Rotary District 1050 GSE to Georgia 2010

Destination UK

2010-05-16T23:20:00.000+01:00

Saturday 15th May

A relaxing start to our final day saw us all pack up our suitcases for one final time at our individual hosts homes before heading off to rendezvous at Tom's house. We all placed our bags on the scales and repacked and adjusted accordingly so that each bag would weigh under 50lbs, that's 23kg in European money.

Onwards to the airport courtesy of Margie, Charlie and young Dillon (very many thanks to you all) and the shenanigans started again. The automatic check in didn't work so we queued up and once again Steve wasn't on the ticket and seemingly not booked on the flight which was a little cause for concern. Meanwhile everyone else swapped more stuff from suite case to suitcase to make the weight according to the official scales. Eventually everyone including Steve got checked in and we all cleared security and settled down to wait for our flight.

Just prior to boarding, Andrea decided to do a bit of shopping (as is a woman's prerogative) and just managed to make the gate before it closed!!! Safely on board we ended up waiting around while the suite cases of a number of travellers were removed from the hold because they unfortunately arrived at the gate too late!!!

A detour around Irish air space due to the volcanic ash saw us delayed a little further and at approximately 09:30 we landed in 'chilly' Manchester and reunited with our families. Alec and Derek our guardian Rotarian's also greeted us and for the very final time we all stood in a line and posed in front of a lens.

Our American adventure was finally over, it's going to take some time for it all to sink in and it somehow seemed strange to be going our seperate ways after spending so much time together (without a single cross word may I add! just in case you were wondering) over the last month.

However, were only half way through our year long GSE experience so stay tuned for updates as we spread the word amongst the Rotarians of District 1050

Atlanta

2010-05-15T19:53:00.003+01:00

Friday 14th May

This was to be the team’s final full day in Georgia and we were let loose on Atlanta with our trusty guide Chris who just happened to appear out of nowhere; however he had a spring in his step and a look in his eye that said no one knows the drinking scene better in Atlanta than him!

We set off the big city just after 10am and our first point of call was to be the Martin Luther King memorial centre where we were able to learn a little more about one of Georgia’s most famous residents.

The heat was already starting to build up during the morning, so after our brief tour, it was suggested that we head over to an unusual shopping place called Underground Atlanta. Which is exactly as it sounds, underground – a subterranean shopping and entertainment centre.

On the drive over we were able to see a little more of the Atlanta street scene which we could see had quite a vibrant, cosmopolitan feel about the place.

Underground Atlanta was quite different, a long row of shops and stall holders, perhaps mainly aiming for the tourist market, however this gave some of us the chance to stock up on a few gifts for friends and family, whilst Steve and Chris searched out a local watering hole, where the only thing lower than the prices were the waitress tops! Needless to say that Roy had to be eventually dragged out kicking and screaming.

We made our final purchases all met together and decided that the next order of the day was to get some lunch. As this was our last full day in the USA, we decided we should do the sensible thing and have some good old fashioned American food.

The suggestion from friend turned City Guide Chris was a place named the Vortex, it sounded charming so we jumped in the bus and we were off.

On Arrival we realised that we were in the more bohemian part of town named Little five points. The restaurant itself was something a little different but the food was very tasty. We all had a variety of different burgers, we’re not sure how many cows died to make each one but they certainly left us full for the rest of day.

Later, Chris took us to his local Bar where he had his own place in the corner with a brass plaque with his name on it. Seems like he’s spent many an evening entertaining ladies and spending his hard earned here! Almost everyone knew him.

After too many Margarita’s we left Atlanta and headed back to Conyers old town once again where we sipped our drinks and reminisced about our time in Georgia and all the good friends we’ve made along the way.

Photo's to follow

Motorbikes, Trucks and Court

2010-05-15T18:23:00.000+01:00

Thursday 13th May

Early doors felt like the previous nights freight trains were thundering through our heads on a constant loop as we made our way to Logansville to deliver our penultimate presentation. On arrival we discovered the place locked and nobody home although we were only waiting 10 minutes before the first of the Rotarians arrived. This was to be our smallest gig yet with only around Ten people in the audience however it was one of the most moving as a guest to the club Eva Smith told us the story of how she lost her husband to a drunk driver. Eva works closely with Mothers Against Drink Driving M.A.D.D.

Please check out their website here – http://www.maddga.org/

We then headed back to Conyers Old Town (scene of the previous nights shenanigans) and met up once again with Gary Moore in his office. Gary took us to the local courthouse where we were introduced to the Georgia legal system and were witness to a number of civil divorce cases and criminal prosecutions. This was a fascinating experience for the whole team and one which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Next stop saw us deliver our final presentation to the Rotary Club of Rockdale County and the team cheekily decided to be ever so slightly economical with the truth regarding some of the facts and figures. For example, did you know that each year the local Eskimos visit the Chill Factor in Manchester to build the largest igloo north of the north pole? Or that Manchester was the location where the first scientist travelled faster than the speed of light? Yep all these things happened in Manchester according to the teams presentation this afternoon.

However unbeknown to the team there was an ex Georgia Tech graduate who had studied Einstein’s theory of relativity so we were rumbled during the Q & A that followed. Oh well, we tried!

The afternoon saw Steve dropped off at the local Harley Davidson Dealership for a test ride. ‘Take your pick from any machine in the shop’ said Malcolm the Kiwi salesman. ‘In fact, pick two’! Mmmmm If Carlsberg did test rides.............

A $20,000 V-Rod Muscle was the weapon of choice and Steve eagerly rode off towards the mountains with Meatloaf’s Bat out of Hell ringing around in his head.

Meanwhile the rest of the team headed off to the Georgia Driving Academy where they specialise and heavy goods vehicle training and we were to be shown just what it takes to become an all American trucker.

We were given a tour of the facilities and found out that there is more to being a truck driver than you might think. We all had a go at the driving simulator to begin with, which is to allow the trainee to become familiar with gear changes of which there are many, in both ‘high and low’ ratios.

Anyway after we had proven that we were quite terrible on the simulator we were briskly moved on and introduced to one of the instructors who gave us a quick drive around on the open road so we could feel just what that was like.

Certainly one of the highlights of the drive was when we all were given the chance to pull the cord for the horn and yes it was loud!

After that we arrived back at the training centre where we all were given the chance to drive one of the articulated trucks. It was automatic and the plan was just to go forwards and then backwards. It sounds very simple, however there were cone fatalities a plenty, we were all quite happy with our effort, although based on his performance Roy has promised that from now on he won’t drive anything bigger than a shopping trolley.

In the evening we were taken out to Wales Barksdale’s farm, where dinner was to be provided courtesy of the very entertaining Gary Bridgewater of Jim & Nicks BBQ in Conyers. The food was some of the best BBQ food we’ve had throughout the trip and it was it in the beautiful surroundings of the farm land, complete with roaming cows and even a few mules, one of whom tried to crash the party!

Roy was missing this evening as he had an opportunity to do some football coaching, the rest of the team and all other Rotarians and non Rotarians who attended had yet another great evening, we really would like to thank the Conyers Rotary club for their hospitality, they really worked hard to offer us a more than pleasant stay and we really have enjoyed ourselves with the people and the place.

Photo’s to follow

Rockdale County

2010-05-15T18:19:00.001+01:00

Wednesday 12th May

Bright and early we were once again reunited. This time, we gave our presentation to the Rotary Club of Rockdale County at the local hospital. This is the home club of our wonderful GSE coordinator Gary Moore and the dedicated early morning Rotarians numbered about 42.

We have been informed that Rockdale County is the second smallest county in Georgia and was so named because it was comprised of all of the unwanted rocky land from surrounding counties when it was originally founded. It is far from unwanted now however as the town of Conyers is lovely with some beautifully restored buildings and public spaces with independent and individual shops, restaurants and bars which the team is hell-bent on experiencing (just to support independent retailers and local economies you understand).

After our presentation (15 down, 2 to go...) we were sent out on individual vocational tours. Steve toured around Conyers Fire Department, Gareth visited City Hall, Roy enjoyed a tour of Rockdale Youth Soccer Association and Allison was met by Harriet who showed her the old Goal house, Railway Depot and historic district. Andrea also visited the Rockdale Cares and Medically Fragile Children Facility. Thanks to all who showed us around.

At 12.30pm lunch was served at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit. This historic Cistercian monastery can be traced all the way back through time to 1944 and houses around 40 Trappist monks who come here to live a more spiritual lifestyle. To dedicate themselves to their cause they have restricted themselves to one hour per week of television and unlimited internet access. To finance the monastery they run a number of businesses from this site including a popular retreat for people and groups in search of peace, quiet and contemplation, a bonsai nursery, a ‘green’ burial ground (eco friendly), a stained glass manufactory and a bakery which produces some heavenly fudge! The meatloaf was pretty good too.

After lunch and the tour of the Monastery Steve and Allison went to update the blog whilst Andrea, Roy and Garth saddled up and rode off into the sunset (for an hour or two) at Linda’s Riding School.

After meeting up again at 5pm the team requested that rather than go back with their respective foster parents to rush around getting ready for the evening meal, they should be allowed to sample the delights of Conyers and relax in the sunshine. Our request was granted and the feeling of freedom rushed through our bodies as we rushed towards the nearest bar and immediately ordered a round of Tequilas on the rocks. Three or four rounds later we were happy in the haze of a drunken hour, pleasantly soaking up the beautiful, early evening ambiance of the Old Town.

Our hosts picked us up at 6.30 and led us to a wonderful art gallery which was opened up especially for us. We were then led just across the street where we were treated to a Mediterranean style restaurant run by an Asian fellow. Here we were introduced to a young man named Cory Ruth who was raising funds for his campaign to run for US Congress. Not quite sure what his policies were but he seemed a pleasant enough chap!

Onwards to a local bar saw the team slam a few more Tequila’s (as the freight trains thundered by horns honking) before receiving the news that they had to be on the road wheels turning by 6am the following morning. Deep joy!

