It's a Small World

Today, as we were walking into the assembly, the head teacher (aka principal) pulled me aside.  With a smile on his face, he told me that we had a guest speaker today and I should make sure to introduce myself to her.  Who can resist an intrigue like that?

I was of course very curious as to who this woman might be.  We were, of course, late for assembly, so by the time I got my kids seated, the assembly had started.  When she got up to speak though, I knew exactly why he had wanted me to introduce myself to her!  Sometimes, I realize that I don't even hear the English accent all that much any more and I wonder if I could even pick out an American accent since both now sound so familiar to me.  Well, I knew from the second she opened her mouth that she was an American and I had a pretty strong bet going that she was also a southerner.

When I spoke to her after the assembly, I said, "You're not from around here, either!  So, where are you from?"  As it turns out she lived all over the southeast, but she did most of her growing up years in Alabama!  In fact, in a little town, she was sure I hadn't heard of, "Wetumpka!"  Now, there are many a small towns in Alabama that I have yet to discover, but Wetumpka is not far at all from Auburn where I went to university and Montgomery, our state capital where one of my grandmothers lived.  She also lived for a time in Alex City, where my family now has a lake house!

She and her husband went to do post-graduate work in Edinburgh about ten years ago, stayed there and have just recently moved to this area.  Who could have ever imagined that in a middle school gym in a small village in the middle of England that I would meet a fellow small-town-Alabamian?  It was quite a treat and a joy to hear that accent I know all too well!

For those of you unfamiliar with Alabama geography, I live in Birmingham, which is about "an inch" about the B in Alabama, but my home town is near Logan Martin Lake about "an inch" east of Birmingham.  The lady I spoke with today came from Wetumpka which you can see right under the M!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tis the season... to bake!

Image
Even being thousands of miles from the food celebrations that will happen this week, I somehow got the "it's time to cook" bug this Thanksgiving week!  This past weekend I made about 4 recipes worth of sausage and cheese balls (which have been a huge hit here!) to put in the freezer for upcoming celebrations and to share with others.  I'm also baking some more cookies to share on Thanksgiving day, so I made the dough for that tonight to start the process.  And last, but certainly not least, I made my grandmother's sausage biscuits. They are nothing all too complicated, these pinwheel biscuits, but oh they are delicious.  I know they are tasty, but I also know that one of the main reasons I love them so much is because I always think of her when I make them.  I was only nine when she passed away, and so unfortunately many of the memories I have of her have faded.  I don't think the smell of those homemade biscuits wafting up the stairs is something I could...
Read more

Senegal

Image
Senegal. My hope when I applied up for this program was that they would take me somewhere in the world that I would probably not choose to go on my own. When I opened my email that day in December, I realized my wish had been granted. I have the very slightest of connections to this west African country. Many years ago, I was fortunate enough to have a student in my classroom who had once lived on the streets of Dakar. It was complicated circumstances that brought him to my classroom, but I was forever grateful for the opportunity of getting to know this remarkable boy. Another small tie that I have to the country is that a former pastor went to serve in Senegal for several years. It is actually one of the very few countries in Africa that I feel confident in its location, especially as I play Worldle  every day. But aside from that, I am learning alongside the many of you, who have joined in my excitement about my adventure, while also questioning, “Now where exactly is that?” I k...
Read more

Good-byes

Life is full of hellos and good-byes, and so to begin this new adventure, we decide that a Hello/Goodbye party would be just perfect for Kelly and I.  It was a wonderful way for me to say farewell to so many friends and loved ones and a way for Kelly to meet many new faces. The party made me realize even more so, what a life-swap this is.  Kelly and I will depend upon each other's friends and family members to help us find our way and help us make a home away from home.  I realized even more-so how incredibly blessed I am not only to have so many friends and family supporting me along my journey, but supporting Kelly through her journey as well.  They have welcomed her with open arms, just as I expected them to, and I know they will look out for her throughout the year.  For that, and for so many other things, I am incredibly thankful. I am so excited about my trip, and eager for the journey to begin.  For months, this seemed so far away and now, I'm on...
Read more