"Auntie Katie Stuck"...

                                                  "...Auntie Katie home now"

My neice's words above describe perfectly my experience of 'Euro Freeze' (snow causing  severe disruption to one of the largest airport in the world for 5 days and closure of lots of other European airports). Three days stuck within a mile radius of an airport, one lonely breakfast, very long queues, lots of inaccurate information, seemingly endless phonecalls and online searches for flights, stress and almost delirious with fatigue by the end of it. Or I could describe it as three days in Toronto, new (probably lifelong!) friends, 3 nights free in 3 different hotels (with a bedroom all to myself ), free meals thrown in, an almost TV interview, lots of laughter to drown on the stress, more ups than downs, amazing support from family and friends and home in time for Christmas. 

It would have been a very interesting study in human behaviour too: some staff were so sympathetic and helpful (which made all the difference in the world to the situation) , one  man (Jeff - our group were on first name terms by the end of it!) was telling us  he had 35  people staying in his house when 9/11 happened. I realise everyone's circumstances are different (I am healthy, didn't have children or a job to get home to)  but I like to think that attitude and perspective make all the difference to these unplanned mishaps :).

Yes, yes I know - the hat really suits me 

;)

Happy Christmas Everyone!!

New friends...

A Gingerbread version of one of the hotels we stayed in. (as you do)

Abandoned luggage at Heathrow

Jeff finally checking us in!!

Toronto: Saturday, Heathrow: Wednesday. Phew.

Food for thought.

Finally, I have been able to celebrate Thanksgiving! Prior to this year, my only knowledge of it was from watching 'Friends' episodes and dashing around Tesco's with an American student a few years ago looking for 'pie crusts' to make apple pie (they don't sell them by the way).  I had lots of great food (my personal favourite was the sweet potato & marshmallow dish - yes that is right they are served together as one rather fabulous accompaniment to the turkey. I also got to play in the snow in Oregon and meet even more very welcoming Americans :).

When I was about 15 someone told me about a piece of research called 'The Global Village' where they had reduced the world's statistics to a village of 100 people. What was I thankful for this Thanksgiving? I will let this speak for itself!

If the world was a Village of 100 people...

• 1 would have a degree 
• 14 would have access to a phone.
• 7 would have a computer
• 33 adults would be unable to read.
• 24 would have no electricity.
• 80 would live in substandard housing.
• 50 would be malnourished.

It's hard to believe isn't it! Apparently, those of us who have food in the fridge, clothes to wear, a roof over your head and somewhere to sleep are more comfortable than 75% of the world.

I can remember reading those facts at 15 changed my perspective of 'normal' . Now being in California and regularly hearing people's experiences that are so different to my own (e.g. people at school with me who used to be homeless and some who were cocaine/alcohol addicts) and also hearing different guest speakers who have spent their lives working with orphans, prisoners or recovering heroine addicts - my perspective of normal is continuing to change!

Cheesy shot of me and the dessert -pre-pie crust!

Sweet potato, cranberries, marshmallows and pecans...looks a bit grim, tastes fabulous :)

Official information about the Global Village stats: http://www.odt.org/popvillage.htm

Aaron

My favourite America story so far... A group of us went  to San Francisco this weekend - to meet up with a team of people who go out twice a month to meet with homeless people.  It was really simple, we gave out oranges and granola bars and asked if they needed socks, or a blanket and just chatted to anyone who wanted to (obviously that last part was the  real hardship for me ;) ). We met people from all over the world, with amazing stories - one from Denmark who had hitchhiked/walked from Alaska to Cuba to San Francisco!

Then we met Aaron. He was about 6'2", 28 and had been on the streets for 6 weeks, he looked tired and  really sad.  I am not sure how he started talking to our group as I was having a chat to the marathon hitchhiker at the time (so many stories so little space to write them down!) but we ended up spending about an hour and a half with him and so much happened ...For the sake of space and time I can only tell you the main parts but I would love to tell you the whole story in person when I get a chance. One of the men we were with hears God tell him things about people he meets, he asked Aaron if he had an older sister with brown hair - when Aaron nodded,  Mike said that God had told him that she was thinking about Aaron at that moment. Aaron rushed over and gave Mike a bear hug with tears running down his face. One of the other girls felt God tell her to ask Aaron if there was anyone he needed to forgive and he immediately said yes and we told him to picture them and tell them he forgave them for all the things they had done to him. He started praying and saying and named lots of different people and telling God that he forgave them and then changed it to 'and thank you God that you forgive me for the wrong things I have done" - His face completely changed  he was grinning and happy, hugging us all and  looked like his whole perspective on life had changed.


