District 1250 GSE Team blog

May 31 - Seattle

2010-05-31T18:27:00.001-07:00

After a very frustrating week in Chelan, lots of rain, very poor, if any access to the internet, Malcolm and I flew into Seattle. We went to a Rotary meeting in Chelan and then had a meal with Tom and Mary-Ann and Les and Carol. Tom will be coming to Chichester in September as he has a frend that lives in Bosham, 10 minutes away. It was raining yesterday, but it is sunny now and there is a hugh festival around the Space Needle because it is Memorial Day weekend. It is good to hear the team have all arrived home safely and on time.

Homeward bound

2010-05-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well its 1am on Monday morning and the jet lag has finally caught up with me!

My very last day in Seattle was a huge adventure, I decided to go out to Kurt Cobains house and caught a bus to take me there... unfortunately I took the wrong bus and ended up in the rightish area but the wrong end of the road!!! So having found a very nice person to direct me, I walked alongside Lake Washington for about 20 minutes to get to my final destination! Thankfully the weather was kind!

Following some chill out time I made it back into the city (on the right bus) and had some lunch, before picking my bags up and heading out to the airport.

My flight was uneventful, about 15 minutes late departing but this was made up in the air. I managed to watch Shutter Island before grabbing some shut eye (4 hours, a world record for me!). Richard was waiting for me at Heathrow - it was so good to see him.

These past five weeks have flown by, I have learnt so much and met some of the most amazing, hospitable people. The GSE programme is fantastic, and I hope D1250 manage to continue its success in future years.

Thanks to one and all who have been involved with the trip, from Kathy, Sue, Roger and John who have co-ordinated to trip, through to my home hosts, drives and those who have organised the trips. Thanks also to the planners, architects and administrators who gave up their time to teach me all about the Canadian and American planning systems.

This is Sarah, signing off.
x

Last full day in the US of A!

2010-05-26T22:34:00.000-07:00

So today is my last full day in the US, I have had a total blast and spent some time chilin' out and mouching around downtown. After lunch I headed to the Seattle Art Museum to see the Kurt exhibition. It was pretty good and had some really interesting pieces of art associated with Mr Cobain. I'd really love to try and get some prints, but they (unfortunately) didn't sell them there, so I will have to Google it later!

The weather has been pretty bad today andI had to buy an umbrella, hopefully it will cheer up tomorrow morning when I head over to Capitol Hill. One fantastic thing about Seattle is the fact that you can get wifi almost everywhere, for free! I was in the Hard Rock Cafe at lunchtime using Skype to call Richard - amazing!

Speak soon!
Sarah

May - 26 Raining in the desert

2010-05-26T10:39:00.001-07:00

I have only just been able to get on the internet, despite wifi supposedly being available here at Wapato Point on Lake Chelan. Malcolm arrived safely in Wenatchee, after having bumped into Penny and Doug at Seattle airport, and Jim and Carol hosted us overnight. Then we had a lovely drive up to Chelan. After a lazy day on Monday we went off to Chelan and were hosted to lunch by the RC of Chelan, I had met Tom, Les and president Mike at Moses Lake. No presentation this time, but I managed to hand over 2 more banners.

We then walked around the historic centre and museum and kept bumping into Rotarians. We had tea with Les and his wife Carol in their lovely home overlooking the Lake, they both come from Birmingham originally and have the most amazing collection of comedy series from the UK.

Today we have woke to pouring rain, and they keep telling me this is a desert. We had planned to go to the Coulee Dam today, yes Penny another Dam! It is supposed to have an amazing light show, but at the moment all the mountains are covered in thick cloud, so we might be forced to go shopping in Wenatchee.

I am glad you are having a good time in seattle Sarah. I have the most enormous list of things to go and see that I have accummulated on our trip so far.

Long catch up post (sorry!)

2010-05-26T10:03:00.001-07:00

So I am sat here in Seattle, in the Cheesecake Factory (for the third time in three days!), and have realised that I have not written my blog in nearly a week. Well, that’s a bit of a fib... did write, then pressed the wrong key only to delete the entire post. I therefore got frustrated and me and the blog fell out of love!

However, I am here now and will do an update of the past week...

It’s my birthday and I will be a spoilt rockstar if I wanna be!! Well actually I had no choice in the matter... Phil and Judy cooked me a lovely pancake breakfast with a sparkly candle to make my birthday wish. I was also given an amazing number of beautiful presents! I totally love them and wear them every day I then had my first Starbucks of the day before walking (yes, walking!) to meet the team for our first visit to the Rotary Baseball park – a fantastic project put together by Rotary to help the community and youth of the area. We also say the community solar farm, which is an amazing idea and one I will definitely be taking back to the UK.

Following this, we went to a local large hay company to find out all about the company and its exports. Really interesting place, especially finding out about how the hay is compacted. We then went for our Ellensburg noon meeting presentation which was very well received, and everyone sang happy birthday to me (I went bright pink!!).

The afternoon was spent on vocational visits. I met with Lance who showed me around Ellensburg and explained some of the planning issues that they currently have. It was really good to find out about their historic developments, which are considered in a very different way, probably because the town is very young and the concept of preservation of the entire building is not considered to be appropriate (I am sure that will change in time). The equivalent of the building regulations is also very different and does not allow for any deviation to accommodate heritage assets.

Phil then took the team on a tour of the University, including a visit to the Principal (I was scared!) and a tour round the students union – no bar or nightclub, but the most amazing work out facility, and the opportunity to purchase Ipads!

We then returned to Robyn & Johns to have a small birthday party, where I was showered with amazing gifts including smors, cheese in a can (yummy!) and my very first heart shaped box! We then headed out to a Mexican (biggest portions ever) and then to a bar, where our drinks were bought by a stranger!

20 May 2010
After a great night out we had the earliest start of the tour... a presentation at 6:45am!!! But we managed to get through it (albeit being a little more controversial than normal!!). Did you know that British stamps are the only ones in the world that do not have to display their country of origin? Neither did I!!

We then headed out to have an introduction to US Governance. This was very interesting and provoked a debate about perceptions of each others countries and governments – although we couldn’t say too much given that we have not experience the new government just yet!

Penny, Kieran and I then hung out with Robyn and Scott, doing a little shopping and wandering downtown Ellensburg. Lunch was at the Valley Cafe, an amazing 1940’s building with original furniture (including the bar and stools).

Scott then drove the three of us over to Moses Lake for the start of the District Conference. The evening was spent socialising with all our friends whom we met on the trip – it was great because we knew so many people.

My host family were based slightly outside Moses Lake, and I was lucky enough to spend time with Keon from the Netherlands who was on the international youth exchange (and whose English is outstanding).

21 May 2010

The morning and afternoon were spent at leisure with Sue and Penny in downtown Moses Lake. We had a lovely lunch at a local bistro, where Penny & I were serenaded in Italian by the lovely Daniel (who also gave us some cookies!). We then headed over to the conference for the opening ceremony only to find that Kieran had succumbed to food poisoning (boooo). The GSE team from D5060 were also there and it was great to meet up and catch up on their experiences.

Doug and I then went to a home hosting dinner at a local ranch, with many international youth exchange students and Cam, Brad & Kathy from D5060 GSE. We had a fantastic evening with lots of food (steak and chicken and chilli) and wine (as always), before departing for our home hosts.

22 May 2010

The morning started stressfully, probably because this was the last day the team would be together and because it is the big presentation to district conference!! But we did it, got some laughs, stuck to time and were complimented once finished. It was a great opportunity to identify what we had learnt on the trip both vocationally and socially, and also reflect on the trip.

The sun was shining, so the team sat out to catch some rays before heading to a hotel for some chill out time (and swimming!).

We headed back to conference in time for the wine tasting (that was handy!!) and dinner, where the youth exchange students gave a fantastic presentation. We also managed to catch up with lots of friendly and familiar faces so we could say thank you and goodbye

The after party was arranged by Jan at an adjacent hotel, and we stayed up chatting ‘til late.

23 May 2010

Oh no... it’s the last day!

Packed and ready to go, we had to say a teary farewell to Sue before Delone drove us to Wenatchee, where Sue surprised us to wave us off (with Jim & Carol snr & Jim & Carol jnr). More tears flowed as we boarded the plane and said goodbye to the GSE.

The flight to Seattle was uneventful, even though we were on a propeller plane (eeeek) and we landed in Seattle ahead of schedule. Sadly Kieran was on an early flight so we had to say goodbye. Penny, Doug and I then headed into Seattle so I could check into my hotel and Doug & Penny could do some shopping. We ate at the Cheesecake factory for lunch before heading to Pike Place Market and the world’s first Starbucks. The last goodbyes were said at the market and I tried hard not to cry (for the third time!!), but didn’t succeed too well!!

My afternoon was spent chillin’ in Seattle, purchasing some art and reflecting on the past four weeks. It is strange not to be with the guys or talking constantly, explaining where I am from and what I do!

The hotel is lovely – I am on the 44th floor and my ears pop at least twice when I ascend in the lift!

24 May 2010

I wish Penny were here... I have gone abit mad in the shops, but my goodness they are so very good!!! Seattle is just as wonderful as when I was first here, and I wish IO could stay (with Richard), forever. It is such a lovely, relaxed city with very friendly people and a climate similar to the UK (i.e. grey and wet!).

I got my tickets for the baseball game, did lots of shopping, had my nails done (again!) and went to the cinema (Iron Man 2 – amazing!). I also purchased a fantastic and rock star dress from Betsey Johnson (my poor credit card!).

Lunch was at the Crumpet shop (in the market) and dinner was at Mcd’s (because I has treated myself to some See’s chocolate earlier and just needed a light bite!).

25 May 2010

I had breakfast at the hotel, utilising the vouchers I had been given for not having my room cleaned (great deal – why do I need my room cleaned every day!?!), then went into downtown to visit Vidal Sassoon – my birthday pressie from my parents.

