An emotional day for me.......son left for OE..

[carole]

Yesterday was a day with very mixed emotions, we took my son to catch his flight to London, it was really hard to see him go, of course I cried a little at the airport, but not too much, made up for that on the way home, he will be gone for five months and I will miss him soooo... much, only a mother can know how it really feels, there is very much an empty feeling inside today, but I know as time goes on it will go.

He will be in Los Angeles airport right now and ready to head off to germany in about an hours time,its his first experience overseas, and he already hates the travel part, just lining up for the baggage was enough, he inherited his mother's lack of patience I am afraid lol.

Well its an exciting adventure for him and he will be living in Hampshire, not sure what part yet, he has a job lined up and place to stay, and will be playing cricket for England this summer, he is going into a gold grade team, which is higher than he was here, so it will indeed be a challenge and good for him.

Thanks for listening.:)

[Cinder & Smoke]

Originally posted by carole
... he will be playing cricket for England this summer,
he is going into a gold grade team...

Wow! :cool:

Take your mind off his being gone for while...
*Search* on the Net and see if you can find a Web Site for
his new Cricket Team.

(Hope he makes it to England with *most* :rolleyes: of his luggage!) :p

Will he have a 'puter to stay in touch via E-mail?

[catnapper]

I know nothing about the sport... is gold team professional level? It sound pretty impressive!

Good luck to your son! Such a great adventure for him.

[Miss Meow]

Hugs to you, Carole. I'm sure your son is missing you and home as well.

I hope he does well with his cricket. The NZ team needs some up and comers! Martin Crowe is doing baldness ads on TV here - oh, the shame ;)

[carole]

Thanks, yes he will have email, infact there was one from him there today, he had just simply put hello mum, actually he had sent the email on the day he left from home, that was very thoughtful of him, and really made my day, can't wait to hear from him when he arrives and is settled in, he will be on his way right now to Frankfurt germany, he will have 2hrs there before departing for London.

Yes I will beable to check out his team(when I know its name )on the net and see how he is doing, i am not sure what the gold team is, but he was in a rep team here in NZ, Miss Meow he has a long way to get to the top, but he would like to make it at least into northern districts,(thats when they start actually paying you to play), whatever the experience will be of great value to him, he also is able to coach children cricket in Uk, as he just completed a coaching course before he left, and will be doing just that on his return home.

The poor kid has 6 hrs in L.A Airport, and had to have bags taken off and re-checked in, as he is going with different airline Lufthansa to germany,lots of changing planes, not the best for your first time experience in travel, but he will get used to it, I am sure he will be glad to arrive in london.:)

Cinder and smoke, as long as his cricket gear arrives there safely , will be the most thing he will be worried about, the gear is reasonably valuable, I did get him a 5 day travel insurance, but it will not cover all his gear if it went missing, so heres hoping, fingers crossed.;)

[Vio&Juni]

Good luck to him!

[carole]

Thanks, I just got a telephone call from him, it was so great to hear his voice and find out that everything went fine, he said he found LA airport good but expensive, but he enjoyed the super-size macdonalds, (we don't get that here in NZ), said the flight over was horrible, cramped, but lufthansa was better and the flight attendants were much better looking, must be those good looking german girls eh?

He is situated in Romsey, Hampshire, and he said it is cold, he had a big 13 hr sleep and was off to open a bank account, he is staying with the secretary and his wife of the premier league Romsey cricket club, the people are nice and even paid for him to ring us, I must thank them, he forgot to take his drivers licence, so I will have to post it over, needs it more for ID than anything else.

Romsey looks a neat English town, it has pop of 13,000 so is very small compared to where we live, but it looks quaint and cute.

