It is a bit past 1 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon as I write this post. In the US it is only 8 a.m. and that,my friends, is the time schedule I am running on, as I have just sat outdoors in the back garden to have a cup of coffee, after a somewhat fit night's sleep, to be, ironically, awoken by a pack of barking dogs! Micaela...well she is sound asleep as I write. The weather is like New England fall and indeed I was somewhat chilled yesterday afternoon and had to put the heat on to get the chill out of the house, such is the body when you have just left a New England heat wave with all its oppressive humidity. Can you imagine...running the heater in August? Wearing a fleece in the evening? This morning, however, the windows are open, the sun is shining and the breeze is refreshing. In some ways I feel like I am in a very old part of New England and then in other respects I feel like I have just stepped into a movie set of a life I should have always been living - or it may be more fitting to say that I have just stepped into the pages of a novel and am the main character. In the paddock across the road horses are grazing and it is country living at its best.
I can clearly understand why the hustle and bustle of my New England town is somewhat disconcerting for Samantha. The pace of life is generally relaxed, I can tell that by being here for less than 24 hours. The sheep graze openly on the hills at the outskirts of Brecon Beacon National Park and its like they have there been for thousands of years. The shale caps and terraced houses are rather quaint and the architectural construction itself is something completely different, yet familiar.
The roads...well that's a different story. Most are three lanes, two in one direction, one in the opposite and those two/one configurations switch back and forth as you drive. I am craving a "t" intersection instead of all these "roundabouts" and I am deperately wishing I had stolen Michael's GPS off his kitchen counter as I left on Friday morning. I may have to buy one while I am here. I will have my first driving lesson today, and being a passenger on the left side of the car has actually given me confidence that I will be able to do it. Navigating the manual transmission car up this steep one tract country lane may be another story entirely, but I am going to make myself do it. Michael told me three things before I left. First, "Make it Happen." ; second "There is no such thing as 'can't'." and third, "The day has arrived for me to leave and the day will arrive for me to come home." So that's it. I can drive there so I can drive here. I will drive. I can teach there so I can teach here. I will teach here. I can live there so I can live here. I will live here. It's that simple.
Micaela and I departed Boston in a timely fashion, having navigated our way through the airport check in process with all our six pieces of luggage and were pleasantly surprised to find out that we could each check two bags for free. When the woman in front of us was forced to repack her bags because one was 54 pounds instead of 50 I began to sweat a tad bit. The cost for that bag was going to be $150! I packed and repacked, weighed and reweighed each piece of luggage several times over at home before heading out the door, so I was sure I had hit the mark, but if my scale at home was not correct I would be in trouble,. Thankfully each bag came in at just under 50 pounds or exactly on the mark in one case... the lady at the check-in made a comment praising my Fulbright status and that I deserved it for having packed this luggage properly!
A transatlantic flight is a daunting thought alone, never mind when it is your first one and you aren't seated anywhere near your mother...about 20 rows behind her in fact...and then you have to enter the plane before her also, but to her credit Micaela battled through her first bit of anxiety after I promised I would switch seats somehow. Each of us had aisle seats as bargaining chips so I was fairly confident it could be done. Sure enough, when I got to my seat I put out a blanket request to the others in my row if someone would be willing to switch seats for an aisle seat with my daughther 20 rows back and I got a volunteer, so I gave up my aisle seat to Micaela, moved her into my row, and off we went.
When we arrived in Amsterdam we had to find our gate for KLM airlines and it was a good hike across the airport, thankfully everything was on time so it was not a mad dash to make to our gate. The funny thing about this flight was that we had to board the plane from the middle of the tarmac so we had to take a tram out to the plane and stand in the open air to board it...Micaela was just in shock about this. Thankfully it was rather hot in Amsterdam and not pouring rain or something. It was a quick "cityhopper" flight and we arrived in Cardiff to overcast skies and a chilly 69/70 degrees. Thankfully all our luggage arrived as well and the only glitch was the absence of Mr. and Mrs. Sheppard at the arrival gate. As our flight had arrived a bit early and they hit some traffic on the way to the airport they had found themselves a bit behind schedule to greet us, but as we made contact with Sam's friend Alyson in our panic at not having a ride, we spied them walking briskly hand in hand to greet us and simulataneously they saw us and we waved as if we were old friends. Seeing them holding hands instantly made me realize that we would get on quite well during our stay.