Lunch is again at the Cheesecake Factory (edamame and gyoza) and I will be doing some window shopping before heading to the SAFECO field for the baseball action tonight.

The game was amazing - Detroit Tigers vs Seattle Mariners. I had fab first row seats (in the terrace club) so had a great view of the field. I got to meet a real life baseball player (DT)and a really kindsecurity guard gave me a ball used in practice (because it was my first ever ball game!). I think I have actually found a sport that 1) I kinda understand and 2) is easy to watch!!!

Before heading to bed, I ran past the Cheesecake Factory (there is a trend developing here!) to grab some cake... OK, it is the biggest slice of cake in the world... ever, and I only managed 1/4 (I will save it for breakie!)
TTFN
Sarah

a brave new world!

2010-05-25T23:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am safely home too after a long but relatively uneventful flight home. Back to work today amidst a flurry of communications from Government about sending letters to all schools in the country to become academies or 'free schools' - thus taking themselves out of Local Authority control. If nothing else it is going to be a very interesting year....

It was a wonderful four weeks and one that I will not forget - thanks to all that were involved.

Returning to a life of crime....

2010-05-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my final blog :(

The journey home was long, but fairly uneventful. The Kieran, Doug, Sarah and I were driven from Moses Lake to Pangborn Airport, Wanatchee where we were 'surprised' by Sue's appearance to say goodbye. We then flew to Seattle, where we said farewell to Kieran, who flew home on a earlier flight to the UK via Minapolis. Doug and I had seven hours to wait for our flight to Heathrow, and in consequence we travelled with Sarah into central Seattle. Sarah was the perfect tour guide, and following a trip to her hotel we went to the Cheese Cake Factory for lunch and walked on to Pike Market to see the fish throwing and the first ever Starbucks!

I managed to squeeze in a little shopping and blitzed Abercrombie and Fitch, and American Eagle before returning to the airport with Doug for our flight home. We said goodbye to Sarah, who will be staying in Seattle until Friday.

To my surprise Doug and I literally bumped into Sue's husband, Malcolm at the airport. Malcolm had just arrived from the UK!! A crazy coincidence.

The flight home was on time despite BA strikes and we were welcomed to the UK with hot sunshine (27 degree's).

The exchange was absolutely incredible, and I feel enriched and educated about USA/Canadian culture and criminal practice abroad. Whilst the vocational experiences will not have a direct impact on my existing job, I now have a broader appreciation of law in those countries.

I will look foward to sharing my experiences with Rotary clubs in the UK in the near future.

May 23 - Farewell to Moses Lake

2010-05-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

We gave our presentation with the District 5060 team at the District Conference yesterday and everyone said they enjoyed it. This despite the fact that we were sandwiched between 2 excellent speakers. Marilyn Fitzgerald spoke before us about her trip as a GSE team leader to Bali, when she was quite new to Rotary, and how she ended up raising many 10s of thousands of pounds to build and equip a blood bank and then help school children there. A remarkable story, whihc also showed the power of Foundation and Matching grants. Steven, who works for Foundation at Evanston spoke of his start with Rotary as an Ambassadorial scholar in South Africa, whihc ended up with him working with Dr Jane Goodall and eventually Dr Desmond Tutu, another remarkable story.
The team partied with with Youth Exchange students, but made it to breakfast where we said goodbye at the hotel. Then Jim Adamson drove me with Carol, Carol and Jim to Wenatchee Airport, where we were all able to wave them off, with Delone, who very willing drove us around while we were in Moses lake.
After a very nice lunch in the Olive Gardens with Jim and Carol, Carol took me shopping to the Mall where Randy had dropped us last week or was it the week before. I was looking for Capris and discovered in the US I am a size 8, imagine that!! Then I had a visit to Costco and had lots of free food samples, before we checked out the DVDs for a film for tonight, while we wait for malcolm's plane to land. I had not heard of many of the films, but perhaps they haven't been released in the UK yet.
Hope the shopping in Seattle went well team.

May 19 - CWU

2010-05-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

In the afternoon we had vocational visits and mine was at Central Washington University in Ellensburg. I met with a Science teachers and people involved in Online and Distance learning. It is a lovely campus and the Biology and Chemistry building is really lovely and spacious. After the teams vocational visits we were taken on a tour by Phil and Robyn and even met the President. The student Union building has the most amazing recreation facilities with climbing wall, basket ball couts, indoor running track and many, many pieces of gym equipment. The Wildcats shop has a Mac outlet, so the team just checked out the iPads.

However the weather has turned very English, rain, rain and more rain. We keep being told this is exceptional, but we have to take everyones word on that.

Jerry also took us for a view of the Rodeo ground.

May 19 - Ellensburg

2010-05-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

We started the day looking at a Rotary project, a park with lots of baseball and football pitches had been created, alot by the hard work of Rotarians. It was a great facility and well used. We then saw a solar farm, where a hundred or so people had paid for the solar panels and were compensated when the power was sold to

the grid.

Then we went to see Ward Rugh , a business that compresses bales of hay and ships them to Japan. Hay is a major crop in the area around Ellensburg. Then to Rotary Pavilion where we had to have our picture taken.

Moses Lake

2010-05-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

We are now at our final destination, Moses Lake. Dick and Jane brought Doug and I here over the Columbia river. We attended the BBQ and started to meet up with friends we had made as we travelled through the district. More will be arriving on Friday and Saturday. Kraig and Linda are hosting me here and gave me a really good tour of the City, it is about the same size as Chichester, but spread over a much larger area around the Lake.

the end is nigh

2010-05-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

We travel to Moses Lake tomorrow for the last leg of what has been a fantastic journey. Ellensburg and Yakima have been absolutely fantastic save for the very english weather that we have had. Assured by everyone that "Yakima and Ellensburg are deserts and dont worry about packing coats", it has rained more days than not.

My vocational trips have been particularly interesting. Meeting up with Tom Fleming, an assistant superintendent for the local school district, was particularly illuminating. Rather than go cap in hand to central government in the way we do, they go direct to the local taxpayer to vote on a bond to fund school capital projects. Whilst at times it can be hard to convince local people to stump up the cash in taxes, when they do there is usually a tremendous sense of community cohesion and willingness that surrounds the project - a democratic link we struggle to find.

Met up with Bob, the Vice President for Business and Finance who has seen half a billion pounds worth of capital investment go into the University of Central Washington in just 12 years. The issue of private public partnerships was discussed rigorously. They were very interested to hear about the methodology for delivering BSF projects and it was good to feel as though I was passing on some knowledge to them, rather than just the other way around. (they of course put me straight and told me the best way to deliver capital projects).

Other highlights include trish and scott taking me to village pizza to try pizza and honey and for the home baked pumpkin pie. Giberts orchards and wine tasting from the barrel with sean. The Yakama cultural centre, and of course Sarah's birthday celebrations in Ellensburg. There are so many to choose from and these are but a few.

Part of me will be sad to be leaving as we have had such a great time, but in truth I am looking forward to seeing my wife to be back in good ol blighty. No doubt the prospect of going back to work (and having to cook for myself and drive myself places) will be eased by the coming of the greatest sporting competition in the world - the FIFA world cup - cant wait

Bring on Moses Lake.

Tuesday 18 May- Yakima (day 2)

2010-05-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

Today we had planned to go on a hike, but the rain was too heavy to allow us to do it. It was a shame, but we instead headed to a Native American museum to find out more about the culture and background and to see if there are any differences to the Canadian trips we made to First Nations land.

Lunch was taken with the Southwest Rotary Club, and we got our presentation to less than 30 minutes (which was amazing!). It seemed to be well received, but Kieran's Bognor Regis joke bombed (although we, as always, appreciated it!). I think we are at that stage in our trip when we could easily do each others presentations!!!

In the afternoon we went back to our Canadian roots and went wine tasting!!! But this was direct from the barrel (at Gilberts Orchard). I didn't partake in the red (apparently I have a sensitive pallet!), but really enjoyed the white Gewurztraminer and ice wine. We were also taken around the apple packing plant before heading into Yakima to buy some of the ice wine and do a whistle stop tour of the Capitol Theatre.

I got back to Judy & Phil's at 6pm and had a yummy curry for dinner, followed by a trip to Judy's monthly book club (gotta get the book!) and pit stop at Wineagers for ice cream (massive scope for $1!).

We have a full day tomorrow with our last set of vocational visits in Ellensburg. I'm really looking forward to it, as well as celebrating my birthday with my GSE family.

TTFN
Sarah
xx

p.s. sorry about the change of font, I have no idea what has happened!

Hello from Ellensburg!

2010-05-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

So I am sat here in Judy & Phil's living room, in front of the fire with the TV on in the background. It feels very much like home (although my lovely Richard is missing!) - good to know that we all have nights like this!!

So, what have I been up to? Well, Sunday night I caught up with the team, and some Rotary members from Ellensburg at the local wind farm. Obviously this is America, and everything is on a much grander scale than in the UK... they have nearly 140, 80m (ish) turbines generating electricity for the area. It was lovely to see the team as it had been a whole 24 hours since we had last met - the longest since we arrived in North America! Whilst at the wind farm we were able to see inside a turbine. Surprisingly (or maybe not), the turbines have an elevator installed to get workers to the top... this would never happen in the UK and workers would be expected to climb to the top!

Penny& Sarah

On Monday we had our first day in Yakima. A short stop at the Rosa Dam (where the Spring Salmon are running) was followed by a fantastic trip to the Tree Top apple processing plant where they make apple juice and apple sauce (used for breakfast, on ice cream, as a snack etc.). Unfortunately the machinery made it difficult to hear too much when we were in the plant, but it was fascinating, and reminded me of watching the informative bits of Sesame Street when I was a young lass! We even got to sample the apple juice (something non-alcoholic for once!).

