One Month and going strong!

As of last friday, the 26th, I have been here 1 month!
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.

Other thoughts on life...

One thing I love about community is the opportunities we have to minster to each other. When you get 30 people that have all given a year (or more) of their life to helping young people, you get a pretty amazing group of people. There is always someone to turn to during both hard times and celebration. I have found this especially with other international volunteers as we struggle together with culture shock, homesickness, and the language barrier (and there are a few words that us American don't understand :) ). I have found that some of our most special times are the non-verbal ones, like the impromptu dance party a few of us had, and teaching each other card games from our home countries.

Having that Lutheran heritage has also been fun sharing. Erik, the other ELCA volunteer, and I have had a great time having Lutheran/Catholic discussions with our Catholic neighbors. We are so blessed to be in such an accepting environment - everyone is curious about Lutherans (there are 15 congregations in all of England and Scotland and Wales) and has had really open ears and hearts to what we have to say. It has gone the other way as well - I certainly enjoy hearing the lively discussions and opinions surrounding catholicism, and am learning more and more what it means to be Catholic to different people.

Of the leadership staff, each have 2 or 3 of us that they are supervising. My supervisor's name is Simon, and he is the qualified youth worker. I am very excited to work with him - I think we are a really good match. He has just the right tools and style to challenge my skills working with young people. I will make a comment like 'yea, sometimes it's hard to get them into a circle...' and Simon replies with 'nah, you just have to train them so they know when you stand a certain way to just do it.' And other things like that. I'm really looking forward to it.

TFG Conference!

It’s been quite the week! Since returning from Snowdonia, I am well on my way to becoming a certified archery leader – along with 11 others from the team. We have learned about safety, shooting, safety, teaching, safety, how to make an arrow, and more safety… you get the idea J
Here is a picture of Sara K. from Sweden and me holding our recurve bows! We take our 4 hour assessment tomorrow – wish us luck!

Monday we went through an intense child protection session, where we learned a lot about what child abuse is and how to deal with it if a young person approaches us with a situation. The rules on child abuse are much stricter here than in the states – I would guess due to the US’s emphasis on freedom. For instance, the most physical harm a child can legally experience is something that leaves a small, temporary red mark. I know that the laws vary across the US, but England has definitely become quite strict, especially in the last few years.

The day became more enjoyable, though, when a number of us headed off to the TFG conference in London! Time for God (TFG) is the UK volunteer organization that the ELCA works with to find placements for the UK volunteers. There have been 3 or 4 conferences during September – ours was 27 volunteers from around the world. It was really nice to be in a group of all international people and have a chance to discuss the issues specific to the international perspective. We talked about ways to budget on a volunteer stipend, some travel tips, and culture shock – what it is and how to deal with it. It was very refreshing to talk to someone who really had a good understanding of what culture shock is and how it can affect people. I have been experiencing some homesickness, some tiredness, and some generally weird emotions. After chatting with my field officer, it became quite apparent that culture shock has hit early for me (usually it comes somewhere 3 or 4 months into the volunteer year). We chatted about it, and I am feeling much better – though prayers would be lovely.

We also got a chance to head into central London! I finally got a chance to see some proper sights! Not only that, I figured out how to navigate the bus system (sort of) and the tube – which was surprisingly easy! We took a leisurely walk around and saw Big Ben, The houses of parliament, Westminster Abbey, St. James Park, and Buckingham Palace.

