UK GSE Team visits Ulysses

I was lucky enough to host the entire UK GSE Team at my home last night with their Ulysses hosts.

It was great to see Pete, Delia, Amy, Hayley, Annica and Malcolm again. I didn't realize how much I missed the British accent until I heard them talk last night!

Have a great time in America!

Lessons learned and Thank you to District 1210

ODE TO THINGS I’VE LEARNED IN THE UK

I’ve learned so much thru Rotary GSE
I feel like I acquired a British family

The Brits aren’t the formal, reserved people we thought
They are warm, hospitable and they drink a whole lot

They’ve opened their homes and their hearts to us
And took me around London on a double decker bus

We’ve toured Stately homes and seen royal crests
And tasted mustard that’ll put hair on your chest

We’ve learned you can’t pick your nose on a British street
As it WILL be captured on CCTV

Shopping here is no fun when the dollar’s value is low
And buying clothing 2 sizes larger is bad for my ego

I’ve learned it’s not so bad getting lost on the beautiful hills of Shropshire
But losing my way on the streets of Birmingham was a different experience altogether!


But on a more serious note, the GSE is a vocational exchange and this experience certainly has given me a wealth of knowledge that I can use in my job back in KS. Having the opportunity to visit ASDA and TESCO gave me a new perspective into colleague recognition programs and allowed me to see the different events and celebrations they offer to increase morale. I’ve learned about perfect attendance incentive programs. And I’ve had access to so many training and recruitment tools that help reduce labor turnover. This insight is invaluable in the retail industry. I’d especially like to thank Trevor Humphries for escorting me on my first vocation day so that I was able to visit several places. That was really great.

But GSE hasn’t just provided me job skills. The relevance of GSE cannot be underestimated because the lessons it teaches you will benefit you in every area of life. GSE has shown me that common ground can be found between people of seemingly very different backgrounds. It’s taught me how to place total trust in people because kindness lives in every country. And that’s so vital in our present political climate where conflict and wars arise over trivial differences because people often fail to recognize how truly interconnected our wellbeing is. GSE has shown me how inextricably linked our countries fates are, and all the countries of the world. A financial crisis or war on one side of the world will inevitably ripple across oceans. We cannot afford to ignore the suffering of our neighbors nor act in isolationist ways. We must learn to understand each other so that we can make a more peaceful and prosperous world for everyone--to truly “Make Dreams Real.”

I’ve also learned the worldwide scope of Rotary through my trip--especially through our time at conference. It really is phenomenal and I’m honored that I was given the chance to represent this organization. I’ve learned about the wonderful projects that each club does and the difference Rotary makes in every single community it enters. I was especially blown away with the Compton Hospice that I visited yesterday. It provides so many wonderful services over a large aree and I am amazed that it was started by the passion of a few Wolverhampton Rotarians.

I’m particularly impressed also with the international projects taken on by individuals in this Dictrict. The building projects that Helen Perkins of Wednesfield does every year in different countries and water projects that Jeremy Johnston of Darwin Shrewsbury does in Africa. They are such an inspiration and I will definitely share those stories back home and hopefully inspire the clubs I speak at to start similar projects.

It's been said that “Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it’s a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living” That is so true because this trip has changed me forever. And I have seen some pretty amazing sights along the way. The Aquaduct and Ironbridge in the Shropshire area were awesome. Touring Wedgewood with Terry in Stoke was a real treat. Visiting the beautiful Shugborough estate in the Cannock area and the Hindu temple in Wolverhamprtom…well I could go on for hours because every place we visited was so unique and special to us. They each offered such insight into the areas we visited and we were humbled to share that history with you. Thank you for those memories.

But I have to say my most memorable moments from this trip were times spent with my hosts. I feel I learned so much about your country over long dinners and bottles of wine. I’ll always remember touring Powis gardens with Pat York and discussing politics with Dick-he’s such a wealth of knowledge. Touring London with Jan and Richard Jacobs along with Sandra and John is something I’ll hold dear in my heart forever. And Roger and Margo Taylor from Penkridge were so wonderful. They used to prepare a Holicks and a hot water bottle for me every night, which is a tradition I’ll definitely continue at home during our snowy KS winter. And Jenn and Barry Picken, I’ll never forget the beautiful day we spent in Oxford or that French restaurant you took me to where I set fire to the table. It was an accident, but I know how you feel about the French and I was just trying to represent!

