Friday, December 12, 2008

Home for the Holidays

Tomorrow morning (12/13) I'm heading home for the Christmas holiday. Looking forward to seeing everyone (and eating some pizza, watching the better football, playing basketball, driving a real car,...). See you soon.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

The REAL Story of Thanksgiving... What Your History Books Never Told You

The story of the Pilgrims begins in the early part of the seventeenth century. The Church of England under King James I was persecuting anyone and everyone who did not recognize its absolute civil and spiritual authority. Those who challenged ecclesiastical authority and those who believed strongly in freedom of worship were hunted down, imprisoned, and sometimes executed for their beliefs.

A group of separatists first fled to Holland and established a community. After eleven years, about forty of them agreed to make a perilous journey to the New World, where they would certainly face hardships, but could live and worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences.

On August 1, 1620, the Mayflower set sail. It carried a total of 102 passengers, including forty Pilgrims led by William Bradford. On the journey, Bradford set up an agreement, a contract, that established just and equal laws for all members of the new community, irrespective of their religious beliefs. Where did the revolutionary ideas expressed in the Mayflower Compact come from? From the Bible.

The Pilgrims were a people completely steeped in the lessons of the Old and New Testaments. They looked to the ancient Israelites for their example. And, because of the biblical precedents set forth in Scripture, they never doubted that their experiment would work.

But this was no pleasure cruise. The journey to the New World was a long and arduous one. And when the Pilgrims landed in New England in November, they found, according to Bradford's detailed journal, a cold, barren, desolate wilderness. There were no friends to greet them, he wrote. There were no houses to shelter them. There were no inns where they could refresh themselves.

And the sacrifice they had made for freedom was just beginning. During the first winter, half the Pilgrims – including Bradford's own wife – died of either starvation, sickness or exposure. When spring finally came, Indians taught the settlers how to plant corn, fish for cod and skin beavers for coats. Life improved for the Pilgrims, but they did not yet prosper!

This is important to understand because this is where modern American history lessons often end. Thanksgiving is actually explained in some textbooks as a holiday for which the Pilgrims gave thanks to the Indians for saving their lives, rather than as a devout expression of gratitude grounded in the tradition of both the Old and New Testaments.

Here is the part that has been omitted: The original contract the Pilgrims had entered into with their merchant-sponsors in London called for everything they produced to go into a common store, and each member of the community was entitled to one common share. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belong to the community as well.

They were going to distribute it equally. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belonged to the community as well. Nobody owned anything. They just had a share in it. It was a commune.

Bradford, who had become the new governor of the colony, recognized that this form of collectivism was as costly and destructive to the Pilgrims as that first harsh winter, which had taken so many lives. He decided to take bold action. Bradford assigned a plot of land to each family to work and manage, thus turning loose the power of the marketplace.

That's right. Long before Karl Marx was even born, the Pilgrims had discovered and experimented with what could only be described as socialism. And what happened? It didn't work! What Bradford and his community found was that the most creative and industrious people had no incentive to work any harder than anyone else, unless they could utilize the power of personal motivation!

But while most of the rest of the world has been experimenting with socialism for well over a hundred years – trying to refine it, perfect it, and re-invent it – the Pilgrims decided early on to scrap it permanently. What Bradford wrote about this social experiment should be in every schoolchild's history lesson. If it were, we might prevent much needless suffering in the future.

"The experience that we had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years...that by taking away property, and bringing community into a common wealth, would make them happy and flourishing – as if they were wiser than God," Bradford wrote. "For this community [so far as it was] was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For young men that were most able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense...that was thought injustice."

Why should you work for other people when you can't work for yourself? What's the point?

The Pilgrims found that people could not be expected to do their best work without incentive. So what did Bradford's community try next? They unharnessed the power of good old free enterprise by invoking the undergirding capitalistic principle of private property. Every family was assigned its own plot of land to work and permitted to market its own crops and products. And what was the result?

"This had very good success," wrote Bradford, "for it made all hands industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been." Is it possible that supply-side economics could have existed before the 1980s? Yes. Read the story of Joseph and Pharaoh in Genesis 41. Following Joseph's suggestion (Gen 41:34), Pharaoh reduced the tax on Egyptians to 20% during the "seven years of plenty" and the "Earth brought forth in heaps." (Gen. 41:47)

In no time, the Pilgrims found they had more food than they could eat themselves.

Now, this is where it gets really good.

So they set up trading posts and exchanged goods with the Indians. The profits allowed them to pay off their debts to the merchants in London. And the success and prosperity of the Plymouth settlement attracted more Europeans and began what came to be known as the "Great Puritan Migration."

Most importantly, don't forget Thanksgiving is not thanks to the Indians, and it's not thanks to William Bradford. It's not thanks to the merchants of London. Thanksgiving is thanks to God, pure and simple.

The above is an excerpt from Rush Limbaugh's second bestselling book "See, I Told You So". Another good read is Abraham Lincoln's Proclamation Establishing Thanksgiving Day. Happy Thanksgiving everyone . -ExPat

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Italian F1 Grand Prix

A couple weekends ago I checked off another of my must-do's from The List. Friday after work I high-tailed it home, threw some clothes into a piece of carry-on, and headed for the airport. After a very short layover in Amsterdam I was on my way to Milan, Italy.