Here is a picture of me outside of Westminster Abbey. (I plan to go to church here soon!) An interesting note about Westminster Abbey – there was a chapel to the side of the Abbey that was open for free viewing. It had lots of graves and memorials – including one of a woman who had been married to an ‘Edward Sutton’! Maybe Cousin Ann can trace back the genealogy :)

The other highlight of the conference was the TFG West End! We were split into 3 groups and assigned a performance genre. There was a drama group, a dance group, and the song group, which was the group I was in. We were given a CD of ABBA’s greatest hits and sent off on our own. Well, we had some ambitious people in our group and ended up writing a whole script to tie our 5 favorite songs together. Myself, Sara J. from Sweden, and Judith from Germany were the 3 singers – The International Song Birds was our title I believe. I’m quite sure Sara has experience in performing ABBA songs – she knew the songs, the classic ABBA moves, and exactly how to make quick ABBA costumes! Here’s a picture to show you what I mean…



In other news – I have taught the Hippo song to my fellow volunteers, and it is the new favorite, and when I introduced the game ‘Boppity Bop Bop Bop’ and we played for probably half an hour! I find that the silly times have been my favorite. The loft team had a talent show/show and tell event the other night, and I absolutely loved learning the silly songs and games, watching a magic show, and participating in some Swedish and Hungarian folk dancing. What a night!

My other couple favorite moments of the week both occurred yesterday during my day off. I went in to St. Albans by myself, ran a few errands, and then needed somewhere to sit and eat my sandwich. This is the precise moment that I saw an arrow pointing towards ‘Cathedral’. I strolled through the little shopping areas and out a brick path to this beautiful Cathedral that was built from Roman ruins! Then it got better – as I rounded the corner of the building, I found a large grassy park with a few benches and trees. The sun was shining and I ended up sitting, eating my sandwich and reading my book for a couple hours. It was so peaceful watching people walk by and hearing the bells ring every 15 minutes.

Later that day during community time, we worshiped outside around the large cross in the middle of a field. The sun was still shining, and I felt so refreshed and fulfilled. I hadn’t realized how much I missed outdoor worship! It was a wonderful day!

Oh! And I have my first retreat on Monday! I am paired up with a veteran retreat leader, Luke, who is just full of energy and a great guy overall. I am so excited to work with him and learn from his experience. The two pieces I am actually leading with people are an evening prayer and football! It will be a blast – but definitely a challenge, so prayers for that would be wonderful!

Well, I’m going to sign off for now – that’s a lot for one post! I have really enjoyed hearing from all of you – thank you for your emails and thoughts and prayers. Much love to you all!

And as usual - pictures for your enjoyment!

More Pictures of TFG and London, Click Here

More Pictures of TFG West End, Click Here

Snowdonia!

Yea - when I mentioned that the hike sounded more like a walk... I was wrong. We summited a Mountain! it was 1085 metres high - about a third of the height of Mt. Baker. For the majority of the hike we found ourselves in clouds, but when the wind blew hard and the fog cleared for just a few moments... it was breathtaking!

The terrain was much more rocky than at home. I'm used to dirt trails and lots of trees, but Mt. Snowdon was rocks and field. A portion of the hike I would deem climbing even. There were lots of sheep as well - all over Wales actually- just roaming about, grazing on the grass.

The retreat was wonderful. Our days were spent hiking, biking, and exploring some of the cute towns in Wales, and our evenings were filled with discussion of what it means to live in community with one another as well as some fun and games :)

I have really enjoyed our talks about community. In my years at school, at camp, in theatre, the topic of community hasn't been truly taken on as a subject. That's a lie - I have a vague memory of singing a song about community at Deming elementary - anyone out there know what I'm talking about? Anyway - there were 7 main elements of community we talked about, but the one that got me most excited (surprisingly) was 'celebrate'. It was suggested that we have an events calendar that housed our favorite holidays, birthdays, etc. My mind started spinning about planning events and doing special things for special people. I can't wait to get started!

Some highlights from our Snowdonia Trip:

Day one was probably the muddiest for our entire group. Half of the group chose to mountain bike the trails around our hill of the day. The rest of us decided to walk to our picnic destination. As we began to walk, Simon suggested that we plunge straight through the woods because 'it's a shortcut'. Well, only 2 people took that challenge while the rest of us continued up the main dirt road. It was a bit rainy, but other than that we were please with our choice. As we continued to study the map, we found the trail that we deemed the quickest, and took that turn. Our main leadership continued on the main road, but the rest of us were confident in our decision. Somewhere, though, we took a turn to what we thought was a small trail, but ended up being a small stream. Definitely NOT a trail. We plunged through anyway, walking through the stream and pushing our way through thick branches. I had a blast! Never in my life have I thought "hey, I think it would be fun to go create a trail!" But I really enjoyed myself. Here's a glimpse at our challenge.