Thank you to all the people who were kind enough to allow me into your homes and your hearts. Thanks for allowing me to travel and grow close with a team of four of the most amazing individuals I’ve ever met. I love them dearly. Thank you to the people who support GSE and understand its significance. Thanks to the organizers of our itinerary Trevor Humphries, Geofff Hillman, Alan Holdcroft Barry Picken, Lynne Marshall, John David, Mike, Clive, Bob, Ken--I’m probably forgetting half of them thank God you all have similar names! I realize you probably haven’t slept in weeks due to the enormous amount of work you put into this month, but rest assured it was the time of our lives and we appreciated every moment of it.

I can’t possibly convey what the GSE experience has meant to me or express enough gratitude to you all. This has enriched my life and made me a different person. I will go back to the states a better employee, supervisor, daughter, friend, volunteer and a better person. For that I am eternally grateful. Thank you so much and I will miss you all dearly.

Saying Goodbye

This is a photo of the team at the last Rotary club we visited, the Walsall club. It was one of the few lunchtime Rotary clubs we saw. All the clubs in our district meet during lunch, so this was a significant difference between the two countries.

We has a HUGE farewell dinner before we left Friday night. The Rotarians treated us like celebrities! They all clamored around us and took photos as we were getting into our cars to leave. The District chair told us it's generally difficult to find people to attend the farewell rallies and they rarely get 80 people to come. There were 120 tickets to sell and our rally sold out!! It made us feel great to know how much they cared for us because we had certainly fallen in love with them.

Want some crisps, mate?

These kids were just dressed like this because they were pretending to be servants at the Shugborogh estate but if I had the choice to dress all little boys in America, I would dress them like this...they are soooo cute!

4 wheelin' in Cannock Chase

Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

It comprises a mixture of natural deciduous woodland, coniferous plantations, open heathland and the remains of early industry, such as coal mining. Despite being relatively small in area, the chase provides a remarkable range of landscape and wildlife, including a herd of around 800 fallow deer. The landscape owes much to the underlying Triassic bunter formations. Efforts are currently underway to increase the amount of heathland on the chase, reintroducing shrubs such as heather in some areas where bracken and birch forest have crowded out most other plants.

That was the history lesson...now for the fun part...we took 2 trucks and went on a very rugged 4 wheel drive tour of the Chase. After getting stuck in the mud once and having to push the Jeep out of a hole...we made it to the top where this gorgeous picture was taken.

United We Stand

We were so lucky to get to spend time with the outgoing GSE team on Saturday. They are a wonderful group of young professionals. We spent the day promoting GSE to potential candidates, eating at the local pub and we were even able to squeeze in some shopping.

Can't wait to see them when they are in the States. Cheers!!

Saturday Night Lights

Saturday was our second night at the district conference and we all figured out that we CAN clean up nicely. After our red carpet photo shoot (needless to say we were treated so well!) we al went in for night of dinner, drinks, an orchestra played music and we danced...and once again loads of fun!

By the sea side

Needless to say there was too much fun to be had at conference. Friday night was the "fancy" (costume party)dress party the theme being by the seaside. I have never seen so many people the age of my parents and grandparents be so much fun! From Victorian swimsuits to beach chairs this party was a blast. The turnout was over 500 people who showed up all ready to have a good time. They definitley now how to stay young in the U.K.!!

I have to admit I am a bit worried about what the outgoing members will think of our district conference and if they are expecting the same kind of fun...hmmm??

Iron bridge is Falling down...falling down??

This is the famous Iron Bridge. The first bridge in the world made of iron. The bridge was raised in the summer of 1779. This bridge was instrumental in the engineering of consecutive bridges all over the world. The stud man Thomas Telford had a major influence in many architechtural breakthroughs; his name is practically everywhere as he was the mind behind the first steel building, the first aquaduct, and needless to say...the iron bridge.

Just a few years after the construction of the bridge, cracks were appearing in the masonry abutments, caused by ground movement. Some of the present-day cracks in the cast iron may date from this time, although others are probably casting cracks. Some were pinned with wrought iron straps, but others have been left free. By 1802, the southern stone abutment had to be demolished, and replaced with temporary wooden arches, before eventually being replaced by iron arches. Many of the cracks visible today in the bridge have been left untouched, however. The bridge was over-designed, and subsequent bridges such as those built by Thomas Telford used much less cast iron.

Heat...PLEASE!!

Ok...so you can laugh but it was so cold that day and I did not bring a proper coat. Of course this was a day when we were outside 90% of the day!

Moving right along...

International night at Shrewsbury Rotary Club in Shropshire

Today we move to Stoke on Trent. I will miss Shropshire dearly. There have been several times this week when I've been brought to tears by the beauty of this region, especially when we had occasion to view the countryside from high ground.It's emotionally overwhelming to be in the midst of such magnificence. I'm sure I'll enjoy the rest of my trip, but the people and beauty of Shropshire will never be forgotten.

