USA July 1, 2010
I've booked my flight HOME to the USA :-) I arrive at 9.30pm on July 1, 2010 - can you believe it nearly 5 years after I left saying I was moving to London for a year to get a masters I'm finally actually coming home . . . I know I'm actually still in shock!
Labels: america, moving, travel
Half Boy . . . Half Man
Here is a poem I was sent in an email - I decided to copy it into my blog, as I know many people serving in our Armed Forces (Chris, Rob, Trevor, Timmy, Adrianne, Susan & my "big brother" Michael)The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's, but he has never collected unemployment either.
He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and a 155mm howitzer.
He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk. He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must.
He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional.
He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march.
He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient.
He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry.
He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.
If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.
He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands.
He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.
He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and still find ironic humor in it all.
He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime.
He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.
He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away ' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.
Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.
He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding.
Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood.
And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so.
As you go to bed tonight, remember this image . . .
A short lull, a little shade and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.
'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'
When you read this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our ground troops in Afghanistan, sailors on ships, and airmen in the air, and for those in Iraq , Afghanistan and all foreign countries.
Labels: america, war
CanAm Thanksgiving
For those of you who are still reading this, I think we might be down to just my dad, but I'm off track already! Some of you might have realised that my travel plans to India happen to be the same week as American Thanksgiving. Obviously this is
not a holiday celebrated over here in jolly old England, nor will there be turkey with all the trimmings in India either.
Instead, my Canadian mate Jen & I have come up with a super duper idea/plan. Being that Canadian Thanksgiving is in the beginning of October & American Thanksgiving at the end of November, we're making up CanAm Thanksgiving to be held this coming Saturday, November 7, 2009!
We like to think of it when two holidays become one. We of course decided this only moments ago, as for any American or Canadian reading this will know, we're a bit behind on the whole planning part, so gotta go figure a few things out, like where to get a turkey (LOL)!!
To start off the season right, I'd like to say, that I'm thankful to my dad for his phone call last night and I'm thankful for all the volunteer ambulance members like my mum and lastly for today I'm thankful for my sister's ability to make me laugh so hard I would definitely be squirting milk out of my nose if I'd been drinking it when we were speaking!
Labels: america, family, thanksgiving
Only in America . . .
Only in America ......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
Only in America ......do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.
Only in America ......do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens
to the counters.
Only in America ......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
Only in America ......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.
Only in America ......do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: '
Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'blood sucking creatures'.
Only in America ......do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.
EVER WONDER ....Why the sun lightens our hair,but darkens our skin ?
Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?
Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dish washing liquid made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for LETHAL INJECTIONS?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
If flying is so safe,why do they call the airport the terminal?
Labels: america, funny
"Do you miss the USofA?"
Missing the states is a hard one as life here for me is very different. I've never lived in a BIG city & maybe it would be much the same if I were living in NYC.
I LOVE London!!
Miss having a car to get out of the city, but so blood expensive to own one & hire a parking spot & that's before you even put any petrol in the damn thing (£1.20/L = $7/gallon)
I enjoy being able to go to the theatre, opera (well not really as I'm not keen on it, but like the ability that if I wanted to I could), cinema, etc at the drop of a hat after work.
I love their love of football (soccer) and rugby - I've been to 3 lives matches & it's loads of fun!!
I miss my family & friends back home.
I miss the countryside.
I love the international foods here.
I love the mix of people I work with & interact with (
Spanish,
German,
English, Welsh,
Irish, Polish,
Russians, French,
Italians,
Scandinavians,
Nigerian,
Ozzie's &
NZers, South
Africans,
Turkish, and
I'm sure
I've forgotten a few nationalities).
I LOVE being paid in £s!!!
I love being able to travel to different countries for a long weekend (the way we would change states).
I miss little things like food shopping in the states (as it's slightly different here - again not a big deal just not the same).
Labels: america, differences in the UK, england, thoughts