Loading our luggage into two separate vehicles I drove home with Mr. Sheppard paying close attention to the the traffic patterns and road signs, at the same time trying to decipher traffic rules while asking many questions about driving without being too much of a nuisance. I got a great history lesson about the area as well on this drive, and just as I was mentally telling myself that I could drive here with careful practice we turned onto the steep one tract country lane that I would now be having to navigate to get home for the next four months. My confidence took a plunge. It is not like anything I have ever had to drive on at home so it could be a tricky thing to do. Let's put it this way, there are "s" curves on this lane where you must beep your horn or blink your lights as you make the turns, and if there is another vehicle coming in the opposite direction there would be no choice but for one or the other to have to reverse direction for quite a bit of the lane. I will have to keep track of the number of times that happens to me. Learning to navigate this is not an option...it has to be done in order for me to get to school each day so I have to "make it happen."
Samantha's home is lovely. Quaint, small and typically Welsh. Exactly how I pictured it to be from the photos she had sent to me earlier on. It is a unit in an old Station Master's home, built with bricks and mortar, and there is a set of concrete steps that goes down to the old platform where the old train tracks have been converted to a bike path. The quiet surrounding this home at present is stark in contrast to the noise of trains running at the turn of the 19th century I am certain. The neighbors have a lovely wide open yard with beautiful flowers and grass and it is a lovely view from all around. If there was a view of the ocean from this little "cottage" it would be a perfect spot for me to spend the rest of my life.
Micaela has a room in the back overlooking the back garden where there is an outdoor fenced area with a green garden gate. The old coal storage units are still in place and the moss and ferns grow out of the brick walls surrounding this area; it truly is a nice area to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee. There is a grassy area and beyond that there is an old chicken coop and a horse stall. It has great potential for a beautiful flower or vegetable garden and that is indeed in Sam's long range plan for her home. It really is quite beautiful and I can fully understand why she loves it here and is homesick.
The front garden is also surrounded by a low cottage fence with a swinging gate and crushed stone walkway. There are a variety of flowers and shrubs in colors of oranges, yellows and purples and they are entering that stage of autumn decline we see in late September or October. It is a welcoming place to be. The windows in this home are large four pane glass, trimmed in natural hard wood, decorated with simple window treatments that allow the light to pour through the glass. The floors are all the same natual hardwood with a beautiful antique fireplace trimmed in decorate tile and it reminds me somewhat of the administration building fireplaces, although not as large or ornate around the mantel. The design of the tiles includes a flower pot with some flowers, perhaps tulips, entwining and winding up the the tiles alternating colors of red and yellow. Just as my own fireplace in my own home, made of fieldstones from the hill above Rockdale, has its historical significance, so does this fireplace and indeed all of this home. Just as my home was built to house a foreman and his family from the factory down the street, an essential part of the industrial revolution in our own country, so does this home have its importance in housing a railroad worker, also a vital worker as part of the industrial revolution in this area of the world.
My journey is in progress, this is the exposition.
I can clearly understand why the hustle and bustle of my New England town is somewhat disconcerting for Samantha. The pace of life is generally relaxed, I can tell that by being here for less than 24 hours. The sheep graze openly on the hills at the outskirts of Brecon Beacon National Park and its like they have there been for thousands of years. The shale caps and terraced houses are rather quaint and the architectural construction itself is something completely different, yet familiar.
The roads...well that's a different story. Most are three lanes, two in one direction, one in the opposite and those two/one configurations switch back and forth as you drive. I am craving a "t" intersection instead of all these "roundabouts" and I am deperately wishing I had stolen Michael's GPS off his kitchen counter as I left on Friday morning. I may have to buy one while I am here. I will have my first driving lesson today, and being a passenger on the left side of the car has actually given me confidence that I will be able to do it. Navigating the manual transmission car up this steep one tract country lane may be another story entirely, but I am going to make myself do it. Michael told me three things before I left. First, "Make it Happen." ; second "There is no such thing as 'can't'." and third, "The day has arrived for me to leave and the day will arrive for me to come home." So that's it. I can drive there so I can drive here. I will drive. I can teach there so I can teach here. I will teach here. I can live there so I can live here. I will live here. It's that simple.
Micaela and I departed Boston in a timely fashion, having navigated our way through the airport check in process with all our six pieces of luggage and were pleasantly surprised to find out that we could each check two bags for free. When the woman in front of us was forced to repack her bags because one was 54 pounds instead of 50 I began to sweat a tad bit. The cost for that bag was going to be $150! I packed and repacked, weighed and reweighed each piece of luggage several times over at home before heading out the door, so I was sure I had hit the mark, but if my scale at home was not correct I would be in trouble,. Thankfully each bag came in at just under 50 pounds or exactly on the mark in one case... the lady at the check-in made a comment praising my Fulbright status and that I deserved it for having packed this luggage properly!
