If anybody's still following, I just spoke with my friends in Scotland and have a prayer request.

Mannafields is paying the price for trying to provide a Christian education in a country that is not very supportive.  Finances have always been tight, but the situation became worse this past month. 

Please pray for the teachers who are trying their best to provide a solid, Christian education for the students; for the parents who are struggling to pay the teachers and do what's best for their children; for the students who aren't always sure of their educational future; and for Scotland, that it would become more open to Christianity and sympathetic to the cause of private schools. 

May God bless you all,

~Rachel

I've now been home a few weeks, and though I had to jump right back into some heavy work, I have had a few moments to reflect on my Scotland journey...

Scotland will always be remembered first and foremost for its people.  I'll never forget Chloe's shining smiles, Luke's little cuddles, Jazmin's jokes, and Jamie's music.  I'll always remember Paul with his competitive spirit tempered by tenderness, Sarah with her brilliance and energy, Beth with her fiery and playful tendencies, and Amy with her painfully shy nature.  I can see Nathan shyly telling me he doesn't know how he'll sing without me to help him, Katherine calling my name with her hand constantly waving in the air, Josh singing and skipping down the hall, and Mark asking me if Americans "really eat pancakes half an inch thick for Breakfast??"  I'm so thankful for Mr. Ackerman's direction, Mrs. Kelly's help, Auntie Liz's encouragement, and most of all, Auntie Catherine's sisterly support. 

So many great memories, but all are connected to some amazing people.  Yet even while divided by "the pond", we're finding ways to keep in touch.  Sarah and Jazmin have sent me cards with the most elaborate envelope decorations.  Chloe, knowing the benefits of technology, used e-mail to send her love.  Is it silly to get teary when you receive notes from people who haven't forgotten you even when you're 5,000 miles away?  

The Lord has taught me so much about responsibility, maturity, planning, etc.  There were new challenges, new solutions, and new faces.  But what He really showed me is that when we seek to serve Him and call for help, He returns blessings to us far beyond those for which we asked.

I feel like I've left so many good friends over there...I've decided in a few years, I'll have to find some way to return.  

This is my last post here unless there is some significant news from Scotland.  Thank you for your prayers.  I will continue to post spiritual thoughts on Veritex - www.xanga.com/Veritex  

My pictures are not completely up yet, though most are.  They can be found here -- http://community.webshots.com/user/leantainnaisir

I leave you now with the translation of an old Celtic farewell...

       ~ Rachel

Currently Watching North & South see related

For all of you that saw P&P and like Austen, here comes another recommendation - North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.  I saw it over several different evenings while in Scotland.  Auntie Catherine and I wrapped up in bathrobes with a cup of latte in one hand and chocolate biscuits in the other curled up on the couch in perfect contentment. (and for you guys, Uncle Andy watched it too!   He just skipped the bathrobe. )  It's not as "romanticized" as Austen.  The setting is very gritty and real, depicting the sharp differences between the north and south in England.  The main character, Margaret Hale, has the same internal strength of Austen's characters, but it's manifested in different ways.  All round a great movie from a wonderful book, arguably better than Austen because it's more "real."  Conflicts include personal disagreement(rather like Austen's romances), the beginning of trade unions, the different viewpoints of the Manufacturing masters and the workers, the clash of cultures, etc.  The opening scene (supposedly in London) is filmed in Edinburgh, clear proof that the Scots are superior to the English.   On top of that, North and South has a beautiful soundtrack which is, alas, unavailable for purchase.   GO GET IT!  

And while I'm making recommendations, there was a movie on ABC family the other night.  We taped it, watched it, and loved it.  Shadows in the Sun is set in Tuscany(gorgeous scenery).  You fall in love with the setting, the people, the humor, and the real life lessons.  It's an all around feel good movie and BURIES Under the Tuscan Sun. 

We had a Feast of Gratitude today at church.  I got so many questions, "What was the best thing?"  "What was the worst thing?"  "What did you miss the most?" that I decided to write up a Rachel's Not Quite Top Ten list.   Here goes..

Things I Missed From Home

People:ok, I can't write this list out...let's just say everyone, not the least of whom is my dog, Stonewall Jackson.  