Photo’s to follow

Carpets, Guns, BBQ and Magic

2010-05-12T20:53:00.003+01:00

Tuesday 11th May

Our final morning in Dalton saw us visit a factory that this city is famed for, who ever thought that carpet manufacturing could be so interesting? We were given a guided tour by Howard who has a Phd in Chemical engineering and has worked at the factory for 25 years. His knowledge of the carpet manufacturing process was second to none and he wasted no time at all in passing this on to the team during the tour. Andrea slipped away early to go and visit the North Star Educational and Therapeutic Service and was given a guided tour by Debbie Cook. This service provides education for children from kindergarten to 12th grade who have severe disabilities and behaviour problems and although it aims to be a short term treatment facility the students often end up staying for long periods as it is the most suitable placement for them. This was a fantastic opportunity for Andrea to exchange information about therapeutic interventions and Autism, she even managed to get involved and help resolve a (bad - Ed) behaviour incident. It seems that even the most challenging children like the sound of the English accent! Whilst all this was going on Roy took the opportunity to coach soccer skills to a group of young girls from Dalton High School.

Lunch time saw us once again deliver our presentation, this time to around 90 members of the Dalton Rotary Club where Steve managed to strike up a bet with an over confident Mark Marlowe.

Mark seems to think that the USA will beat England in the Football (soccer to our American friends) World cup on 12th June. The gauntlet was thrown down and the looser will donate $100 to Polio Plus.

We once again hit the road and headed back along the busy interstates that weave their way through Atlanta sometimes 8 lanes wide in both directions at the pace of a snail. We met Doug the USA team leader at Conyers, Rockdale County and he whisked us away to a law enforcement firing range where the team got the chance to fire a huge range of weapons including Swat team M16s, 12 gauge shot guns and a Colt 44 magnum the most powerful hand gun in the world which could blow your head clean off! We also had about as much fun posing for photos as we did shooting! So you you’ve got to ask yourself one question, “Do you feel lucky? Well do ya, Punk?!”

Joking aside for a moment, we (the team) felt it was important to mention a painful event which occurred last Saturday here in this town of Conyers. A young police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty. The funeral is today (Wednesday) and the town and fellow police officers turned out to honour and pay their respects to him and his family. This brought home to us just how dangerous and deadly those weapons we were ‘playing’ with yesterday are and we would like to offer our condolences during this sad time.

After our afternoon activities we headed to a magnificent house and a wonderful BBQ (Southern style).

We were once again treated to a fantastic reception and met many lovely people. Fellow Georgian GSE team members Doug, Melissa and her husband James were there...

......and guess who else? That’s right! Chris.

We had a good chat, some more magic tricks were displayed (move over Paul Daniels) and we discussed what we could expect and enjoy doing in Atlanta on Friday – our last day! Sob sob.

Finally, Doug whisked us off and we met our respective host families in Conyers and eventually drew the line on a very busy but fulfilling day.

By Steve and Allison

Carpet City, Burning Buildings and Bitzi's BBQ

2010-05-12T14:38:00.000+01:00

Monday 10th May

The team were once again donning their presentation regalia for the morning meeting of Carpet City Rotary club.

From where we were taken around the local fire station and met the staff and fire fighters that serve the city. This was to be an exciting morning as Steve was to be taking part in one of the fire departments training exercises.

We were taken to a different location owned by the City of Dalton Fire Service in which they have facilities including building to simulate building fires and rescuing people who maybe hanging off the side of a structure, both demonstrations we were going to see today.

Steve got suited up in his protective clothing and was ready to fight fires UK style! Steve did his employers proud and managed to put the fire out swiftly and safely, it was poetry in motion.

From here the team travelled to Dalton High School for lunch with the rest of pupils followed by a tour of the school facilities. However after lunch, Steve returned back to the fire station as his afternoon was to be spent ‘brainstorming’ and sharing ideas between UK and US departments.

After our tour of the school the remaining group members split off for some vocational visits, Gareth went to Dalton City Hall for a meeting with the Finance Director, Cindy Jackson. Allison was taken to Crown Archives and Hamilton House, Andrea attended one of the classes for children with learning difficulties and Roy was able to find out that the following day he could participate in some football coaching.

When our various tours we’re over we were taken back to our host families for a quick change of clothes as the weather had turned a little cooler and wetter and the plan had been to have an outside BBQ at Stuart & Bitzi’s McFarland’s house.

There were over 60 guests expected and by the time many of them had arrived (including ourselves) the rain had stopped and we were able to take our food outside and dine al’ fresco with our Southern supper!

One highlight of the evening was a surprise visit from local cowboy and Georgia Power employee Waylon. He rode up to the house with two extra horses for any other potential cow girls and boys to have a canter around the lawn.

Stuart and Bitzi were fantastic hosts and really pulled out all the stops for everyone. We left that evening having had a good night. However because of the rain, the McFarlands cream carpet was left several shades darker than when we started, perhaps it could be a new style for the Carpet Capital of the World to embrace.

By Gareth

Photo's to follow

Mothers Day then on to Dalton

2010-05-12T14:33:00.004+01:00

Sunday 9th May

Mothers Day in the USA saw team have a relaxing start to the morning before all but two of them headed off to the ‘Cracker Barrel’ for brunch. Unfortunately the rest of Georgia had the same plans for their ‘Moms’ and all of the local eateries were jam packed to the rafters! Where to go now? A local Waffle House of course where Gareth enjoyed and the res endured breakfast . Meanwhile Steve ‘Took one for the team’ this morning and missed out on the greasy artery clogging delights, choosing instead to grab the opportunity to update the blog whilst the valuable and rare opportunity of wifi access and free time afforded itself. On the other side of town, Andrea tucked into a healthy home cooked omelette courtesy of Capt Mike and Major Indira who were wise to the fact that every eating establishment would be full.

The team then settled down for a four hour drive to Dalton ‘The Carpet Capital of the World’, stopping off half way at our favourite healthy eating establishment ‘The Varsity’ where ex District Governor Gary More kindly introduced us to Atlanta’s finest restaurant. Here we met Stuart and Bitsy from the Dalton Rotary Club who kindly chaperoned us to our destination at the foothills of the mountains.

We were met at Bitsy’s house by Bill who is a local historian of the Civil War and a keen metal detector enthusiast. He took us hiking in the mountains and showed us where the Confederate Army held back the Yankee soldiers of William T Sherman who were trying to invade Georgia. Bill showed us his collection of bullets, buttons and other military memorabilia left over from the war which he had discovered in these hills.

Andrea poses as a Confederate Soldier

That evening the team split up once again and had dinner with their individual hosting families before turning in early in preparation for a breakfast club presentation the next day.

More Photo's to follow

Augusta Canal and Uncle Sam (He's watching you!)

2010-05-10T22:21:00.009+01:00

Saturday 8th of May

Saturday morning began with an early start for Steve, Allison, Andrea and Roy as they went for a n adrenalin filled bike ride with local Rotarian Larry Lynn in an area designed for off road cycling. This gave a chance to blow out the cob webs and work off some of the fried food which has been consumed in copious amounts of late.

Gareth went with Rotarian Indira Donegan, (who is actually a Major in the US Army) to the local shopping Mall for the morning, as the team had arranged to meet after lunch, there was much gift buying and product browsing carried out with military precision.

Later on the team met at the visitors centre for the Savannah Canal and were taken around the museum which explains the history of the canal and how Augusta has developed around it, sharing some similarities with Manchester regarding the production of cotton and use of industrial canals.

After this the team took a leisurely boat ride along the canal to see some of the industrial remains and enjoying the some of the indigenous wildlife such as Yellow Bellied Turtles, Cranes and we were even informed that alligators do frequent these parts too!

The temperature was warm to say the least, that day it was hovering in the low 30C’s. After the boat ride the team enjoyed a little ‘down time’ which involved some of us retiring back to our host families for a short whilst the girls took back to the downtown area for another spot of shopping.

Later that evening the plan was to attend a local amatuer dramatics production which was actually on the Army base in Augusta called Fort Gordon, the purpose of this base is this is where much of the army’s and some government communications are managed from and on trying to access the local wifi we noticed it was aptly named ‘Big Brother is watching’.

This was a dinner and theatre venue in which we were served by a well stocked buffet with tasty deserts and excellent seats close to the stage along with many of our rotary friends.

The play was called The Dixie Swim Club and was what could be describe as a ‘chick flick’. A play about feminine friendship and we don’t mean the type you find on specialist websites!

We were impressed with the acting ability of the cast and we mostly managed to pick up on the southern humour and quips.

We’d spent some good leisure time in Augusta with good weather and to end our stay on a laugh with the play was a bonus which finished things nicely for us.

By Gareth

Martinez-Evans, Augusta home of James Brown

2010-05-10T22:15:00.002+01:00

Friday 7th May

The girls took the opportunity whilst in a town that actually has sidewalks to run off some of those calories before being presented with another lovely breakfast. This morning it comprised of delicious fluffy pancakes with maple syrup and sausages and unavoidably the discussion around the breakfast table turned to politics despite this not being on the menu! - We appreciate any updates from folk back home as the hung parliament debates unfold.

Jane has been a wonderful hostess and the team said their farewells and hauled their ever growing suitcases and bags into the van. At this point the girls took off with Alan who had offered to escort them to the next destination in his car, but not without a quick stop off at a place suitably named ‘Shooters’ where they had their gun desires met and adrenaline pumped as they each had the opportunity to grip a 9mm Gloch pistol and ‘fire at will’ at the target! Yet another tick on our wish list, well for the girls anyway! Thanks Alan.
(So Alan, how come only the girls got invited ? Something we should know about ?)

The team all met up at the ‘Double Tree Inn’ and gave another professional presentation to a large audience which comprised of three rotary clubs in the area, Martinez Evans, Columbia County and Columbia County West.

Team members were introduced to the host families they would be staying with and for the first time in the trip everyone was to be separated. You would think by now we would all be sick of the sight of each other by now, especially the girls who hadn’t spent a night apart yet but to be honest it felt a bit like we were losing a limb!

Before splitting to go with families the team had a tour around one of the main attraction in the area, the national science centre ‘Fort Discovery’. This is a great interactive, educational facility with hands on activities, many based on training that is given to the tactical departments of the US army. This unique facility was set up by the US army and is run as a partnership between the army and a non-profit organisation. As well as the static venue that we toured there are also mobile units that are sent out to schools and events throughout America.

After freshening up at our host families homes, everyone met up in downtown Augusta where we were lucky to experience the monthly celebrations of ‘First Friday’ where local musicians take to the streets aiming to attract custom into the area and just have a great time! The multicultural atmosphere was electric and as we browsed the arty shops we were entertained by hip-hop artists and live bands playing on every street corner. We were treated to a feast at the Bees Knees and then strolled the streets and soaked up the downtown vibes and made sure not to forget one iconic feature of this town and gathered for a photo with the king of funk himself James Brown!