Monday afternoon was spent on vocational visits... I spent some time with Bruce from Yakima City. He took me out to show me some subdivisions and annexations to the city as well as giving me an insight into house prices (much cheaper than at home). Bruce kindly gave me a zoning map, codes and a community plan, which will all be shipped from the post office! I also spent time with Sage and her colleagues at Yakima County - it was fascinating to understand the tensions between the County and the City, and also understand much more about the American planning system. In essence planners here have limited interest in design matters and developers have a huge amount of flexibility in what they design. It feels very developer friendly here, which is a contrast to the UK.

Sarah, Clippie & Doug

The grand finale of Monday was the amazing 'party' that Ken and Sharon hosted for us. Spring Salmon was on the menu (super yum!) with some local Riesling wine. Whilst the team tend to mingle, Doug and I spent most of the evening talking with Clippie who is from Ohio and 88 years young and visiting with her daughter Jan (who is a hoot!).

American Justice

2010-05-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting Tap Mernard (an attorney and member of the Rotary Club in Yakima). He kindly accompanied me to the Superior Court, where he introduced me to a gentleman named Norman who was head of court services. I also briefly met a Superior Court Judge. We spent the first part of the afternoon usefully discussing the American criminal justice system, including the criminal procedure, penalties (including the death penalty, which exists in this state) and the issue's with managing drug misuse/addiction in the USA.

After our discussion we observed the Superior Court, which interestingly adjoined the City Jail. I was invited to see inside the City jail, but declined. The cases that I observed concerned preliminary hearings for serious offences ranging from possession of drugs to fraud. I noted from the court list that earlier that day there has been case listings for gun offences, arising from violence which had occurred in Yakima at the weekend.

We then journeyed across the city to the Juvenile Court and detention centre, which were also adjoined. On our journey I was very interested to see sales centres for 'Bail Bonds', which are companies which specialise in loaning people money so that they can secure bail. This is unheard of in the UK.

Much to my surprise I was allowed to enter and tour the Juvenile Detention Centre. I also had the opportunity to speak to a detention office . I was very impressed by the presentation of the prison (it was immaculate, and much nicer than UK prisons!). As I left the prison I saw some young female detainees being escorted back to their wing, I was interested to see that they all walked in a straight line, with their hands behind their backs and their heads held high. I asked the prison officer why they had this composure, and was informed that it was strategy that had been adopted to prevent detainees communicating with other wings, and from expressing an allegiance to a particular gang. I discovered that teenage gangs are such an issue in Yakima that someone is employed to come into the prison to support the young people who wish to disassociate from gangs. Youth gang culture is an increasing problem in cities in the UK too.

Finally, at the close of the day I observed the Juvenile Court and heard a Judge announce his judgment following a contested trial.

I greatly enjoyed my afternoon as I had the privilege of seeing law in action at varying levels.

60's party and American justice

2010-05-18T21:04:00.000-07:00

So by way of an update I had a fab night out with my hosts (John and Robyn) on Saturday evening. The 60's party was themed around the film 'Pink Panther' and took place at an art gallery in Ellensburg. I borrowed a dress from Robyn's friend Leslie, which she had worn to her school prom in the 60's and Robyn (a skilled hairdresser by trade) artfully pinned my hair up. The evening started with cocktails, canapes and live music, followed by a presentation (by actors) of the Pink Panther jewel, there was a staged heist and the jewel was stolen. Inspector Clueso then appeared to investigate, and spoke to everyone in the room. He had a limerick for everyone he spoke to, mine was the following:

'A solicitor from far off Britain
That's Penny, she has been smitten
With our casual ways
Or would she rephrase
And wish they would fast be rewritten?'

Inspector Clueso eventually solved the crime, and the evening ended with 60's dancing (yes, I did do the twist) and black jack (pretend money). I had a great time, and everyone was very friendly and hospitable.

New weekend, new town!

2010-05-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

So as the others have said we said our fond farewells to Cashmere (I will miss you Terry, Connie & Sadie!), and have landed in Ellensburg, home of the famous rodeo (that takes place in early September). Judy & Phil are my new super duper hosts and live in the town on a subdivision (I think), in what I would describe as the typical American residential street. It is really lovely and, as always, I have been spoilt (and it's been less than 24 hours!).

Judy & Phil showed me around town and we briefly took in an art gallery before heading to Fred Meyers (shopping metropolis) and then home to unpack and unwind. We then went out to The Tav (a pub!) for dinner (yummy oriental salad), before heading over to the University to see a student production of The Secret Garden. It was a really good niht (although I didn't 100% get the faux English accents!). Once done we headed to Wineagers for ice cream (home made), before heading back to the house. Phil & Judy have traveled extensively and it was great to see some of their pictures from Africa and Pakistan.

This morning I got to lay in - YAY! Pancakes were for breakie (yum yum), and we headed out to Fred Meyers to grab some groceries and then drop some oranges over to Phils Mom (who is 96 and living independently - amazing). We then took the trip over to Roslyn, where Northern Exposure was filmed for lunch at an authentic pizza place (really fantastic pizza), before heading back for some chill out time.

I will soon be off to catch up with the team for a social over at the wind farm which should be grrrreeeeeeeat!

TTFN
Sarah
x

May 16 - Ellensburg RnR

2010-05-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed our stay in Cashmere and Leavenworth, but now we have moved on to and other are with amazing, but very different views. I am staying with Dick and Jane Slyfield, just outside Ellensburg. Dick had been a GSE team leader, taking a group of 5 to Japan for 6 weeks! They are members of ithf (International travel hosting fellowship), this is an fellowship of Rotarians who are willing to host other Rotarians if they want to visit their area/country. Pat and Coleman in Salmon Arm first told me about this and I noticed PDG Peter is a member. Jenie and Nick from the RC of Chichester Harbour are members of the Yachting fellowship and that was the only one I had come across before. We had a meal with Anne and Howard last night, who are hosting Doug; both houses are large bungalos with the most amazing views, but there is plenty of land out here. The roads are all straight and if I walk a block it will be about 5 miles. However there was talk of cougars last night!

Ellensburg

2010-05-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

The last night in Cashmere did not disappoint, Glen made a truly monstrous suf and turf meal that could have fed about 20 but ended up feeding 10 (I took it as a personal challenge to finish my plate).

Arrived in Ellensburg yesterday afternoon to be greeted by a very friendly young family of Rotarians, Scott, Trish, Madison and Reagan. They have welcomed me into their home and we have been spending our R and R time by watching Madison's soccer team in a local competition in Yakima. It seems that all the youngsters are playing football out here - its a worry - it wont be long before the states beat england which would hurt.

Ellensburg is much flatter than the Cashmere/Leavenworth region and the scenery and feel of the place is quite different despite only being a short drive away - we have another action packed few days here and a couple of vocational visits to enjoy - will update the blog in a couple of days.

2010-05-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hey people! Yes I am still here, sorry for the lack of entries, I've been having far too much fun!

Today we said farewell to Cashmere, and journed approximately 50 miles to Ellensburg, where we will be based for the next five nights. We met Jerry and Garry from the Ellensbury Rotary Club and had lunch at a Rodeo BBQ joint, where they sold actual vegetarian burgers! (yay). After lunch we were introduced to our new hosts. I am being hosted by a cool couple named Robyn and John, and I am shortly off to a 60's party! Robyn has loaned me a beautiful prom dress, which dates back from the 60's so I should look reasonably authentic. Fun times.

Ellensburg is a cute City, and I am looking forward to exploring it tomorrow. It is quite unlike anywhere else we have visited, with tree lined streets and many older properties. There is a University here, which was established in 1889, which I believe we will tour later in the week.

I have two vocational placements to look forward to in the forthcoming week, which I promise to blog about in due course!

Great last day in Leavenworth...

2010-05-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

Today started shakily... my new best friend Sadie (the dog) woke me at 6:15am a full hour and a half before my alarm was set to go off!!! However, I did manage to get to sleep (after petting her some!) and slept right through my alarm!!! Thankfully I wasn't late for Connie to take me over to Red Tail Ranch, where I caught up with the team, Gary (my last host), Ross (the owner) and Gus, Cash and Dahlia (the dogs). We had a fantastic hay cart tour where Ross explained about forest fires and how he manages his homestead. Bud and Chip (the horses) took us on a smooth journey around the area, and I got to have a go at driving them (without the cart!).

Doug and I then won the horseshoe competition 6 points to Kieran and Penny's 4 points. I must confess that Doug scored all our points, whilst I only managed to hit a tree (approximately 2m to the left and 2m higher than the actual target!). Lunch was taken with the Leavenworth Rotary club and provided by Ross and his wife. It was also the most picturesque setting for our presentation.

Horse shoe champions!

Horse shoe loosers!

Sue presenting

Donna and Randy then took us into Leavenworth for some chill out time (aka shopping) and we managed to sneak in a glass of wine! I met Terry at City Hall for 3pm and had an additional vocational visit with Connie, the City Planner who has recently completed a master plan project for the downtown area. The plan has won a number of prestigious awards, so it was fantastic to have some time to talk abut how Connie achieved it, who was involved and how she got buy-in. All relevant discussions that will relate to my work on the Public Realm in Waverley. It was really inspiring and I hope to bring back some new ideas to get things moving along.

We then got back for dinner and a movie (Once), before doing some laundry and packing. Tonight I will ensure my alarm is set nice and loud!

Hopefully I will be able to upload some pics when we get to our next stop :)
Sarah
x

Leavenworth Rotary Meeting (14th May)

2010-05-14T17:51:00.001-07:00

Got up early for another run this morning to work off a fantastic dinner hosted by Ken and Karen at their house last night. This morning we met Ross who took us on a hay barn ride around red tail canyon which is his ranch, before presenting to the Leavenworth rotary club - it was a truly stunning location for a meeting and the presentation and meeting the members was a lot of fun. Following that we had the chance to relax in the town and try some bavarian beer before returning to host families. Glen Johnson (the school superintendent) is hosting myself and penny for some 'surf and turf' (seafood and steak) - I hear he always makes far too much so I have opted for some loose fitting trousers for tonight! Last day in Cashmere today - Ellensburg tomorrow.

