Wow! was Jack in good spirits! He's typically not a phone talker - I get the yeh, no, OK... but not last night...I got lots of stories about sites and friends, and heard "oh mom, mom, and another thing..." - all super happy and full of excitement. He absolutely loved wind sailing yesterday, and was very much looking forward to dingy (small boat) sailing today. The Sound of Music was an awesome play - said he loved the story, at which point he said he heard there was also a movie !(He's never seen the movie? How'd that happen? What kind of parent am I? ... oh well now he's complete...) Told me several of the stories that have been posted, and how great the leaders are.
Says he's rooming with Tyler and Dirk I think (hard too tell he threw a lot of names at me). And Mike is hysterically funny and keeps him laughing all the time. Says there's a saying called "pulling an Eric" - which has to do with not watching where your walking. He likes everyone and says they are basically one giant group of friends. He felt really bad for the girl who lost her walllet and the two whose cameras needed replacing. In fact his camera battery died, and a girl (no name sorry) who had the same camera let him pop in her battery just so he could get a couple of shots - thanks to whomever was so generous. I told him not to sweat it, that there was plenty of talk of photo swapping upon their return.
Says the food is OK...but if they have chicken and potatoes one more time - ugh! They are just plain tired of it. The "best" meal so far, by far, was the fish & chips (accept for poor Tyler). And he hopeing France has more interesting food.
Says several of them have mastered immitating the Scotish accent of Dave (the P2P manager) and he's sure he'll come back with an accent himself ;-) Says Dave is a great guy, and had several mentions of him. Apparently Dave needed to haul Jack out of bed one of the first mornings (Jack's NOT an early riser.... getting up on time was one of my biggest concerns for him on this trip).
He's been disappointed in the shopping - hasn't had much opportunity, and when he has, just hasn't found the "right" thing to buy. Although he bought an Irish cap that he is very taken with and wears everywhere.
Jack kept apologizing for not calling more or sooner - but they'd just been SO busy - I kept telling him it was fine, I'd be much more concerned if he needed to call home becuase he was upset or not having a good time. Told him we'd have all the time in the world to talk when he came home, and I was looking forward to seeing his smile.
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Thanks so much for that Joanne. I'm so happy to hear they are all becoming good friends.
Heard from Sammie today too - a couple of hours ago. Lou and I went away for the wknd to Lake George and I couldn't wait to get back to check out the blog and e-mails. She said that the kids were waiting for dinner. They already turned in their suitcases for the cruise. She liked the Sailing Academy. Said her legs hurt from the wind surfing. She said that she had a couple good runs before falling off of it. She practiced Sailing with Ally (#1). Said they dumped it twice and both "kind of freaked out". Ally stepped on the sail (not sure if that happened when they fell into the water - that was my guess and she went under - BUT IS FINE!). Sammie said that when they dumped it again, she got tied up in the ropes and "FREAKED OUT". They then had lunch and played some games so they weren't "freaked out" anymore. BIG SIGH! When I spoke with her, she said that the group was waiting for dinner. She also didn't know who was rooming together - they weren't told yet. It also wasn't raining, but the sun wasn't out all the time. She was looking forward to FRANCE, Belguim and Holland. She had said the other day (Friday) that she was a little home sick, but I reminded her that the best is yet to come - Chocolate in Belgium. She is also very much looking forward to France and Holland. She sounded great and there was a lot of chatter in the background. I think this P2P group of kids was a great selection.
Thank you everyone for your continued updates. I love to hear how everyone is doing and how much fun they are having. Talk to you all soon. Kathy #5
Joanne, I think you meant Kirk when you typed Dirk. :o) Kirk has been calling just about every day. Today I missed his call because I was sending my daughter off on her own P2P trip. She is visiting many of the same spots, except she's skipping Ireland and Wales and seeing Germany and Switzerland instead.
