Let me just give you a heads up that this blog entry will be very lengthy so you may want to get a drink or snack and put your feet up to make yourself comfortable for this read. I also would like to let you know it won't be proofread because it takes me enough time to write everything down and I am way too busy of a woman to spend the extra time proofreading when everyone reading will be able to decipher what I mean to say during any of my typos/misspellings.
First, I'd like to start by telling you the basic itinerary and outline of the trip. We left on October 19th and came back to Canterbury on October 31st but weren't able to celebrate Halloween. I think we're going to have a Halloween celebration next weekend since everyone will be back then and everything. So anyways...we visited Berlin, Prague, Munich, and Zurich spending 3 nights in each place for a total of 12 nights. It was a very long and tiring holiday but well worth it and so amazing to see everything in each city to see how different and unique they all are.
i traveled with Maddy, one of my roommates who is also working her second year for English Lacrosse, which was very nice to not travel alone anywhere. Jaclyn and Rachel, twins who are both over here doing what I'm doing, met us in Berlin after they visited Amsterdam which Maddy and I had already done. They stayed with us for Berlin, Prague, and Munich which was a blast because they are so fun and it was great to have a good group of people you love being around when you're together all day everyday for almost 2 weeks or so.
Alright so now I'll break down the trip by each place. I've already put up pictures from each place and there are over 500 on snapfish if you can get to that account. If not, ask my Mom how to access it lol.
Monday night our flight was delayed awhile so we didn't end up leaving until 9.30pm which got us into Berlin pretty late and then we had an adventure trying to find the hostel. At Gatwick London airport, I had a problem checking in because the woman asked me if I could fit my big purse into my carry-on and then make it fit into that big metal thing they have to measure the carry-ons and I was like oh yeah I know it will that's fine so she goes "ok well can you please show me?" At this point I started sweating trying to zipper my huge purse filled to the top into my carry-on which ended up not zipping all the way and I just left it. I got it into the metal thing and she was like ok push it down to make sure it goes all the way so I did. And then it was stuck. Everyone in the check-in line and at the counters were watching me try to pull it out while the lady at the counter is telling me how to do it by pushing from the bottom. Anyways, I ended up getting it out after a struggle and that's the way it began...and was followed by the flight delay. So we finally got to Berlin and struggled finding the hostel because the train we needed was having brake problems or something so we couldn't take it from the airport and went a very roundabout way but ended up at the right place and finally got to the hostel and ended up in bed at like 2am or maybe later....not good times lol.
Jaclyn and Rachel were already there and sleeping so we didn't see them until the next morning. Also, a teacher from Jaclyn's school named Steve was there and he's been all around Europe and majored in European Political History or something like that she we had our own personal tour guide around Berlin which was amazing. The first full day there we did everything we possibly could and saw all the main sights. We waited in line and saw the German Parliament which was really cool and had good views from the top then we walked around and saw the Holocaust Memorial, US and British Embassies, the New Synagogue, Reichstag, and the Opera House. I'm sure we saw more along the way but those were the main ones I jotted down in my notes:-) The next full day we had we went to Sachsenhausen concentration camp which was about 45 minutes from us so that was a full day trip. I can't even describe the day or the experience to say that it was very hard to be learning and reading about things that happened in the exact place where you're standing...the fact that humans can treat other human beings that way....I just can't get my head around it and it's one thing to learn about it in a classroom and a completely different experience to walk on the grounds where it happened. After the camp, we got back and went to eat dinner at an Italian restaurant by our hostel which was very nice. Something I noticed in Europe is that dogs go everywhere with their owners...everywhere. They are in fast food places, supermarkets, Starbucks, nice Italian restaurants, on the tube and trains...literally everywhere. It was so strange to me because they weren't just little dogs but big dogs sitting on the train and it was just so bizarre but anyways that was just something I noticed that I thought about when I mentioned the restaurant. After the restaurant, we just went back to the hostel and watched a soccer game in the lobby then went to bed. The next day we left in the afternoon for Prague so we did the Berlin Wall in the morning and learned all about that. After we saw that, we walked around a bit more and then just went to the hostel until we had to go to the train station.
