with no less than 8 families in the 4 weeks.
We have received confirmation that our travel requests were accepted by the Rotary International Travel Service. We will drive to Charlotte on Friday, Sept. 12 and take a non-stop flight on USAIR. Flight 732 departs at 7:55 PM and arrives in London, Saturday, Sept. 13 at 8:45 AM. (Sleeping pills will be offered to all members.)
The team returns on USAIR Flight 333 on Saturday, October 11, departing London at 10:40 AM arriving in Charlotte at 2:25 PM. I will have the opportunity to remain in London for 3 days of sightseeing. I depart London on the same USAIR Flight on Tuesday, October 14.
The following items were on the agenda:
The “Memory Switch Presentation” on how to rapidly recall names.
PowerPoint Presentation practice.
Study Assignment presentations on British life by Mary, Joe and Bill.
We are still working on our business cards, tri-fold, and uniforms.
We plan to have our final meeting on August 31, hosted by Colette DeGarady in Mt. Pleasant.
The riddle answer: “It won’t be long now.”
Bill Greene
PS For those who have been following the progress of my tennis team, we won the SC State Championships, which qualifid us to go to the Sectionals in Mobile, Alabama (a 12 hour drive from home, but, we flew). There, we competed against 9 other states. We won all 4 of our preliminary matches and qualified for the finals against Georgia. We then won one match, lost one match, and my partner and I played in the #1 position. We won the first set 6-2. We lost the second set 6-2. We then played a 10 point tie-breaker. We led 6-0, then 8-2. Georgia then ran off 8 points in a row and won 10-8. We were only 2 points away from competing in the Nationals. C'est la vie!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