He asked one of the girls if he can use her phone to call his Mum - now it was my turn to be in tears as he  was saying  "Mom it's me, I am so sorry - will you forgive me. I am so sorry, I am going to come home" . When he was finished he hugged us all (again!  remember there was bout 10 of us) and was  turning to people walking past us and yelling "I am going home" and yelling "I am not homeless anymore". He gave his sleeping bag away to another homeless guy whilst one of the girls was using her iphone to work out how he could get back home (650 miles away) and she worked out there was a train leaving later that night. So now all he needed was the money... I only had $2 in my pocket so I  gave him that  and he was in tears again and gave me a bear hug this time (it was only $2!) and other people in our group gave him what they had so he was up to about $60  - he was so overwhelmed. Then one of the girls asked if he he was in pain said 'yes - I have arthritis in my leg from a car accident when I was younger' and we told him that Jesus can heal his leg. (he is not surprised by anything at this point and agrees for us to pray)  We prayed and then told him to walk over to the other side of the pavement to see if the pain had gone- about two steps into it he starts jumping up and down saying "it doesn't hurt any more, it doesn't hurt any more". Me and another of the girls are jumping and yelling too as I think we may have been more surprised than he was  (we have heard lots of stories at school where people have prayed for ill people who have got better but we hadn't experienced it in front of our eyes!).

In this time he also gets a call from his Dad and Grandpa . He was scared to answer the call from his Dad as he thought he would be really angry at him for leaving but they were obviously  just very  pleased that he is ok and that he is coming home. Aaron just keeps apologising and saying I love you (more tears from me). 


Another girl then gets a picture in her head of him working on a white car and told him that she thought God was going to give him a job as a mechanic when he got home - he tells us that he likes working on cars  but he really wanted to be famous but now he wants to do what we do and speak to people on the streets. Bless him :). One of the ladies tells him ' you are famous to God, that's what counts!' and he grins and nods  So he hugs us all (of course) and is saying "thank you thank you and "I've seen the light" whilst  pointing up to sky.


His whole persona and situation was so so different when we left him engrossed in our hand drawn map of how to get to the station. It really was amazing to watch. The last we heard was a phonecall from his Grandpa  who was ringing to say thank you for helping and that his daughter had paid for the rest of Aaron's ticket home, he was going to meet him half way to give him some sandwiches and all he needed to do now was to get on the train home.

It was so easy, we worked as a team and listened to what God was saying to us and a person's life changed in front of our eyes. It was so exciting and so real. I can't wait for my next opportunity! There are many many more details to tell you when I see you but at least you can know some of it from here!


Short version for those of you who have skipped to the end...homeless guy forgives all the people who have hurt him in his life and asks God to forgive him, decides he wants to go back home, gets given most of the money he needs ( which makes him cry he is so so grateful) , then we pray for the arthritis in his leg and he starts jumping around saying it's better, it's better (we all scream and get very excited too) and then calls his Mum, Dad and Grandpa to say he's sorry (makes me cry), yells at all the passers by "I am not homeless any more" and "I'm going home" gives his sleeping bag away to another homeless guy ,  decides he doesnt want to be famous anymore  but that he wants to help homeless people, hugs us all (a lot) and heads off to the station to get a train home (650 miles away). Makes me very happy and very excited about what God can do for people today through me and my friends just wanting to spread some love!



The End!

View from where we stayed...

21st November -10pm. News just in...Aaron's Grandpa just text to say that he made it home. So Happy!

Classof 2011

There are 800+ students in my class... with the view of making it feel less dauting and more of a small class feel, once a week we are split into groups of 65 and then again into groups of 4. The groups also regularly meet up for bbqs/rollerskating parties etc. It is amazing how quickly you can to know people when we are all motivated to - I feel like I have acquired a large number of very varied new family members in a very short space of time.  My group leader is hilarious and has been known to do little English translations especially for me (- one of his daughters is into Jane Austen :) ). A few girls from my house went to the cinema last night (75 cents to see a film - what a bargain) and there were about 50 other students from school all watching the same film so even that felt like a family event.

It is only November but already we have been described as 'the class of financial breakthrough'. In the first couple of weeks some third year students took a collection for one of the group leader's 50th birthday. He is from Hawaii but hadn't been back to see his family for a long time (due to financial reaons) so they wanted to see if we  could send him there and asked us all to give a dollar if we could. The following week it was amazing to see him on the stage  in tears as his interns gave him wads and wads of cash (it looked like a lot more than $800) that had been given to him by people he hardly knew (i.e our class) and at the same time telling him how great he was (I imagine half the class was in tears too).

A few days after that a lady stood up to say she was a single Mum with children at college, she had come to school but didn't have the finances to pay the next installment of her tuition fees or even for enough food. She wanted to put a dollar in for the leader but only had a $20 note so she put that in believing that if she gave away to others, God would reward her with more finances (i.e. sowing and reaping). She then got a phonecall from a family friend who said they wanted to pay all her school costs- tuition, food, rent and hair cuts (essential for any female!). Then there was another girl in my group who put all her money in a collection to be given to 'the poor' (at the time she had $28 dollars to her name) and someone came up to her afterwards (without knowing any of this) and gave her $1000 dollars. There have been so many stories like that since, too many to re-tell on here but it is exciting stuff! Please note that this is not a hint for money - I have paid all my fees up front and have the necessary money for food and hair cuts :).

