Christmas in Lakewood!

Christmas has been going on for the past few weeks here. Parties every day, visiting friends, singing caroles and lots of snow! It was a very international Christmas here this year. We had representation from Germany, Australia and of course, England. I spent Christmas day with Zac, his parents Betsy and David, his aunt Julie and uncle Henry, his brother Toby and Toby's friends, Chris and Dan. It was a full house. We had a big Christmas breakfast, followed by a Christmas programme where everyone had to share a story, poem or experience about Christmas. I downloaded the Queen's Christmas speech and made everyone listen. After that was a never ending present opening session. In the afternoon I spoke to my mum, David and the girls which was lovely but made me feel a bit home sick!

A Christmas turkey dinner was the evening's main event which was at Julie and Henry's house. The food was great and my traditional Christmas pudding was a hit! After dinner we went to celebrate with the Idzicks, who live over the road, and then we headed out to a bar in Jamestown for a few vodka redbulls and some crazy dancing!

Let's go Buffalo!

Last Sunday the Buffalo Bills played the New York Giants at the Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, New York. This was my first American football game and it certainly was one to remember. The weather was absolutely wild with torrential rain, snow and high winds. We wrapped up well and had such fun! Zac, Toby, Chris, Dan, Gerrard, Gretchen, Jay and I struggled to leave Lakewood early in the morning following a big night out which involved too much beer! The drive there was hard work, fighting the rain and the winds and by the time we got there the car parks were already full of very wet fans with beers and barbecues. This part of the game is called tail-gating. Everyone opens up the boots of their cars, lights a fire and cooks burgers and sausages. The greatest part of all of this was the fact that all fans (regardless of which team they were supporting) partied together.

The game was amazing. The atmosphere, all the noise, the wild weather and dancing on seats! I must admit I did not follow the game too easily. I understood which general direction the teams were moving but most of the game I had to ask Zac for explanations. It is not the easiest of games to understand.

We stood in the rain watching the game for a few hours and the end score was the Giants 38, Bills 21. A disappointing result (so i am told!)

It was definitely a cultural experience, I loved it!

Merry Christmas from far away!

Hello everyone! I wanted to say "Merry Christmas" to everyone who I will not be able to spend Christmas with this year. I know for my family and friends at home this is the third Christmas when I have been far away from home. I am missing you all very much and I would love to have spent this festive season at home with you. Zac and his family are looking after me very well and we are trying out some English Christmas traditions. I hope you all have a lovely time and I am sure I will talk to you all soon. So from both Zac and I "Have a great Christmas!" Lots of love Sarah XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chicago, the windy city!

Zac, Toby and I went to visit Amy in Chicago for a long weekend and we had such good fun! It is a good eight hour drive from Lakewood to Chicago and my back is now suffering. It was great to spend time with Amy, see where she lives and works and meet her friends. She looked after us very well and we had a party every night we were there! We had time to walk round the city and explore Millennium park. We also took part in a bad Christmas jumper pub crawl which was hilarious. The whole weekend put me in the Christmas mood!

Slippers and snow!

Laura, Toby's girlfriend, came to visit us in Lakewood. We had a fun weekend cooking, walking, bowling and drinking local beer. Laura's Aunt knitted all of us colourful slippers which are great in this extremely cold weather. The snow began to fall heavily as Laura left for Boston.

The lake is now frozen, the snow has settled and it keeps getting colder! I am not sure I am ready for this winter weather. It is one extreme climate to another!

Thanks Giving

Thanks Giving is celebrated here every year on the fourth Thursday of November to give thanks for the things that one has at the end of the harvest season.

On Wednesday, December 4th, 1619, a group of 38 English Settlers arrived in Berkeley Hundred on the north bank of the James River,Virginia. The group's charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a "day of thanksgiving" to God. On that first day, Captain John Woodleaf held the service of thanksgiving. Here is the section of the Charter of Berkeley Hundred which specifies the thanksgiving service: "Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."

