Archive for May 21st, 2010

Hello Friends and Family, I’m sure that you have all been in suspense waiting for my posts. Well, here is the play-by-play.

Day 1: Airport and Volcano 0, GSE Team1. We arrived without incident….almost. Doug’s luggage had a slight problem making the journey; it took an extra day to make the trip. Volcano 0, Airport 1.

Day 2: We met our host families and each member parted ways for the moment. It was great to see a familiar face, Steve from the UK GSE team, at the airport upon arrival. I was fortunate to visit the University of Manchester with my host, Ian Bradley. Ian has been working for the University for 17 years in an administrative position. The student body numbers around 38,000; nice place but I didn’t see any mascots that could rival UGA.

Day 3: Preparation for our first presentation, 100 plus people eagerly awaiting our performance. We felt right at home with a dinner of tomato soup, potatoes, veggies, and chicken. A small side note: when referring to “you say to-ma-toe, I say toe-ma-tow”, I finally figured out who says the later.

Day 4: Styal Mill, a historic cotton mill that produced a large amount of textiles in the 19^th century, along with employing child labor. This mill was later renamed the Nike Corporation. That night Ian treated us to a trip to the infamous “Curry mile”. Another food group that involves unique sauces, fried rice, and some sort of meat product mixed in, I loved it! After the train ride back, Ian also treated me to my first UK pub. In as few words as possible: “better beer than home”

Day 5: My first vocational day. I was able to visit the Royal London with Stuart Kinsey. Royal London is a very successful mutual insurance company that has been able to find growth opportunities even within this harsh economic environment. It was also very interesting to spend some one-on-one time with Stuart Kinsey. He has been in the financial services business for 30 years. I have to say that I was surprised to find that compliance is just as stringent in the UK as back home and in some aspects even more difficult.

We finished off the day with a very unique bowling game. It’s similar to Bocce Ball, but instead of the balls being uniform, they are lopsided and don’t roll in a straight line. As you can imagine after a couple of pints this can be quite the challenge. Until my next post, stay safe and know that everyone on the GSE sends love to those across the pond.

We are packing up and ready to head to Crewe & Nantwich Weaver! The GSE team has had a most superb time while… http://bit.ly/aIyKR1

Our arrival in Wilmslow was a warm reception and the team has all enjoyed their time with the host families. We were all told by former GSE team members that we would grow fond of our Rotarian hosts, but until you have experienced the true graciousness and hospitality provided to the team you have no concept of quickly you become bonded and how very much you dread the thought of moving ahead without them.
Ali and Melissa were hosted my Marianne Martyn, Jessica by Stuart and Jan Kinsey, Jeremy by Ian Bradley, and Doug by Michael and Rosemary Wood. We would like to extend a very sincere thank you to all of our Wilmslow Dean host families for their exceptional kindness.
The team was taken for a day visit to Styal Mill, a National Trust Property, and toured the Styal Mill, the Apprentice Quarters, and the Gardens. We greatly enjoyed the company of Rotarians John, Michael, Rosemary, and Stuart as our company for the day. The rich history and appreciation for the care of the property was warmly conveyed by our volunteer guide, Henry. The gardens were in full bloom and the team was able to enjoy a stroll though the grounds and amass a tremendous number of photos to share. Our day at Styal Mill was followed by a night on the Curry Mile arranged by Ian Bradley. We were taken first by train, and then on by taxi to the main road where we were met by Iain McHardy. The team was treated to a Halal Indian Cuisine dinner at Shere Khan where the table quickly filled with what seemed to be one of every item on the menu. Ian was sure to order a pitcher of Tassi to soothe the heat of the food on our palates (thank you!). We would like to thank the two Ian/Iain’s for sharing their knowledge and conversation to make a wonderful evening out on the Curry Mile!
Each of the team members has participated in our first vocational day, and we would like to thank the Rotary Club of Wilmslow Dean for arranging such appropriate and thought provoking visits to our respective areas of interest. Each member will share further information in regard to their vocational days as they have time to process and reflect on the experience.
The eve of our departure from Wilmslow, we were treated to a game of “Crown Bowling.” Crown Bowling was an exceptionally entertaining game played on a court called a “bowling green.” Needless to say after a few rounds, and GREAT advice from experienced bowlers, the team was able to hold their own for the most part. A buffet was arranged for our last meal with the Rotarians and afterwards the team moseyed their way into a “Snooker” hall room originally mistaken for a pool hall.
Now on to Crewe & Nantwich Weaver!