A transatlantic flight is a daunting thought alone, never mind when it is your first one and you aren't seated anywhere near your mother...about 20 rows behind her in fact...and then you have to enter the plane before her also, but to her credit Micaela battled through her first bit of anxiety after I promised I would switch seats somehow. Each of us had aisle seats as bargaining chips so I was fairly confident it could be done. Sure enough, when I got to my seat I put out a blanket request to the others in my row if someone would be willing to switch seats for an aisle seat with my daughther 20 rows back and I got a volunteer, so I gave up my aisle seat to Micaela, moved her into my row, and off we went.
When we arrived in Amsterdam we had to find our gate for KLM airlines and it was a good hike across the airport, thankfully everything was on time so it was not a mad dash to make to our gate. The funny thing about this flight was that we had to board the plane from the middle of the tarmac so we had to take a tram out to the plane and stand in the open air to board it...Micaela was just in shock about this. Thankfully it was rather hot in Amsterdam and not pouring rain or something. It was a quick "cityhopper" flight and we arrived in Cardiff to overcast skies and a chilly 69/70 degrees. Thankfully all our luggage arrived as well and the only glitch was the absence of Mr. and Mrs. Sheppard at the arrival gate. As our flight had arrived a bit early and they hit some traffic on the way to the airport they had found themselves a bit behind schedule to greet us, but as we made contact with Sam's friend Alyson in our panic at not having a ride, we spied them walking briskly hand in hand to greet us and simulataneously they saw us and we waved as if we were old friends. Seeing them holding hands instantly made me realize that we would get on quite well during our stay.
Loading our luggage into two separate vehicles I drove home with Mr. Sheppard paying close attention to the the traffic patterns and road signs, at the same time trying to decipher traffic rules while asking many questions about driving without being too much of a nuisance. I got a great history lesson about the area as well on this drive, and just as I was mentally telling myself that I could drive here with careful practice we turned onto the steep one tract country lane that I would now be having to navigate to get home for the next four months. My confidence took a plunge. It is not like anything I have ever had to drive on at home so it could be a tricky thing to do. Let's put it this way, there are "s" curves on this lane where you must beep your horn or blink your lights as you make the turns, and if there is another vehicle coming in the opposite direction there would be no choice but for one or the other to have to reverse direction for quite a bit of the lane. I will have to keep track of the number of times that happens to me. Learning to navigate this is not an option...it has to be done in order for me to get to school each day so I have to "make it happen."
Samantha's home is lovely. Quaint, small and typically Welsh. Exactly how I pictured it to be from the photos she had sent to me earlier on. It is a unit in an old Station Master's home, built with bricks and mortar, and there is a set of concrete steps that goes down to the old platform where the old train tracks have been converted to a bike path. The quiet surrounding this home at present is stark in contrast to the noise of trains running at the turn of the 19th century I am certain. The neighbors have a lovely wide open yard with beautiful flowers and grass and it is a lovely view from all around. If there was a view of the ocean from this little "cottage" it would be a perfect spot for me to spend the rest of my life.
Micaela has a room in the back overlooking the back garden where there is an outdoor fenced area with a green garden gate. The old coal storage units are still in place and the moss and ferns grow out of the brick walls surrounding this area; it truly is a nice area to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee. There is a grassy area and beyond that there is an old chicken coop and a horse stall. It has great potential for a beautiful flower or vegetable garden and that is indeed in Sam's long range plan for her home. It really is quite beautiful and I can fully understand why she loves it here and is homesick.
The front garden is also surrounded by a low cottage fence with a swinging gate and crushed stone walkway. There are a variety of flowers and shrubs in colors of oranges, yellows and purples and they are entering that stage of autumn decline we see in late September or October. It is a welcoming place to be. The windows in this home are large four pane glass, trimmed in natural hard wood, decorated with simple window treatments that allow the light to pour through the glass. The floors are all the same natual hardwood with a beautiful antique fireplace trimmed in decorate tile and it reminds me somewhat of the administration building fireplaces, although not as large or ornate around the mantel. The design of the tiles includes a flower pot with some flowers, perhaps tulips, entwining and winding up the the tiles alternating colors of red and yellow. Just as my own fireplace in my own home, made of fieldstones from the hill above Rockdale, has its historical significance, so does this fireplace and indeed all of this home. Just as my home was built to house a foreman and his family from the factory down the street, an essential part of the industrial revolution in our own country, so does this home have its importance in housing a railroad worker, also a vital worker as part of the industrial revolution in this area of the world.
My journey is in progress, this is the exposition.
Photos above: A view of Brecon Beacons National Park; The view of the front garden from inside the living room window; The view of Cardiff from the airplane; A view of the famous jagged cliff lined Welsh coastline.
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