Whitewater rafting

2010-05-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

As some of my friends and family know, I am totally allergic to wetsuits (or more specifically the glue/resin used in their production), so the thought of going whitewater rafting without the appropriate gear was somewhat daunting... but with luck the sun was blazing and Gary & Zondra (my previous hosts) had sorted me out with some waterproof clothes. Connie (my current host) also gave me some factor 70 suncream because today was a very hot day!

The rafting was so much fun, I sat at the back of the boat to reduce the risk of falling in - thankfully this approach worked, but I did get soaked! The scenery was spectacular, going from the mountains (snow covered) down to the desert (more green than brown!) and we got a train to honk its horn at us!

We had lunch at the end of the trip and chilled out in some hammocks, and ate smors (toasted marshmallow in graham crackers with Hershey's chocolate) toasted over an open fire.

Connie & Sadie

I then headed home to a lovely cup of tea, some play time with Sadie (the golden retriever) and a much needed shower!

The team and our hosts then caught up in the evening for a fantastic dinner (chicken, strawberry salad, yummy fruit salad, bread and a fruit pizza for afters!) with much laughter.

I shouldn't think about going home yet (and I do miss you all), but I know I am also going to miss this too. I know I am one lucky girl, and will shout from the rooftops how fantastic the GSE is - everyone should take the opportunity to do this as it is an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity.

More tomorrow...
Sarah
x

Thursday 13th of May

2010-05-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

Woke up to another hot sunny day in the USA.

Today was the day for the white water rafting and the conditions couldn't of been better. I must say that we did all look very good in our wet suits. After the safety talk we were off to the water, the first section was quite flat but after the rest break it got a bit more lively.

I must say that Kieran does seem to have the fastest drying hair in the world as it stayed dry for the whole trip. Even when he slipped off of the boat, will he did push me in first. Ha Ha.

Photos will follow as soon as we have the disc.

Doug

May 13 - Views

2010-05-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

The scenery in this area is wonderful. It is classed as desert because it only has 9 ins of precipitation a year, mainly snow, but the cheap hydroelectric power and large rivers, particularly the Columbia river, means they can water as they need to. In places the mountains look as if we are in the Alps and Leavenworth now has many building that are built in the Bavarian style. There are many, many acres of apple, pear and cherry trees.

May 11 - Wenatchee Valley College

2010-05-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

I had a really interesting morning at Wenatchee valley College, thankyou to all who came to see me there and Cathy for organsing it. I am starting to get a better understanding of the educational system here. Colleges in Canada and the US are for 18 year olds, after they graduate from High School, unlike our Colleges where they are mainly from 16 upwards. I met Rob who was about to go and teach a practical class on photosynthesis, it is quite reassuring that he was doing the same practicals as I would have done. The 4 labs were really well laid out with a huge prep room between them. I also met Jenny from the Nursing course area and saw their simulation lab, with very, very sophisicated manikins, and donated, out of date, supplies so that the students can get a really good training before going into hospital.

The College had a beautiful campus, which was helped by it being sunny at last!!

May 12 - Leavenworth Fish Hatchery

2010-05-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

One of our visits was to the fish hatchery, on yet another sunny day, I don't know if this sort of thing is done in Scotland. They collect the salmon that are returning up river and harvest the eggs and grow them up for about a year and then return them to the river. This year many more fish have returned, which means they are very successful at increasing the numbers. The fish are all marked, by removing a small fin, to indicate they are not wild salmon, as you can't fish for wild salmon. Any excess adult fish are collected by the native Indians and taken to the reservations for smoking or drying and we saw a group doing this.

May 12 - Cashmere Rotary

2010-05-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

After a lovely morning in Leavenworth, where Gary drove us in a school minibus and Byron explained all the history, we went to the Cashmere Rotary Club meeting. Everyone was very friendly and we had alot of fun. They have their own song book with words and music and someone to play the piano. We sang God Save the Queen and America, recited the 4-way test and then a folk song which required alot of thumping on the table. The food was delicious and the meeting was held in a lovely Church Hall. It was good to see Jim (D5060 team leader) and Carol Adamson there and they kindly took pictures of the team while we were presenting. Chuck, who had driven us around Wenatchee the other day, presented us with coins that say 'service above self' on one side and have the 4-way test on the other.

12 May 2010

2010-05-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

Another early start, and another goodbye to hosts Gary & Zondra (who have been amazing and really welcoming). Gary took me into town, to pick up a minibus so that the team could be transported around Leavenworth for a tour. It was great fun and we visited the ski hill and the Sleeping Lady Resort (I wanna stay there - robes and hot tubs all round!) before heading to Cashmere for our lunchtime presentation.

In the afternoon we had a tour of Aplets & Cotlets which make sweets like Turkish Delight but much nicer. It was really interesting and we got to see the whole process before sampling some of the sweets (Pineapple and Macadamia are my favourites!). Randy (our driver!) then took us to Wenatchee for some much needed shopping!

Terry, my new host picked me up from Cashmere and transported me back to his home (which he shares with his wife Connie, and dog Sadie), and I was welcomed with a true American hug and a British cup of tea!!! We then hit Leavenworth for dinner at South, a Mexican style eatery which was super yummy!

TTFN
Sarah
x

2010-05-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

Great few days in Leavenworth which is a truly unique place - very much the miracle town that they call it - a failed town based on lumber and train industry, transformed into a thriving bavarain tourist destination.

Staying with Dean and Linda Johnson who are lovely people. They live up on a hill overlooking the valley in a beautiful chalet style house. Yesterday was a great day - met up with Glen Johnson a school superintendent for the small district of Cashmere. Visited the Elementary, Middle and High School in the area - fantastic buildings, functional rather than ambitious in design but very well looked after. They completely rebuilt their middle school in 2005 - interestingly because they were already over the space threshold set by state government for funding (based on no of pupils) in order to do this they had to raise the $16m through a 'bond'. This effectively means that the money was raised by the Local Community through a local levy (about $35 a month each) which is paying for the bond over a 20 year period - they vote on such things all the time.

The national 'no child left behind' system (100% of kids must meet certain standards by certain ages or the school risks being taken into a remedial programme) sits on top of what is a highly decentralised educational system compared to the UK. From what I can see there are huge benefits to this but it also results in wide differences in the funding, resources and achievement of some schools over others - makes universal national standards difficult for some educators to accept.

Anyway, after a fascinating morning and lunch with Glen we went to Rocky Reach dam to meet Kirby and Ron who took us round. Visually smaller than Revelstoke Dam, but higher volumes of water and therefore more power. Was interesting to hear about the lengths they have gone to try and protect migrating salmon - something that still worries a huge amount of people and is starting to precipitate the growth of wind farm energy which is about 90% less reliable than hydroelectric!

Finished the day with a 3 hour hike with Dean up Icicle ridge. Fantastic walk topped off by an exciting encounter with a brown bear which complimented the black bear I had seen earlier in the morning. I was a little worried at first, but Dean didnt seemed concerned at all and I figured I could run faster than him anyway so should be ok!

Leavenworth

2010-05-11T22:04:00.000-07:00

Mike in Leavenworth (aka Bavaria!)

Today was a totally early start (6:15am alarm!!), and Gary (my host) drove me to Safeway's in Leavenworth to meet up with Mike and Dave (both City Administrators) who looked after me on my mornings vocational visit. Like all things over here, the morning was relaxed and informal starting in a local Bavarian coffee shop, and discussing the history of Leavenworth. This place is unique, because in the 1960's the city (of about 2,500 people!!) decided to adopt a theme... and with the help of the University of Washington, decided upon a Bavarian approach. To say it is a little weird is an understatement. It's done very well, and all the commercial buildings have really got into it (signs are sometimes in both English and German!).

I also was taken to Icicle Creek and learnt about the issues associated with water rights and utilities. We also made a trip to the ski hill, before heading back to Bavaria for a trip down to the river to understand about the cities logging past and the public realm approach (Bavarian!).

Lunch at a local winery followed, and I met with other City Administrators from around the area. The food (and wine - Pinot Gris) was outstanding (French onion soup and salad).

Mike then took me to meet the rest of the team, before heading to the Rocky Reach Dam. Unfortunately I couldn't take part in the tour because I am super allergic to shoes (and was required to wear steel toe cap boots), but managed to get my own personal tour of the Salmon Ladder, Salmon Counting Area, juvenile salmon water slide and the turbine rooms. Both the US and Canada produce a huge amount of electricity from hydro dams.

We then stopped for a much needed ice cream, and I (being a greedy guts) decided to have a Root Beer Float... unfortunately it didn't agree with me and I think my love affair with RB has come to an abrupt end :(

Gary picked me up in his beautiful Mercedes 500 (I think) and whisked me back to the house for dinner with Zondra and a game of Rummy Cubes (gotta find that to take home!).

Another great day in North America!
S
xx

p.s. have at last found spell checker on this thing, so hopefully my English is a little better.
p.p.s. hear that BA isabout to go on strike... does that mean I will be stranded in Seattle?!?!

Me and a hummer (No. 20 ish on the hummer count!)

2010-05-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

May 11th

I spent the day with Randy Smith a local fruit grower in Cashmere. Very interesting to find out how and why apples, pears, and cherries grow so well here. Also seeing the technology which is being used to help the farmers grow better crops.

A highlight was going for lunch at a local dinner were fruit farmers hang out.

Followed by a tour of Rocky Reach Dam and a well needed ice cream.

