Waypost

I only have a few minutes to post photos this morning. I spent this final weekend as a London tourist in a hotel and sorted through some memories of the month. The Tower of London was an amazing site-- just a great medieval structure in the middle of a big city. This night photo is from our first night in London, taken at the Tower Bridge.



A few more shots from The Lake District

Back in Manchester, I found some interesting storefronts for a photo op with a new friend from the Community, who knew his way around and took me on a tour of "Charity Shops" -after my luggage was lost by the airlines for 17 days. My bag had been lost at Heathrow from March 1st through the 17th before I got it.

And here we are on Day 2, somewhat rested and ready. What an adventure!

Sunny London

Nobody ever said to expect sunny weather in London. It's still a little bit cold, but definitely springtime! The fruit trees and magnolia trees are beginning to bloom. The daffodils are well out and yes, we've had loads of sunshine! Over the weekend, I enjoyed a boat tour up the River Thames along with every offering of city tours from the  open-top double-decker bus all over London.

There is so much to do here as a tourist. Fantastic theatre!-  I've taken in a couple of shows-  Blood Brothers and Sunset Boulevard.  I've taken full advantage of free admission to a couple of great museums. The British Museum has a breathtaking collection. It's one thing to know that you are going to see the sculptures from the Parthenon. It's another thing entirely to stand before them! Amazing!

Liverpool vs. Manchester United

I attended a reserve football (soccer) match with a group of about 20 guys from Langdon Community.  Some people were telling me the reserve matches are better and others said they simply weren't the real thing (to me that meant -no Cristiano Ronaldo.)  As an outsider, the event was a completely new experience and filled with unexpected surprises. We were the guests of a friend of a friend, so we had access to a comfy clubhouse within the stadium before and after the game and the guys all really enjoyed it, but I knew they would because we'd been talking about football every day since my arrival.  The team's fan rivalries are a real cultural phenomenon here. Geographically, hardcore opposing fans are all mixed together in close proximity, as the home bases of the teams aren't as spread out as in America.  

As I approached the concessions, I told a friend that I hadn't eaten all day, and he said, "Oh you'll just find your usual selection of stadium fare here; meat pies, sausage rolls, etc."  Oh, my! As I ordered a sausage roll, I explained to him about hot dogs and peanuts.  The sausage roll was quite nice and better than a hot dog, but I couldn't see sitting in a crowded stadium eating a messy meat pie without a fork.

Well, soon it was time to take our seats in the stadium, and we all crowded into our seats. About the time the game was supposed to start, I was again confused when a large group of children ran out onto the field.  Half were wearing red and half were wearing white, and I realized that they were the players when the game started.  I guess those "children" probably weren't children at all, but only my own eyes getting older.  The action of the game was non-stop right from the start, but I was soon thinking about that meat pie again, and looked around and saw people eating their little chicken-pot-pie looking things in their seats.  I hoped there would be some left at the break when I could try one in the comfort of the clubhouse (I did try one, and I would recommend the sausage thing.)

As a sport, I did find it fun to watch.  The skill of the players was impressive with their ball handling and covering that huge field.  I preferred the constant movement and action to the stops and starts in most American sports. The game is played in two 45-minute halves and I was to experience a totally new concept at the end of the tight game.  The match ended in a draw!  2 to 2! Everyone was happy!  I was thrilled that there was no need for overtime.  There was no possibility of the game going into the wee hours of the morning.  Going to a Football game here simply meant an hour and a half time commitment and then, everybody can go home happy!

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism

I thought I'd mention a much needed resource that has come my way.  As I was preparing for this trip -yes, I had read the part of the overview about working with a Jewish company. At least I think that's what it said, but I figured, well, I'll catch up on the holidays for the time we're there and that should do it. After all, at home I attend the Unitarian Church and naturally downplay or ignore differences, really on a need to know basis. However, the provision of a Jewish home life is the main emphasis of the services provided through Langdon Community. So I find myself in need of the "Idiot's Guide."