An impromptu 'offering', I have made it large so you can spot me (t's a bit like Where's Wally/Waldo isnt it).

Now to report on some 

No ambiguity there.

mishaps... We went to a pumpkin patch (a bit like a p.y.o. strawberry field but with a key difference) and the lady  working there was intrigued by the range of accents (Dutch, American, English and Swedish on this occasion) so we were telling here why we were in Redding. As we arrived, she made a point of telling us not to stand on the scales (to weigh the pumpkins) as they are 'certified' ( I guess this means they are worth some money...), of course in my enthusiasm for chatting and telling stories I forgot this and 1 minute later rested my foot on them - she  immediately reminded me of the rule and that was the end of that conversation! 

Also, In my enthusiasm to show my Niece what I was eating for breakfast (these things are interesting to 1 year olds I promise) I managed to tip milk over my laptop (the unaccounted for perils of Skype). You will be pleased to know that my laptop is working fine however and is free from that gone-off milk smell.

Our chosen pumpkin...      

I am sure there are many more Katieisms I could share with you but I will leave it there for today...

Me No Speak Americano...

I have been reading a Sherlock Holmes novel as my light relief while I am here and it feels a somewhat ironic choice of book to bring with me to the States. The Olde English language seems so out of context but is keeping me firmly rooted in British vocabulary. So here is a brief update on the English words and phrases that just don't translate here...

• Brolly  (as someone pointed out...why isn’t it brelly!!?)
• Wellies (sensibly named ‘rain boots’ here)
• Blank (as in to ignore someone)
• Boot/sidewalk/torch/petrol/postman – you know those already!
• Jelly (is jam here)
• Tea (is only recognised in a liquid form here and certainly not as an   alternative      to the word 'dinner')
• Dodgy  (sensibile alternative: 'sketchy')
• Posh (making it very difficult to explain my nickname of ‘Dame’)
• Clingfilm (sensibly named plastic wrap here)
•  Half seven (digital time ONLY – it just confuses people otherwise!)
•  'How did you find the...dessert/church meeting etc) - leads to an answer               containing directions!
• Brilliant! (as in ‘ i really like it’)
•  Rubbish!  (as  in ‘i really don’t like it’)
• Queue
• Trolley

Somewhat ambiguous to the British mind..

I have been likened to 'Fancy Nancy' a character from a children's novel here by a new friend (aged 7) - obviously I love that comparison! Another nickname I was given was 'proper'. I also have several roomates who frequently speak to me in British accents (usually not meaning to) and who are complaining that my British words are getting stuck in their heads. I am trying hard to get them to speak more like the Queen and less like Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins ( I realised recently that 'My Fair Lady' is to blame for this). I have a feeling we are all going to emerge from our house next year with a mixture of American/Biritsh/Swedish/Finnish/Swiss/Norwegian accents.  What will the children at school make of that when I return!?

Sums it up perfectly

One month down already!

Time for an update I think... so much is happening it is difficult to know what to write here! I am currently sitting in the garden -it's 80 degrees and leaves are falling on me from the trees - it's a hot Autumn which seems a strange combination of weather but I am more than happy with that- I think those two words  are a description of my perfect season!

I am feeling really settled and it feels very normal to be here. I get compliments on my accent most days and am enjoying being stopped in the supermarket and asked where I come from ( a common question is "Wales...is that in England?"). I have tried an array of answers ('England' but that feels like I am ignoring the 11 years I spent in Cardiff, 'Wales' gets the above response and I feel a bit like a fraud as I am not Welsh and 'Britain' but that just confuses people so I am going to stick with "I'm English"- I know that will please lots of you back home...).

There are lots of things I love about America - cake batter ice cream, the fact the postman picks up your mail as well as delivering it, the vent in the floor that sucks up the dirt you sweep into it (most handy), outdoor plugs so I can Skype al fresco (although I think that is simply making people at home feel a bit jealous) and Chipotle (like Nando's but Mexican) was also a very pleasant discovery! Things that are harder to adjust to... Jello tastes a bit like perfume to me - it's just not Rowntree... I need to watch Spooks to get my fix of nice old buildings (I did not think I would miss the architecture- maybe I am more cultured that I realise!) and I can't find any noodles to go in my stir fries!! So as you can see - no great hardships whatsoever!