By Andrea

Photo's to follow

Washington, Wilkes County - Step back in time

2010-05-09T14:28:00.002+01:00

Thursday 6th May

The team were treated to a Historic walk this morning around the hometown of history and Legends. We stepped back in time and experienced the stirring days of Colonia America, the Confederacy and the Victorian Era. These time periods are still alive in the grand old homes, tree shaded streets and historic sites in Washington, Wilkes County, Georgia.

” If your born in Wilkes County your assured of a place in Heaven” our driver Randy informed us. “So you go up to the gates and que up under ‘W’ then” quipped Roy.

Washington has a small Rotary Club and lunch time saw us deliver our presentation to our smallest audience yet which comprised of just 18 Rotarians. The gig may have been small but the reception we received was wonderful and with ‘Yard Bird’ ? on the menu this truly would be a memorable event.

The afternoon saw the team spilt up between various activities (some more strenuous than others). Roy and Gareth went to check out the Washington, Wilkes County Middle and High School to look at their facilities. Steve was whisked away by Jerry the Deputy Sheriff / Volunteer Fire fighter and taken to a rural Fire House. The Fire Chief had taken time out from bailing hay in the adjacent field to proudly show Steve his shiny red fire trucks. Meanwhile the girls were busy putting their sun cream through its paces by the pool, basking in the 96 degree Fahrenheit sunshine.

A quick trip to the local Library enabled Steve chance to upload the text from the previous three days Blog but not enough time for the pictures.

Roy and Gareth were also taken by Buddy to visit a local industrialist named Kerry who owned an extensive collection of classic cars and trucks. The vehicles were displayed in individual garages, which were decorated with retro lighting and furniture including some original juke boxes, still in working order.

He had a large collection of rifles and pistols, enough in hand just in case the Yankees were to re-invade!

Quentin Tarantino!

His home was situated on a site of over 400 acres, including his own stock of cattle, although Kerry was a very wealthy man, he was very down to earth with his attitudes and was very gracious to open up his private home.

The evening saw us all entertained at ‘Skeets’ house which was another wonderful building in this Idyllic town. The food we received was fantastic, who ever thought ‘Shrimp and Grits’ could taste so good.

More photo’s to follow

Alps, Bullfrogs, Farm Animals and Granite

2010-05-06T15:19:00.004+01:00

Wednesday 5th May

Awaking to another beautiful morning the team were reluctant to leave this idyllic location. We had spent such a short time in White County but really felt at home in the presence of our hosts. In particular we would like to thank Maria for her companionship at Lucille’s Mountaintop Inn and also the staff who not only prepared our meals but made us feel so welcome and at home.

At 9am Melissa and Mustang Jack arrived and ferried the team just a short distance away to the alpine village of Helen. This area had been built up as a Bavarian village tourist destination and you truly felt that you were in the European Alps, (well almost, as your average middle age tourist in Austria isn’t packing heat in the form of a 9mm semi automatic pistol, obviously needed due to the potential of a crime being committed at some point in this beautifully tranquil picturesque part of the world. Ed). The group enjoyed a spot of window shopping as most of the shops didn’t open until later.

Melissa and her husband James had very kindly invited us and some of our White County friends over to their home for brunch....and what a brunch they had prepared! On our arrival we were met by Bellamy (one of Melissa and James’s daughters) who was thrilled to show us around the grounds and all it’s inhabitants which included pot bellied pigs (Steve not included although he’s getting there!), goats, a pony and a highland cow.

Melissa and James are the owners of ‘Honeybrook Catering’ and had laid out a fine spread for brunch. It must be said they served up some of the best tasting shrimp grits yet and other eats and salad, followed by a deliciously gooey selection of cakes which were all appreciatively devoured to the sounds of ‘Jeremiah and the Bull Frogs’ entertaining us with a selection of chilled out guitar tunes from Eric Clapton to Bob Marley. The whole occasion was again so lovely and it was difficult to move on from the great company, not to mention the sun-drenched veranda!

Website - Jeremiah and the Bullfrogs

To travel to our next destination, the team travelled in convoy with some (guess who) team members taking advantage of Mustang Jack’s al fresco option. We loitered around for a short while at a meeting point in a car park where we were met by Alan and his buddy, ‘Buddy’ who we had met what seems like such a long time ago now, at the district conference. Wishing fond farewells to Mellissa and Chris we continued on our journey to Washington through Elberton, the granite capital of the world (or at least of Georgia).

On our arrival we were met by Jane, the owner of the bed and breakfast where we will be staying for the next two nights. The house is the oldest we have stayed in so far dating back to 1775.

We had a little time to relax so most of the team headed out to check out the local area as for the first time we were informed that there were shops and a town square within walking distance, although everything closed at 5pm there was a certain presence felt from the stuffed animals in the taxidermists.

At 6:30 we headed out to the Fitzpatrick Hotel where we enjoyed another delicious meal after which a couple of the team had a game of non-competitive bowling on the Wii...which they won!

Back at the B&B we all enjoyed tea and cakes before retiring to bed.

By Andrea

Sheriff's and Shooting Star's - Welcome to White County

2010-05-06T15:13:00.003+01:00

Tuesday 4th May

Despite feeling fragile Andrea managed to get out of bed early and visit the Challenged Child facility again. This time she was delighted to be able to get some real hands-on experience and work with some of the children in the class room. Steve also enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Long Street Restaurant with Fire Chief Jon Canada. Grits is the perfect cure to a hangover! Jon then took Steve on a quick tour a more run down area of the town, known locally as ‘Little Mexico’ where ‘illegal Aliens’ line the sidewalks early in the morning waiting to be picked up to work on the black market. With the economy in a bad way most of these unfortunate souls were waiting in vein. This was a side to America that we had been shielded from so far on our trip and was a true insight to the dirt behind the shine.

The rest of the team enjoyed a slow morning at the coffee house in the town square and at 10.15am Brian picked us up again and we went to pick up Andrea from the school. From the school we headed back to the highway and our next destination – White County.

After being dropped off at a bank car park (they have drive-thru cash machines here by the way) we were met by Rick and Mustang Jack. This is not to say Jack was a wild horse – but he did have a great deal of horse power under the bonnet of his 2008 Mustang convertible. A tidy 4.6 litre engine! The girls leapt at the opportunity to bask in the Georgian sun and get a ride in the car while the boys followed in convoy behind.

This already sounds pretty cool, does it not? Well, that is not the half of our entrance into that charming county! As we flew down the highway we were given a Sherriff’s escort. Road junctions were held up for us, cars pulled to the side of the road, flashing lights, sirens, the works! The girls took the events all in their stride however and treated the motorists to the ‘royal wave’ as we sped along.

We challenge any other rotary district to top that one – a fly by from the Air Force perhaps?

Too soon our journey was over however and we were met by a welcoming party at the doors to our next rendez-vous – the White County rotary meeting. Here we met more lovely people and president of the Rotary club of White County, Maria Flynn. We thanked Sherriff Neil for our spectacular entrance and tried to tame our windswept locks for the photos. We delivered our talk to the 50 strong crowd and enjoyed a lunch cooked by Melissa’s (American GSE team member) husband and staff.

After the lunch and laden with gifts from the Sherriff and Fire Chief and a signed copy of ‘In the Shadow of Yonah’ by local author Garrison Baker, we were taken to Blackstock Vineyard for a tour and wine tasting. Some of us may have treated ourselves to a bottle or two! The wine was lovely and thanks.

Feeling a little snoozy we then crawled back into the van (which is not looking too tidy now, as you can imagine) and were driven to our evening destination – Lucille’s Mountain top Inn. What a place! Stunning views of the wood covered mountains, a huge bedroom each with en-suite, enormous veranda complete with porch swing and rocking chairs.

The team with Maria Flynn at Lucille's Mountain Top Inn

http://www.lucillesmountaintopinn.com/

The team had some ‘down time’ in the afternoon and at 6.30pm a select few arrived to enjoy the delicious food prepared for dinner.

After having been spoilt rotten again and each given a hamper of White County produce, we sat on the porch and watched shooting stars go by, sipped on wine and rocked (in more ways than one).

If only Gareth had agreed to be spread in meat juices and hover near the woods, we could have topped off a perfect day with a bear sighting. Sometimes that boy can be so selfish!

By Allison

Monkey around in Gainsville

2010-05-06T15:10:00.001+01:00

Monday 3rd May

Bright and early Brian from Gainsville rotary took over the driving duties and we arrived at our next club. As we were a tad early (1hr 30mins!) we decided to check into our motel and collect our thoughts before returning to the church to give our talk.

After our presentation to a 130 strong crowd we were divided up for our vocational visits. Allison went to visit INK (Interactive Neighbourhood for Kids) which is a mini town with shops and businesses and various other kid sized attractions aimed at giving them a fun, interactive and educative experience. Phillippa Lewis Moss who is on the board of directors and an active volunteer was the guide but it was also lovely to meet the staff and find out how passionate and dedicated they were. Gainsville is rightly proud of this innovative place.

Gareth was whisked off to the city hall to meet the finance director Melody N. Marlowe. He enjoyed a good chit chat and they compared revenue streams and local funding issues. Steve had a whistle stop tour of the whole of the fire department and got to drive a big fire truck. Roy visited a trailer manufacturing plant specialising in car transporters. Although the plant was very old the quality of production was excellent with good metal blasting and spray finishes. It was a very well planned tour.

Andrea visited the Challenged Child and Friends which is an integrated school taking 50% main stream kids and 50% special education students. It was impressive to see the two mix so well. The 6 therapy rooms offered the children physio therapy, occupational health and speech and language therapy. Andrea also visited a day care facility for the elderly offering services to senior citizens. She also signed a confidentiality agreement so she could work in the school the next day.

At four o’clock we met at a wonderful museum which had an original log cabin dating from around the 1820s. It also had a memorial garden for the men and women of Gainsville serving in the armed forces and displays inside which told the story of Gainsville through the history, industry and people of the area.

That evening we were sadly denied the opportunity to go onto lake Lanier but instead were rewarded with a wonderful dinner at Rotarian president Rick’s house with his family and several invited guests, and Chris. The fish was delicious (another entry for the recipe book) and company even better. We were sad to leave.