He will be working as a gardner, now that will be a first for my son, but the pay is good eight pounds 20 an hr after tax, that is way more than he was earning in NZ, almost double, and will only have to work about three days a week, the rest he will be playing cricket, he will be moving around a bit, maybe to southampton and staying with various people, and will be playing games on the isle of wight, where is mate is, so all in all , everything is running smoothly and I am a much happier,mum now. cheers and thanks for listening to me waffle on.:)

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

*GOOD LUCK TO YOUR SON*

and {{HUGS}} for you!! Sounds like he is going to have some fun over in London... :)

[ChrisH]

Glad your boy arrived safely and is happily settled in. :)

Welcome to the UK Son of Carole!!!:D

Carole, I can empathise a little with how you are feeling. I remember the time when my son and his friend took a trip to New York with little money and nowhere to stay............ it all turned out okay and he had a great time, but the worry! :D Kids eh! :)

{{Hugs}} to you.
Chris

[dukedogsmom]

That is really cool! I'll bet he'll like it over there. What is cricket? Is it English football? I hate airport goodbyes. They are the saddest. Did you tell him he'd better phone/email/write a lot?

[carole]

Thanks everyone, yes its always a worry, no matter how old they are, he did have some money behind him, but not heaps, so I am pleased he has landed a job, we were told it would be all sorted by the cricket team, but you never know until you get there, sounds like they are a good lot of people who really take care of their kiwi players, so I am happy about that.

[carole]

I Really had to laugh at your comment dukesdogsmom, is cricket English football, NO its not, lol, its a game played with a bat and ball, bit like softball, but different rules etc, I think the English started the game, not sure, actually its going to be neat, as the NZ Black Caps, our best team are playing England while he is over there, and the forumla one is on in Europe and I think some NZ rugby too, so its a real rivalry thing with NZ and ENGLAND this year, all in good fun, but perfect for his visit, he is bound to run into lots of NZ'ers, a familiar accent is always welcome when away from home.

I remember my American boyfriend of years back, saying the only cricket he knew of was the insect one lol., :D

I vaguley remember someone on PT being from Hampshire, not sure if it were England or in America, does anyone know of this PT member, ?if its England would love to Pm her and chat .

[RICHARD]

LOL,

But they do have bowlers in cricket too, but no Jiminy's ;).

I'm sorry that I missed this thread.....Six hours is plenty of time to have made a short trip outside of the airport........:eek:

If he comes back this way let me know.....If he has a layover I could meet up with him and show him a real american hamburger and some of the sights.....

Don't worry about him....I have the feeling there'll be no sticky wickets for him on this trip!:)

[Rio and Me]

Tell him enjoy the weather,lol, were used to it aint we chris,lol
I'm freezing right now.
Tell him to come to Cornwall and enjoy the sights.
Ky

[carole]

Thanks Richard, he may well indeed change his ticket on the way home and spend sometime in LA, not sure yet, its five mths away, so anything could change by then.

You are supposed to be coming into summer over there, and you are freezing, yes I did warn him, but I think the cold has been a bit of a shock to him, we have just had a lovely change to nice warm sunny weather in NZ, he will be missing that, and here he was thinking he was leaving the NZ winter behind, lol, oh well it will change soon hopefully.

[RICHARD]

Carole,

Are you sure your son is in England PLAYING cricket??

Notice the dates...:D

http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/bugbowl/bugbowl.index.html

[gini]

Carole, I just saw this thread and I wish your son lots of good times while he is in England.

Thank goodness we do have the internet, because you can hear from him often and know that he is alright.

I will add my name to Richard's and say that I would love to show him around (although he might enjoy hanging out with a guy more than me).

But if he comes back through LA - I'd be happy to meet him just the same.

It's tough having them grow up isn't it?

[Rio and Me]

Yesterday wasnt a great day weather wise but today (in Cornwall anyway) was good sun light wind and i was inside all day working huh.
its coming into summer weather now but its still nowhere near as hot as where you are at anytime,lol
But it'll be a change for him anyhow
Ky

[carole]

HA HA Richard, that was very funny, I don't think spitting Crickets is quite his thing lol.

Thank you both for the Kind offers, I do have a favour to ask of you both, have you heard of an address Barry Knoll Drive, it is in LA, I know LA is a big place, but is it anywhere near either of you?, my old boyfriend lived there and I am thinking of trying to get in touch with him, he is married too now, and I have lost contact, its been over 12 yrs, and he probably does not live there anymore, but worth maybe trying, as he would I am sure like to see Scott, I tried finding him on the internet to no avail, anyway hope you don't mind me asking :)

[gini]

Carole, I just popped onto yahoo.com (maps) and typed in Barry Knoll -

What I received is a Barryknoll - and that street is about a half hour away from me - by car - not bad.

