Feels like Home

When there's nearly 5000 miles and an ocean between you and home, it's not always easy to feel at home.  Add in a few days of not feeling too whoopee and all this talk about the beauty of the wheat turning gold back in Colorado.....


Photo by Whitney McCaffrey

 ....and you might even get a bit homesick.

When you're abroad, homesickness and culture adjustments often come in waves.  Although I'm loving all the things I've been able to do and see, I feel like I'm on one of those waves at the moment.

Last week however, I was with my Bealey Family, a family that truly touched my heart to the core. 

 

While each of my host families have been absolutely wonderful, this family reminded me so much of my own, that it felt like coming home.

 

Having grown up with three sisters, living in a house full of girls took almost no adjustment.  Add in a talented, crafty mum with a heart full of love for her children and everyone else's and a dad who could fix anything with a few parts from the workshop, and it sounds just like the farm I grew up on.

 

They also went above and beyond to make me feel at home, though.

 

On the 4th of July, the American Independence day, they stealthily planned a firework show in the backyard to help me celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence (from Britain) in 1776.

 

 

 

 



 

Smoke and fire aside, this act of bringing home to me signaled just how much they appreciated where I came from and wanted me to feel at home in this country, and in their home.

I'm sure they will be searching for the dishes I unloaded into the cupboards for days as this is a hazard of letting a visitor help out around the house.  And I know that taking the time to show me how to use the knapsack herbicide was less efficient than going on without me, but still, allowing me to be part of their daily routine allowed me to be part of the family and more than just a visitor staying in a room upstairs. 

So to the Bealeys, and all of my past, present and future host families, thank you.  Opening your home up to a stranger can be scary and inconvenient, but as I've learned from both sides of the door, it is truly rewarding and builds life long friendships around the globe.

(P.s. Here's one of my favorite songs on the radio at the moment.)

Taking a Go at T.O.W.

When I think of tug of war, I think of this......

 

A Rope, Kids, Old Cloths and Mud.... like what my brother-in-law Kenny put on last year for the 4-H members at the Sweetwater County Fair.

In the past few days though, I've discovered a whole new world of Tug of War through training with the Anstey Young Farmers newly established ladies T.O.W. team.

Because this was only their second practice session, I got to work on the basics right along with them!

1.  When you pick up the rope, you want to be standing on the left side of it and pull it up to about hip level, with the outside hand in the front and right hand in the back.

2 "Taking the Strain" - this is when you drive the heal on your leading leg, the left , into the ground in front of you and allow the body to fall back to about a 45 degree angle with the ground, with the right foot slightly further back.  The metal heal boots used for T.O.W. make this much more effective than regular boots.

3."Pull" - when the judge gives this command, it is game on.  The right foot is kicked forward (referred to as the drop at practice), lowering the team body level as everyone gets stretched out but the hips are pulled up close to the rope (as modeled below by the Anstey lads).

4.  As you pull, the left leg is used mainly as a prop as you dig and push with the right, pulling back the rope and you try not to lean on the rope too much, as this makes it more difficult for the person behind you.


As you can see from these photos, we had a good practice with lots of hard work, but still heaps of fun as we first pulled the box full of weights and a system of pullies and then moved on to squaring off in smaller teams.

 

THE TAKE AWAY - Getting knocked on your bum isn't always fun, but it's far better than watching from the side lines and never taking a go.

 

Check out the video of part of one of the drills we did for the full effect.  We started this pull with 3 minutes of holding the box at the top before this clip. (Mind your ears towards the end)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihMbvku3c6I&feature=em-upload_owner