So sad in fact that we felt obliged to drown our sorrows until around 1am in the morning at a local bar called The Monkey Barrel. We now know why the Rotarians have been unwilling to leave us to our own devices and we suspect that someone behind the bar served us a ‘bad pint’ at one point.

Some of us definitely felt a little fragile the next morning.

By Allison

Photo's to follow

12 Stone Church

2010-05-03T02:44:00.002+01:00

Sunday 2nd May

As it was a Sunday and as is tradition in these parts, the team headed off to Church this morning, unbeknowing what they were about to encounter.

The south east of the USA is known as the Bible belt and there are subtle reminders everywhere you look.

We have experienced lots of cutural differences since our arrival and have become accustomed to holding hands whilst seated around the dinner table as our host blesses us and the food we are about to receive but I don’t think any of us were quite prepared for what we experienced today.

Our destination was ’12 Stone Church’ and as we approached, the roads were coned off and traffic marshals in bright orange hi viz jackets guided us to one of the few remaining spaces at the rear of a huge car park.

A small section of the carpark

Police control the traffic on the way into the church

Naively some amongst us were looking for a traditional looking building with a spire and bell tower however what we had before us was more in line with Manchester Central Convention Centre on a larger scale.

12 Stone Church

http://www.12stone.com/

12 Stone Church is quite large but by no means the biggest of dozens in South Gwinnett. Seating capacity is a mere 2,500 for the main hall and it’s first up best dressed.

However if you don’t manage to get in all is not lost as there are two overflow theatres complete with state of the art extra large widescreen video, enhanced with digital audio for your viewing pleasure, which brings the total capacity to around 3000.

Our guide informed us that due to the limited capacity of the building and such a large demand of followers, they hold not one but three services at full capacity, one after the other every Sunday.

You do the Math!

On entering this impressive holy building a warm familiar scent caressed our nostrils, what could it be? A quick glace over one’s right shoulder revealed the source, a Starbucks Coffee shop, of course. A Cappuccino, Blueberry Muffin and a quick check of your emails over the free wifi service. What better way to relax before the up and coming service.

Sarbucks Coffee Shop

As special guests we were given a tour behind the scenes and first stop was the ‘green room’ where we got the chance to meet the rock band who were chillin’ before the gig.

Behind the scenes control room

We then had special access to the prayer room which was the most holy place in the entire building with a great view of the stage. Here the holy men and women of the church would kneel and pray that the performance would go well and also pray for everyone inside.

Goodwill messages in the prayer room

The church caters for all people of all ages from kindergarten through to pensioners. Separate special services are held for children who can sing, dance and have fun whilst having the importance of Jesus Christ and the love of God embedded at an early age.

Kindergarten Area

Kids Studios

We knew that we were in for something quite special as we entered the main air conditioned hall. The atmosphere was quite electric as we parked our bums in the comforting cinema style seats complete with drinks holders for our oversized Starbucks coffee cups.

The Main Worship Hall

The Rock group took to the stage and every one danced the morning away in the stalls and were positively encouraged to great everyone around.

The guest speaker was a gentleman named John C Maxwell who is a well known motivational speaker in the USA, a New York Times best selling author who has sold over 18 million books worldwide. He told us a story of how he was once flying high at the top of his game and appeared on the front cover of ‘Success’ magazine. However the main theme of his teaching was that ‘Were all just one step away from stupid’ and as such he then showed us a mugshot of him in the county jail just after he had been arrested for trying to take a loaded gun in his briefcase through an international airport. The gun was given to him as a present for his wife and the silly fellow had forgotten it was in there!

‘Well I guess stupid is as stupid does’ said Mr Maxwell and he explained how he used to be judgemental of others and this was God’s way of correcting him. Mr Maxwell truly had a rough time however he also explained that in times of crisis, previous credibility goes a long way and it certainly did in his case. On the positive side, due to all the publicity he received, his book sales hit record highs.

The service ended with the Rock band and everybody got the chance of more singing and dancing after which we were told we could get copies of three of Mr Maxwell’s book which he would be signing in the lobby.

We rushed out excitedly to receive our free copies only to discover that they were $20 a pop and going like hot cakes. Praise the Lord!

The remainding day was spent with Rob Pomder and his family at their beautiful lakeside property. The team would like to thank Rob for allowing us to relax at his home and wish his parents well after their home was flooded during heavy rainfall in Nashville

The Mall and Stone Mountain

2010-05-03T02:04:00.000+01:00

Saturday 1st May

After a long and busy week we were all feeling the need for a little of that ‘retail therapy’ which Andrea is fond of telling us about in her presentation. At 9am we were picked up from the Garden Plaza complex by Jack and shortly after dropped off at the Georgia Mall. Think the Trafford Centre only with carpet, not as much natural light but plenty of good shops. This was possibly the first time since we arrived at Manchester airport that we were able to split up and be on our own! With this new found freedom the various members of the team pottered about the Mall, some treating themselves more than others... not mentioning any names...Steve and Allison... think Apple gadgets and clothes respectively!

Roy meanwhile had put us all to shame and gone out at 8.30am to play football with local children and experience soccer coaching American style.

After a relaxing afternoon we were once again reunited and this time we were taken to a stunning natural landmark which the Georgians are rightfully proud of – Stone Mountain. Mr and Mrs Copeland were our delightful hosts for the evening.

http://www.stonemountainpark.com/

Our first engagement for the evening was to walk up this enormous lump of rock (which has a proper geological term but alas – geography was never my strong point, apologies for forgetting). However, Andy made the mistake of telling us that a good time to get up there was 20mins- a pleasant evening stroll now became a sweaty charge up the hill and the summit was taken after just 18mins. The views were spectacular, as you can see.

The girls set off up Stone Mountain

Garth makes it to the top

Closely followed by Roy

Windy at the Top

The City of Atlanta in the distance, simply stunning views!

Once we reached the bottom we jumped back in the van and went to our evening rendezvous- fireworks and laser show at the base of Stone Mountain, projected onto the famous carving of three Confederate heroes (bigger than the Mount Rushmore carvings). The Copelands produced blankets for the kids to sit on and chairs for the oldies. I daren’t tell you who was who! And like any seasoned picnicing group we found a great spot on the lawn and marked our territory. We also had a delicious picnic and some of us went for a wander around a Gulliver’s World-esque theme park.

The largest stone carving in the world (bigger than Mt Rushmore!)

The Memorial Carving depicts three Confederate heroes of the Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and Lt. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

At 9.30pm once the sun had set we lay back and watched the show unfold. There was a mixture of stories told from the history of Georgian music, the story of the American Civil War, an homage to all things American (mainly the military forces) and of course, the star spangled banner was sung with gusto. The laser and fireworks were amazing and the music enhanced the spectacle although the photos never do it justice – take our word for it!

Last stop at about 11pm was a roof-top bar in Lawrenceville where the group all enjoyed some tasty tap beer, except for our exotic friend Garth who sipped on an Appletini. After a long day we were all glad to get home to bed, making sure we would be bright eyed and bushy tailed for church in the morning.

By Allison

Schools and Baseball

2010-05-03T01:34:00.001+01:00

Friday 30th April

Thankfully all team members rose again and enjoyed a buffet breakfast at the home before setting out to learn more of the school system here in Gwinnett County.

First stop was Peachtree High School which was quite something. We were met by Bonnie Driskoll, the assistant principle who guided us around the school which is the largest in the county with 3,100 pupils aged 12-18. The school was a maze of corridors with a huge dining hall at its heart. We are recognising more and more that the Georgian people are no strangers to early mornings and this is instilled in them at an early age as here at Peachtree High School the day begins at 7am. Because of the sheer size of the school lunchtimes are staggered and some eat lunch as early as 10.30am!

Bonnie escorted us outside to take a look at the ‘Special Olympics’ which is an event for Special Ed students to have their sporting talents recognised and no matter what their level of ability they will receive certificates and medals for taking part, or even attempting to take part. Unfortunately the games hadn’t yet started but it was very positive to hear of such an event and see the excitement of the pupils preparing for it.

Straight from the school we headed to the Gwinnett County Public Schools Instructional Support Centre. Here we were met by a lady named Kelly who explained that this huge converted industrial unit was the central hub for all of the public schools in Gwinnett County. The centre houses educational professionals and performs many important tasks such as controlling the air conditioning to all schools, sending out educational television broadcasts that can be accessed by the teachers and training staff how to use the new, innovative education technology such as touch pads and digital projectors. The team had great fun testing out the texting pads and had their wits pitted by the digital educator. Thankfully it appears that we are all smarter than an 8th grader!

The team enjoyed a little time to relax at the Garden Plaza before heading out the see our second baseball game. This time we saw the Gwinnett Braves (who are just one down from being pro’s). We wore our Braves T shirts (supplied by Gwinnett Rotary club – thank you) and proudly cheered them on to a comfortable victory.

By Andrea

Institutionalised - school to prison to retirement home all in one day!

2010-04-30T21:29:00.007+01:00

Thursday 29th April

This morning we enjoyed a very welcomed light breakfast, a choice of fruit, yoghurt and Pam’s homemade granola – another great recipe that’s heading back to the UK with us.

We enjoy breakfast whilst Monkey (the dog) enjoys his sunny spot.

After yet another fond farewell our first stop was Picken’s County Middle School. We arrived to see and take part in a special assembly/event where the middle school students were showing off their skills and opportunities to prospective students from a local elementary school. We heard the choir sing, the band play, saw a video produced by the pupils and watched the cheer leaders perform. The kids seemed delighted when we were asked to ‘speak English’ and tell them a little about ourselves and why we were there. Gareth took to the stage with gusto although the team may have enjoyed the ‘performance’ a little more than the kids. Sadly, his tuneful rendition of ‘Fly me to the moon’ seemed to bemuse the school band and fell on the deaf ears of the students. He was perhaps too 'fly for a white guy'!

Bendy and energetic cheerleaders perform at the high school.

Our Rotarian guide from this point on was Chris LeMieux, the Principle of Picken’s County Middle School. He gave us brief tour and explained about the rotary-led Youthact and Interact programmes which encourage school children to set up fundraising initiatives. He then whisked us off to visit Tate Elimentary School. The Jasperians are particularly proud of this school as it is made entirely of the local marble and is one of the oldest schools in the state.

Marble school.