Day 2 was the big hike up Mt. Snowdon. I was in the slow group, and boy was I thankful! That thing was pretty steep. I had a really good time, though, and was proud of myself for summiting a mountain - the highest in England and Wales too! It was really really windy, hence the superman picture to the right - we couldn't resist!

Day 3 I didn't take any pictures, but it's worth mentioning that we did a high ropes course that at it's highest was 52 feet, and the final element was 40 feet, which is significant when you know that the last element was basically a free fall for 30 feet until the thing we were hooked into slowed us down- it was awesome!

For more Pictures of Snowdonia, click here

For even more, click on this one

Well, week one of training is nearly through - and boy has it been awesome! Through our sessions, I have come to learn quite a bit more about what it is that I am doing this year! The project is a 'residential' program mostly, which is British for 'Overnight retreat'. Basically, if you think of a youth group retreat and mix it with a week of summer camp, you get a SPEC retreat. Most of the groups that come are from Catholic Schools in the Westminster Diocese. They come to us for 3 days 2 nights typically, and we put on the retreat for them. We do a mixture of sessions that fit the theme of the retreat, outdoor activites, and prayer. It's really up my alley, but rather new in a lot of ways as well. There are many moments that remind me of camp, but they are different enough that I'm definitely learning something new.

Some practical speak - I have an address now! It is as follows:


Allison Sutton
SPEC, All Saints Pastoral Centre
Shenley Lane London Colney
St. Albans
HERTS
AL2 1AG


Long, isn't it? I really have been enjoying the British - the tea, complaining about the weather.. :) I was chatting with my friend Melanie, who lives just 20 minutes from central London, and she was sharing with me that, though stereotypes, she and many Brits will claim them and be proud. The pride in their nation is something that I'm not too used to, coming from the US. It's been very fun to hear people speak so fondly of where they come from. That doesn't stop with the Brits, though. I have chatted a bit about Sweden with my friend Sara, and have shared great conversation about our homes with Anthony from Zimbabwe.

Home is such a personal thing. Someone once said that when you go somewhere, you don't learn a whole lot about that place, but you sure do get to know your home better. It's true. Explaining to people what the US, Washington, and Deming are like has made me realize the different things I really value about them, and what qualities are really relevant. It's so easy to look past these things while they are present.

The SPEC Centre, St. Albans, England - they are beautiful. Here are a few pictures of the site:







The back door to the main house. This is where most of the SPEC meeting rooms, offices, 2 chapels, and some team member housing resides. I live in this building, which I love! There are 7 volunteers that live here, and we are getting along famously! We have stayed up having deep theological disscussions and watched half a season of 'Friends' together already :)











This building is known as 'The Loft'. The Loft is the Children's project for ages 7-14- they do a few residential programs, but more often than not it is a day program. Children come with their school groups, sing silly songs, play games, do crafts, and have sessions fitting their theme - depending on age. There are no shoes worn in this building, which I think is pretty fun, and the decorations are very bright and inviting.


For more pictures of the grounds and my room etc. Check out my facebook pictures - just click on this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056678&l=6ec66&id=39207159


The staff and volunteers are headed out to Snowdonia in Wales on Sunday for a retreat of our own. I imagine we'll be doing a lot of team building, and there has been talk of a hike, which I think in WA terms is more of a walk, but it sounds beautiful none-the-less :) I'll keep everyone posted. Also - if you'd like to be in touch, feel free to comment here, or shoot me an email at allicat_smile@hotmail.com

Much Love to you all! Cheers!
Allison