Saturday was a free day, so I took the metro train to the city center for a day of wandering. The desk clerk at the hotel told me to get off the metro when I saw a church on the left. According to him, "You couldn't miss it." So when I saw the "church" I got off to check it out. It was impressive. What I would only come to realize later in the day I had gotten off at the wrong "church". While the church I initially saw was impressive, the real church, the Duomo, was unbelievable. Most impressive was the color. Surrounded by dark, old buildings, this cathedral and its near white color seemed to glow. Easily the most impressive cathedral I've seen so far. I guess that shouldn't be surprising since I wasn't too far from the center of the Catholic universe. As it turned out I was there in time for the Saturday evening service. So I stayed and sat in on the service. The rest of downtown Milan was very cool. I spent some time in what is their Central Park. Not too far away is a huge, thousand-year-old fortress. And of course the shopping options are never ending. For those of you who don't know, Milan is the fashion world's ground zero. For the women reading this post, specifically my sisters-in-law, you would have thought you had died and gone to heaven. I'm thinking all credit cards would have been maxed out by lunch.

Now to the reason for the weekend's trip, the Italian F1 Grand Prix. I woke up Sunday morning with no idea how I was going to get to the track. So I decided I would wait in the lobby and ask he first person I saw that looked like they were headed to the race for a ride. As it turned out, the first two to exit the elevator were two Polish brothers. My day was about to get interesting.

The first could not speak English so he pointed me to his brother who could speak just enough for us to have a difficult conversation. Even then I had to motion with my hands that I was looking for a ride. His response was the English equivalent to, "Why not." Turns out they were in a larger group of about 7 friends, all from Poland. When I saw their car I knew I had hit the jackpot. We drove to the race in a Mercedes Benz CL 600. This is a V12, 500hp near $200,000 car. To top it off he said, "My other car's a Lamborghini." (And he wasn't kidding. In the back seat were Lamborghini hats). Despite the language barrier, before reaching the track I was one of the gang and they were buying me drinks. At the track we split ways, but arranged a place for meeting after the race so I could get a ride back to the hotel.

Despite the light rain, the race was great. My general admission seats were marginal, but I decided that you don't go to an F1 race for the action on the track. For the most part these races are 200mph parades. You go for the sounds. I'm convinced the sound of these cars is one of the greatest sounds on Earth. I couldn't have been more than 50 feet from the track and the sound was so loud. It is nearly painful to your ears, uncomfortable to your teeth, but exhilarating to your heart... well worth the price of admission.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Boat Show in The Netherlands



A couple weekends ago I set off for Amsterdam to attend what’s touted as one of the biggest and best in-water boat shows in Europe. Late the Friday night before I booked a ticket for me and my car to cross the English Channel on a ferry, and early Saturday morning, with no more than a couple hours sleep and no real plan to speak of, I set out on the motorway (English interstate highway) in my car. The first stop was Dover,UK on England’s southeast coast. There I (along with a couple hundred other cars, trucks, and campers) drove onto the lower deck of a very large ferry boat. When I arrived in Dover I was hoping I would get to see the famous White Cliffs of Dover (see Robin Hood movie with Kevin Costner). Sure enough, as the ship pulled away from port there they were in all their slender. They were stunning… particularly with the morning sun hitting them. The 1 hour ferry ride was pleasant… a nice break after what had already been 3+ hours driving in the on-again, off-again rain and what would later prove to be another 3+ hours in the car. An hour later we all pulled off the ferry, this time on the opposite side of the road than when we had boarded. I was now in Calais, France. After a minor detour (nice way of saying getting lost) I was headed north. All I had for directions were a few notes scratched onto the back of an envelope. Of course, now all the road signage was in French (and I took Spanish in high school). Anyhow, the highway numbers were such that I could more or less keep myself headed in the right direction (though sometimes more sure than others). Before long I had left France and was in Belgium, around Antwerp, and finally The Netherlands. At no point when crossing the border from one country to the next (other than before getting on the ferry in Dover) did I have to stop and go through some sort of customs / security checkpoint. A few hours (and only a couple wrong turns) after disembarking from the ferry I found myself in Amsterdam.

I had no hotel reservations so my first order of business was to find a place to stay for the night. A task easier said than done, because now all the signage was in Dutch. However, as I was driving towards the city I could see off in the distance the familiar words “Holiday Inn” atop one of the larger buildings. So I decided I would point myself towards the familiar hotel in hopes to find a room there.

As I drove in and around downtown Amsterdam one thing stuck out like a sore thumb. Bikes. Bicycles as far as the eye can see. Traffic was light because nearly everyone was riding a bike. And one would think with so many bikes they would be riding the latest in two-wheel technology. Just the opposite. All the bikes were vintage 1950's. Some may have been that old, but many were new... designed and bought to look old.

After finding a room for the night and taking a short nap I set out for a walk to find something to eat and see a bit of the city. For the most part, from what little I saw, the city was beautiful. There's a nice balance of old architecture with bits of modern, northern-European design spattered about. I didn't realize this before visiting, but the city has a very extensive network of canals running through the streets (a small version of what you might find in Venice. In some areas the canal runs right against the buildings.) Rail cars powered by overhead cables run down the middle of the the streets without canals . And of course wherever there are people there are bikes. As the hours grew late you begin to see the less attractive parts of the city. Trash everywhere and people seem to have no issue with relieving themselves wherever and whenever (in one case it was off a bridge into one of those canals). As you walk about you can smell the marijuana sold legally in designated "bars". (I had an interesting conversation with an African gentleman who apparently spent his summers in Amsterdam as a drug dealer. He was telling me how it was only legal to sell pot before 1AM. After which you had to get it from someone like himself. Turns out he was dealing some much harder drugs of choice as well). And the infamous red light district is right in the middle of the action. Even after 12AM the city was bustling with people (it was a Saturday night).