Catch up (part 2)

2010-05-10T22:40:00.000-07:00

6 May 2010

Sue, Richard, Kieran

This morning Kieran, Sue and I headed over to the Enowkin Centre and Ecommunity Area. This is all on First Nations land and includes some 9 protected species as well as numerous protected plants and trees (including the black cotton trees). Chad and Richard showed us around... Chad is a bull rider at the rodeo and explained all the rules to me – he only has to stay on for 8 seconds, but seeing his damaged shoulder, I understand that 8 seconds is a very long time! Whilst here we saw 2 Coyotes and a Painted Turtle as well as various birds – the sun even made an appearance. It was interesting to learn more about the First Nations culture and belief system as well as gaining an understanding into their current issues.

Me looking mean with a gun (eeek - was that really wise!?!)

Proud that I actually hit the target!!

After a winery lunch, we had some free time. One of the hosts kindly organised a trip to a rifle range, where we got to shoot some targets... this was fantastic until I progressed to the big bullets and got a huge kickback on my shoulder! This was something I would never do at home, but gave me a huge amount of additional respect for guns.
Tonight we the team got together for a homemade curry with some of Doug’s hosts friends – yummy!

7 May 2010
The morning was spent at Nk’Mip (aka the Rattlesnake centre). We were shown round by Bob who explained all about Sage smudges and the wildlife found in the desert in Osoyoos. I also stroked a Gopher Snake called Scarlet.
We then checked into the Walnut Beach Resort for our R&R couple of days... full use has been made of the hot tub (see Sue’s photos!) as well as the robes! The plan of action was to do nothing, and apart from a night out to the Black Sage Pub, that is what was achieved!

8 May 2010
Today was a day filled with nothing (and a little shopping). We all tried to recover from sore heads, and I got a little homesick, but coped with it by heading to the hot tub!!

9 May 2010... Goodbye Canada, Hello USA!
A bright and early start to the day had us trying (in earnest) to eat up all the food from the weekend. I managed to do some Skyping before squishing my finger in the patio door. This was not a great plan and it is currently the size of a sausage and turning black!
Crossing the border was more straightforward that I had imagined, and we landed in Wenatchee in time for a Wendy’s lunch, before heading towards Leavenworth to meet our new hosts.
I am staying with Gary& Zondra on Lake Wenatchee in the most amazing log cabin (set over three floors). All I can say is I am totally spoilt and have what can only be described as a breathtaking view from my room. I also made friends with some Humming Birds (too cute) and made it out on the lake. Our BBQ dinner was fantastic and accompanied by yet another yummy glass of white wine taken on the balcony overlooking the lake (this place is too good to be true, I will wake up tomorrow in the UK and realise it’s all a dream!!). Oh! I also managed to catch some TV tonight (an episode of Trauma) before heading to bed (and sleeping like a log)

10 May 2010
An early start to meet the team in Leavenworth on the trip into town I saw a beautiful deer next to the road (not squished!). Chad was driving us today and the first stop was Pangborn Airport for a tour of the airport and to visit a replica of Pangborns plane that flew the Pacific.
We then headed over to the confluence technology centre where we saw ”the internet” – well some of Yahoo’s servers in a massive data centre (so pretty much the internet!!). This was a fascinating trip given that I understand that Godalming is likely to be getting a data centre in the near future.
Lunch was at Arby’s, very nice, but limited options for Penny (who is our resident vegetarian). Thankfully the consumption of wine has diminished at lunchtime, giving us greater opportunities to concentrate in the afternoon!
We then went to the Wenatchee museum to learn about the apple trade, railway and Native American’s. This was really interesting, and Billie (our tour guide) really knew her stuff. The team then headed to my host’s home on Lake Wenatchee for a much needed hike and evening social with various hosts and Rotarians. I then managed to get an episode of Chuck in before heading to bed!

Photo's to follow!!!

Catch up (part 1)

2010-05-10T22:09:00.001-07:00

Well it's been a bit of a while since I have properly posted, so whilst resting here in Osoyoos (in my towelling gown!) I thought I would try and do a catch up. Sue has pretty much covered lots of it, but I thought it would be good to get some of my thoughts down on the blog... so here it goes...

1 May 2010
A crazy outdoor day with a hike up to Margaret Falls in the morning, whilst we didn't see any bears (Grizzly or Black!) we did see an Eagle and lots of lovely wildlife. The hike was around 3km and it was great to get outside and just take in the surroundings. It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful this place is!

Kieran, Penny, Doug, Fred, Sue & Sarah hiking!

After lunch we went Dragon Boating with a local group (including Phyllis, Lynda's daughter). It was so funny and really hard work. Thankfully we were paired up with\an experienced rower so we actually managed to move the boat! Unfortunately after about 30 minutes the heavens opened and we got rather damp (this had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact we couldn't row properly!), this meant we had to stop and try to get the boat back to shore (no mean feat!). But, it also opened up another opportunity, and that was to visit the RV showroom - I can't believe how big these 'caravans are... and they cost upwards of $100,000 CAD.

They are so luxurious, but you are required to get a special license to be able to drive them! We then headed back to Lynda’s for an impromptu cheese and wine fest (in true Lynda style!). Not only did we have fantastic wine (and cheese), but we were also fortunate to be able to try on Inuit jackets. Mine was made with white fox fur... normally I wouldn’t have even tried it on or touched a fur, but the Inuit’s use every piece of an animal to survive, including the fur.

Penny and I then headed back to Renée & Ricks for dinner (with their friend Lloyd), including the now famous spinach, strawberry and raspberry vinaigrette salad (yumptious!). As always we were totally spoilt... good food, wine and company (the emerging motto of the trip!). The evening finished with a trip to the Barley Station and The Old Dog – something between a pub and a club(ish). Chad (the youngest Councillor I have ever met – at 30!) was our host and showed us a very good time – we even got Lynda up dancing to Sweet Home Alabama.

2 May 2010

Sarah, Renee & Rick

I joined Penny &Kieran in attending church on Sunday morning – which is very unlike me, but I have promised to open my mind and try new things! It was good fun, very upbeat and friendly. Obviously in true Canadian style this was followed by trip to Tim Horton’s! We then had to say goodbye to our wonderful hosts and head south to Summerland.

Michael, Sophia & Leoni were our hosts for Summerland. They have a lovely home with Sophia’s studio located in the house and a swimming pool out front. As with Marie and Renee & Ricks home, the views from the lounge are breath taking. For dinner I had my first steak, and probably the best I have ever tasted, along with salads and edamame beans (yum in my tum!).

3 May 2010

This morning Kieran and I visited Summerland Municipal Council to find out all about their local planning issues. I have taken copious notes, but the strangest point to come out of our discussions was the fact that Summerland has adopted a theme... mock tudor!!! I did ask when Henry visited, and am no wiser why this style was chosen. But the design guidelines (in my bag alongside their zoning map) are encouraging the use of this style even in the signage around town! It was great to chat with a fellow town planner and compare and contrast the different systems. Canada is based on zones and by-laws, one of the biggest differences is the fact that there is only one by-law officer for the entire council, dealing with parking fines, animals and planning (amongst other matters!).

View from Lost Moose Lodge

Penny & Kieran at Red Rooster

We then went on a whistle stop tour of Penticton (larger than Summerland and about 20 minutes to the south). We visited Skaha Lake & the Rotary Pavilion, Munson Mountain (and Penticton sign), the village of Naramata and the Red Rooster wine centre (for wine tasting in true Okanagan style!). In the evening we joining the Penticton Rotarians for a BBQ at the Lost Moose Lodge for some yummy ribs, and a shared 5 tier chocolate cake (shared between 4, but meant for 1!).

4 May 2010
We visited the construction site of the new $23milion CAD Okanagan Collage in the morning, learning about the process, the sustainability aspects of the new building and how it will work with the existing building in terms of built form and education.

Ground Source Heat Pump being installed at college

Following this I went on a vocational visit with Nick Bevanda an architect in Penticton, who showed me round some of his developments and also chatted about his understanding and experience of the planning system.

Lunch was probably the smallest of the trip so far – a normal sandwich eaten at Linden Gardens (although no time to see the gardens which was a real shame). The afternoon was spent at the Astrophysical Observatory – most of this visit was a bit technical for me, but interesting to find out something new (please don’t ask any questions about this trip!!!).

The day finished with a presentation to various local clubs. We were given more time so expanded our talks. They seemed to go down well and we got numerous laughs ( a good sign I think?).

5 May 2010
So yesterday we did physics, today we did biology, with a trip to the Agriculture Research Station which was really interesting and we got to see some amazing microscopes that cost a fortune! We also did a short tour around the orchards (but no bear sightings!).

ICe Wine (& Penny) at The Local

Lunch was hosted at The Local in Summerland with a presentation on the wine industry (we needed to be educated beyond the taste aspect!!). We had an amazing lunch with a variety of wines (and ice wine!). Needless to say we all got a bit sleepy after lunch! Thankfully we headed up to Summerland Sweets to find out about their industry and products which was interesting (and tasty!).

The evening was rounded up by a fantastic BBQ hosted by Michael at our house. More wine flowed (you see a trend emerging here!) and dinner was salmon cooked on the BBQ on a saturated cedar plank to give flavour – this time we had spring salmon which was so tender and juicy.

Farewell to Canada! Hello to the USA

2010-05-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

ahhh, what a beautiful day of sunshine in Osoyoos! As Sue's pictures illustrate we have taken full advantage of the facilities at the Walnut Beach Resort, and I have just returned from a sunny hot tub and sauna. Osoyoos is a 'neat' place full of cafes and surfer boutique's. I couldn't resist purchasing a new pair of flip-flops to add my collection, and in hope that the warmer weather continues. This evening we are going to have a BBQ by the pool (vege burgers for me, steaks for the others) and continue to widen our piratical knowledge of the offerings from the local vine yards :-)

The past two weeks have flown by, I have met some wonderful people and seen some incredible scenery. The vocational placements have been very insightful, and I have had the opportunity of meeting a officer from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Penticton, a retired provincial Judge in Salmon Arm and a criminal defence lawyer in Penticton. I have visited the Provincial Court in Kelowna, and I observed part of a preliminary hearing on a murder case in the Provincial Court Penticton. The differences between the two systems have been more marked than I anticipated, for instance unlike the UK it is very unusual for a lawyer to attend the police station to represent a suspect. The court system is very different, and in Canada a suspect can elect to have a trial by a Judge, and it is only mandatory to have a trial by jury if you are charged with murder. Canada has similar social issues to the UK regarding managing drug/addiction related offending, but there appears to be more funding available for rehab's.