After a whistle-stop tour we were again on the road and due to the legendary traffic congestion found ourselves catapulted out of the truck and giving our presentation to our next host rotary club – South Gwinnett. It was lovely to see some familiar faces in the crowd as Melissa, Doug, Jeremy and Chris (the American GSE team) had turned up. Rotarian Andy Copeland was now in charge and we headed off to the Gwinnett County Sherriffs Department Direct Supervision Facility which can house up to 2744 inmates at a time. We sense this may have been a warning to the team about what sort of accommodation we might expect should we be caught taking more photos of guns in Walmart!

Restraining devices for unruly inmates on J-pod.

One highlight of this visit was to meet some of the inmates and their dogs who are part of a special rehabilitation programme. This programme means specially selected inmates are given the opportunity to learn dog training skills and care for dogs which would have been put down at the pound. These dogs arrive at the prison on the day they were to be ‘euthanised’ and are trained up by the inmates so that they may be re-homed in loving families. It seemed to be a very positive programme.

Next stop was the nearby 911 emergency call centre. This state of the art facility only opened in February and has been visited by experts from all over the world as it is at the cutting edge of technology and innovations in crisis management. The building is hurricane, tornado, ice storm and sunshine proof and the generators could keep the building powered for 14 days. That is a lot of building!

Finally we boarded the bus and within no time we were deposited at our ‘rest home’. The Garden Plaza complex is a luscious retirement home with pool, Jacuzzi, gym, pool room, internet cafe, crocket lawn and restaurant. We had a good meal then retired for the night after another exhausting but interesting day.

Andrea's final resting place, only for the weekend, mind!

Thanks to all who helped and drove us about!

Marble, cowboys and horses

2010-04-30T21:13:00.009+01:00

Wednesday 28th April

After a hearty cowboy sleep we arose to a misty morning. Pam served up sausages and her mother’s special recipe of citrusy-gooey-slightly nutty French bread. Not sure what it was called but it was jolly nice! At 9am sharp Fred and Charlie picked us up and sped us on our way to the first engagement- shopping trip at ‘Bargain Barn’. One can purchase anything from guns to BBQ utensils, really anything a true southern American would need for a day in the woods!
Next stop was the Tate Georgian Marble Quarry where we were given hard hats and a guided tour of the open mine site. The sheer size of the place was staggering – the marble vein is said to run 2,000 ft deep and there should be enough marble to last 3,000 years (that equates to loads more tombstones)!

The girls model hard hats and marble.

Lots of machine, lots of marble.

Armed with a goodie bag filled with marble we left the quarry for lunch and gave a presentation to Jasper rotary club. The team ate up quickly because they were all looking forward to visiting Sacketts. Larry (our cowboy/lawyer/host at Ranch 74) assured us this was the place to go for the authentic cowboy attire. Andrea and Allison couldn’t resist the opportunity to try on a full cowgirl outfit (minus the gun and horse).

Daisy May and Roy Rogers work the cowboy look!

Back on the road again we drove out of town for an hour towards the starting place of the Appallacian trail. This is also the site of the spectacular Amicalola Falls – one of the biggest waterfalls in Georgia. Desperate to stretch our legs the team hiked up 426 steps to the view from the top.

View from the bottom.

View from the top.

Back at the Ranch we all got the chance to do something we put on the wish list- horse riding! Each of us enjoyed a sedate amble around the paddock sitting on authentic western saddles and were treated to Manny’s ‘trick’.

Andrea and horse.

Our fun loving guides Charlie and Frank were the eager to take us out in Jasper for Dinner. Charlie noticed how thirsty we all looked and we stopped off at a Mexican restaurant for a beer on the way...and of course a mandatory basket of spicy chicken wings. We then continued on to our dinner destination, ‘Crust’ where we devoured more massive and very tasty meals but still managed to find room for a nightcap back at the ranch.

Thanks to Charlie and Frank for taking good care of us.

By Allison

74 Ranch - Jasper County

2010-04-30T02:50:00.001+01:00

Tuesday 27th April

For breakfast we were treated Pancakes, a half dozen different kinds of syrup as well as some tasty sausages in true American style thanks to District Governor and chef Shane.

The rest of the morning was spent relaxing around the house. Some of the team went for a run around the beautiful housing development, others played 8 ball pool and the team also took some time to refine their presentation prior to today’s afternoon engagement with the Rotary Club of Canton.

We travelled with Shane down to the conference centre for our lunch and presentation, this club would be classed as one of their medium sized clubs with around 50 members and it appeared that most had turned out in eager anticipation to hear what we had.

We conducted our presentation in our usual professional manner and afterwards to our surprise we were given each a gift bag containing a whole host of trinkets which had been put together very kindly for us by the Canton Rotary club. In fact with everyone’s generosity out here we may exceed our luggage limits, although we could use this as an excuse for not buying all our friends and family gifts!

From the Canton Rotary club we were driven up into the hills to a town called Jasper, which we were all quite excited about as we heard we were to stay at a working ranch called 74 Ranch.

seventyfourranch.com

On our arrival we were greeted at the gate by one of the owners Pam, who caught our eyes straight away as she strolled across her property in full cow girl attire, at that point we all knew we were in for an authentic time.

The lodgings that we were staying in had been lovingly restored to their original pre-civil war beauty by Pam and her husband Larry.

We were given a tour of the property, Steve, Gareth and Roy were to sleep in a well equipped ‘Bunk House’, which had its own wood fire, wash and shower facilities and if any of us were feeling up to it, a honeymoon suite!

The girls we in the main house in a tastefully decorated twin room, in fact all the rooms in the house were decorated and furnished lovingly and sympathetically to the surroundings. The rest of the house itself sits surrounded by paddocks and stables, in which we watched their horses grazing and other usual ‘horse type things’.

We got ourselves settled, made friends with the several dogs which call the ranch home then later on were taken for a meal to the Wood Bridge Inn, located just by.....a wooden bridge.

A good meal was had by all, in fact some of us tried oysters for the first time, Gareth including. However unbeknown to him at this point he’d just ingested a food which was to rendering him ‘incapacitated’ later on that evening, you can use your imagination!

The rest of team ended their evening with Larry and his guitar, in front of the wood burning fire - singing a few cowboy songs and learning some more about the confederate war history.

Canton - Evening with the District Governor

2010-04-28T02:06:00.003+01:00

Monday 26th April

Sadly it was time to leave the lake house and we all gathered our belongings together, had a light breakfast, cleaned up the house and set off for a look at what Canton had to offer.

Our first stop was at the Funk Heritage Museum which was dedicated to the Native American Indians and we heard all about the 'The Trail of Tears' in which they were driven from their homeland by the US Federal Government between the years of 1831 - 1838.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_of_Tears

We then got the chance to relax at the YMCA health club where we had free run of the gym, and swimming pool before lunch which was spent in a Mexican restaurant. For the first time we had normal size meals and we didn't have to undo the buttons on our trousers before leaving our seats.

We then visited a place called The Boys and Girls Club. This was an excellent facility in which Anton Zellmann, one of our Rotarian Hosts is on the board of directors. The Club offers a supervised environment that children can visit after school and can stay right up till 8pm. It is semi structed in that the first hour must be spent doing homework and then there are optional sessions such as finance management, life skills and assisted college application workshops followed by free social time when they can make use of th many recreational facilities encompasing sport, music and art.

The Club is open to any chilren at an extremely low cost so can be utilised by families with low income.

Their Promise is -

To provide a quality developmental program that empowers metro Atlanta youth, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to become productive adults.

Check out their website at - http://www.bgcma.org/

Outside the club with Anton Zellmann and Kristine Pruss

As we were a little ahead of schedule for the day we took the opportunity to visit the local Walmart store to stock up on some cheap goodies.

Really all that we wanted to do was see a supermaket that sells guns. In the process Andrea got chastised for taking a picture of all the rifles on the wall and was sternly told to erase it immediately.

Andrea's 'Erased' picture of Rifles in Walmart

We were hosted that evening by the Rotary 6910 District Governor Shane Burr and his family and were treated to a fantastic Itallian supper. Italy has a special place in the heart for the Burr family as it's where Shane met his wife Donna and the rest is history.

A much needed rest

2010-04-26T17:52:00.003+01:00

Sunday 25th April

The team made the most of their first opportunity to have a lie in and rose to a beautiful day, the air had cleared following the storms and the sun was glistening on lake arrowhead.

We enjoyed a little time relaxing around the house until our brunch hosts came to pick us up. Shane Burr is the district governor of 6910 and he arrived with his wife Donna and his mother, a spritely lady who had no problems with the steep hills and jumping in and out of the monster cars that everyone seems to drive.

We arrived at our brunch destination, Canton Golf Club, which was set at the top of a steep hill with yet more great views of the lush greenery surrounding us and an interior not dissimilar to that of a scene from Dallas.

We were met their by more rotary friends, old and new. Brunch was a great spread with the traditional grits and a novel omelette building bar!

Anton Zellmann from the Canton Rotary Club first in line for an Omlette

http://www.zellman.com/autobizography.htm

After declining some very kind offers of things to do, the team opted to spend the remainder of their rest day chilling out by the lake which subsequently meant sunbathing, reading, swimming and fishing, with both Andrea and Steve reeling in some prize fish whilst soaking up the beautiful Georgia sunshine.

All the fish we caught were returned safely to the Lake to fight another day.

We had a brief visit from the very generous owner of the lakehouse Mark Shultz, who kindly allowed us to stay and enjoy the serenity of the lovely lakeside location for the weekend.

After we had basked all we could bask and the sun was disapearing behind the mountains Edna arrived with Sue who had prepared our evening meal of shrimps and vegetable casserole.

We all enjoyed the delicious banquet and the chance to reflect a little more about our trip so far, all agreeing that we could happily stay in this location for much longer....but we have many more places to go, people to meet and presentations to give, so we gotta keep moving!

Andrea Wilson

Habitat for Humanity

2010-04-26T14:20:00.002+01:00

Saturday 24th April

It was an early rise once again for the team this morning as they set off at 7am to partake in a community service project called “Habitat for Humanity” which is a charity that builds homes for deserving families in the community, giving them a chance to own their own home for the first time.

Everyone was feeling a little weary as we hadn’t had much sleep for a couple of reasons. Firstly the owners of the lake house had kindly provided us with ample beverage which was to be enjoyed well into the wee small hours and secondly a Tornado that had been raging through Mississippi was heading in our direction and heavy rainfall, winds, thunder and lightning was keeping us awake.