The next morning I headed to the boat show on the coast just west of the city. The weather was not good, but the rain was pretty light. Long story short, there were a lot of boats. Hundreds upon hundreds. There were so many, after a while they all started to look the same. Though some were amazing and couldn't help but stand out. I particularly like the all-wooden boats and the 60'-70' sailing yachts. If only I lived near water (and had a couple million bucks to blow). Despite the rain I wondering around the docks for nearly 4 hours taking it all in before setting off for home.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Great Dorset Steam Fair

Yesterday I drove 2 hrs south to the Great Dorset Steam Fair in the county of Dorset. I would describe the fair as a cross between the Decatur County Fair and Power of the Past multiplied by 5. But at this fair, as you can infer from its name, steam is king. Steam tractors, steam trucks, a steam train, steam pumps, a steam-powered, horse-drawn fire engine, and so on. Heck, even the "midway" of amusement rides was powered by electricity generated with steam. In addition to steam-powered machines, there was also a rather impressive heavy horse show. These are work horses pulling field tools and carts. The pictures below really tell the story...

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Back in Bristol

It was great to see everyone while in the States the other week. The weather while I was home was brilliant... mid 70's and sunny. After landing back in the UK I wasn't even able to make it to my flat without getting rained on.

Below are responses to a few questions I recently received from a fellow blog reader. Thanks for the questions.

Q: What was it like to come back and drive in the States?

A: To be honest, I hardly noticed. I must say, it was nice to get behind the wheel of my car (despite the fact that it drove horribly). I think the hardest thing to get used to is where you position your car within your lane. When you drive from the left side of the car, as you drive down your lane your body is just left of center. Position your body similarly when driving from the right side of the car and the left side of your car is in the lane next to you. I'm sure I've upset a few people over here once or twice because of this.

Q: How is the food and do you cook?

A: The food here is nothing to write home about. If England is known for one thing, it wouldn't be the food. However, there is quite the variety of food here from many other cultures and parts of the world. Like I've said before, the best food I've had here is probably Indian curry. And no, I don't really cook. Most nights, like tonight, is just something warmed up in the oven.

Q: Are the malls and grocery stores very different?

A: Pretty much the same. Except grocery stores are missing some of the staples... like Pop Tarts. Oh, and everything seems ridiculously expensive. Because of the exchange rate everything here pretty much cost double. For example, I bought a simple pair of Nikes yesterday. They cost 60 pounds. Doesn't sound too bad until you realize that's $120. When I fist arrived here I had a tendency to convert everything from pounds to dollars. It was depressing. So I try not to think about how much things cost in terms of dollars.

Q: Do people treat you differently b/c you're an American?

A: Hard to say, but I don't think so. I can't say that I've ever been treated poorly for being American. Sometimes I wonder if people even know I'm not from around here. I suspect they do as soon as I open my mouth and they hear my American "accent".

This weekend I'm headed to the Great Dorset Steam Fair. It looks to be similar to the Decatur County's Power of the Past... only English, bigger and with steam engines. I'll be sure to take my camera and post pictures to the blog.

Take care,
ExPat

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Home for a Week

I'll be arriving in Indy the evening of Saturday, Aug. 9 for a week long business trip. Looking forward to seeing everyone. Shoot me an email or give me a call at my old Indy cell number if you have a spare evening and would like to get together.

Monday, August 4, 2008

London Air Races

This past Sunday I set off for London to watch the Red Bull London Air Races. The day actually started the night before when I realized I had not printed my race ticket which was emailed to me after purchasing online. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but I don't have a printer. So the morning of my first stop after leaving for London was my Rolls-Royce office where I had hoped to print the ticket there. Don't worry Rolls-Royce... I didn't use any company resources because my attempt to print didn't work. Something was not working somewhere between my computer an the printer. Typical. So I set out for London with the only evidence of my having bought a ticket being an electronic version of my ticket on my iPhone.

The racing was excellent. It quickly becomes obvious that these pilots are the best of the best. They're flying over 200 mph less than 60 ft from the water routinely pulling 9-10 g's. At 10 g's a 150 lb person feels as if they weigh 1,500 lbs. Imagine being under that pressure while flying precision maneuvers only 60 ft from the ground. This is far more extreme than what a fighter pilot must withstand.

During the race the weather was classically English. You can see from the photos the overcast skies and it spit rain several times over the course of the 2 hour event. But it was the wind that concerned the pilots. Winds were reported to gust near 20 mph. This made the course that much more difficult.




Saturday, July 19, 2008

Farnborough 2008

WARNING! - This post may be unbearable for those of you who don't love aviation. Proceed at your own risk.

Last Friday I had the opportunity to check off one of the items from "The List". Thanks to a free ticket provided by my boss, I attended the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, UK. Each year Farnborough and Paris alternate hosting this week long event. It is by far the most comprehensive airshow in the world. It's similar to Oshkosh, but while Oshkosh is more focused on the average American, Farnborough is focused on business. It's both airshow and aerospace industry trade show. There are several huge buildings filled with stands / displays from companies that make everything from the smallest gasket to Airbus and Boeing that make the largest of aircraft. In addition, the bigger companies will have their own building on site. It's here where big customers are schmoozed and big deals made. Farnborough is the place where everyone unveils their new aircraft (like the Detroit autoshow), where the high rollers come to test drive and pick out their new corporate jet, and where million dollar deals are made between companies and governments.