I am looking forward to crossing the US border tomorrow, and continuing our journey south. I am excited by the prospect of learning about the US criminal justice system, and how accurately it is portrayed in the movies!

Right, it is time to fire up the BBQ! Until next time........ x

May 5th - Agricultural Station, wine and sweets

2010-05-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

We did alot on May 5th and I thought it warranted another blog, I wish I knew how to reorder these messages.

We went to the Agricultural Research Station where Michael Weis (Summerland Rotarian) took us around his microscopy unit. This was really interesting. Then we met with Norman Looney who now had an International role promoting Horticulture and he took us around to see the fruit fields, where they do trials and the garden. There's even a picture of him in the Centre with Penelope Keith.

For lunch we went to Local in Summerland, where Christa-Lee (another Summerland Rotarian) gave us a wonderful lunch with wine, red and white, ice wine and sparkling and gave us an incite into the Wineries in British Columbia. This was very interesting as we had seen so many vineyards in our travels.

Next to the restaurant Kathryn showed me a small piece of wetlands that had been preserved, which was full of birds, particularly the red winged black bird.

After lunch we visited Summerland Sweets and sampled syrups and fruit wines. Very nice!

May 7th - Osoyoos

2010-05-08T16:55:00.000-07:00

Sue and Mike delivered us to the Walnut Beach resort in Osoyoos for a couple of nights RnR, as you can see from the pictures, the team got into the swing of this relaxing quite quickly.

May 7th - NK'MIP

2010-05-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

Sue and Mike collected us from the Ramada and yet again we had to say, a very sad, goodbye to our hosts in Penticton, Kaleden and Summerland as we made our way South. We hope we shall see many of the friends we have made again in Moses Lake at the District Conference.

Sadly we were too early to make a visit to Tickleberries to sample fudge and icecream, but we had a lovely drive through the valley, in sunshine, which is a bit of a novelty for us, until we reached the NK'MIP Desert Cultural Centre. I think we can all prenounce this now. This is run by the Osoyoos Indian band, who have a resort, golf course and winery as well. This was very interesting and we were starting to get a feel for the desert conditions here, which will continue over the border. The building has been made from compressed earth, with pigment in it, so that it blends into the scenery behind it.

We even encountered Goliath the rattle snake, who was controlled by Bob, who had taken us around the outside of the centre.

2010-05-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Just to say that I am coming to the end of stay here in Canada and just what a learning experience it has been. I feel that I will be taking so much back to my place of work. All of the presentation are going well with a lot of positive feed back.

I will being extending my blog after a quick dip in the pool and hot tub.........

Doug

May 6th - Enowkin Centre, Penticton

2010-05-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

Kieran, Sarah and I were taken by Chad, who rides bulls in Rodeo's (more about that from Sarah I suspect), and his Uncle Richard around a piece of land they look after. This contains many species that are endangered, for instance the black cottonwood tree and a screech owl. We saw many birds there and 2 coyotes.

They are from the Penticton Indian band, we went to the Enowkin Centre, where they organise courses to teach people about their Band. They have a book publisher there too and some wonderful art work.

May 5th Summerland Rotary projects

2010-05-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

Here are the team enjoying the area around the lake.

We were taken to see some of the Rotary projects, which I found very interesting. particularly the shop, where they sell ex-Sears stock and raise enough money to fund youth workers. Most Rotary clubs seem to also fund projects or put in alot of 'sweat equity' on parks and gardens.

In the evening we went to Michael's house for a BBQ, salmon, which was delicious. Thanks to everyone you prepared the food. I liked the ancient grain too.

The picture is the view of the Giant's head from Michaels sofa. He is a geologist and this is in the middle of an ancient volcano. We did climb to the top. Well actually we drove most of the way up!!

May 4 - Penticton

2010-05-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

We had a hectic day today, starting with an amazing project at Okanagen College. Donna explained about the new building going up there, which has been designed and approved very quickly. Students had an input into its design and it's building will be incorporated into the curriculum.

Then we visited the hosptial and saw the MRI and CAT scanners and many other things.

Then we had a really excellent lunch at Linden Gardens, which were beautiful.

Then we went Radio Astrophysical Observatory in the afternoon, where we learnt a bit about the formation of the Universe.

In the evening we did a presentation to several Rotary Clubs hosted by the Summerland Club. The food was good, and the Rotarians, some who had come from clubs quite a distance away, were very welcoming, and laughed at Doug and Kieran's jokes!

We were all given a banner, whihc had been designed by President Andy's daughter I believe, she had been an exchange student, which is a scheme many RCs seem to support here.

Still alive... just!

2010-05-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

OK, well it's been a while since I have posted, mainly because we have been so busy and had no time!!! I'd like to also assure everyone that not only is this trip amazing fun (due to such a great team and hosts), but it is so informative. I have learnt that planning in Canada is totally different from planning in the UK. It is fascinating stuff, and I will elaborate in time both on the blog and definitely when I give my presentations back in the UK.

Before I go I wanted to say that the Canadian welcome has been phenomenal (eh!), we couldn't have asked for more fantastic hosts. We also haven't stopped laughing!!!

I will blog more later to catch you up on recent events (still no bears!).

TTFN
Sarah
xx

4th May - Penticton, Okanagan College, hospital and Observatory

2010-05-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

Great couple of days in Penticton. Met Jean and Dennis who have been incredibly welcoming. Sue describes day 1 but I have provided a couple of pictures above. (Wine tasting in red rooster and view from Lost Moose Lodge where we had dinner).

Day 2 in Penticton (Tues 4th May). Visit Okanagan College and Donna (the regional dean) - incredibly exciting $28m project. Interesting to hear about their aspirations for a zero footprint, mixed community use building that will bring students 'back in' to the penticton area and the way in which they have tried to marry aspirational design with function and purpose - Donna's energy was infectious.

Followed by visit to Pentiction Regional Hospital - of particular note was the outreach public health programmes with First Nations and that many social services (home care, residential care etc...) are the responsibility of the health service not a seperate social service - an ageing population makes their future an interesting one just like in the UK. Again, these facilities are not entirely bankrolled by the government - Donna has raised $5m and the hospital $1.5m from the community.

Lunch at Linden Gardens followed by a trip into the unknown at White Lake Radio Astrophysical Observatory. Fascinating and humbling. Suffice to say here, we are very small parts of a very large universe......Third Multi club presentation tonight in Summerland.

Around Penticton

2010-05-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

We had another really interesting day today, in Penticton. Doug, Penny and I went to visit the RCMP and while Penny asked all the good, searching questions I established that they do all have the red surge uniform, but only wear it for ceremonial occasions. Kieran and Sarah went to the Summerland public works where they met the Mayor.
We visited 'Tickleberries' and saw an amazing array of ice creams and fudges and ended the day at Lost Moose Lodge for a wonderful evening meal, where we watched the sun go down over the Okanagen Lake.

Moving on

2010-05-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

Today we had to say goodbye to our hosts for the last 5 days, which was very sad. Pat and Coleman had made me very welcome and took me for a final walk around Salmon Arm, so that I could see the ospreys and the western grebes, and I got to look in their RV. Then Lynda and Coleman drove us to Summerland/Penticton via the Mission Hills winery, just south of Kelowna. The views were spectacular and we did a little tasting. Now we are looking forward to getting to know our new hosts and enjoying our vocational and cultural visits in this area. RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) tomorrow and they don't were there red!

the great outdoors

2010-05-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Given my last post was a bit of an essay I will be brief....
Bit of a recreational day today. Run in the morning, followed by a hike up and around Margaret Falls. This was followed by a lunch of the mexican variety and some dragon boating in torrential rain (as you do). Back to Lyndas for cheese and biscuits, a drink and donning of innuit parker coats and some pictures with a polar bear (since deceased). Back to Bill and Zinas for a fantastic BBQ and an education on the NHL, before heading out to meet Chad for a home brewed beer. He is somewhat of a novelty because he is both a Rotarian and a Councillor and is no older than us! Long but fantastic day.

Chase

2010-05-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

On Friday Lynda, Fred and Renee drove us to Chase and met up with members of the RC of Chase at a lodge on the Little Shuswap Band land. After lunch Barbara took us for a tour and explained alot about the First nations people.

We then had a hike, in the sunshine, along the Adam's river, which was beautiful.

In the evening the RC of Chase hosted us to a BBQ (pork ribs) in a hay barn on Wolf Ranch. Arne, who will be 80 this year, runs the ranch and gave us a little of its history.

2010-04-30T22:28:00.001-07:00

The last couple of days have been busy but extremely enjoyable. Sarah has pipped me to the post again so I wont describe the general itinerary of what the team has been up to over the last couple of days, as these are ably described below (with pictures!).

28th April - My meeting with Doug Pearson (Superintendent for District 83) on wednesday proved to be very interesting. The first half of the meeting was to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the various tiers of Government with respect to education - federal, provincial, district etc....Being so used to a highly centralised system, I found it particularly striking that each province is a seperate educational authority with a differing curriculum and a different qualifications framework. Some similiarities to Surrey in that as a school district it performs relatively well but is finding it increasingly difficult to sustain - particularly with less and less coming in from Government. It seems the strategy is to invest more into early years education as a way of 'frontloading' underperformance. The other striking part of the conversation was how unionised the teaching profession is in Canada - it seems that teacher strikes are not uncommon which makes for a fractious relationship between schools, their staff and the elected boards. We briefly discussed the issue of 'choice' - something very popular in the UK - this is something that Canada is also relatively keen on - particularly interesting was that the Government will fund private schools up to 50% if they can demonstrate an alignment with the curriculum and approach set by the School district.