The rain was still falling hard in the morning and there was thought of cancelling the day’s activities. However the British stiff upper lip approach was adopted and we headed off to do our duty.

After around 45 min’s of driving through the rain we arrived at the building project.

Ever since we got here, the kindness and hospitality we have received has been truly humbling and today was our opportunity to give a little back, so after a hearty breakfast of doughnuts, bagel’s, coffee in a box and prayers, we signed legal waivers as is the tradition in these parts and got stuck in to the job in hand which was to paint the whole interior of the house in a single day! Time passed really quickly and the team kept everyone in good spirits by singing along to Bohemian Rhapsody and How Deep is Your Love.

Lunch came in the form of Kosher wieners and crisps served next to the chemical toilet for the ultimate in convenience as the rain subsided for the duration of our break. This enabled us a chance to speak to and pose for photos with the Berry/Pruitt family who were to receive the house from the ‘Habitat for Humanity’ project.

The evening was spent at Edna’s house where we were treated to a ‘Low country boil’ which consisted of Shrimps, Potatoes, Sausage, Corn and Onion all boiled together in the same pot. Delicious! Edna is a Rotarian who lives on a small family farm which has goats, lamas, cows and miniature horses. We all had a fantastic evening and one of the highlights was Edna’s home cooked chocolate fudge brownies to which Allison referred as the best she had ever tasted. It was also a benefit to have wifi access to update the blog which we hadn’t had for a few days.

Back at the Lake house the team relaxed on the boardwalk with fine beverage in the form of Roy’s Californian Shiraz (Roy had gone to bed by this time) and discussed some of the differences between the two cultures that we had encountered. Some of our observations are as follows and are by no means meant to be disrespectful, we’re just taking a little time to adjust.

Being asked for ID whilst buying alcohol was a bit of a novelty at first but is somewhat annoying after a while .More so when you have grey hair and are clearly old enough to be the parent or grandparent (Roy) of the person serving you it’s ludicrous.

‘No ID, no beer’ is the phrase, but its more like ‘no IDea’ as little discretion appears to be used.

Now contrast that with the states gun laws where you can conceale a loaded semi-automatic pistol whilst you pick up your kids from school or carry a ‘six shooter’ into church with you and your brain begins to melt with the apparent absurdity of it all.

Now of course that’s the British perspective, however down here, carrying a gun to them is about as natural as putting milk and sugar into hot tea is for us. (They always cringe when we tell them we do that).

One of the great things about the southern twang is the way they simplify certain words or sayings, why use two words when one will do, e.g. y’all = you all. Even more efficiently three words into one e.g. dyeet = did you eat. Crucially, all the above needs to be spoken in more of a John Wayne rather than Hugh Grant style accent or it just doesn’t work.

Another new phenomenon that the team has discovered in our short time down here is that rather than relatives and in laws just hinting to a newlywed couple that they might want to consider having children, instead they pack them off on what is known as a ‘Procreation Vacation’ also known as ‘Babymooning’.

Our conversation continued once again into the wee small hours but this time the team could relax safe in the knowledge that they were being treated to a rest day and did not have to get up early in the morning.

Wish List

2010-04-25T02:36:00.002+01:00

Wish List

Some of you very kind Rotarians have said you would like to know what we would like to do. After some discussion here is a ‘wish list’ we have compiled. Some things you may be able to help us with, some things may be a little more tricky! Please do not think we expect to do all of this!

• Meet some cowboys!

• Enjoy some live music, in a local bar perhaps?

• Visit a gun shop, hold some guns and maybe even do some shooting! We hear Franklin’s in Athens is good.

• Steve would like to have a test ride on a Harley Davidson.

• Get pulled over by a Sherriff, with a big gun!

• Visit the highest point in Georgia (be that building or mountain). We hear sunset and sunrise is a good time to do this sort of thing in Georgia. Rock City Gardens is a good place so we hear?

• Get a ‘honk’ from a trucker!

• White water rafting.

• Mountain biking.

• Visit a basketball game.

• Do some shopping in local shops/main streets and visit a Mall and a Walmart.

• Sit on a porch on a rocking chair singing the blues.

• Visit Tallulah Falls or Amicalola Falls.

• Hike some of the Appalachian Trail.

• Go on a scenic train ride.

• Kick boxing (Ali – you said this may be possible?)

• Visit a spa (the watery kind not local shop kind)

• Gareth would like to visit and sit in a big RV.

• Get a take-out pizza and visit a drive in movie theatre. We hear there is a good one in Tiger and Blue Ridge.

• Eat some of the following – fried okra, venison, corn bread, home cooked grits, Waffle House, Taco Bell, good Mexican food, Tacco Mac (?), eat some good home cooked food.

• Walk on the moon!

Lake Arrowhead

2010-04-25T02:35:00.004+01:00

Friday 23rd April

After home cooked breakfasts with our host families we all loaded our suitcases back into the van and headed off for a very detailed tour of the Rome History Museum. As well as telling the story of the founding and history of Rome there was also a display of past presidents of Rome Rotary Club, one of the first clubs established in the state.

Following the historical visit we were taken to Berry College campus. This is the largest college campus in the world, set amongst beautiful woodlands, rolling hills (which Steve had the pleasure of hurtling up and down on a mountain bike on Thursday evening) and lush green pastures. Many of the buildings were built by past students and a founding principle of the college is to not only provide an excellent education but also an environment where they can earn money to help pay for the tuition fees and learn business management and entrepreneurial skills.

Lunch was at a lovely local place in Rome called The Harvest Moon Cafe. Yet again, enormous portions but very tasty. After lunch it was time to leave Rome and wave goodbye to our new found friends and head off to Canton for the next leg of our journey.

We were met at the pearly gates of Lake Arrowhead ‘gated community’ by Peter Gleichman and wound our way along twisting paths and through tall forests which occasionally allowed us glimpses of a sparkling lake. Finally we reached our destination and to our amazement found ourselves staying for the next 3 nights in a 4 tiered lakeside property complete with 3 balconies revealing stunning views and a jetty where we proceeded to bask in the sun and dive into the crystal clear waters. It really was hell, but someone has to do it!

http://www.lakearrowheadga.com/

After a few heavenly hours we enjoyed a delicious BBQ (English style) cooked expertly by Peter and the odd tipple! What a great way to round off a busy week.

Rome

2010-04-25T02:09:00.004+01:00

Thursday 22nd April

The day started with a visit to Rome’s most prominent landmark the Clock Tower which is situated on top of one of Rome’s Seven hills. The view from the top was spectacular which enabled us all to get a full perspective of the size and location of the city and its beautiful surrounding mountains. We then went back inside the clock tower and up to see the bell itself where Gareth was a little on edge due to all the spider webs lurking in the corners.

We then took a trip to the 911 Emergency Call Centre which was very informative before meeting a policeman with a real gun. He duly informed us that the state is making it easier for people to carry a gun on the street which although may seem a bit extreme for our UK readers, it’s considered a citizen’s right to ‘pack some heat’ around these parts. In fact, it’s quite legal to carry a loaded gun in the unlocked glove box of your car as it’s considered an extension of your own home. Well of course it is silly!

We then took a trip to the City’s water purification plant and it’s sewage treatment works which were very informative and educational. We noticed on the itinerary that we were also due to visit the local landfill site but unfortunately we did not get the time, however we do hope that our opposite numbers the USA GSE Team are not so unfortunate and get the chance of a full and detailed tour of Bredbury Tip at some point during their stay.

We were hosted for lunch by the Rome Rotary club where the team once again gave their presentation. This time to around 180 Rotarians and their respective guests which was the second largest audience thus far.

The afternoon saw each team member go their separate ways on individual vocational visits for the first time since arriving in Georgia. Gareth went to City Hall, Allison went The Chieftain’s House Museum, Andrea went to The West Central Elementary School, with special educational needs facilities, Steve visited The Fire Department of Rome and Roy got the chance to coach some local soccer scholorship boys and girls.

Steve muscled in on Gareth’s host family in the evening and went Mountain Biking with Stephan LaPoint. Stephan is an avid cyclist who’s collection of bikes, bits and tools would put Halfords to shame. A big shout out has to go to Cycle Therapy who provided Steve with a brand new Scott Spark 40 Mountain Bike for the ride.

www.cycletherapy.us

Meanwhile the rest of the team went to watch the Rome Braves baseball team where they were treated to a VIP Suite with food and drink being served throughout the game. Unfortunately the Braves lost although none of the team could really understand what was happening they cheered and booed when prompted.

Madison Day Two

2010-04-25T01:33:00.001+01:00

Wednesday 21st April

This morning we all met up at Perk Avenue again after bidding farewell to our respective families. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast of various filled bagels and coffee. Andrea was very pleased to see English tea was on the menu and Gareth seemed to be reverting back to his old self by ordering a ‘porker’!

Our host Andy then kindly gave us the morning to enjoy the lovely town of Madison in our own time which is something we haven’t had much opportunity to do so far. Madison itself is a lovely town which had many quaint antiques shops a lovely little dairy fudge cafe. It has actually been voted the best small town in the whole of the USA by an American magazine. We were later told that the magazine went out of print some years ago but Madison is still proudly holding on to the title!

Roy, Alison and Andrea headed to the local park which was a lovely green lawned area complete with bandstand to soak up a bit of the beautiful sunshine of which we tend to view mostly from air conditioned rooms.

Steve ran as fast as his little legs could carry him to the toy shop to purchase his Tonka truck and proceeded to show us how he used to play with his original!

Steve also got the chance to visit Tim the Madison Fire Chief and Bank Manger

Andy then kindly passed us over to Betty who obviously noticed how malnourished we were looking, so she took us to a lovely all you can eat restaurant called the Blue Willow Inn. The buffet consisted of all things southern. New experiences included chicken and dumpling soup, which looked remarkably like wallpaper paste but the brave members who sampled it said it was actually quite tasty. We also tried fried green tomatoes and fried chicken livers. Yum!

Following much conversation over lunch on the group’s latest obsession ‘GUNS’ Ken, Betty’s husband gave us all a chance to pose for a picture with his 9mm semi automatic pistol. Not one passer by batted an eyelid as each member of the took turns to ‘pack some heat’ in the carpark.

Gangster Moll No1

Gangster Moll No 2

Gangster Moll No 3

Are you pleased to see me!