Monday through Friday of the show are "trade show" days or "corporate" days. These days are not for the general public, but are reserved for those with some kind of tie to the aerospace industry. My ticket was good for any day, including "corporate" days. So Friday morning with the help of new trusty iPhone I drove the 2 hours east to the airstrip, just south of Farnborough, UK. I spent the first couple hours strolling about indoors looking at all the displays. Some of you may have found this boring, but for aviation enthusiast like myself, it's like being a kid in a toy store. I was struck by the extravagance of the displays (you'll see in some of the pictures below). Big screen flat panels displays, scale and lifesize models and cutaways, and fancy lighting everywhere. Some "stands" where two stories, the top story being reserved for VIP's. Some were serving snacks and drinks. These companies spend a lot of money (some hundreds of thousands of dollars I'm sure) to put their best, most impressive foot forward. One interesting moment to note is when I found myself behind enemy lines. I had wandered into the MiG and Sukhoi displays... Russian territoy. I must admit I felt a little chill run down my spine and felt the need to look over my shoulder. Oh, and I did take the opportunity to talk to some folks at the Rolls-Royce display (do a little networking myself).

I then headed outside where there were many aircraft on display. Many were military in nature, similar to what you might see at an American airshow, but there were also many corporate aircraft on display. Dassualts, Cessna, and Learjets... oh my. And lots of corporate helicopters too (like AugustWestland). These are the toys and tools of the very rich. When walking about the show your just one door away from what I like to call "the parallel universe".

Then came the flight portion of the airshow. Unlike an American airshow, flight demonstrations at Farnborough are compacted into a 2-1/2 hour span. But you see more demos in that 2-1/2 hours than you would all day at an American airshow. I say "demos" because that's the feeling you get when watching them. In general, each plane flew for no more than 15 minutes. It's as if they say to the pilot, "You've got 15 minutes to make me want to by this airplane. Show me what you got." And boy do they. From takeoff to landing it's an action packed 15 minutes. Whether it's the huge Airbus A380 or the agile Eurofighter Typhoon, they fly these birds hard. The day I was there was typical UK weather (cold, windy, with an occasional lite rain) so the cloud ceiling was around 3,000 feet. Because of that the planes stayed low and tight... which seemed to suit the pilots just fine. These days I think the two things fighters like to tout is agility and maneuverability. Who can make the tightest turn? Who can pull back on the stick and swing the tail end around the quickest. This is why you see thrust vectoring (F-22) and canards (Eurofighter Typhoon) in modern fighters. And the results are impressive. For those of you who haven't been to an airshow in 10-20 years, jet fighters are doing things now that make you ask yourself, "Is that even possible?" You think they must be breaking some fundamental law of flight. These jets are doing things that was once reserved for little prop-driven aerobatic planes like the extra 300 or Pitts. When was the last time you saw a 30,000 lb jet hang by it's "prop" or do a tailslide?

Unlike an American airshow, at Farnborough you can stand not too far from the runway. And throughout the flight demos I stood at the approach end of the runway where I got to see the planes taxi into position, spool up their engines, release the brakes, and begin to accelerate down the runway. The best part was the sounds. To hear that high-pitched whine and hiss of an idling gas turbine turn into a roar that can shake the ground is an adrenaline rush. When the F-18 took off there was an instant that I feared damage to my hearing. And as the fighters pulled away you could see the fire from the afterburner up the exhaust nozzles.

Below are some pictures from my day. And below that are some videos I pulled from YouTube of Farnborough 2008. The videos I took were OK, but those below are from this year's show as well and very representative of what I saw. Enjoy.



Airbus A380




Eurofigher Typhoon





F-16 Fighting Falcon




Vulcan




Red Arrows


Air Tattoo

I knew I'd get some of you with that title. No, I didn't get a tattoo of an airplane. Air Tattoo is short for Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), the UK's premier military airshow. I was to go last weekend, but due to heavy rains several days before the airshow, it was cancelled for the first time in 38 years. The reason for cancellation was that the grass and fields surrounding the airstrip were too wet to withstand the onslaught of what was estimated to be 140,000 people (and their cars) over the course of the weekend. I can imagine hundreds of cars getting stuck in the mud. Oh well... will try again next year.

What interested to me most about Air Tattoo was the fact that America's F-22 Raptor was there. The F-22 is our latest jet fighter (that we know of). Each one costs around $140 million (your tax dollars hard at work). Don't worry... you get what you pay for. The F-22 is the most dominant fighter in the world today. Not only is it stealthy and can perform an entire mission at supersonic speeds (without afterburners), it can maneuver like no other. Check out this video taken just days ago as the Raptor rehearsed for RIAT 2008.




However, the weekend wasn't a complete loss. Last Friday I did manage to get my hands on one of the last remaining new iPhones 3G's in Bristol. It is brilliant. I particularly find the maps with GPS useful as I try to find my way about over here. For those of you with existing cell contracts due to expire soon, you'd be crazy not to get an iPhone.

Now that I'm settled in I'm thinking about planning some trips elsewhere. I think the way I'd prefer seeing Europe is by planning trips around events. So I've begun to populate my calendar with events I'd like to see. Then I figure I'll take a few days before or after the event to tour the area. Those of you planning a trip may want to keep an eye on the calendar. If you see something that sparks your interest, perhaps that would be a good time to visit.