What can I do for you?

I have to leave shortly, but you could p/m me and ask and I can get back to you later.

Gini

[Killearn Kitties]

Carole, I'm glad your son made it OK. That was some trip to be his first experience away from home. I hope he enjoys it, it sounds a fabulous experience.

I remember you asking about trains to Edinburgh. Will he be visiting family or touring while he is here?

Hope all goes well, and that the five months flies by for you.:)

[carole]

Killearn Kitties,Scott plans to go up to Kelso Scotland for my Uncle's wedding, my uncle and his new fiancee were just in NZ in Jan/Feb, so he is hoping to get time off from cricket in June to go, he hopes also to travel up to Perth where is mate is playing Cricket, and catch up with him, so hopefully he gets a week off, all my relatives are in Inverurie, he has met quite a few of them, as they came over here, recently my Aunt as well, so it will be nice for him to see them all and meet all the rest, there are a lot to meet.

He is in Romsey until may the 10th at least, then I am not sure where, but maybe Southhampton, he went to the Captains house this weekend as the couple he is staying with were having a family christening, then he will go back to them, they are around my parents age, my father talked to them last night, hoping to get Scott, I was pleased to hear their comments, they said he was a good lad,no problem and very keen on his Cricket, which is good,so all in all they seem pretty happy with him,so maybe those manners I instilled in him as a child are finally paying off lol.
I wish the five mths would fly, its only been five days, and already it seems like five mths to me, I knew it would be hard, but I never dreamed I would feel quite this way, I think its because he is so far away, makes it that bit harder, he has lived away from home several times, but only within five mins drive or so, and he has been back home with us for two years, and he is always busy in and out, with cricket training, the gym and work, so i was used to him not being around too much, but absence sure makes the heart grow fonder.

We have some cheap deals on at the moment, so I will beable to phone him, at least once every two weeks, but I will have to arrange it so I get him, and when he gets his phone sorted , we can text, so it is not too bad really.

It is funny the things that used to annoy you about them , like leaving his clothing on the bathroom floor, are endearing to me now, and make me smile.

[Killearn Kitties]

Originally posted by carole
It is funny the things that used to annoy you about them , like leaving his clothing on the bathroom floor, are endearing to me now, and make me smile.

It's oh so true that "you never know what you got till it's gone". :D

You could always come over and see that family and us PTers in the UK finally while the boy is here!:D :D

[leslie flenner]

hey! not fair! You all are going to pm finding the ex at barryknoll rd!? I want to know how it goes, ie are you going to call the ex and make plans to see each other or at least have a long talk?

[carole]

oh how I wish I could afford to go to the UK, maybe oneday. Just got my first email from him, seems to be happy enough, had his first day at work today, hard work he says and boring, but pays well, laying grass at the military base, its always something new to put on his C.V.

They had their first game of cricket and won, he said his bowling was not good, but got a wicket , he batted well and got 75, also had a night on the town at Southhampton, said it was pretty cool.
He sent kisses and love to us all, which was nice, and is going to ring us soon, so I will love that.

Now leslie, don't get too excited, I have had no contact with my ex for over 12 yrs, and he may not even live in Los Angeles anymore, I hold out little hope, but I would love him to see Scott, he has not seen Scott since he was around 2 or 3 yrs old, he is a great guy and would show him around and spare no expense on him, that I am sure of, but a lot of time has lapsed and sometimes people just prefer to move on, but If I hear anything I will sure to let you all know.:)

[Christiansmommy]

Good luck to your son. And hugs to the brave mommy ;) My mother in law is going through a similiar thing now, my husband's brother moved over to Guam for a while, not sure how long he'll be there...and i know she misses him a ton.

Just keep busy, and post alot :) Maybe that will help to keep your mind on other things :) I must agree, it is hard to let them go, isn't it? I only have a 2 year old, but i know how much a part of me he is...