Our next destination was Rome and we arrived at Rome Country Club where the group spilt and headed back with their respective families to change for Dinner. Andrea and Allison were together and the three boys had separate families to stay with.

Rome Country Club is a grand place and Rome Rotary had kindly arranged a welcome dinner for our group and a select few of the Rome Rotarians. We discovered that Rome is the oldest and largest rotary club in Georgia with over 200 members. We all enjoyed a delicious meal and were made to feel very welcome by our Roman hosts who provided each team member with a goodie bag which included a full and detailed itinerary of our time in Rome.

Madison - Morgan County

2010-04-21T22:35:00.003+01:00

Tuesday 20th April

Today was a busy day for the team, it began with an early rise and visit back over to Cartersville Rotary club for their early morning Rotary meeting.

We were not as bleary eyed as we thought we might be, as the breakfast clubs visits did at first appear to start at an ‘uncivilized’ hour. However we were bright eyed and bushy tailed, and ready to go!

We had breakfast and then another successful presentation, following this we were taken back to the hotel where we collected our cases and headed off to our next destination of Madison in Morgan County.

The day was more overcast than on previous days and we experienced a drop or two of Georgia rain on the way over.

On our arrival in the town we had chance for a brief visit to a few of the Main Street shops before we were taken to the Chop House, where we were to have lunch and give an afternoon presentation.

Madison

Our guide for today was the club president Andy Williams, not the famous crooner but one of the youngest Rotary presidents in the country at only 25 years old.

Gareth with Andy Williams in Perk Avenue

From lunch, Andy took us on a brief tour of some of the historical houses of the town, the properties were beautiful – think Gone With The Wind style grand colonial homes, you can almost imagine the local militia marching past, although it appears today they would most likely use a Ford Pick-Up Truck. We also had the benefit of a professional tour guide for these various homes.

As we had been on our feet for such a long time, we were taken for a brief rest to the delightful local coffee shop called Perk Avenue. It is independently owned like most businesses in the city. There was a great look and vibe about the place, more types of coffee than you could shake Rotary flag at and some very tempting looking food.

We could have spent longer at the cafe, it was very much similar to the Central Perk Cafe on friends and this cafe alone was a good enough reason for us all to considering Madison our new home town!

Later on after we had visit to the locally based and very interesting Cultural Centre but prior to being taken for our evening meal; Steve, Roy and Gareth were taken to their accommodation for the evening, the Brady Inn. The accommodation was excellent and resembled one of the grand homes we had been visiting previously. The owners were very obliging, we had the building to ourselves, they provided us with soft drinks and wine and a great place to sleep.

However sleep was not the priority at this point, as we’d not eaten for over an hour it meant it was time to go for dinner. Tonight Andy took us Tequila Express, which served homed cooked Mexican and Greek food.

We were well looked after by the owner Ricardo and introduced to some new flavours and food, although the conversation involved Andy being brow beaten into benefits of the British way of restaurant etiquette and our obviously unquestionable reputation for good food!

Just as we were thinking the night couldn’t get any better, we were taken to the beautiful home Shauna Von-Hounstein.

This was to be the girls accommodation for the night, to say the house was ‘big’ was an understatement. It was situated on a complex of other large homes but with a rear woodland backdrop, providing a completely natural view.

We were also treated to a fabulous evening of cocktails, games of pool, good conversation and all in the surroundings of Shauna’s social wing of the house, which had its own bar, concealed fridge freezer holding nothing but drinks and ice, large screen TV with surround sound, covered outdoor veranda and ‘hot tub’ in which ‘some guest’ chose to end their evening.

Both Andy and Shauna really looked after us all, showing us everything that is great about where they live, I’m sure we’ll remember our new friends from Madison, Georgia.

By Gareth (aka Garth)

2010-04-21T13:20:00.003+01:00

Monday 19th April

Monday was a very busy day. We were out of the Holiday Inn at 8am and headed straight for the Cartersville Fire Department. We were met by Chief Carter who took us for a fascinating tour around the building. Steve got a chance to talk shop with his American counterparts and the girls (including Gareth) enjoyed a trip up the 100ft extending rescue ladder which gave us a magnificent view of the town of Cartersville.

A view of Cartersville from the rescue ladder

Chuck (our tour guide and Rotarian host for the day) then took us the scenic route to the Booth Museum – dedicated to celebrating the Wild West and Native American art and culture. We were thoroughly spoiled as they opened up especially for us and our tour guide was Jim Dunham, an expert on all things western. The art was inspiring and the museum itself beautifully laid out with a fantastic interactive area for children (and big kids too!). We even got to hold Jim’s gun and see his gun slinging skills.

Next, we were whisked off to give our presentation to Cartersville rotary club and enjoyed a good lunch. It was lovely to meet local Rotarians and we even posed for a photo with Avery who was celebrating his 94th birthday!

After lunch we were again on the road. Chuck drove us past the Etowah Indian mounds on the way to meet Diana Tate (leader of the city council) who gave us a guided tour of the City Hall and explained how Cartersville is run. It was refreshing to see how much the public is involved and valued in the decision making process. This was particularly interesting for Gareth who works for a local government authority back at home.

Straight from Diana’s warm hospitality we were taken to Adam Wade at the Tellus Science Museum. What a place! The museum is enormous and yet again the minerals, fossils, automobiles and other exhibits were laid out beautifully to inspire, inform and bring home the wonder of our planet. We enjoyed a show in the planetarium and all posed as US astronauts. We also did some ‘panning’ for minerals and discovered fossils in another great interactive child and adult friendly area. You can tell the Americans (and especially Cartersville residents) really value culture and learning and are rightly proud of these institutions. We may even end up in the local paper as we had to pose for the photographer – America, we have arrived!

Apollo 11

16th-24th July 1969

Don't know when I'll be back!

Finally, Chuck took us back to the Holiday Inn and gave us a leisurely 20 mins to change and make our way over to the BBQ at the outdoor pavilion back at the Tellus Museum. All the rushing was worth it though. For those of you back at home we have uncovered one culinary difference between our two cultures – BBQ over here means meat (pork/chicken) shredded and in sauce. BBQ as far as we know it is called a ‘grill’ over here. Very tasty whatever you call it!

Finally we went back to the hotel, Steve and Gareth did the blog and we sharpened up our speeches. It was a long day but great fun and very informative. We were made to feel very welcome and slept soundly – thanks to Chuck and everyone who treated us so well.

By Allison

Back on the road

2010-04-20T01:43:00.000+01:00

Sunday 18th April

We hit the road again today and headed back up North towards Atlanta. The roads are long and straight so to pass the time we alternated between playing trivia and eating Gummy Bears. We pitted our witts aginst the American team but matter how hard we tried to let our gracious hosts win we failed miserably.

The midway point in our journey saw both teams stopping at Longhorne Steak House for a flame grilled lunch. What we have all come to realise, much to the detrement of our ever expanding waistlines is that the food portions here are extreamly more generous than what we get back home. This is a big country with a big apetite.

This stop saw us bid farewell to our new friends from the US GSE Team for the time being. This was a sad moment as we had shared so many good times together and bonded so well since our arrival.

The US GSE Team at Longhone Steak House

When we reached Atlanta we briefly stopped to swap drivers. We said goodby to Gary Moore who handed over to Candler Ginn who showed us round the palatial HQ of Georgia Power. We then headed onwards for the final leg of our journey which brought us to Catersville where we spent the night in a Holiday Inn.

Jekyll Island Day 3 - The presentation

2010-04-19T01:30:00.002+01:00

Saturday 17th April

Today was the big day as it would be our turn to take to the stage and address the conference with our presentation that we have all worked so hard on over the last six months. But before that there was the small matter of the 5k charity race for which we have received so much sponsorship money from various rotary clubs back in the UK. We had to get up even earlier this morning as the race was due to start at 07:00.

Getting ready for the 5k race at sunrise

Those of you who did donate you can be assured that you got your monies worth as a fantastic effort saw all the team finishing well up the front end of the field with Steve coming in as overall race winner. Roy was pleased to be awarded first place in the veterans race although his pride took a bit of a hit when he found out the only other veteran walked the whole distance finishing a full 30 minutes behind him. All the money raised will be going towards Rotary’s work to eradicate Polio throughout the world.

It was then straight back to the hotel for a shower and change into our uniforms before heading off for our moment in the spotlight. Backstage in the ‘green room’ everyone was feeling nervous with a tinge of excitement, wondering how we would be received by our Georgian hosts. As we were introduced to the stage the crowed got to their feet and put their hands together and gave us the kind of welcome usually reserved for royalty. One by one we stepped up to the microphone and addressed the crowd with our individually prepared speeches. All the hard work we had put in over the previous six months paid off as the claps and the laughs came in all the right places and every member of the team each received a standing ovation. We were then given front row seats in order for us to watch our opposite numbers, the outgoing US GSE Team deliver their presentation which they duly did in a slick, polished and professional manner. It was such a relief for both teams to have finished and performed so well, everyone had a beaming smile from ear to ear as individual praise was given out to us from our fantastic hosts as we left the building.

The US GSE Team on stage just after their presentation.

(OUR TEAM PHOTO TO FOLLOW ONECE I GET IT!)

The afternoon saw both GSE Teams dolphin spotting just off the coast of Jekyll Island, which was a great way to relax after such a busy morning.

Dolphin watching off Jekyll Island

Everyone looked stunning as they dressed in their finest for the black tie evening.

District 6910 Dinner Evening

During the course of the weekend we have been hearing about so much of the good work that is carried out by individuals and clubs in the rotary district 6910 and this was highlighted this evening when one young 19yr old woman from Lebanon gave an inspiring speech describing her experience as a GRSP student in Georgia, which brought it home to all of our team how influential and life changing such cultural exchanges can be, and the important role they play in creating bonds between the four corners of the world.

The evening ended in a fabulous firework display

Jekyll Island Day Two

2010-04-17T22:53:00.002+01:00

Friday 16th April

We were all up bright and breezy this morning for our first ever Rotary Club Breakfast and it seemed a little strange sitting down at 07:30 watching the Master of Ceremonies giving out awards to deserving Rotarians for all the good work they have been doing in the district. It was the type of event that we would usually associate happening in the evening.

After our breakfast it was off to the main conference hall where the trooping of the colours officially opened the proceedings.

US Soilders who trooped the colours

That was then followed by presentations from various clubs from District 6910 about the charitable work they have been doing around the world, helping those who are much more unfortunate than us. It was a humbling experience so say the least and the passion showed by some of the Rotarians was inspiring.