Foods: Peanut Butter, Steak, and Garlic

Mom's Cooking: Homemade salsa, cheesecake, garlic cheesebread, (yeah, cheese and garlic are popping up here ), and last but in no way least...PEANUT BUTTER PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Music: For a time, I really missed this.  I even missed mini-carfights over who's favorite music was going on for the 35 second drive to Target. 

General: My piano, my writing desk, my pillow, my Western stuff(boots, jeans, hats, etc),

Things I Want To Export from Scotland to Here

TONS OF PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!: first off...Paul Sutherland: A Man's Man with a Tender Heart of Gold....ok, knock it off, he's only 12!   But in all seriousness, I've made so many friends and little siblings, I want to bring them all home with me!   In fact, sweet little Sarah(see her my picture) just sent me a card.  She put stars and butterflies all over the envelope with my address in the top left corner.  The card itself has hearts and sparkles all over it.  Inside, she typed out a run-on epistle.  She normally uses good punctuation and spelling; I wonder if she was running on sugar. 

Here's how she started it -- "Dear Rachel I am missing you a lot and I cried when you went away for about 10 minutes in the car .thanks to you I am much better on the computer with finding the keys because I had to write lots of notes on Jupiter, oh man I still cant spell it after all that work on it...I was just thinking school is going to be so so so rubbish without you by the way I repeat so so so rubbish without you and all the lessons we did with you and are doing again will be rubbish to in fact the hole school will be rubbish without you o.k. You get the point...EVERY day at school I will be thinking about you."

Perhaps I should have focused more on spelling. , though she's normally very good.  Ok, back to imports...

Foods: Nana's Trifle!(this stuff is amazing), Auntie Catherine's Cream of Mushroom Soup, Dark Chocolate Covered Digestive Biscuits, Shepherd's Pie, True Baked Potatoes with Tuna Mayo on top, HAGGIS!

Miscellaneous Imports: the accent, their love of football(soccer), a similar train system, the drivers...ok, maybe not! 

Things I ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT IMPORT: Roundabouts, Meat Paste UGH! , the rain,

Things I Learned

- How to survive crossing a street filled with Scottish drivers(had a couple close calls)

- How to use trains and buses to go almost everywhere I couldn't walk.

- Which side of the car to get in when you're in Britain.

- How to tell the difference between the accents, ie. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Highland, Irish, etc

I've Learned that...

- Age does not determine your grade level (but then, we homeschoolers knew that, right?)

- Tuna Mayo goes very nicely on a baked potato

- Cute kids aren't always the angels.

- If you show enough indecision, you'll get the item for even less money.

- The average guess of my real age was 23 1/2. (Go figure)

- There are a million ways to cook spuds.

- Some people have the rare talent of being able to combine cheese and jelly in a tasty sandwich.

Challenging Moments: Lost in St. Andrews with no idea of where I was to meet my friend; balancing a full-time job with a really tough AP class, and trying to be social at the same time.

Hidden Talents I Never Knew I Had: singing with the boys' parts in the play; playing interpreter between Dutch students and Scottish kids - Yeehaw!;

Things I Shouldn't Have Done: Played soccer in a skirt; tried to pronounce 3 lines of Dutch in front genuine Dutch students(well...they asked); played badminton when all I've ever played is tennis(if you play tennis, do NOT try badminton);

Misconceptions Americans Have About the Scots: That they're all like Braveheart...oh wait, they ARE!...minus the blue facepaint of course.

Misconceptions Scots Have About Americans: All our teens are skinny and all our adults are fat; all Americans are nice.  They have a lot of misconceptions about our Government and politics because the little bit of news they can get is so manipulated. 

Most Embarrassing Moment: Confusing the term "pants" with "trousers." 

Most Proud Moment: Watching my Seniors debate and realizing they had grasped the subject, wrestled with the issues, organized the facts, developed opinions, and now were defending them.  It was glorious. 

Most Humbling Moment: Mr. Ackerman's Goodbye and Thank You from the school.  Watching my Seniors debate and realizing that God has blessed my efforts with them. 

Most Unusual Tasks I Was Given: Mrs. Kelly asked me to help teach the musical play.  This mostly involved taking all the boys downstairs, plinking on a keyboard, and singing Their parts. ... To the friends who know me well, yes, this next thing REALLY did happen... All 12 computers at the school are networked.  But there was a problem: one of the programs wasn't networking correctly.  The task Mr. Ackerman gave me?  Go around to 4 different computers, go into the guts, and "flip a switch" to swap some hardrive stuff.  Yeeeaaaaah.  Scott, quit rolling on the floor!!!  Yep, Mr. Ackerman didn't know me very well; he had no idea WHO he was asking to do this.  But thankfully, the job was accomplished with minimal computer damage.   