We spent the day with the Hampton's (a neighbourhood family) and we ate too much turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pumpkin pie and mashed potato. It felt just like Christmas!

Winter is coming!

The leaves are almost gone and the snow has started! I am scared about how cold it gets here! This picture was taken at Zac's parents' house in Lakewood. Chautauqua lake in the background and our huge car in the garden.

Lakewood Study Group

The Lakewood study group meet once a month to hear a speaker do a presentation on a variety of topics. This month Zac and I gave a presentation about The Gambia: Culture, Development and Islam. We shared photographs, stories and opinions about our two years in The Gambia. It was the perfect opportunity to educate people about how great the Gambian people are, their many strengths and the problems they face. We also explained what VSO and The Peace Corps are all about. It was great fun, both planning and giving the presentation and we had an excellent turn out of about thirty people who all wore Gambian clothes.

Mr and Mrs Shepherd

On Wednesday 14th November at half past four Zac, Betsy, David and I went down to Jamestown City hall where the Mayor of Jamestown, Sam Teresi, married us. It was a short civil service, with Zac's parents as our witnesses. Afterwards we went out for a nice meal in Lakewood. Betsy gave me a pearl broach to wear on my dress which has been worn on wedding days by five generation of women in Betsy's family. We are both very happy and looking forward to sharing our marriage with all our friends and family in 2008.

Friends and Family

On our road trip we also spent one evening with Betsy and Jim, close family friends who live in DC and then we went south to Port Haywood, Virginia to meet up with some friends of ours who used to live in Dakar, Senegal. It was great to see them and discuss how we have all been struggling to settle back into life in a developed country.

Before we headed back to Lakewood we were very lucky to spend two days in Old Greenwich, Connecticut with Zac's sister, Kimber and his two nieces Liz and Julia. On our final journey back home we stopped off in the Catskill State Park, New York where we hiked for a few hours through the woods on Cambell and Brock Mountain, near Pepacton Resevoir.

Back to Silver Spring, at last!

After Gettysburg we headed to Silver Spring, Maryland, where I used to work as a live-in nanny for a wonderful family when I was eighteen. It was so strange to finally be back after 11 years. Zac and I spent the weekend with Andrea, Michael and Julia and we had a wonderful time catching up with each other and some of the neighbouring families. Julia, who was 4 when I looked after her, is now busy applying for university and Alex, who was 7, is now in his first year at Brown University! It made me feel very old! Andrea had arranged for me to meet with some people who work in international development and they gave me some great advise and more connections for finding work. Zac and I also spent a day in DC where we visited the National Museum of Native Americans and the World War II memorial. The War memorial was particularly spectacular which honours the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the US, the more than 400,000 who died and all those who supported the war effort from home.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

After leaving Morgantown we headed to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where we spent the afternoon wandering around the National Military Park.

Fought over the first three days of July 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most critical battles of the Civil War having occurred at a time when the fate of the nation hung in the balance- the summer of 1863. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy", it was the culmination of the second and most abitious invasion of the North by General Robert E. Lee and the "Army of Northern Virginia". The "Army of the Potomac", the Union army that had long been the nemesis of Lee, met the Confederate invasion at the crossroads town of Gettysburg and though it was under a new commander, General George Gordon Meade, the northerners fought with a desperation born of defending their home territory. The Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg resulted in Lee's retreat to Virginia and an end to the hopes of the Confederacy for independence. It was also the war's bloodiest battle with 51,000 casualties. It also provided President Abraham Lincoln with the setting for his most famous address. (From www.nps.gov)

Zac's Grandfather

On the 1st of November Zac and I headed off on a mini road trip, first stop - Morgantown, West Virginia. We stayed with Zac's Grandpa, Jim and his girlfriend Ann. Jim is a very active member of the Morgan Town community and has worked hard to protect local parks for many years. Jim was very keen to show us Dorsey's Knob Park, a local park which he has worked hard to obtain and protect over the past several years. It is the City of Morgantown's newest park in the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners park system. This 70-acre site is one of the highest points in Monongalia County and from its "Sky Rock" peak, you can see for miles and miles.