Vocational Day!

Yesterday was our first vocational day and I was able to visit Tesco, the UK's largest retailer and ASDA, Wal-Mart's UK subsidiary. I obtained information about associate incentive programs that will really be useful at my job in Kansas. I hope I'm able to introduce some of them in my store.

Because of my interest in environmental sustainability, I was also able to visit a company that tries to encourage residents and businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. It gave me several ideas to bring home and incorporate into our community.

Ironbridge and Wenlock

Today we had breakfast with the Darwin Shrewsbury Club. Here we are with Rosemary, the President.

Below is a pic of us at the Guildhall in Wenlock, birthplace of the Modern Olympics

Here we are at Ironbridge, home of the Industrial Revolution

British phrase of the day: Mind the step=watch your step

There are signs everywhere that say "Mind the step". I generally trip over the step as I'm reading them!

Have you hugged a tree today?

I have! I love the nature here. Everything is so green, some of the trees are hundreds of years old, the grass and flowers makes even those who clip their lawn with scissors jealous. I can't describe it. I never was one for descriptive writing but the best way I can put it is the lawn is as soft on your back as velvet, there are hardly any bugs to keep you from enjoying the nature here, the flowers seem brighter and green seems greener.

Excuse me, where's the bathroom??

You may wonder why I chose to talk about toliets but I learned a lot form looking at this bathroom today.

Today was a vocational day in which I had the opportunity to visit with Paul McLoughlin, a property developer. He showed me around a few commercial contruction sites. My 6 hours of work went by so quickly because I learned so much! Developers are heavily regulated here in the UK. Increased demands for environmental purposes and handicap accessibility have come into effect within the last year and have made it more expensive to build. This bathroom was designed to not only be handicap accessible, but the colors are specifically selected so visually impaired people can differentiate the wall from the floor. Light sensors installed in the bathroom turn on lights automatically to save electricity and to make it easier for disabled people. Toilet seats have a backrest to make it easier for them to recline, a red emergency pull cord is installed so an alarm and lights display that a person is in need of help. Additionally, regulations are now demanding thicker insulation, energy efficient windows as well as sensors throughout the building so unused portions of buildings are not wasting any electricity. Pressure tests must be conducted to measure the level of CO2 emissions from every building and disposal of plaster sheets (sheetrock) has to be handled as hazardous material! BREEAM (environmental assesment methods) specifications have to be met for a developer to get an go ahead to put a building in operation.

Most commercial buildings here are constructed with steel framing but use no plywood, mostly cement planks and timber. Which also leads me to say that I was taken to the first building ever made with steel framing. Originally designed to store flax seed, steel framing came into birth when storing flax seed in wood-framed buildings was no longer practical due to its flamability. Needless to say, it is not the most pleasant building to look at but to the right is the very first steel framed building in the world. Pretty amazing. On my next blog I will talk about the works of William Telford, a master in architecture and development in these parts dating back hundreds of years.

Phrase of the day

"You be Mum"=Pour the tea, cut the cake, etc

We were at our host's house for tea and the cake needed cut. He looked at Maria and said, "You be Mum"! How charming! They frequently use that expression to tell someone to serve the table.

I noticed today that all the speed limits are still posted in miles per hour--how strange! Apparently they've only been on the metric system for less than 50 years. It's taking a while to adjust everything.

Today I learned that the UK lottery has a commission that awards grants to various museums, non-profits, olympic training, etc. What a fabulous idea! Proceeds from the lottery are given to these organizations/programs based on an application and public good they provide.

Newport and Lilleshall

In the 16th Century Guildhall in Newport, Shropshire England with Rotarian hosts Derrick and David

Ready to give our presentation to the Newport Club. We met at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre for olympic training.

Phrase of the day

Shutt=Alley

"We'll meet at the shutt between Princess street and Fish street"

I read a bit of the paper today and realized that maligning politicians is an international phenomenon! The approval rating of the current Prime Minister is very low. They have a much hastier way of ousting an infavorable leader though. We'll see how Gordon fares in a few months!

We visited Wales today!

Above is a Rotary Plaque from the Ellesmere Rotary Club. It hangs in a cottage by the Canal Boat in Collmere. It denotes Rotary's involvement in a project that provides funds for disabled people to enjoy rides on the canal.

Here we are in the cottage--you can tell how tiny it is by the way our heads nearly touch the ceiling! The cottage was like an oversized doll house--so charming!