Next post coming soon... Farnborough 2008.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Happy Independence Day

Those of you who know me well know I love great music from all genres... be it Rage Against the Machine to Mozart. Well, tonight I went back to Wells Cathedral where the only thing that could compete with this amazing structure were the notes from its huge pipe organ. Powerful stuff. Here's but a taste...



For those of you in the good ole US of A, enjoy your 4th of July. Be thankful you were born in such a great country (no matter how high the gas prices). While you're all watching parades and preparing for barbecues, I'll be at work. But to celebrate I thought I might bring something truly American into work to enjoy with my UK colleagues... maybe Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Happy Birthday to Ella Marie and Grace Elizabeth Reiger.

-ExPat

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Countryside and a Cathedral

I recently acquired a new set of wheels. No, I didn't trade in my Ford Focus for an Aston Martin and I didn't buy a new BMW motorcycle (yet). A friend from work offered to let me borrow his extra mountain bike. So after buying a few accessories (like a helmet), that friend and I took to the trails last Saturday for what I figured to be a couple hour ride. I had expressed interest in seeing some English countryside, and boy did we. At one point we found ourselves hoisting our bikes over farm gates and riding through a cow pasture, dodging both cows and other things you might find in a cow pasture (if you know what I mean). One flat tire and six hours later we finally made our way back to town. It was great fun.

Just yesterday that same friend, his wife and I hit the road for the city of Wells to visit the Wells Cathedral of the Church of England. Wells is a small city (classified as a city because it has a cathedral) some :45 south of Bristol. To start, the drive south offers some great views of the English countryside. The rolling hills are so green, broken apart by a patchwork of miles of hedgerows and dry stone walls (The size and shape of stones vary depending on what part of the country you're in. Here they tend to be smaller, thinner limestone). Never mind the breathtaking gardens that exist in England (and I'm not talking about your tomatoes in the backyard or roses in the front yard, but the acres of landscaping groomed and preserved by the UK's National Trust), even looking at the open countryside you get the idea the English take more pride in a well-groomed landscape. (Why is that? Maybe it's because they have less of it.) Once reaching Wells and parking the car we set out to find a cafe to have a proper, traditional English tea. What is a proper English tea you ask? Basically, it's an mid-late afternoon snack. But it's more than that. Our traditional English tea included hot tea and scones. A scone is a kind of sweet biscuit; some are plain, others have raisin-like fruit in them. You then spread cotter creme and jam on your scone and enjoy. It's quite good... a tradition I could get used to (but we Americans eat too far too much as it is). After tea we headed towards the cathedral. On the way we came across an open-street market being torn down after a morning of local commerce. I couldn't help but think how that same market has existed for 100's of years. When standing in the narrow streets of Wells it's not hard to imagine (like a scene out of Robin Hood). We finally made our way to the cathedral and WOW! It is huge and so ornate. There is so much detailed stone work it's overwhelming. From a design / aesthetic point of view I would say it's too much detail. When we walked in we were greeted by the beautiful sound of a choir singing. Turns out there was a service going on, but the place is so huge the service was going on in one end of he cathedral while visitors were free to come and go in the other end of the cathedral. Any attempt I might make to describe this place wouldn't do it justice, so I won't even try. Needless to say, it's an amazing, beautiful place (so much so I'm considering going back this coming week for a concert). But while there I couldn't help but notice how the building exuded a feeling contrary to what God is all about. We know God to be a loving, personal God. Hundred's of years ago when the average person didn't read, let alone own a Bible, this building would have only sent the message that God is distant and to be feared. It makes one wonder if, at that time, was the church more interested in the salvation of individuals or the control of the masses? From the looks of it... the control of the masses. (And that's exactly why King Henry VIII established the Church of England. He didn't establish it so that all his subjects would go to heaven. He did it to tell the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope the he was in charge.) Perhaps this is why so many people here are sceptical of religion.

Below are a few pictures of the memorable day...



I'm excited to see Indy ExPat's readership is growing. I would encourage each of you to continue sharing it with others whom you think might be interested, and making comments and asking questions on the posts. Not only is two-way dialog more fun, it gives me ideas for upcoming posts. And if you haven't already done so, subscribe to the blog by entering your email address in the field to the left.

Happy birthday to Mr. Ryan Kerns.

And on a side note... last week I signed a 2-year lease to rent my condo in Indy to what seems to be the perfect tenant. Not a big deal to most of you, but very exciting to me.

Till next time,
-Indy ExPat

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Good Food, Good Conversation

The other night several colleagues and I met at an Indian colleague’s apartment for dinner. Our Indian friend works for a company based in Bangalore, India with which Rolls has established a working relationship. (For those of you who haven’t heard of Bangalore, it is the ‘silicon valley’ of India located in the southern part of the country.) He has been in the UK for 6 months working side by side with Rolls engineers, but will be going back home soon, replaced by another Indian colleague.

Anyhow, our host served a traditional Indian meal, very similar to what an Indian family would eat together in the evening. The foundation of the meal is rice. That is then topped with your choice of curry. Some curries are mild while others can be hotter than you can believe. While some of us enjoyed the spices, other had sweat dripping from their brow and water always in hand. (It was fun to watch some people squirm.)

While the food was good, the conversation was even better. Among other things, we discussed Bangalore and how quickly it is growing. Just like the American Industrial Revolution changed our country forever, they are experiencing a jobs, education, and standard-of-living revolution of sorts that will forever change India. It was clear as he spoke (which is hard to understand by the way) he was very proud to be a part of the changes that are happening back home.