www.dorseysknob.org

Zac's Grandpa (Jim) is also very interested in family history and we spent many hours reading about the Shepherds and where they came from. They actually have strong connections with Lancaster, England. Jim's father (Larry Shepherd) was born in Lancaster in 1877 and Jim's grandfather (Peter Shepherd) was also born in Lancaster in 1848. They lived just outside Lancaster in the small village of Warton-with-Lindeth. Peter Shepherd, Zac's Great, Great Grandfather was a draper, milliner and dress maker.

Halloween - It is a big deal here!

I remember from when I lived in Maryland that Halloween is a big event here. Everyone made a big effort in decorating their houses and gardens. The streets of Lakewood filled with children and parents wearing wonderful costumes. David, Zac's dad, wore a scary mask and frightened some of the younger children as he gave out sweets and chocolates. I made a Gambian Jack O'Lantern complete with Fula scarring on the cheeks, a common feature of the women of the Fula tribe.

Autumn Colours

It has not been this warm here at this time of year for years, so I keep being told. We spent one day with Polly who gave us a tour of Buffalo and surrounding area. We visited Niagara Falls and looked across at Canada. We have also been out and about cycling and hiking, taking it all in. The Autumn colours here are just amazing. The photos do not do it justice!

Sorting out our lives in Lakewood

Well, the past week has been all about trying to work out what is next. I have been visiting the chiropractor who is working miracles on my back. He rolls me up, cracks my bones, puts all of his weight on me and pulls my legs out of their sockets! It works, afterwards I cannot walk properly, but the pain is definitely decreasing.

Zac and I are looking into visa options which is just a maze of confusion. We have a few different options, most of then involve a long wait (6 months) in England before they let me back in! We are speaking to an immigration lawyer this week to get some advice about the right way to do things.

I am also investigating job opportunities so that when I am allowed to live over here I will have some idea of a job. I am thinking about teaching in a school in New York City, possibly in areas where there are Gambian families. I am also looking into doing some voluntary work with the street children in the city. Andrea and Michael, who I used to live with in Maryland, are also helping me make contacts with people who work for international development agencies because that is what I really want to do. Andrea is going to set me up with a few meetings when I go to D.C at the end of this month.

It is mostly frustrating work, lots of effort but no immediate results. Whilst all of this is going on we are having a great time with Zac's family and friends. We spent the weekend with the Hampton family. We had a lovely meal with them on Friday night and then spent Saturday with Polly and Kenny walking around Chautauqua Institute which is not too far from Lakewood.

From my understanding, The Chautauqua Institute is a beautiful residential area on Lake Chautauqua where a few locals live. Most of the houses, apartments and hotels are for relatively wealthy holiday makers who will go there for the whole of the summer. People go there from all over the country as it is such a wonderful place to visit. During the summer the place is extremely busy and they hold many events which attract the locals; They have plays, operas, lectures, shows, classes, children's camps and much more here, so it really benefits the surrounding area.

We had fun walking around. It was a beautiful Autumn day, crispy leaves on the ground and a chill in the air. Afterwards we warmed ourselves up with a quick trip to the local brewery, Southern Tier. We sampled some of their delicious 9% beer and instantly felt tipsy!

Closing up the cottage

I have just got back from my second weekend at Henderson Harbour. The weather was surprisingly warm for this time of year (so I was told). It was a wonderful weekend spent working on projects and getting to know Zac's parents and his Aunt Julie and Uncle Henry. Zac, Julie and Henry spent most of their time building a stone wall at the edge of the lake. I worked on the outside of the cottage where I scraped off old paint and replaced it with new. David was very busy making sure the cottage would be okay for the winter and basically Betsy kept us all alive with non-stop delicious food and drinks!

