When you set off on a new adventure, most people would say it helps if you know your destination...
We might differ and reply that what really matters is travelling rather than arriving, but let's leave that aside and abide by the general rule.
So, the main point is WHERE you go, right?
Well, we got that down to a T and here we are: in WARE!
OK, now take your time and have some good laughs with plenty of funny puns, which are actually quite commonly found on many a shop sign in town: "ware to eat", "hair to ware"...
Aren't we nice? We keep you entertained even from afar!
Back to the facts, our precise wareabouts are between Ware and Stanstead Abbots, as we live at All Nations Christian College in Hertfordshire, just one hour north of London. We're here for a 10-week training course on mission for Mattia and Elena, starting on the 24th of September; we came in advance to settle the children in school.
Before telling you more about our life here, we can briefly report that the journey by car from our dear Clonakilty (Ireland, County Cork) to England was long but went smoothly, so no complaints. The entertainment for kids in the ferry was a fantastic help for mummy and daddy and a welcome change for the boys, after and before the long hours in the car. The bike-rack didn't behave very well, forcing us to stop a couple of times for small adjustments before daddy decided to take the bikes down and set it all up again, but in the end it was just a good reason to take a break.
Thus, from the evening of Wednesday the 27th we are staying in a flat in the main house of the college: it’s on the second floor, so the stairs will keep us fit, and it’s quite big, so we’ve got plenty of space for our family life. We have most of our meals in the canteen, which is a nice experience for the kids, a great relief for the parents and a good way of meeting other students.
The college grounds are really beautiful: we’ve got a lovely view on the surrounding woods and squirrels and birds abound, from morning till evening. We’ve been enjoying the area, with pleasant nature walks and good rides on the bikes, just for fun or to reach the nearby town of Ware and the village of Stanstead Abbots (which is quite small, but closer and with a great playground!). The river Lea (or Lee, which makes us feel like we're still in County Cork) is only a few minutes away and the path running alongside it is really lovely.
The college is still rather quite, as most students are coming at the end of September, but families with school-age children came earlier, as we did, so the kids have already made friends with a few boys and girls and it’s been great for us to have met other families, with whom we can share information and tips on living here and learn about their experiences; there seems to be people with any sort of background: a family have just come back from 8 years in Egypt, another one was in Turkey, another lived for years in China… and there’s more coming. They are all nice to us and they recognised the Irish accent, especially Elena’s.
The boys started school last Wednesday, Michele in Year 2 and Sam in Reception (like Junior Infants) and they are both enjoying it a lot and already proud to "ware" their new uniform. Michele was impressed by the grassy school grounds and Sam by the fish-tank and the sand-and-water play area. The school provides free lunches (together with free jumper, books and stationery, all to the credit of England’s welfare system) and Michele came back the first day saying he’d had his best lunch ever… Sam had a great start of his school career, giving us thumbs-up while walking in, and he’s particularly happy to have two children from the college in his class.
Apart from school they’re busy with plenty of sport, from football to swimming and tennis is starting today; we’re all registered at the local library, too.
It’s always amazing to see how quickly and easily the two lads adapt to a new situation: after only two days they told us they could live here forever.
As to the old ones, Mattia and Elena are settling well, too: up to now it’s been just a matter of finding out how things work, at the College and around here, and of arranging the kids’ life, but there’s still some time before our course begins, so now that school has started and everything seems set, we can dedicate ourselves to learning some French, to having more chats with our new interesting friends and to relax after the stressful and tiring weeks of preparation, either by doing nothing or by doing some sport, so as to get ready for studying.
The last two Sundays we went to Hertford Methodist Church, just in the next town, where they were ready to welcome us. It’s a nice place and a nice congregation, and, good Methodists as they are, they have tea&coffee after the service. There weren't many children, but they had Sunday School anyway, so Michele and Sam had a good start there, too. There are other Methodist Churches around, which we plan to visit in the next few weeks.
On our first Monday we were so lucky as to enjoy a wonderful concert for Sax Quartet in St.Mary’s Church of England, in Ware, just not to miss Ireland’s music scene too much.
Definitely, a good start.
More to follow...