We also discussed Indian culture and how it differed from that of the UK and the US. One interesting subject was that of the Indian family structure. Where the UK and US have much more individualistic cultures, India’s is much more family oriented. And this culture shapes their customs. For example, that is why arranged marriages are still the norm in India (I had assumed arranged marriage was an old custom rarely practiced in today’s ‘modern’ India, but in fact, it is still the norm). Our friend is 27. It’s assumed that not long after he returns home he will be getting married (to someone in the same caste of course). He and his wife will then be expected to start having children (ideally 2, one boy and one girl) in his early 30’s. All this planning and timing is not coincidence, but for a reason. This way as he (and his wife) gets up in years and is no longer able to work, his son will be there to support him (his daughter at this point has gone off with her husbands family). The divorce rate in India is very low because the family takes a greater interest in the success of the marriage (remember, the family was involved in setting up the marriage). If a woman was to get divorced or is widowed, great effort is made to see that she and her children are taken care of by someone else in the family. (For example, our friend’s father died when he was a boy. His uncle took care of him and his mom.) To rebel from all this family structure would dishonor both you and your family (much like in Japan). All this is to sustain the family (not individuals) from one generation to the next.

Perhaps I’ll have the opportunity to visit our Indian colleagues in India at some point during my time here.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Welcome to My Flat

Finally, a video tour of my flat here in Bristol. Funny thing to note... the landlord will come from time to time to see that I’m being tidy. She sends me a letter a few weeks in advance to let me know when she’s coming. I should put that rule into effect if anyone rents my place. Anyhow, that explains why the place is cleaned up (not that I’ll let it get too dirty anyway).

I bought a TV since I recorded this video. I also had to get a TV license. That’s right… you have to have a license here to watch TV. It cost £139 ($280) and is only good for a year. I’m told it is to pay for free BBC stations, but there are commercials on those stations. Basically, it’s just another way for the UK government to tax its citizens. Anyhow, I now have my choice of TV from a whopping 4 analog stations.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Welcome to the Neighborhhood

The neighborhood in which I live is called Clifton. My friends describe it a posch... meaning a bit ritzy. I'm surrounded by buildings older than the United States... some older than the New World for that matter. But don't let that fool you. The area is also a vibrant, exciting place (especially when the sun comes out), with more restaurants, cafes and shops than you could ever visit.

Let's go for a walk...



The weather's been quite nice lately. For those of you planning to visit in 2008, I'd suggest you begin making plans sooner as opposed to later (while the weather's nice). I'm told the weather really starts to deteriorate after August.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Settling In...

Good evening everyone. Well… I’ve been in the UK for a bit over a week now and all is well. I just got back from having dinner with some colleagues from Derby and Germany at a nearby curry house. For those of you who don’t know, curry is Indian food, and a curry house is a restaurant that serves Indian food. The UK has a substantial Indian population and has in some ways adopted curry as a national dish. It’s very popular here and curry houses are not uncommon. The food’s quiet good. In fact, I prefer curry over most of the UK’s attempts at traditional ‘American’ food. I tried a dish tonight that lit up my mouth like no other. Whew!!! Anyhow, anyone that comes to visit is in for a night at the curry house.

Probably the most interesting (and fun) thing I’ve been up to since I arrived is driving. As I’m sure you’re aware, in the UK you drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. However, the foot pedals, gear shift and steering wheel controls (turn signal, windshield wipers, etc.) are arranged the same as in the States. Before my first drive I was a little unsure how awkward all these differences would feel, but I seem to have picked it up rather quickly and am enjoying the challenge. (Knock on wood) With that said, you do have to pay much more attention when driving here. The streets are much narrower and there are always cars parked along at least one side of the road (if not both). I’ve never driven so fast so closely to stationary, or for that matter, other moving objects than I have this past week. The road’s centerline is merely a suggestion. In addition, there are far more motorcycles, bicycles, and walkers with which to contend. If you were to drop those UK riders and walkers into US traffic they would be getting hit left and right. Either they are taking a lot more risk here or the average UK driver is much more attentive. I would say it’s a little of both. Granted since I’m a new driver I’m probably paying a lot more attention than the average native UK driver, but you can’t get in your car and turn off your brain like you can in the States. Here you always have to be on your toes. Last Friday I left work early to drive up to Derby to exchange my temporary hire car (rental) for a more permanent leased car (a Ford Focus). Normally that’s about a 2-1/2 hour trip. Admittedly it took me a bit longer, but it was a great lesson on reading street signs and finding my way about. There’s no such thing as a straight road here. Where in the States our roads are more or less north/south or east/west, here they are every which direction. As a result, that sense of direction in the back of you mind (guys, you know what I’m talking about… ladies, maybe not) gets mixed up and before you know it you have no idea which way you’re going. And to add to the confusion, the same street is always changing names. One block it will be called Park. A block later the same street will be called Victoria. What gives? In the States you give directions by saying, “Go north on X until you hit Y. Turn left and head west until you reach Z.” I’m not surer how you would give someone directions here.

I apologize for the not so routine posts. Like I said, I have yet to get the internet here in my flat so I’ve been going to a nearby pub and using their free wi-fi. But most of that time is spent trying to keep Low Cost afloat. That has been difficult with limited internet. Anyhow, once I have the internet up and running in my flat I should be able to post more regularly.