The sun and sailing

The weekend was so much fun. Kenny taught me how to fish, Zac taught me how to sail, we swam in the lake, ate good food and laughed so much. The weather was perfect; sunny and windy.

A Gambian night

Amongst the other friends were John (who Zac also grew up with), his wife Liz and their two dogs Leo and Tucker. Toby, Zac's brother, also joined us along with two of his friends from Outwood Bound, Christie and Geoff. We all celebrateed our engagement together in a true Gambian style. We made a huge bowl of rice and chicken domoda which is a peanut sauce. Everyone ate out the same bowl using spoons except Kenny who wanted to try with his hand. Gambian music played all night and we shared many stories of our African experience. It was a huge success. We cooked so much that we had the same meal for the following two days!

Fun with friends

The rest of the weekend was spent with some of Zac's longest and closest friends. Polly (who Zac grew up with in Lakewood) and her husband Kenny arrived first. To make me feel very welcome they had brought me a rucksack full of products made in New York. A brilliant gift and most of the contents of the bag got used over the weekend.

Fixing the path

On Friday morning, before anyone else arrived, we spent some time fixing the stone path at the back of the cottage where the steps had become very slippery.

The big question!

As soon as we arrived at the cottage Zac showed me around and we jumped into the lake for a very cold swim. We went inside for a hot shower and as I came out of the shower, dripping wet in my towel, Zac asked me to come over to him. He looked very nervous as he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was shocked but so delighted. Of course I said "YES!"

Zac then presented me with the ring which came with its own wonderful story. The ring was Zac's mum and dad's engagement ring (Betsy and David's). Zac's dad was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Columbia a good few years ago. He bought the emerald over there at the end of his service but at the time the stone was twice as big. David gave the stone to Betsy when he asked her to marry him. They took it to the jewellers in Miami and made a ring. About ten years later the emerald fell out of the setting but was luckily found in the hoover bag. Unfortunately the emerald had suffered a severe scraping. They took the stone to another jeweller in New York city where the stone was refacited, polished and reduced. It was then that David had the two diamonds added.

Zac slid the ring on to my finger and it fit perfectly.

It was a wonderful first day at Henderson Harbour. The first of many!

Henderson Harbour

Last week on Thursday Zac and I drove from Connecticut to Henderson Harbour which is on Lake Ontario, New York. Kimber let us borrow their mini van so off we went and in eight hours we arrived!

This is the cottage on Henderson Harbour where Zac spent much of his childhood. The house belongs to Zac's mum family and it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Zac had told me many stories and memories of this place and he had missed it for two whole years.

Family time in Connecticut

I have been having a fabulous time with Zac's family who live in a beautiful neighbourhood called Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Kimber (Zac's sister), James (Kimber's husband), their two daughters Liz and Julia, and Porter the dog have made me feel very welcome. We have spent the weekend exploring the local area and shopping for running shoes. Zac and I also took the girls to see their mum at work which is at a garden centre and nursery. We went apple picking at a local orchard so we now have bags full of juicy apples of all kinds. Kimber took us for a walk round Todd's point where there are lovely beaches and a sunset view of New York city. Perfect place for running so that is where I will head tomorrow with my new trainers which I bought today for half the price of a pair in England!

I am in America!

I arrived at JFK airport, New York on Thursday 20th September in the evening. Zac and I had a very good flight; great food, three good films and a smooth landing. We were met at the airport by Zac's sister Kimber and her youngest daughter Julia. Yesterday (Friday) we went into the city and both bought mobile phones. I have a special international texting package so it will be easy to keep in touch with England and The Gambia. New York city was overwhelmingly busy. There were so many taxis and people everywhere. Basically everything seemed so big, bright and loud. We walked for miles and ended up at Central Park where we watched some climbers practise their moves on some boulders. We had a great day. Last night we had a party at Kimber and James' house where we met many of their wonderful friends and neighbours.