Email him alot, and if either of you have digi cameras...send lots of pics through email :) Thank goodness for the internet! ;)

Cheer up mommy :) ((((HUGS)))

Robyn

[carole]

THANK you christiansmommy, I am feeling better in my spirits today, I guess getting the email really helped, keeping regular contact is a must for me, I can never get enough lol.

You know you summed it up, it is a part of me that has left, and that is why it feels so empty without him, you kinda have to go through a grieving process, because it is still a loss, thank goodness only a temporary one, but it sure feels awful, but I keep telling myself, to not be so silly, he is doing something positive that can only be rewarding for him, and I am thrilled he is following his dream, I am sure he will return all the better for it.

Thank you all for listening to me waffle on and on, but it really does help, get it all off my chest, my husband has been great, very caring , understanding, and is there for me 100 per cent, he misses him too, but is better at coping than me, he even brought me home a lovely yellow rose the other day to cheer me up.

I am proud that Scott did this, he worked hard to get there, and achieved his goal, it will help him set more goals in his life, and it can only be for the good IMO.It is all part of the maturing process.

That old saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" sure is true.. The other boy he went with left his fiancee behind for the 2nd time, it must be hard on her, I had never met her before, but at the airport when they left she was left alone,(I had my family, my parents and sister there) so I went up to her and gave her a big hug, as we two were the only ones who really knew how it felt, she said she had done it before, and would cope, and that it was good for them. I said you are a Brave girl.

[leslie flenner]

Okay! I'll keep quiet and you'll let us know if he's located (you could do a google search- I'm not savvy at it but I know one friend found me that way after 10 years of no contact!). Well, good luck with all this stress of loss and possible re-connection!

[Killearn Kitties]

How is your son doing Carole? Is he still enjoying himself?

[carole]

Yes thanks for asking Killearn Kitties, things are going pretty well, jobwise not so well, he is looking for another job, they had a courier job, and sent him off to London, he got lost, can you imagine, he said it was the most horrible experience of his life, he is used to driving in our city pop of around 120,000, so he is looking for something more suitable, cricket is going ok though, he reckons he is batting better than he ever has, so i guess the training and hard work he put in before he left is paying off.
He seems happy enough and enjoying the UK so far,bit cold for his liking though lol..

:)

[Killearn Kitties]

No! They sent him to London on a courier job, and the poor guy's never been there before? That was a bit hard. It's not the easiest place to find your way around. I'm glad the cricket's going well though.

Yes, the weather has been a bit changeable this year. Lovely when the sun is out, but can be freezing when it's not. I'm sure he'll get used to it. (... hopefully anyway!)

[lynnestankard]

Sorry to be late on this thread Carole - my heart goes out to you {{{Hugs}}} across the miles sweetheart - it's sooo bad when our kids leave home isn't it?
When Elizabeth went travelling the year before last - I felt bereft - thank goodness for emails though! Funny thing is - she's off travelling again - since she's arrived home she can't settle!! So in 7 days she's off the Spain for 5 weeks.
Is it just me or does the world seem so much smaller 'these days'?
Hope un-named son is still enjoying himself and not suffering too much with this very changeable weather.
I can't get over sending him to London on his courier job - were they totally mad? Must have been! We never drive down to London - always go by train! Don said he wouldn't drive in London if he were paid to!

I'll be keeping him in my thoughts - you too of course

Lynne

[carole]

Thanks Lynne, I think Scott has gotten over his shock now, but he has vouched never to drive in London again, he has two friends there, but I am sure he will take the train to visit them.

Yes I reckon it was a bit much to throw him in the deep end like that , its an experience he could well have done without, anyway that is the end of his courier days, just got an email today, he has a new job as security two nights a week at the local pub, so hope that works out ok, he is a solid lad, who works out, so he should beable to handle any problems, I hope., he will look for another part-time job as well, just to bump his income up.

Yes the first two weeks were very hard, I missed him terribly, it was like I was grieving for him, but since we can chat on the phone every two weeks, I am much better now, and feeling positive about everything, it just takes time to get used to him not being around, its hard not seeing him though, five mths seems a very long time to me., but it is a great experience,all the same, and he will probably go and do it again next year, so I had better start getting used to it. lol.