Hope this post finds you all well,
- Indy ExPat

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Greetings from Bristol, UK (5-26-2008)

About 24 hours have passed since my last post. The 6 hour flight across the north Atlantic was fine. I think I actually managed to get some sleep… unusual for me. We landed in Bristol about 8:30 this morning (UK time). Bristol International is the smallest international airport I’ve been through. They don’t have jetways between the plane and the airport concourse. You actually have to exit the plane, walk down steps to the ramp, then walk into the concourse. Anyhow, exiting the plane it became clear I had arrived. The temperature was near 10oC and it was raining and windy… couldn’t ask for more stereotypical UK weather. After claiming my baggage (I checked two bags. Max allowable weight is 50 lb each. Mine weighed 48 and 48.5 lb) the chauffeur car driver was waiting to pick me up (The sign said ‘Rolls-Royce’, not ‘Mr. Reiger’. I guess that will have to do.). We struggled a bit finding my flat, but after 20 minutes of waffling about we found the building and sure enough right next door was a Tesco.

The flat looks great. It’s a bit small, but other than that I’d say it’s the UK equivalent to my place in Indy. As soon as I arrived it became clear I have a lot to learn just to accomplish day-to-day tasks. For example, getting the door to the building to unlock is a trick. It’s not obvious how to operate the appliances. And at first I was looking for the controller for the air conditioner, then remembered most places don’t have air conditioning (including this place).

The hire car (rental car) has been delivered but I can not find where they left the keys. So the car sits out on the street unlocked. I’ll call the delivery company first thing in the morning to see if they can’t tell me where they left the keys.

The bed didn’t have any sheets when I arrived. I guess tonight I’ll be sleeping on a naked bed. After work tomorrow (assuming I get there) I’ll make a trip to the mall to buy some sheets and pillows, among several other things. For example, door stops. The flat has doors separating the few rooms. Most are spring loaded and want to close automatically (for fire code reasons I suspect). After tomorrow these doors are going to stay open.

My only complaint is there is a funny noise that comes regularly from outside and can be heard through the walls. I have yet to figure out what it is, but if there’s some way I can put a stop to it, I will.

In theory work starts at half 8 (that’s 8:30) in the morning. If I’m lucky I’ll have found my car keys by 8, but with a good half hour drive I’m guessing I’ll be a bit late. However, I’ll call it a success if I get to work since never before have I driven on the wrong side of the road from the wrong side of the car. Not to mention the layout of the roads here are total chaos. You have to remember most everything here is older than the United States and far older than the modern car. When they ‘planned’ the city, horse pulled carts was the most advanced mode of ground transportation. As a consequence roads are going every direction. There’s no grid system. Roads do not run north and south… they just run. As a result you get disoriented real quickly. I say ‘planned’ because to be honest I can’t see any evidence of a plan. I would guess it just evolved.

On My Way (5-25-2008)

We’ll, here I sit in Newark’s Liberty airport waiting to board my flight to Bristol, UK. I wanted to make one last post before I leave the States, even though I probably won’t be able to upload this to the blog until well after I arrive. Even so, I wanted to record my thoughts pre-Bristol.

I found out I was clear to travel Thursday, just three days ago. We secured my flight Friday. And not until just before we left for the airport this afternoon did I have everything together for the trip, both at the office and at home. The one nice thing about making the trip this weekend is not only is it a three day weekend in the States (due to Memorial Day) but it’s also a three day weekend in the UK. Monday is a bank holiday for the British. They have these bank holidays several times a year. I’m not sure yet what they’re for, but I’m sure I’ll be finding out soon (I’ll let you know).

I left Indy just before the 500 was to end. You could tell as we taxied away from the gate in Indy because there were probably about a dozen private jets lined up on the tarmac with doors open and red carpets rolled out… all waiting for their soon to be arriving VIP passengers. The flight from Indy to Bristol a Continental Boeing 737 was pretty empty. I sat next to the window in a row of three by myself so I could stretch my legs.

So you may be wondering what’s going through my head as I depart on this adventure. We’ll, many things. For one, I wonder what life will be like 2-3 years from now when I return. What will be different? Some people will have moved. (Phillip and Kelly?) Some people will be married (congrats Crowell). Some new people may exist (thanks to Phillip and Kelly?). Who will be president? How much will a gallon of gas cost? How will Indianapolis and my neighborhood have changed? What will be the same? How will I have changed?

From a professional standpoint I am excited to go. I feels good to sort of start fresh and the work I will be doing will be interesting. The projects I know I’ll be working on at this point will be challenging and exciting. I’m sure working with my new colleagues will be fun (though hard to beat my previous colleagues). And not to mention the doors this opportunity may open in the future. Rolls-Royce thinks highly of their employees with international experience.

And yes, I feel a bit anxious as well… mostly from a personal standpoint. Having to leave friends and family behind is not easy and I’m sorry for what I’ll miss. But with technology the way it is these days there no reason we can’t keep in touch. And on the flip side, who know what I might miss if I don’t go.

So the plan is I land in Bristol in the morning (UK time), a chauffeur car picks me up (I hope he’s holding a sign that says ‘Mr. Reiger’) and takes me to the Tesco (grocery store) next to my flat where I’ll pick up my keys (remember most businesses are taking the day off), then to my flat. Later tomorrow a rental car (what they call a hire car) will be delivered. I’ll use that hire car for the week until I pick up my permanent car in Derby (a train ride away).

They’re beginning to board the flight. Wish me luck. My next post will be from Bristol, UK.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

1st Day... ????