We took the train from Berlin to Prague and that was fairly straight forward and not difficult. We checked in and just walked around that night for a bit getting to know the area and then went to bed. For our first full day, we woke up to catch the free walking tour which was 3 hrs but definitely worth it. Prague is amazing and it was so interesting to learn about and also sooo beautiful! We saw the main sites on the tour like the national theater, astronomical clock in the old town square and we learned about alot of the history and different stories they have there. After the tour, we walked over the Charles Bridge which is like one big market and we got over to the other side to walk around the Prague Castle which is huge but beautiful. We didn't pay for the tour so we just walked around it and got pictures. On our way to the castle, we bought hot wine from a little stand on the street and the guy ended up being a national ballerina and was telling us all about his days and where he traveled and it was very interesting!
That night, we did a bar crawl which was fun but I didn't drink enough where it was actually worth the money for me but it was still a good experience and it was a good thing to do because we enjoyed it. They take you to one bar and then 3 clubs and we barely made it to the second club before just going home and going to sleep because the second club we went to wasn't fun and way too smokey so we were ready to call it a night. It was very interesting how many Americans there were in Prague...I'm not sure I met any Czech people lol. Alot of them worked for the bar crawl companies just living abroad and having various other jobs and just living over there and traveling which was interesting. We met alot of people along the way just living abroad doing whatever and enjoying time over there and also people backpacking around Europe for however long. We met 3 guys who actually quit their jobs and planned a huge trip to travel indefinately around Europe and they are from England and wanted to hang out with us whenever they got back from traveling lol. Everyone we met was very nice though and we had so much fun but anyways...:-)
So the next day in Prague, we slept late and then went to Bohemian Bagel and sat there for awhile eating lunch. It was very very very American and the food was amazing and cheap so we loved it there! Then we walked around and went to the other side of town to see things and then went back for a nap because we were still tired. We ate dinner at a local little place in Old Town Square and got various things and it was very good. Then we just hung out with bar crawl people riding on their 7-seater bike which was awesome and soo fun! There were so many people taking pictures of it and we were in many of those peoples' pictures so that was fun lol. Then we just went back to the room and went to bed.
We left for Munich in the afternoon the next day so we got up to check out and see some things before we left. We went to Petrin Hill to see the tower which apparently is supposed to be like the Eiffel Tower. We didn't go up it but got some good pictures from the hill and got good exercise getting up there! It was gorgeous with beautiful views and it was a pretty day so it was nice to be outside and doing that. We also saw a memorial of the communist rule after the Holocaust which was interesting...I have pictures of that on snapfish as well. Then of course we went to lunch at Bohemian Bagel and sat there until we had to leave for the train station. This was the worst journey by far but it was made fun by the people we met along the way which is what it's all about right? I guess so....lol
So when we found out the train times in Prague, the lady said the ones from Prague to Munich on the day we were leaving were complicated because of railway work and such so there were buses involved in the journey but the one at 5pm was direct so we were like oh great let's get that one!
Well....we get on the train and a woman came by and told us that we had to get off at blah blah stop to change so we asked our new German friend that we just met to translate and he said it wasn't direct and then told us what we had to do. Well thankfully we met Achim and Maria who were our German friends on the trip and they didn't know each other before us. Achim spoke English and German and Maria only spoke German so he translate to her for us which was comical but she loved us of course:-) Achim had just been married by law and the next week was having a Church wedding "to be wed by God"....a bit different than America but interesting. We were confused because he kept saying he was married but he was planning things for his wedding...so then he explained. So anyways, we ended up having to take 2 trains then a bus with everyone packed on it and all our bags on our laps and then another 2 trains before getting to Munich. It was miserable and ended up being a 7 1/2 journey. We had to race off the train at one of the stops to the vending machines to stock up on whatever we could find which ended up being gummy bears, vitamin c throat things, pretzels and a snickers lol oh and some kind of carbonated apple juice drink which was strange. So the trip to Munich....not the best.
