Whew! This last week has had a lot going on!
Sunday brought our final day of archery! The exam was roughly 4 ours, but we all really breezed through it and all passed! We received a little certificate and a cool green badge that says 'Archery Leader'. We are certified for 2 years and are qualified to set up ranges, fix equipment, and lead sessions.
The next day brought my very first retreat! I was so excited to be able to greet the bus with 44 kids. As we sat in front of the centre waiting for them to show up, I really didn't have a very clear idea of what this retreat would look like. I had the rota, but that couldn't prepare me for the actual experience. The group was here for a total of about 25 hours, so we had planned a very tight and packed schedule.
The overall theme of the retreat was 'The Road Less Travelled (Leadership)'. Throughout the retreat we had 7 sessions surrounding this theme - doing things like trust and communication games, talking about people we admire, team challenges, problem solving, and looking at our own road and where we might go next. This is a really relevant theme for year 11s because this is the point in their education where they pick the subjects that they are going to hone in on - to put it in American terms, they are in the position of a college sophomore - honing in on what they want to do with their life... at age 15.
The phrase 'Meet them where they are' took on a whole new meaning for me. I was expecting to be somewhat involved in their friend groups, helping provoke conversation, teach them games and encourage activities... things like that. What these young people needed, though, was someone to be there. To be present and available if they needed to talk, but other than that, just to be a safe and comfortable person. I'm still kind of trying to wrap my mind around it.
Basically, this group stopped talking maybe 3 or 4 times total during the entire retreat. Sessions would go without one moment of quiet from the group. Now, this wasn't malicious or intentional disrespect, it was just they way they worked. They just couldn't turn off their mouths. Now, my first instinct after polite requests for quiet and the 'just wait for them to get quiet' method is to sit them down and give them a good lecture, but the SPEC philosophy is to meet them where they are, so they were only given a bit of a stern talking to once. Other than that we did a lot of waiting and just talking over the dull roar. Though this tested the teams' patience, the kids had a great time, and I think by keeping things as positive as possible, the young people were more inclined to get involved and really allow themselves to get something out of the retreat. And they did- I had a quick minute long conversation with a girl whose name I never learned, but at the end of the retreat, she thanked me. It was a real lesson in finding God in the small things.
Overall, it was a really good retreat. I have a lot to learn - this is a new age group for me, a new culture, a new way of doing things etc. But I have 3 retreats this week, so I'll have lots of chances to practice!
I had a day off after the retreat and I wandered into St. Albans to do some proper exploring. I got myself a sim card/cell phone finally, which has proven handy a couple times, but on the whole, it usually stays off in my room. I have enjoyed not having a cell phone. I never realized how much I would check it for calls or messages and the like until I didn't have it - but I don't miss it too terribly :)
I grabbed a sandwich after checking out many resturaunts for the best prices, but then had to figure out where I was going to eat it (it's much cheaper to take away than it is to eat in). And I looked up and saw a sign that said 'Cathedral' with an arrow. So I followed went down a few cobblestone pathways and ended up at the St. Albans Cathedral, which I had heard of, but hadn't seen yet. As I rounded the corner, I discovered a wonderful grassy park with benches and a few trees - it was beautiful (not to mention the sun was shining!). And I ate my lunch and read my book for a couple of hours.
This is the view of the cathedral from where I ended up eating my lunch:
I feel very lucky that this is basically in my backyard. Time off is a completely new concept to me really. During my life, if I had nothing on the calandar for a day, that didn't mean there was nothing to do. There has always been something to practice, a paper to write, or chores to do and errands to run. I don't have other commitments here at SPEC, so my days off really are off. I've been struggling to fill the time. So I am making a list of hobbies to take up. So far, the list includes knitting (which I already do), walking, photography, and party planning. 
Today I combined two of them and took pictures on a walk :) (result on the right) This is in one of the fields on the SPEC grounds - currently my favorite worship area. I also had a great opportunity to go blackberry and raspberry picking today with the Rogers' family - it was very pleasant!
I believe it was that evening that I wandered over to the Pink Lounge in Chantry Lodge to play some cards. We played couple of group games, but the majority of the evening was rather comical because there were 4 people and 4 decks of cards, and 4 different solitare games being played. I'm pretty sure that Sara J. knows an infanite amount of card games - we all kept watching her and trying to figure out her game. We each taught games, but the most popular one was called Napolean. Apparently there is only one situation in which you can win.
The other exciting accomplishment due to time off is a database of games using Microsoft access. It was really nice to be able to record all of the games I know and categorize them - now I can say 'hmm... I have a small group that needs to play an outdoor name game' and I can pull up a list! It's fabulous (and a little nerdy, but I'm really excited :) )
The following two days I was serving in the kitchen as well as doing some other odd jobs. At first I was really fidgety and antsy in the kitchen because it was so low key. I felt as if we should be working hard all day and have no down time, but as time passed, I began to understand that the many breaks were not due to laziness or the need for a British tea break, but to efficiency. The kitchen crew is so together, prepared, and good at what they do, that there wasn't a whole lot to do. I ended up getting teased for asking frequently 'what can I do?'.
Then the weekend came, and a few of us ventured into London for a day. I was very excited to navigate London public transportaton, which we did with ease. Knowing that I can get around is really liberating. SPEC is wonderful, but it's very good to get out, and now I have the tools.
We had a ball! Our first stop was the British museum. It was storytelling day, so in each of the world culture areas there were storytellers throughout the day. Anthony and I snagged a spot front and center on the floor to listen to the Cinderella story from India. It was wonderful. Other highlights from the day included Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter, Picadilly (lots of theatre) and the South Bank of the Themes, which has a lot of free outdoor theatre, workshops, and events going on. We were there as the sun was going down, and the views were excellent. But my favorite part was the giant furniture made out of astro-turf. I think it's a set for a comedy show they do. All 5 of us fit on the arm chair!
Almost done - just two other thoughts...
Post is fabulous! I have gotten a couple of letters and a wonderful package from my family, and they always arrive just when I need a pick-me-up. I can't tell you how many times that perfect timing has worked out. Thank you so much for those letters - they are an amazing support!
We pray twice a day as community, and as the year gets going, we each take turns leading a devotion for the morning or afternoon. I got inspired the other day listening to a band playing Morten Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium, and thought that it would be amazing to use in a prayer. The only problem is that all I can come up with is to use the theme of thankfulness and praise to think/write about while we listen to the piece. Do any of you out there have other ideas/activities/Bible verses/etc. I could use to put together an awesome devotion?? If you think of something send me an email at allicat_smile@hotmail.com . Actually, if you have any thoughts at all or just feel like sending a note, email me - or send some post, because that's fun too! :)
I hope life is wonderful and blessed for you all as well! Cheers!
For more pictures of London and London Colney, click here.
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