Above shows Ellesmere Rotarian Phil putting me on the chopping block outside a castle in Ellesmere.

Here we are on the canal boat Maria wrote about!

This will hang in my home when I return

I'm the king of the world!!!

You may remember from the movie Titanic the famous line by Leonardo DiCaprio as he leaned over the front of the ship and yelled this. I did something similar today with a small exception...this was not the Titanic and we were definitley nowhere near the ocean.

The boat was 11 ft wide and the waters were less than 6 ft deep, a canal really...what's so amazing?

This boat took us through this hand-dug canal, then over an aquaduct bridge! The aquaduct located in Llangollen, Wales is over 170 ft tall. Pretty amazing stuff, of course DiCaprio might be too chicken to actually hang off this pretty ship but I did it...for a total of about 1 second.

Above, the team glad we made it through the aquaduct in one piece. :)

There's no place like home

I am fascinated by all the architecture, history, clulture here! I must say when it comes driving and using electricity...there is no place like home! So far, I have burned my hair and feared my life a few times on the winding, very narrow streets of Shrewsbury. Yes, indeed...I lost a patch of my hair but that'll grow back. Tonight I came to the realization that...their streets don't have street lights only those of the cars driving so there is no telling what car is coming behind the ever winding paths and tall hedgerows.

Meeting Madame Mayor and Phrase of the day

Above is a photo of me with my host family, Dick and Pat York, outside of Stokesy castle. They are the most wonderful people!

Here we are with the Shrewsbury Mayor

Phrase of the day: chinwag=idle chatter, gossip

"The ladies came over for tea and we had a good chinwag"

Pat (my lovely host) also uses the phase "natter" for chat. She's the most adorable thing I've ever seen!

Rotary Everywhere!

Signs of Rotary are all around! Above is the plaque outside Lord Hill Hall, where the Shrewsbury lunch club meets.

At the library

At the Council House, where Justin is staying

Steps galore!

Today we climbed to the top of the world's tallest Doric column. It's located in Shrewsbury. The district governor even came along for the workout!

We met with the mayor today too. It's interesting to learn that England grapples with the same local government issues as we do in the States. Their borroughs are similar to our counties and they have both borrough and city government. This, of course, leads to duplication of services and talk of consolidating the two. This subject arises frequently in Hutchinson, KS. So funny how we are an ocean apart but really dealing with the same problems--both locally and nationally.

They have a housing shortage because of the limited size of the country. All the houses are very close together for this reason too.

Gas in $10 a gallon!!!! Of course it's sold in liters here. The measurement differences are fun to learn. I stepped on a scale to find out I weigh 8 stone. What's a stone?!! So neat to try and decipher it all.

On the food side, I tried black pudding today...ok, I'll admit I spit it out in my napkin (serviette they call it) but I had it in my mouth! I felt like I was on an episode of survivor!

That is sooo naff!!

I can officially use this word to not feel bad about saying "stupid" in front of Emily anymore. Thank you Jeremy and Eileen for the fabulous contribution to my American vocabulary!

Interesting...

I don't think this is a nice thing to say...but...I am sort of glad to hear Americans aren't the only ones suffering through a mortgage crisis. Although I do feel bad hearing that most English people believe the problems in lending are due to some British banks buying loans that have defaulted from American banks. It will be interesting to research that and see the extent of how true that is.

It was also very intriguing to learn that British soldiers are actually quite scorned here as people oppose the war so fervently. It was sad to find out that they do not receive as much respect as we give our American soldiers. In fact, British soldiers aren't even welcome in pubs (bars)!

We had a very busy and full day today...much too much to mention on the few minutes I get to journal on this blog! I will say,however, that we spent over an hour on a huge, post-battle burial ground and St. Mary's Church was raised over it specifically to pray for all the souls lost during battle!!

My camera died after this spot so I can't upload pictures of us meeting the mayor (how cool is that!?).

I like this place already!

Need I say more?

Castle Tours and a "Joint" of lamb

The Rotary Crest for the club of Ludlow

The Castle at Powis, Wales

Justin and Me in Ludlow, Shropshire

Today I travelled to Wales to visit the gardens at Powis Castle . Every single inch was gorgeous! My hosts are close with Justin's hosts, Grace and David, so we had Sunday lunch together at their home. It was interesting to see the differences between our table manners. They eat with their knives in their hands and the tongs turned down. The refer to a leg of lamb as a "joint." They have a variety of jellies they put on top of the lamb, including a mint one and red currant. We tried a British dessert called sticky toffee pudding and another called a trifle and both were delicious.