School is brilliant - I am loving every minute of it. Last week we were asked to chose which part of the church's practical work ('outreach') we would like to be aprt of. It ranged from providing meals for the homeless, working with people on a drug rehab programme to comunity work (e.g. helping the council with work that they cannot complete due to funding). I got my first choice and I will be joining the team who go out to pray for people who are sick. The church has become known as a place where people come when they are looking for a miracle in their lives (hence the title of this blog!). We hear stories all the time of people who have come for healing for all sorts of illnesses (migranes, cancer, deafness) are prayed for and are no longer ill.  People will often come to a church service and write down what they want prayer for or they will ring the church and ask someone to pray. I will be part of one of the teams that go out and pray for these people - I will let you know what happens!

Mishaps... well I got so excited about receiving post the other day that I left our mailbox wide open with the key in it (our mailbox is down the road). I haven't owned up to my housemates yet so hopefully none of them wil read this. Thankfully another housemate spotted it when we walked past the mailbox on a walk later on that evening! I have needed a few more translations - I asked a girl 'what time do you make it?' to which she replied 'make what?' I thought she had misheard so repeated myself and she looked even more confused- thankfully another American stepped in and said 'ignore she is a foreigner - she means 'what time is it!'. Very amusing!! There are so many other tales like that but no space in which to report them!

Bye for now "Have a great day" :)

Homework in the garden - it's a hard life!

New girls in class.

A beautiful lake near the house.                

California Dreaming

I have been in California for two weeks now ... it took 3 planes, a 35 hour Saturday and a very nearly missed flight to get here but it that is a dim and distant memory now, -it feels like I have been here for months! I went through US Customs in Toronto airport with no problems but the length of the queues meant that the first thing that I heard as I entered the departures lounge was "last call for Katie Hazael" so I ran very fast to gate 16, sprinted onto the plane and sat down at 16.59pm (the flight was scheduled for 17.00)!

Our first two weeks of school have been really good! We have a class of 800 and have lectures from 12.45-5.30 Tuesday to Friday, which sounds like a breeze but we also have a lot of reading to do and some book reports and other papers to submit so it feels busy. However I do get to do my reading in the sunshine with my feet dangling in the swimming pool in the garden so there is nothing to complain about!

It is very entertaining living with eleven girls from seven different countries  in  a five bedroom house! There have been lots of communication breakdowns (I knew my Speech and Language Therapy training would come in handy here too) and a fast learning of US culture! Amusingly, a couple of the girls think that my accent is so strong that they will go home sounding British - even though there are five different Americans accents in the house. We eat together 3 times a week and meals/house discussions usually end up in much laughter.

I am learning a lot about American culture that I didn't know (more of that at another time) and I love what I am learning at school. The church here is committed to changing the culture in Redding (it has previously been known for being a very poor area), and like to be generous whenever they get the opportunity. There are lots of stories I could tell -one of my favourites is that a lady from the church paid for the coffee of the stranger behind her in the queue for Drive-Thru Starbucks and that person was so surprised that she did the same and it went on for six hours- each person paying for the coffee of the person in the car behind! 

I have also experienced this generosity myself- on one of our first days at school I commented that I liked one of my housemate's bags and a couple of days later I found it on my bed - she gave it to me as a present because I had said I liked it. Those kind of stories are really normal here. On another day a girl turned up with a bike for another house mate and six bags of shopping for the rest of us (she and my house mate had met on a bus between Sacremento and Redding a few days earlier).

Not many mishaps so far... a house mate had to translate for me when I asked for a bottle of water in a restaurant (my English is definitely not the same English as here)...and no-one will try my Marmite (the 'yeast spread' description on the front isn't helping my cause).

That's all for now as I need to pack for a trip to the mountains tomorrow (it is very hard to imagine 4 degrees when it has been 38 here today!).

Ready for school (with my new bag)

My new house

Our yard!

Dame's Off to California (as if you didn't know already!)

After the build up since February when I applied to study with a church  in California, the time has finally come for me to get on the plane...so with passport and Visa firmly secured to my person (you don't need to know me well to know that I am very good at losing things!) I am off tomorrow morning.

My birthday and leaving celebrations have gone on throughout the month of August (I am  confidently assuming that my fabulous family and friends are happy for me rather than pleased to see me go!) and have included an impressive range of surprises from swinging through the trees in heavy rain to 'Afternoon' tea at the Ritz (which actually took place at 11.30am-but that's another story). As usual there are several mishaps to go along with my adventures - smashing my rather expensive and very full glass of Pimms & Champagne in the oh-so sophisticated  bar on the 42nd floor of the Natwest Tower, falling out of the swinging doors at the Ritz (I was talking to someone behind me at the time) and walking into the Gentlemen's toilets in the Grosvenor Hotel.

To be honest, I don't really know what I am going to find when I get to Redding but I do know that God can only do good things and whatever is ahead of me is going to be an amazing experience!

Watch this space... (and keep in touch!)