I then went on to Salmon Arm secondary school (Jackson Campus) - unfortunately I was unable to meet with the principal or vice principal because of a minor emergency but I did get the chance to look around the school. Serving 400-500 kids (guess) it was impressive. Design focussed on natural light which gave the school a very light and airy feel. Departmental, the school had a central hub with 4 arms extending from it like a star. Interestingly I was told, that the innovative approach to school design was something that the present government had rolled back from since SA was built 10 years ago. The ministry of education put out a statement along the lines of "schools should be functional, their purpose is not to be aesthetically pleasing or architecturally significant" - not something you will find in the BSF literature.

29th April - again all very well explained by Sarah below. Tim Horton's was good, but for me the hydroelectric dam was the highlight - I was impressed to hear that over 95% of BC's power is sourced from hydroelectric power. It seems to me to be an incredibly reliable, clean, relatively low impact way of generating energy. Although not a vocational day, I did speak to a lovely couple of people when in Revelstoke about special schools. I was amazed to hear that in BC there are no special schools and all pupils are educated in a mainstream setting. Kids with SEN are graded between 1 and 3 in terms of need and funding follows that pupil usually in the form of a 1:1 teaching or learning assistant (which rarely covers the true cost). Inclusion is a hot topic in Surrey I think they would be interested to hear that there are not special schools at all and the pupil referral units were all scrapped two or so years ago - consequently there are relatively few exclusions. This all sounds great, but I do wonder how the teachers and parents feel about it, as this has to put a challenging burden on a workforce not always adequately prepared for kids with severe learning difficulties.

30th April - run in the morning to mount creek then a really nice day trekking, hay barn BBqing and learning about the First Nations in Canada. Many similarities it seems with Australia and aborigines. Past injustices on a collosal scale, 200 years on and you find a disadvantaged native people who score poorly on most socioeconomic criteria against the national average. Lots of interesting discussions with Bill and Zina and Fred and Lynda as well as a tour guide who took us to look at Tee Pees and Kekuli's on what the issues and respective challenges are.

Return home to meet up with Bill and family for one a beer before bedtime.

We're going on a bear hunt...

2010-04-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

So today I bid farewell to my first home host Marie, who has taken great care of me over the past few days. Her cats (Miss Puss, Scooter & Bobby) were also great fun!. It was really sad to say goodbye as she has made me feel so welcome, but I hope we stay in touch and she comes to visit. Her car is a Dodge Charger and out of this world - I am so jealous that she is driving it to Vancouver (5 hours) for her business conference.

Renee and Rick are now looking after me at their home on a new development. They too have cats (OC and Taz) who are also very cute! I'm also staying with Penny, which is great as we can gossip and catch up on all the events (although we are pooped when we get back after our trips!).

Today we headed out to Chase, a smaller village about 40 minutes (ish) away from Salmon Arm. We met up with the Chase Rotarians and went to the Quaaout Lodge on First Nations land for lunch (Sockeye smoked salmon, salad and root beer - yum!). We then were shown round the resort by Barbara, a First Nations person from a band (tribe) which is out of the area. She showed us the Kekulis, and underground dwelling used in the winter - very similar to a roundhouse found in England. She also explained about the First Nations, their history, belief system and issues associated with language and culture - it was very interesting.

We then went on a short hike up the Adams River where the salmon make thir annual run. It was beautiful. When we arrived to start the hike there was a sign warning of a Black Bear and her cub. I got very excited, but unfortunately they were hiding from us. We did however see a Bald Eagle, Red Squirrel and a variety of mean looking bugs! The weather was also very kind to us.

The final trip of the day was with the Chase Rotarians to the Wolf Ranch for a hay barn BBQ. The food was scrummy, the wine flowed and the company outstanding. I'm sure the others will tell you all about Arnie, but he was a fantastic character with lots of stories.

We arrived home to Renee & Ricks at around 9pm, its now 10pm and I am pooped! I'm going to head off, dream of black bears and wonder how I will do dragon boating tomorrow!

TTFN
Sarah

Revelstoke

2010-04-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

We spent yesterday In Revelstoke, closer to the Rockies and on Route 1 across Canada. Lynda and Coleman were our drivers. The weather was wonderful, sunshine all morning. After coffee at Tim Hortons with president Gail and Pam from the RC, they took us to the Railway museum, which was really interesting and we watched many very long freight trains go past during the day. After lunch on the balcony looking at the mountains, we went to the Revelstoke Dam, one of 3 on the Columbia river in BC, there are 11 more in the US on this river. We had a private tour as the visitor's centre was closed officially. We then went to the Great Cedars boardwalk and the Skunk Cabbage boardwalk. The team got their first biochemistry lesson on Skunk Cabbage, fortunately the cabbages were not very smelly when we visited. After a short stroll around the very pretty town, we joined the RC of Revelstoke and their families for a 5th Thursday event in the United Church. Steven their CFO (chief fun officer) had organised the meeting and we were all made very welcome. The church members had cooked turkey and beef and the food was excellent. There was a Beatles quiz, and a presentation from their exchange student from Thailand and a lovely friendly atmosphere.

Update on the last few days

2010-04-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

So here is a 'brief' overview of what I have been up to over the last few days....

So Monday we had a chilled out morning, in the afternoon we went on a walking tour of downtown Kelowna, visiting a number of cultural sports. Kathy, Bruce and Bud showed us around and it was great. We stopped by City Hall, saw an Olympic torch and also say Charles and Diana's autographs (I got a pic!). We visited a Japanese garden which was very tranquil, before heading back to the hotel.

The Rotary Club had arranged a car rally / treasure hunt for us, and I went out with Fred (aka James Bond) in hisBMW Z4 - with the top down! I wasn't a great navigator, so we didn't win (in fact we were the last back!!!) but it was great fun. We also went to our first Rotary Club (Okanagan Mission) and gave a very (very) informal presentation. Met a number of younger Rotarians who were great fun and also Carlos from Ecuador who was on a year exchange (aged 18).... he didn't speak English 10 months ago, but is now near perfect!

(above - Me & Carlos)

I think the glass of wine I had with dinner that night helped to give me 8 hours sleep!!!!!

U.B.C - Sarah, Kieran, Sue, Gewn, Doug, Penny, Kathy& Bruce

On Tuesday we packed up and moved out of Kelowna. Stopping at the University of British Columbia for a very informative tour, and then onto Vernon for our first presentation (to 120 people). It went really well with no hiccups (and no notes!). We all got some laughs. Lunch was the Talipa fish (I think), but I gave it ago (as I had promised to try new things out) and it was really nice with the mango salsa. We then took the 1.5 hour journey to Salmon Arm stopping in the Silver Star ski resort where it still had snow (and snowed!) we were in our element and had a small snow ball fight (it was too cold for anything else!). When we got into Salmon Arm, I met with Marie (my host for the first few days) who took me to her home and settled me in before heading out to the Prestige Hotel for our second presentation of the evening. I sat next to Marie and Mary who are great and we talked about travelling - it seems as though Rotarians travel alot! Our presentation went really well Went to bed early, but didn't sleep too well. But it meant I got up early to prepare for today's events....

... This morning we met with the Mayor of Salmon Arm who showed us around City Hall, before passing me onto Kevin and Melinda who are planners and Lloyd my Rotarian who was looking after me.

Salmon Arm City Hall

We spent the entire morning comparing planning systems and being surprised at how similar and different they are! I'd say more but it would take up the entire email!! Went for a walk downtown to look at their 'heritage' buildings before heading to a micro-brew pub for lunch (had a local pear cider which was yum!). The morning was really intense and I got lots of information, but the afternoon was jammed packed.

1/2 portion food at the brew pub!

We went to Rap Attack, which sounds like a tourist centre for hip hop, but is in fact a centre for fire fighters who repel (thats probably the wrong spelling) from helicopters to fight fires (mainly forest) in the depths of British Columbia. We were taken through their set up, walked up a 5 stories on a very steep ladder only to feel a bit queasy when I looked down at a short drop they have to train to repel on! Lloyd then took us over to a traditionally (but new - 2002) build log cabin which was beautiful. It would be very unlikely to see such a thing in the UK.

We got back to Salmon Arm on time and headed home, where I put my feet up for 5 minutes before Marie's dinner party (Penny came over with her hosts). The evening was so funny, great company, great food and great local wine (including the ice wine which I must find!). Big thanks to Marie for hosting such a wonderful evening :)

I am now heading to bed as tomorrow will be an early start!!!!

TTFN
Sarah
x

the action starts from here

2010-04-27T22:11:00.001-07:00

After some much needed R and R at the Manteo we set off for the first of what will likely be a number of action packed days - all described admirably by Penny below. I continue to be a little beaten up by the jetlag and lack of sleep but I am slowly getting there and starting to feel human again.

The activities to date have been run with military precision and it the hospitality shown by the Rotarian members has at times been overwhelming. Everyone is incredibly friendly and a joy to meet with and chat to - either in a Rotary club meeting or in the car on our way to the next activity.

I am really looking forward to meeting Doug Pearson and Principal Greg Kitchen tomorrow morning as I hope to learn a bit more about the system of education that is operated here. Being so used to a centralised system of education it will be interesting to understand more about the nature of the relationships between school boards, provincial authorities and schools themselves - given that there appears to be relatively little that is decided at the federal level.

As well as some key differences it seems there are many similarities between our two nations' systems - albeit it seems that their school population is in decline and rather than building schools for the future, they are closing them. Much more to be revealed tomorrow no doubt.

I am looking forward to a good nights rest - another fun packed day tomorrow!

Tuesday 27th April 2010

2010-04-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

Phew....what a day! Two presentations down, only eight to go.