Poignant Moments: Getting Sarah's card...see above.  Talking to Auntie Catherine after I had returned home.  I had left a bag of farewell gifts on my bed, which she discovered the evening after I had left.  She confessed to having a "wee cry" when she found it.  I wanted to have a "wee cry" after talking to her.   

Comments on Scottish Radio Music: If I hear "Build Me Up, Buttercup" one more time...I AM GOING TO...let's not go there...it'll be another Rachel Volcano.  Some of the stations are also way too fascinated with old Elvis songs. 

And finally...Drum roll please... I am proud to announce that I have the answer to the burning NCFCA question: "If NCFCA'ers always use British accents in their acting, what do the Brits do?" 

Answer: They use American accents!  Yes, really.  

I'll write a few final serious thoughts later, and then Leantainn will be closed.  Thanks friends.

~ Rachel

I'm home...actually home. 

...

Hard to believe that exactly one week ago I was doing my last class with the Seniors.  Our last two classes, I had the two teams (1. Paul, Jamie, and Amy, 2. Jazmin, Josh, and Joel) debate each other using the topic of racism.  Resolved: That governments should change their policy to successfully combat racism.(Yes, to all you debate purists out there, it IS a flawed Resolution. )  Both teams wrote a plan and each had a chance to advocate its adoption.  The result was...just wonderful.  All of them worked so hard, and it clearly paid off.  I watched shy Amy struggle through her difficult speech slot, then come up 3 speeches later to nail her opponent in a painful CX!  Paul was just like Ben when he first started: impossible to nail down.  Josh had clearly thought through his plan and defended it very well.  And the best part of it?  They All Loved It!   In the last class on Friday after the debate, we took the theme of the semester - "God is light" - and discussed it.  As Christians, we should also be light.  How can we be light?  How does learning to write persuasively, present your opinion, and debate others fit into that responsibility?  I finished by encouraging them to take what they'd learned and use it further God's kingdom. 

Then we went upstairs for Assembly.  Mr. Ackerman called me up to publicly thank me and give me a Thank You note from the school.  It was a large card with a 2x2 inch square from every student and teacher pasted inside.  Each person had used their squares to write a personal note.  I'll treasure that Thank You card for a long time...

Then came the Goodbyes...

I can't really describe it... 

Jazmin hugged me while Sarah threw her arms around my waist and refused to let go.  E-mail addresses, home addresses, birthdays, and other information were exchanged while pens and paper were passed around.  By the time I took Chloe's hand and we headed up to the bus stop, the only person I hadn't said Goodbye to was Mrs. Kelly.  But Jazmin soon came running after us yelling my name.  We turned back and ran to Mrs. Kelly, who was muttering about the slow traffic.

I hugged her and promised to keep in touch and play on-line Scrabble.  I'm going to miss her a lot.  Sarah, finding another chance to say Goodbye, grabbed me and pleaded again for me to stay.  I held her tight and stroked her hair, promising I'd write.  Her eyes were shining, but like the brave little girl she was, she wouldn't let herself cry until I started to head back to the bus, at which point she broke down. 

The same scene was repeated 2 days later on Sunday when I said Goodbye to Steph, Jenna, Nikola, Sophie, Auntie Liz, Uncle Stevie, Michael, Mark, Paul, Beth, and all the other church members.  Those people were all so wonderful, opening their arms and welcoming me in.  I felt so at home and will treasure the memories of time spent with them. 

Monday at the airport, I didn't want to let go of Auntie Catherine.  The Briggs were just incredible through my whole stay with them.  And I became especially close to Auntie Catherine.  By the end of the 6 weeks, I felt like I had a new family.  

So many amazing people, so many great times, so many wonderful times...

Thank you, Lord, for such an incredible learning, growing experience.  I went there to teach, and I did.  I hope the students learned...but I think I learned even more.   

EDIT: My new profile pic is me, Jazmin(top right), Chloe(bottom left), and my honorary sis Sarah(bottom right) on Friday during the goodbyes.