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(Continued from Page C 2)
their independence from England He laughed and said he
considered spending the day in bed, but said actual
American history was not studied so carefully there.
“We lost,” he said casually, and added that the date
July 4 has little meaning back home
He explained that the British probably have more
knowledge of the United States than Americans do of the
United Kingdom.
“We have more in our newspapers and have more world
news than there seems to be here. I scour the newspapers
for world news to see what’s gomg on at home I do miss
the world news The British like to know what’s gomg on in
the world ”
Of course, Peter does not have to bridge the language
gap as he speaks with a very Understandable British
accent. But he notes, “You do have to be careful. Some
words we use back home very innocently we must be
careful with here ”
For instance, to call a girl homely in Britain is a com-
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phment, meaning that she likes to care for her home
Here, it takes on another meaning
There are also common English words that are not
known in ordinary conversation in this country. Peter
says that a lorry is a truck, a fortnight is two weeks and
petrol is gasoline.
There are many advantages to speaking the same
languages, including, Peter says, “I can understand the
play on word jokes.”
The Young Farmers differ considerably from 4-H, with
the age ranging from 10 to 26 There are three natural
groupmgs, with juniors bemg from 10-16, intermediates
from 16-21 and seniors from 21-26
“Most clubs tend to be a combination of more than one
group,” Peter says, “In our group we have all three.”
Young Farmers, Peter notes, are “totally democratic,
self-financing. We pay for everything, with just
educational grants from the government. We are an
educational group, non-formal
“We have a lot of discussions where someone comes in
We meet once a week year-round, although some do meet
every two weeks We don’t just stay in the farming
community We may visit a brewery or a bakery.”
There are some individual projects, but they also do
community service including carol singing and other
traditional Christmas services.'Last vear Peter’s group
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There was a lot of
opportunity for learning
at the Brenneman
household last week with
visitors from Wisconsin
and an IFYE visitor from
England. Peter Lee,
center front, points out
his hometown on an
English map while Fay
Mehls, left and Alice
Rose, Au Claire County,
Wisconsin look on.
Looking over his
shoulder are hosts,
Roger, 11, and JoAnn,
16
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 12,1980—C17
cleared three acres of bushland that had been neglected
and made it possible to return sheep to grazing on the
hillsides and hopefully will encourage the return of
natural vegetation
Young farmers also have exchange visits between
clubs, and have sports activities. “You could be mvolved
in Young Farmers every mght of the week if you wanted,”
Peter says “When I was an officer it was a two-three year
commitment.”
In addition to the very active Young Farmers, there are
many other youth organizations. “In our town there are
between 15 and 20 youth organizations,” Peter says.
Dorking, his hometown, has a population of 22,000 people.
Since Young Farmers literally pay then- own way, he
has some reservations about 4-H and those youngsters
who choose to take 13 or 14 projects.
He suggested that if there were a small charge for the
project books children might think harder about whether
they really wanted a specific project. In that way, too, he
feels they might work harder
The Umted Kingdom is about the size of Pennsylvania
and New York, with 95,000 square miles and 55 million
people Therefore, he does not feel a sense of having a lot
of people in this area
Nevertheless, he understands the problems of land
preservation wluch is a recognized problem m Bntian.
Peter relates, “Keeping land in agriculture is very
difficult. There is a green belt about London designated
for farming and no one is allowed to build on it or con
struct on it It takes the pressure off the farmer.”
But not all areas are protected by legislation and losmg
land continues to be a problem.
Peter observed, “Ihe pace of life is faster than I ex
pected. There doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.
American people need to be on the go all the tune.”
Another observation he made is that family life appears
to be more important here than at home “Family life is
terrific here Mom, Dad and the kids play together and
work together. I would say in England the kids are more
independent than here
Peter has a deep sense of the opportunity the IFYE
program is affording him.
“It is an educational opportunity which is unavailable
anywhere else. You get to know yourself, a side of yourself
you’ve never known. You meet new people and exchange
new ideas. You leam so much so quickly you must absorb
it It becomes a stimulus It is a tremendous learning
experience and a teaching experience as well,” he says.
He says he sometimes fmds it difficult to fmd tune alone
to think and to keep up with the correspondence to his
family and friends, which he feels is just one more link in
the learning experience. He has brought many slides with
turn, and gave 15 presentations to interested groups in
Lycoming county
Peter is anxious to learn all he can and to experience
family life in this country. When he returns to England he
is unsure of his future, but would like to get mto an in
dustry allied with agriculture
Whatever he does he will carry with him an un
derstanding of our culture and a deep appreciation for the
IFYE program and the host families which gave him the
opportunity to spend six months in the land of his dreams.