I celebrated my first Purim this week. We went up to a Jewish community center with a group of individuals from the agency and attended a big celebration. Now here's the brief story for those of you who don't know the story of Esther, niece of Mordecai, queen to King Ahasureus of Persia. For those of you who do know the story, please skip this part. Esther was secretly Jewish, but revealed her identity to the king in time to persuade him to defeat a great villain, Haman, who planned to destroy the Jewish people. Purim celebrates this victory. We are commanded to eat, drink, and be merry. The group we accompanied had a great time at the party with costumes, dancing, eating and, of course drinking.

Shabbat is the weekly Sabbath that begins Fridays at sundown. Last Friday we were invited for our first Shabbes Dinner. Shabbat Candles were lit and a blessing was recited, and we were served a traditional meal featuring roast chicken. It was all very interesting. However, this Friday, to simplify things, we are planning to leave the neighborhood and have a non-traditional, non-kosher dinner out in Manchester.  

A Day at the Museum

One day last week I was invited to visit Katie at the Manchester Museum where she works. She explained to me that she had graduated with honors from a 2-week course offered at the museum for people with disabilities. She now works in the area of the museum where children can take a break and sit at a table. Katie assists her visitors with opportunities for "hands-on" experiences with artifacts. However for my visit, she explained, "I would like to take you around, not for the work that I usually do. I would like to take you on a tour of the museum, and I really hope you enjoy it."

Katie took me to the Lindow Man exhibit which we both found fascinating. It featured human remains dated back to the 1st Century AD, which had been naturally carbon preserved in a peat bog for nearly 2000 years. Archaeologists and Forensic Scientists have pieced together how Lindow Man lived and died.

Katie enthusiastically led my personal tour through the permanent collections of the museum which specializes in Egyptology and zoology. We concluded our tour in the pre-historic section which features one of the most complete skeletons of a T Rex dinosaur. Throughout the tour, I was feeling the joy of a rare experience. I can't tell you how special it was to have my new friend in the UK who works in a museum giving me a personal tour. It was such a privilege.

We are here! We are busy! We are disoriented!

Matt, Dafna, Theresia, and I arrived in Manchester early Monday morning, March 2nd. We were warmly greeted by our hosts from the Langdon Community, Robert and Phillip. At the time, I didn't realize that we were all to have such an informative and exciting time that none of us would want or need a break from what was to be a 36 hour day. Our first stop was the house that the agency arranged for our stay- Matt and I got settled in while the others went up the street to the hotel where Dafna and Theresia would stay for the night.

The house is pristine and they really went all out to cover every detail for us- everything from comfy bedscapes to blooming plants in the windows and a large bowl of mixed fruit on the dining table. As we toured the house we were introduced to our fully stocked kosher kitchen with two sinks and two of everything. Have I mentioned that the Langdon Community is an exclusively Jewish organization? Part of the service provided here is focused on supporting people to maintain an Orthodox Jewish home life and great emphasis is placed upon providing culturally sensitive support & guidance. This is going to be interesting!

Many, many hours later, after a day of meetings and tours and meeting new friends, we were concluding our day at the Trafford Center in Manchester enjoying an ice cream and having a laugh about our memorable Jerry Lewis Telethon length day. I confessed to having been a near miss at making a real embarrassment of myself a number of times that I caught myself from falling asleep at the wrong moment. In retrospect, I think the delirium only added to the excitement of the day- adding that element of suspense to the only day we'd all spend together!

Dafna and Theresia went on to meetings in Frome and London the following day. Of course, Matt and I are continuing our project here in Manchester and we are loving it. Wouldn't it be fun if I shared details of our adventures here? Instead I'd like to say something about the disorientation of travelling on the opposite side of the road in the UK. I guess we're on day 4 now, and I'm not sure whether I can say it's become any less disorienting for me. I'm gaining the advantage of picking out some landmarks to regain my sense of direction which I otherwise lose at every turn. This part of the experience is so much stranger than I ever imagined. I seriously thought I would rent a car and take off on the weekends- but sadly, I cannot be the one to put the world in danger.

I'm already concerned about my time here going very quickly as I can't believe it's already Thursday. I really should share more details about what we've been doing. Well, maybe I'll leave that to Matt. Matt?