Kirk has had a couple of mishaps, including walking into a lamp post on the streets of London, and getting a big bump on his head. Sounds like he's not the only one who isn't looking where he's walking. Plus, I guess he scraped up his chin during the windsurfing lesson. Sounds like they are still having the best of times! (But they are sick of getting chicken every night!)
He also said we might not hear from him for a while because word was going around that none of the phones in the hotels in France were working. So, don't be surprised if the phone calls stop for a while.
Some of our kids do have phones so maybe if we talk with them and if they are rooming or hanging out with some of the other kids, we can get little messages for the other parents and post it here.
Walking into a post is something I would do - I am such a klutz. One time when I was about Sammie's age (13), my parents took us to an amusement park. My mom would not go on rollercoasters with me, but my dad would or one of my brothers. Well, I got off one, excited and filled with an adrenaline rush and was trying to describe how it felt to my mom. I made a dipping motion with my whole body and fell to the ground (by accident of course). Don't know why that just came into my head. Here's another one I just thought of: One time in 6th grade I went on a "safety patrol" trip to Washington DC - mind you I am the ONLY GIRL in a dress. My mother MADE ME wear it. She thought I should dress up a little. So here I am in my red and white checkered sun dress. We were at one of the Smithonians and I go to lean up against the wall that I thought was there, and fell completely backwards onto the floor. I did it in slow motion though - very wierd feeling. That was another embarrasing moment in my life. I did survive it, and can laugh now, so I am sure they boys will laugh about it in future years; if not all ready. I could go on about my moments but I don't want you to hurt your stomachs laughing too hard :0) Kathy #5
Well these are all interesting stories. Since my child is Eric, the one the saying is named after, I can't wait to hear what that is all about. His father and I agree that it probably has a lot to do with him talking too much to be paying attention!
Hi Clare - yes you are right - it was Dirk that Jack mentioned. Sorry for the confusion - I get so excited when I hear him tell the stories that my head is a spin.
I spoke to Jack again this evening just before they boarded the ferry. He mentioned that he and Dirk sailed together this afternoon. With a big belly laugh he was telling me how good they did - until they capsized twice - but apparently they found it very funny :-)
Jack keeps asking me what day it is - he's completely lost track of time. Finds that hysterical too. Says the sun sets very late at night where they've been - upwards of 10 to 11 at night - says it has made it difficult for many of them to settle down and go to sleep when recommended. Has anyone else heard that? I wouldn't have expected long days like you might find in Alaska in the UK.
Hi Clare - yes you are right - it was Dirk that Jack mentioned. Sorry for the confusion - I get so excited when I hear him tell the stories that my head is a spin.
I spoke to Jack again this evening just before they boarded the ferry. He mentioned that he and Dirk sailed together this afternoon. With a big belly laugh he was telling me how good they did - until they capsized twice - but apparently they found it very funny :-)
Jack keeps asking me what day it is - he's completely lost track of time. Finds that hysterical too. Says the sun sets very late at night where they've been - upwards of 10 to 11 at night - says it has made it difficult for many of them to settle down and go to sleep when recommended. Has anyone else heard that? I wouldn't have expected long days like you might find in Alaska in the UK.
I am laughing here... I guess I'm in for a really big surprise if there actuaklly is a Dirk on this trip, aren't I? But many of my phone calls from KIRK mention Jack, so I think you mean Kirk. Unless Dirk is his new nickname. ;o)
Kathy, you are making me smile with your stories. :o)
I still haven't heard from Emily#27 again. Or from Sheila caruso. I hope they are doing ok. I know jessica#8 had an infection on her ankle and was being treated for it. If anyone has heard anything please pass it along. Emily is not a caller so I don't expect to hear from her so I appreciate all of the blog updates
I must be loosing my mind! Of course its Kirk.... I must just have fat typing fingers :-) Can't believe I did it again!!!!
Sandy, if I speak with Sammie in the next day or two, I will have her ask Emily to touch base with you. In the least, get a message from her to you. I will keep you posted.
Joanne and Clare - you are very entertaining with your Dirk/Kirk scenerios. :0)
Kathy #5
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