View from the Other Side:
From pink snow to being gobsmacked

by Nancy Halverson, Feature Writer

It's snowy in Sheffield these days — surprising? It's pink or pale yellow, and blows in the breeze. The petals are flying off the blossoming trees that line many streets here. It's very strange to see pink 'snow' covering cars and sidewalks. The spring is the best time to see England , in my opinion. Since we've been here, we haven't had a single bad April. This year's been no exception; we've just been through a few weeks with warm, sunny days. This week's rain was actually a relief (no one would ever believe that I said that!).

So, the flowers of England are at their best right now, and I've got some great travels booked for my summer holidays (a bit of a family reunion in the Italian region of Piedmont and a week in the French Alps). Life is still mad as ever, but silver linings are presenting themselves.

Distinguished Chapter Service Award (DCSA)

I want to thank you for the surprise you all gave me in March. It was a significant moment for me, receiving a DCSA from the Southwestern Ontario Chapter (SOC). I was gobsmacked (yes, an Englishism) when Mark Clifford walked into our meeting in Birmingham and told me to stay standing. Then he announced that I'd been the subject of some controversy, since a sitting chapter president isn't supposed to receive this award. I was already blushing, but then Mark said that the award was from the Southwestern Ontario Chapter, and I swear, the smile went from my toes all the way up!

At every international STC meeting I go to, I meet people who have met SOC members or have had dealings with the chapter, and all of them have a high opinion of you. SOC is seen as solid, innovative, and energetic. I'm telling you this because I have always had huge respect for the chapter, and it means so much to me that you've given me this extraordinary award.

Regional Conference

In the past year, I've been able to meet some challenges head on, and not fall flat on my face. By far, the biggest STC challenge was organizing the Regional Conference last October. Five people in various countries gathered weekly via teleconferences from February until October. And I learned a lot, and was relieved (amazed) that everything went well. We even made a surplus thanks to some heavy-duty sponsorship.

Home

The challenges at home were significant as well. In the past year, we've hosted two French girls for six months each, while they learned English. My daughters have also been in France for their part of the exchanges. My youngest is currently living in Lyon (and loving it!). And believe me, living with three girls in a house the size of a phone booth isn't easy!

Work

Challenges at my job continue. We are expanding our product line quickly, but adding new 'resources' slowly. These are all new experiences for me with having multiple versions of multiple products going out with too little time for development. It's great working for a growing company...

So, that's a brief update from the other side of the world. It's a big world, full of possibilities, and it's a small world, because we all know each other.

About Nancy Halverson

Nancy grew up in Toronto, but has lived in Ottawa, Melbourne, Waterloo, and now Sheffield. She has travelled through the South Pacific, Australia and Indonesia, which is where she met her husband, Ryan Wilson (another Canadian), along the way.

A career switch introduced her to the STC in 1997. Her writing experience has included several contract positions and a position at Inscriber for several years. She has two daughters and has been living in England for over two years.