After a long lunch the Yorks took Justin and I to see a charming little castle here in Shropshire called "Stokesy" Then we went into the town of Ludlow and walked around to see the buildings.

The roads here are very narrow and winding so they tend to make me carsick. The sidewalks (pavement or footpath is how they say it) are small too. I went for a jog into town today and was terrified of getting run over!

First day in the UK!

Several Rotarians from district 5690 met us at the airport to see us off. Maria's daughter Emily is posing with us in Wichita.

It's impossible to pick a word of the day--I feel like I'm learning a whole new language there are so many different phrases!

Queue=Line

"The queues at the airport were dreadful"

My host family is FABULOUS!!! I feel as though they picked the perfect personalities to mesh with mine:)

Duseldorff

We stopped here before heading to Manchester...it was baffling to me that their caffe lattes are served in a glass with no handle. I burned my fingers twice! But...it was good latte.

Need I mention that water can not be brought into this airport...not even from the plane!

Leaving tomorrow!

I'm super-excited about starting our trip tomorrow--I doubt I'll sleep at all tonight! I've been reading about what to expect and there are more cultural gaps than I thought. Although both countries speak English, we use a lot of different terms for things.

British word of the day "Collect"

"I'll collect you and your team at the airport on Friday"

Less than a day away!!

I have to admit anxiety is slightly setting in as we prepare to depart tomorrow. I still feel as if I don't have all my ducks in a row...actually they are quite scattered (or so it feels).

On lighter terms, I want to get used to using the word "rubbish." I hear it is quite popular in Great Britain. With that said...I think it is a bunch of rubbish that I am so stressed out about htis trip!

Golf, Bonding and Minor Sun Burns

Our team had a great time bonding, discussing the trip and comparing handicaps (although for some of us the entire game is the handicap) at Sims park today. We were only passed by about three golfers who obviously believed they could shoot more than our average (and they did). Nevertheless, we had a great time and learned how we each handle a club, not to mention frustrating situations!

After about 5 hours on the course we enjoyed dinner at Hero's and selected our uniform for the trip.

From left to right:

Jill Frasco, Justin Crafton, Margaret Nightengale, Jade Piros, Maria Bustamante

District 5690 Newsletter- June 24, 2008

Team Leader, Jill Frasco is pleased to introduce the multi-talented and person-able team members repre-senting District 5690 in Great Britain next fall.

Jade Piros is a 30-year-old Customer Service Manager for a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Hutchinson, and has been employed by Wal-Mart for 12 years. She is a graduate of Wichita State University, with a degree in Philosophy and a minor in Psychology. As a busy young single, Jade has a wide variety of interests and hobbies, including yoga, dance, volunteering and reading non-fiction. She enjoys the company of her Mom, Grandmother and her roommate.

Justin Crafton is living a "dream come true" as an officer with the Sedgwick County Sherriff’s Office. With family roots deep in law enforcement, Justin has always known he wanted to be a police officer, so he was thrilled to be offered that opportunity in 2005. Justin and his wife, Sarah have one baby daughter, Margaret. Together they are involved in their church, and Justin enjoys spending time with his family, playing volleyball, softball and soccer. He volunteers in a free medical clinic for the homeless and a tutoring program for elementary students.

Maria Bustamante was born & raised in Ecuador. and moved to Wichita when she was 17 to attend Wichita University where she earned a degree in International Business administration. She owns her own Real Estate Company, is a real estate investor, and consultant.
Maria has one 8-year-old daughter and enjoys working out, dancing to Latin music and meeting new people.

Margaret Nightengale is a native of Ulysses, and began her career in banking shortly after receiving her degree in Business Administration. Margaret is a loan officer at Grant County Bank managing a loan portfolio of 23M in agriculture and business loans. Margaret and her husband, Tim, have 2 children, Megan-age 8 and Ryan-age 4. They are active in their church, and enjoy playing games and sports with their children and supporting Megan’s competitive gymnastics ventures. With a growing family and de-manding career, Margaret finds little time for hobbies, but enjoys reading when she can.

The Wichita GSE Team Meets!

The Great Britian Team

We first met at Jill Frasco's home on May 25, 08. I think we were all a bit nervious to see who we would be spending the next 5 months getting to know and share such a different experience with. As it turns out, we all got along great! We have a great team leader and group so it is bound to be nothing less than a marvelous experience!

Who are we? (from left to right)

Jade Piros: Customer Service Manager for WalMart

Justin Crafton: Sedgwick County Sheriff's Department

Maria Bustamante: Realtor for Allegiant GMAC Real Estate

Margaret Nightengale: Vice President for Grant County Bank