The Confrence Centre

The afternoon saw the team take a tour around the Historical District of Jekyll Island. Some of the fabulous properties we got to see belonged to America’s wealthiest families including the likes of the Rockefellers.

The Historic District of Jekyll Island

The evening saw the team attend a beach party which was almost a contradiction in terms as it was indoors. However if you put your ear to the fire escape door you could hear the waves crashing against the shoreline just outside. That said the dress code was beach casual so the spirit was there even if the sand was not.

Roy handing over a gift to District Governor Shane Burr

The Beach Party

Gareth, Jeremy, Steve, Roy

Adrea, Allison, Ali

After all the awards were handed out, The Swinging Medallions took to the stage to sing and everyone danced the night away to varying degrees of ability and a great night was had by all.

The Swinging Medallions

Jekyll Island

2010-04-16T16:10:00.002+01:00

Thursday 15th April

We all rose quite early this morning, courtesy of jetlag, Allison and Andrea went for an early morning workout in the gym and Roy decided to go outside for a jog, however he soon discovered that this part of Atlanta has lots of roads and not many pavements so a few laps of the hotel car park was the order of the morning.

Listening to CNN News during breakfast we discovered that we had left the UK just in time as all flights had been grounded due to a Volcano eruption in Iceland which had covered the whole of the UK and most of mainland Europe in a large cloud of volcanic ash.

We met our opposite numbers, the American GSE time for the first time this morning in the hotel reception area before setting off on our 315 mile journey to Jekyll Island, the location of this years District 6910 annual conference. We had two large Ford people carriers to transport us there and we divided ourselves up according to gender rather than teams to enable us to get to know our fellow members.

Lunch break at Buckners family restaurant

Our first evening at Jekyll Island was special to say the least. We started off at the ‘Rah Bar’ eating shrimps, oysters and crawfish whilst watching the sun go down over the harbour.

We then moved on to the picturesque Jekyll Island Club Courtyard where Chris Stallworth introduced us all to his impressive single malt whiskey collection. A man with a more in depth knowledge of scotch I am yet to meet.

Pick of the bunch - a MaCallan fine oak cask 21 year old single malt whiskey

Both GSE Teams at the Jekyll Island Club

The celebration of this fine beverage continued well into the evening before we all headed back to our beach front accommodation in fine spirits in anticipation of the conference opening early next morning.

Departure Day

2010-04-15T13:23:00.001+01:00

Wednesday 14th April

The Team at Manchester Airport

We all met at Manchester Airport at 07:00 ready for the long journey ahead and it wasn't long before the fun started. KLM Airlines operate a self check in system where you have to go to a touch screen, scan your passport, enter every minute detail of your life, your journey and the history of the universe before you receive your boarding pass. You then take the pass to baggage check in before proceeding to security. A simple and easy process. That is unless the 'Computer say's NO !' which it did in Steve's case. To cut a long story short and after around 45 minutes of confusion and a few phone calls to Amsterdam, everyone had to check out and re check in again before we were allowed to board. The District Governor Chris Welton and Alec Johnstone turned up to bid us farewell but in all the confusion we hardly got a chance to speak and sadly they left just five minutes before we got the all clear.

The outbound flight was not direct and we had to change at Amsterdam which was a painless process and it wasn’t long before we were cruising at 38000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. It must be said that the service, food and entertainment we received from KLM was fantastic and we duly arrived at Atlanta at 17:00 local time (22:00 UK). We headed for US customs and had our fingerprints taken and eyeballs scanned for ‘our safety’ before picking up our baggage. We were all then ready to step out into the sunshine but how wrong we were! Atlanta Airport is HUGE! and little did we know that were still two and a half miles from the exit. We had to re-check in our baggage, go through security again, get on a train (which looked uncannily like the London Tube) before finally being reunited with our baggage once again. The whole process lasted around an hour or so.

Garland ‘Gary’ Moore and Melisa met us at arrivals and escorted us out of the Airport into the beautiful Southern sunshine with a temperature of around 26 degrees Celsius. They drove us weary travellers into downtown Atlanta for something to eat and within the hour we were having our first taste of American fast food, courtesy of ‘The Varsity’. Think McDonanlds only bigger with Hot Dogs and chilli cheese fries and you kind of get the picture. Step too close to the counter and you’ll hear ‘What’ll Ya Have, What’ll Ya Have’ billowed out in a double loud echo from the enthusiastic staff.

Roy was feeling hungry after the long flight!!!

Still smiling but wanting their beds

A final tour of the city took us past Turner Fields, The Atlanta Dome, Centennial Park, CNN Headquarters before arrival at La Quinta Inn, almost 20 hours after meeting at Manchester Airport.

La Quinta Inn

We headed straight for our rooms to rest our weary heads in anticipation of our 5 hour journey to Jekyll Island the next day.

Final Team Meeting Before Departing

2010-04-08T22:00:00.003+01:00

WEDNESDAY 7 TH APRIL

We all met in the 'Merlin' close to Alderly Edge at 7pm for our final meeting before departure to Georgia. Everyone was in good spirits after our performance in front of the District Council the previous week and we all found it hard to contain our excitement in anticipation of what lies ahead of us in the coming month.
The past 6 months have flown by and to think that in just one week from now we will be landing at Atlanta Airport.

We ordered some food in the fantastic restaurant and talked about the finer details of what we will be doing at the District Conference in Jekyll Island on our first weekend.

We've all entered ourselves in the 5 km charity run and Roy informed us that the American GSE team who we will be meeting there had originally only entered two of its members. However once they heard that we had entered everyone, it appears that they have decided to follow suite, which is great news !
Roy also informed us that many Rotarians from our District have already provided us with sponsorship for the run and the GSE Team would like to express our thanks to you all.

The team said it's goodbye's knowing that the next time we meet will be 7am on 14th April at Manchester Airport ready to start our Adventure.

Team Presentation to the District Council

2010-03-30T22:26:00.008+01:00

Tonight was a big occation for the team as we were putting all our hard work from the last 6 months to the test, under the watchful eye of the District Council.

Amid a mixture of anticipation, nerve's, anxiety and excitement in varying degrees amongst all members of the team, we all managed to give a credible performance and the feedback we received was very positive and encouraging.

The team would like to thank all the members of the District Council who made us feel very welcome indeed.

Sunday 21st March

2010-03-23T20:43:00.008Z

We all met at Roy's house again with speeches prepared so that we could do a run through before going live in front of the District Council in Wilmslow on the evening of Tuesday 30th March.

Joyce once again put on an excellent spread and we all tucked in prior to getting down to business.

Derek Newman and Alec Johnston came along to see how things were going and to give us some feedback on our work.

Nerves got the better of Steve and he fluffed his lines a little, perhaps it was the thought of having to speak in front of a thousand people at the District Conference weighing on his mind at this early stage.

After the positive feedback from Derek and Alec the team got their heads together and amended the scripts accordingly.

Next meeting we go live fully booted and spurred in our spanking new uniforms !

Uniform selection day

2010-02-22T19:36:00.005Z

Sunday 21st Feb

We all met at Slater's in Manchester city centre to select the uniforms that we would be wearing for formal engagements during their visit to Georgia. After being shown various different colours and designs, everybody's favourite was the grey pin stripe option. It was great that everybody's mind was thinking alike (and to be honest, the other options made us look like flight attendants!). The men chose a single breasted suite with three button's and the ladies opted for trousers instead of skirts.
We also opted for short sleeve shirts in anticipation of the lovely sunny spring weather in the deep south.

After Slater's, Roy led us all to Panama Hatty's for lunch where we all got our heads together and started planning what we need to do before our departure date of 14th April, which although seems a long way off, is rapidly approaching us. We had a look through our Powerpoint presentation on Steve's laptop and everybody was happy with how it looked with just a few tweaks needed for the final draft.

The next meeting date was set for Saturday 13th March, again at Slater's where we will be trying on our new uniforms.

2010-02-12T19:37:00.000Z

Received timetable of events in Georgia, all looks very exciting.

Meeting in Manchester Suinday 21st Feb. to

2010-02-10T21:02:00.003Z

Meeting tonight a my house with Steve. Most Impressed with the progress so far. Well done Steve and thank you.. Name Badges on order now, Business Cards on order later this week. Roy to give Steve address for the photographs. The Brochure pages are almost finished subjest to action photographs from Roy & Gareth.

Roy

The meeting that never happened......

2010-02-09T15:43:00.001Z

Our third meeting was scheduled for Sunday 7th February however things did not go quite as planned. Roy, who had been on holiday in Cuba was left stranded in the airport due to a fault with the plane. Phone calls were made to the team members that the meeting was cancelled however the message did not find its way to Allison who promptly turned up on Roy's doorstep in a timely fashion only to realise that she was all alone.

Second meeting - Speeches

2010-02-09T15:17:00.001Z

We all met again at Roy's house on 13th Dec. All the team members had been busy preparing their individual speeches. We each took our turn to read out what we had prepared and give constructive feed back. It became apparent that everyones speech overlapped someone else's a little. It was also noticed that most of the content was focused mainly on Manchester and less on the rest of our district. It was agreed that the effort we had put into our speeches so far was very good however we would all need to do a bit of tweaking here and there before our next meeting.

Joyce, Roy's wife had made us an excellent chilli con carne with garlic bread and we all tucked in to a hearty lunch and chatted about our plans for Christmas.

First Team Meeting

2009-11-01T14:58:00.001Z

On 31st October the Team met up for the first time at Roy's House.

It was good to see each other again and we all got to know each other a little better and discussed the trip in more detail.

Roy explaind what would be required from us before, during and after the trip and although demanding, everyone was looking forward to getting stuck in.

We viewed the presentation that last years GSE team had produced and it gave us a good idea of the standard that was required and the workload we were undertaking.

Roy allocated each of us with different topics which we would be speaking about in our presentation.

Unfortunately Gareth could not make the first meeting.

Team Selection

2009-11-01T14:27:00.002Z

On Saturday 3rd October 2009, Rotary District 1050 held a selection day to choose the 2010 Group Study Exchange Team.

After completing individual interviews and a group presentation the team was chosen.

The successful candidates were

Alison Kirk
Andrea Wilson
Gareth Hart
Stephen Jefferies

Roy Pickersgill was introduced as team leader