Today was to be my first day of work in Bristol, but here I am still in Indy typing this post. My supervisors, government security and I are struggling to get all the necessary paperwork in order before I leave. As of now my departure date is a bit unknown... maybe this next weekend. My delayed departure however is giving me a chance to better wrap up several things, both in and outside of work, not to mention more time with friends and family before I go. As mentioned before, the worst part of waiting is living in a TV-less condo, but I've been finding ways to cope. For example, Tuesday nights are "Deadliest Catch night" with the Jarvis's.
Since my last post...

Happy birthday to Sam Reiger. Congratulations to Ella Reiger and her first dance recital. And congratulations to Phillip Reiger and his new 2008 Harley Sportster. After all that pedalling he finally figured out bikes come with engines.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

1st Day - May 19, 2008

It was finally determined today that my first day in Bristol will be May 19. We initially thought it might be as early as May 12, but due to circumstances at work here in Indy we've pushed the start date back a week. All this is fine with me, but it does mean another week in my near empty condo (and by near empty I mean no TV).

Monday, March 3, 2008

Downtown Indy Condo for Rent

One of the biggest decisions to make before moving to the UK is what to do with my Indy condo. As you can tell from the title of this post, I've decided to rent it. So to start I've called my realtor to add it to the MLS database. In addition I'll be posting flyers in the local hospitals. I intend to focus on hospitals because I believe the ideal tenant will be a medical school resident. One, because they will need housing for up to three years (the duration of my assignment), and two, they'll be working so much they have little time to tear up the condo (I hope). That's not to say someone else would not make a good candidate, so if any of you know of anyone who might be interested, by all means let them know. Below are some details:



  • 1 Bed, 1-1/2 Bath
  • ~1,000 sq. ft.
  • Building built 2004
  • Fully-furnished!
  • Gas fireplace
  • Laundry room
  • Hardwood floors
  • Balcony
  • GE appliances (refrigerator, oven, microwave, dish washer, clothes washer and dryer)
  • Indoor parking below building
  • 10 ft. ceilings
  • Tenant pays: rent, cable, electric
  • Owner pays: dues, sewer, trash pick-up, water, taxes
  • Security deposit ($1,400) and 1st month's rent due at lease signing
  • Pet restrictions

For more information click here.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

The List

It's not every day that you have the opportunity to spend 2+ years in Europe (unless of course you're European), so I thought I'd compile a list of "Must Do's"... things to accomplish (outside of work) while living in the UK. If you have any additional suggestions, please let me know. This is a living list that will change and evolve throughout my stay. Things will be checked off, new things will be added. Check back often to monitor my progress. If you'd like to join me as I cross one or more of these things off the list, please do. So here it goes...

  • Ride part of and watch part of the Tour de France
  • Drive sports car at high rates of speed on German autobahn
  • Paris airshow
  • Attend F1 race (in Monte Carlo if possible)
  • Attend football (soccer) game(s)
  • Go to Germany, buy a brand new BMW motorcyle, and ride it back to the UK
  • Hit a bucket of balls near the birthplace of golf
  • Run with the bulls

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Calendar

Throughout my stay this calendar will be updated with significant events, trips, visits, etc.

Upcoming UK Secondment

Expat
- short for expatriate

Expatriate
ex·pa·tri·ate
[eks-pey-tree-it]
- to leave one's native country to live elsewhere

Secondment
se·cond·ment
[si-kond-muhnt]
- the transfer of a military officer or corporate executive to another post for temporary duty

As I'm sure you've heard, Rolls-Royce will soon be sending me to the UK for a 2+ year secondment working at their Bristol facility. I say 2+ years because I'm told after 2 years I'll have the option to extend the assignment for a 3rd year. At the time of this posting, my first day's work in Bristol may be May 6, 2008.

While I have an idea, I don't exactly know what all I'll be working on in my new role. And if I did, I'm not sure I could tell you. However, I believe it will be somewhat related to my current skills such that I can quickly become a contributing member of the Bristol team, yet different enough to be a professional stretch. I may or may not be able to tell you more as I get closer to my start date. Nevertheless, I'm certain the experience will be a great opportunity to increase and strengthen my skills and further my career. Very few of my colleagues get the opportunity to spend time working overseas, and even fewer spend more than six months.

As you can imagine, I'll be working a lot... that is why I'm there. But when not working... the sky's the limit. For one, Bristol has an international airport (BIA). From there all of Europe is just a short flight away. For example, flights to Oslo are currently advertised for only 29 pounds ($60). Countless things to see and do. A couple things I'm looking forward to, 1) cycling on the route of the Tour de France, and 2) driving on the autobahn. I hope all of you find a way to visit and join me on one of these adventures.

Of course the downside of moving to the UK is being so far away from family and friends. However, thanks to modern technology and the internet, you can be nearly anywhere in the world and stay in touch. This blog was created in an effort for us to do just that. While some of you are familiar with blogs, others have no idea what a blog is. If you don't know what blogging is, my advice to you is to give it a chance. You'll catch on fast. I will do my best to reguraly post both commentary, photos and video. I encourage each of you to bookmark this blog (or subscribe to automatically receive new posts via email), check back regularly, and join in the conversation by making comments and asking questions. My hope is to make this a two-way dialog. And of course we can still use the more familiar forms of communication... phone, email, text messaging. I hope to get a data-enabled phone (iPhone) soon so I ought to be able to do all this on the go.

Please join me on this adventure of a lifetime.