The day started with a visit to the University of British Columbia ('UBC'), Kelowna Campus. Gwen Ziln, a Rotarian and an employee of UBC kindly gave us a tour of the campus. I think we were all impressed by the quality of the buildings, and the provision of student study/social areas including flat screen TV's to watch movies! We then journed to Vernon, where we joined five Rotary clubs for lunch, and did our first presentation. I think we all did incredibly well, and there were no technical glitches (phew!). Lunch was followed by a trip to the Silver Star ski resort, which still had a covering of snow. The resort had only closed three weeks ago, but still had a fine covering of snow. Ironically it started to sleet as we travelled there. Following a brief play in the snow we travelled on to Salmon Arm to meet our host families, and joined three local Rotary clubs for a meal and our second presentation.

Tomorrow we will all have our first vocational visit. and I will have the privilege of meeting a retired Provincial Court Judge. I hope that this will provide me with the opportunity to learn how the Canadian criminal justice system compares and contrasts with the UK, and to discover the efforts which are being made in Canada to rehabilitate offenders.

2010-04-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

After a relaxing morning, we had a wonderful afternoon exploring Downtown Kelowna with Kathy, and Bud and Fred from the RC of Okanagen Mission. We saw some wonderful art and quilting and were even taken to the Mayor's office, where we saw an Olympic torch and signed the visitor's book. The picture shows Penny and Sarah in the Japanese garden. We had a car treasure hunt, which was a really good way to see the area, before being made very welcome at the Rotary clubs meeting and giving our first informal presentation.

Kelowna

2010-04-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

Just had a dry run of our presentation, all went well and stayed in the time frame. Just chilling in the hotel Manteo Resort before the start of our busy timetable tomorrow.

Our blog

2010-04-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

We are hoping to write to the blog regularly, with pictures, so that family and friends and fellow Rotarians can see what we are up to, but they may come in a rush, like my 2 today. We are still getting used to the time change, so when I woke up early, I thought I would try to keep you informed. All the best
Sue

Day 1 - Kewlona

2010-04-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

Well we all made it (just!) to Kewlona... Kathy, Bruce, Derek and Joan met us at the airport, and gave us a very warm welcome. The sun was also shining which was an added bonus.

Sue, Derek, Penny, Kieran, Kathy, Doug & Me on arrival!

The Manteo Resort is amazing, set on the lake with the most overwhelming views, to say it is beautiful is an understatement!!!! We checked in with ease and settled into the hotel, before heading to Kathy’s house for our orientation session. WOW! Kathy laid on a feast - local smoked salmon (the best I have ever tasted!), home made dips (the jalapeno and artichoke was scrummy!), salad with goats cheese (a new one for me) and buffalo ribs (which were so tender and delicious!). This was my first challenge, because normally I’m a bit reluctant to try new food, but I have made a promise to give new things ago and I am sure glad that I did!!!

The itinerary looks fantastic a great combination of vocational visits (planning departments, architects and developers for me), cultural activates and social events. Our first presentation is tomorrow in Vernon, where we hear we will be presenting to 120 people – I’m sure they will be kind!

So the jet lag is catching up with me – I awoke at 3:30am, and stayed in bed trying to force sleep for as long as possible – I made it to 5:30am when I had to get up and go for a walk! The lake was so calm and peaceful, and whilst there was a chill in the air, it was great to just take some time out to take it all in.

So it’s now just coming up to 7am and soon time for breakie. I have a chilled morning planned followed by an exciting afternoon (but more about that later!).

Right, time for more caffine!!!

TTFN
Sarah
x

Arriving in Kelowna

2010-04-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

We were all relieved to see Kieran on the plane from Vancouver to Kelowna and were we met by Kathy (Butler) who had organised our exchange. She was very relieved to see us after all the chaos caused by the Volcano and I was relieved to have the whole District 1250 team in Kelowna on time. After a quick tour they took us to a beautiful resort by the Lake, where we are staying for 2 nights, and then we had a meal at Kathy's House - local sockeye smoked salmon followed by Buffalo ribs. All absolutely delicious. We had also been ferried around by Bruce and Derek and his wife, from the RC of Kelowna Downtown. Derek Bottomley is Districts 5060's Foundation Chariman, their equivalent to our John Penny. I believe he was born and bred in District 1250.

A morning in Vancouver

2010-04-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

We were lucky to have the flight we had planned to Vancouver, a large number of people on the plane were returning home after being stuck in London because of the Volcano. Sarah had booked us into the St Regis Hotel which was very good and had the most enormous breakfast, a sign of meals to come perhaps. Here is a picture of Doug in the reception area, his hat already much admired by a fellow resident.
We had a lovely, if rainy, morning going up the Lookout and walking along with waterfront past Canada Place. Vancouver is a really lovely city.

Hello from Canada!

2010-04-24T22:50:00.001-07:00

Just a very short note to say that Sue, Penny, Doug and I have arrived safely in Vancouver! Going to do some sightseeing in the morning before heading back to the airport to meet Kieran and head over to Kelowna.

The adventure begins!

Doug, Moose, Penny & Sue at Vancouver Airport (waiting for Kieran to arrive from Las Vegas!)

Todays the day!

2010-04-24T00:41:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that today the rest of the team will be flying out to Canada. Thankfully the ash cloud has dispersed and (I think) Kieran made it safely to the USA on Thursday. We will be catching up with him on Sunday to hear all his adventures and fly into Kelowna to officially start the GSE.

I have been so excited that I haven't slept too well the past few nights, but this has given me the opportunity to pack not once, but three times!! I still think I have too much, but need to cover every weather eventuality!!

Before I depart, I must thank my employers, Waverley Borough Council, for all their support and allowing me to have this extended period of leave. It is so exciting to be able to see planning in action in another country and I really hope that I can bring back some new ideas to try out in my own work.

Well, I best head off to rationalise my stuff again! Next time I write it will be from Canada!

TTFN
Sarah

2010-04-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

Having looked forward to the trip for so long now, it seems very unlikely that I will make my Thursday flight. The reports aren't good - seems those pesky icelandics are getting their own back for us taking all our money out of their banks so they keep stoking that Volcano up just as the BBC were putting out media releases that the worst was over and things would get back to normal. Apparently two flights left UK soil today, one was an internal flight the other was a flight to Reykjavik!! oh the irony.

It is amazing how much chaos can be caused by a few planes being grounded - half the people at Surrey County Council seem to be stranded - my boss is stuck in Morrocco, the head of IT is stuck in Spain and most of our schools are atleast 4-5 teachers down because they are in Calais trying to negotiate a man and a boat to take them across the channel!

Anyway, I am sure things will sort themselves out soon - my only worry is that the rest of gang make their flight on Saturday and I have to wait ages for a reschedule - my come uppance I guess for trying to squeeze in a stag (bathchelor party) in Las Vegas and leaving early.

Lets wait and see what happens.....

3 working days to go! The final countdown......

2010-04-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

Only three days to go (volcanic ash permitting!)

I am getting increasingly excited with the prospect of spending one month visiting Canada and the States. I'm trying not to obsessively check the news regarding the flight/ash situation - latest news is that BA are meeting in Whitehall to encourage the Government to review the existing restrictions! We will just have to wait and see what happens, it is completely out of our hands.

I sympathise with the incoming team who were due to fly home today, and I hope that they can enjoy their extended holiday by visiting some places they wouldn't have otherwise had the opportunity to see.

Until next time!

Penny

The D1250 presentation

2010-04-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

District 1250 Presentation 2010

View more presentations from mouikey.

What a night... it all feels so real now!

2010-04-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight, the two teams met for the first time at the D5060 farewell dinner at Guildford Golf Club. It was a brilliant evening, eveyone made me (and my hubby Rich) feel so welcome, and it was great to meet the incoming team. The picture below shows the two teams together - this apparently is an unusual event!

It was lovely to hear about all their adventures, and also find out about D5060 and what we should expect. I can't wait to see the apple blossom, and the beautiful landscape. Each of the D1250 team were presented with two pins by D5060 - I will wear mine with pride, both on and after our trip. I also got some packing tips from Kevira.

Well, you may have heard that a volcano has erupted in Icelend, sending a large plume of ash over the UK... hopefully this will have dispersed before D5060 make their way home at the weekend. I really wish them all well on their return flights (and additional travel to London - Jim, and around Europe - Brad). I can't wait to catch up with them at District Conference... they will probably see that we have used their presenation as a template!!!

Here is the last photo of the D1250 GSE team all together before we head off on our travels:

From left to right: Sarah, Doug, Sue (Team Leader), Kieran, Penny

Hello!

2010-04-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

I thought I would drop by to say hello and introduce myself... I'm Sarah Wells, one of the D1250 team members travelling to D5060 at the end of the month. To say I'm excited would be an understatement!

Last night the team met at the Georgian House Hotel in Haslemere for our last formal meeting before we travel to Canada and America. We spent most of the evening finalising our travel arrangements, sharing information, asking lots of questions, and checking our presentations. It's all coming together and I hope the Rotarians in D5060 will enjoy our presentations and learn a little about where we live.

Tomorrow night the D1250 team will meet the D5060 team at their farewell dinner in Guildford. I am really looking forward to meeting them, finding out how they have their trip has been and also picking their brains to get the heads up on the weather in D5060 (well I need to know what to pack!).

I am sure I will be on here again soon telling all the tales of my forthcoming adventure.
Sarah

The District 1250 team

2010-04-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of us all at an Orientation evening.
Roger Jude Chairman of the District GSE committee took the picture.
Going from left to right we are:
Doug, Penny, Sue, Kieran and Sarah

Welcome to the District 1250 GSE Team blog

2010-04-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

We leave for District 5060 on April 24th, just over 2 weeks away. The District 5060 team are here and from their blog seem to be enjoying themselves. The weather has got a little warmer too. We hope to post information about our visit as we go along so that you can see what we are doing. The wonders of modern technology!! Sue