We got in late and went to bed and then we ended up sleeping late into the next day and missing the tour we were meant to get so we just walked around ourselves and saw alot of the city and then went to a beer hall for dinner around 5 or 6pm and very unexpectedly stayed until it closed at midnight lol. It was the best night of the whole trip and we met lots of interesting people and drank German beer by the liter which was quite the experience but what Munich is known for so that was fun. Needless to say...we slept in the next day as well lol. The one thing I looooved about Munich was that our hostel had a free breakfast and it was actually really good! Our Berlin one did as well or maybe Prague I don't remember but the Munich one was really good and we were able to make sandwiches for lunches to take with us during the day...it was great!
On Tuesday, the second full day in Munich, we did Dachau another concentration camp. I think the more you go to, the more it affects you and you really begin to not only understand what these people went through but you can also actually feel it when you're there...it's terrible but also something that everyone should experience at some point in their lives to truly understand it. So anyways, we did that and then we ended up spending the day with the boys I mentioned above who quit their jobs to travel from England. They went to the camp with us and then we hung out all night in the hostel with them and they were really fun.
The next day, Maddy and I left around 12:30 for Zurich and Jaclyn and Rachel left later at night to go back to London. We got up and did some of the free tour but Maddy and I had to leave for the train station so I'll need to get Rachel's pictures from that. We had a pretty easy train ride into Zurich and then got to the hostel around dinnertime so we checked in and then walked around. Little did we know that Zurich's one of the most expensive cities in the world! We couldn't even afford McDonald's...it was terrible! Although we make pounds, the franc is equal to the american dollar so that's what we compared everything to when we saw prices. A meal at McDonalds was 12 francs which was like $12 to us and we were like oh wow! We did alot of window shopping and just walked around looking at what we couldn't afford. We went to the supermarket every morning and got brie and bread to eat during the day and would splurge on Starbucks lol. We bought pasta, pesto sauce and tomato sauce at the supermarket along with a head of lettuce and single packets of dressing for dinner the nights we were there which worked out well. We didn't go out because it was way too expensive but we walked around alot and just learned about the city which was gorgeous. Switzerland in general is beautiful and has beautiful residents. Everyone in Zurich is just amazingly gorgeous and we would stare at them all-girls and boys lol. We could easily pick out locals and visitors. People would guess that we were Americans and we'd be offended since Swiss people are so pretty and they didn't think we looked like we were from there lol.
Alright, so the first full day we were there we got up early and took the 10am train 2 hours to Interlaken which is the huge home of extreme sports and a big tourist attraction. It was gorgeous and I didn't want to leave there. The weather was beautiful and we couldn't have asked for a better day. We walked around and took lots of pictures and sat at a little cafe and then headed back on the 4pm train and got back for dinner to make some pasta and salad at the hostel. We hung out and just went to bed after walking around the city at night after dinner and it was just so pretty there. The next day we slept in because we had the worst hostel nights there sleeping-wise with girls getting in at 3am then people waking up at 7am...it was just terrible trying to sleep. We woke up and then walked around the city but it was a gloomy day and not great for pictures. We took a Zurich guide and did the walking tour they take you through in there and that was nice because we learned about things as we saw them. Then we went back to the hostel, made dinner and just relaxed again that night. We went to McDonalds at night for ice cream and ran into a guy we met at the beer hall in Munich who works for some aviation company and is quitting his job at 30 to get a 50% pay cut to join the US Army. Interesting guy and weird that we saw him again but he was traveling for business and was on our train to Zurich so we thought maybe we'd see him somewhere...embarassing that it was in McDonalds though lol.
Last day in Zurich....we checked out and walked around in the morning and took lots more pictures lol and then went to the train station to get to the airport and make our way back to Canterbury. Our train from Gatwick had 2 changes and we actually ended up on the same train as Emma, one of our other roommates and Jill, the other American lax coach...small world because they didn't even plan on running into each other and then we all met up on the same train into Canterbury for the home stretch of the trip lol.
It was a great experience, good fun and good people, beautiful pictures, so much history and information to learn everywhere. We could have easily spent 2 weeks in all of these places going into all the museums and just learned everything there is to know but it's nice to even be able to visit them and catch a glimpse of the city for a few days. I feel very lucky and fortunate to have had this opportunity and I'm looknig forward to my next trip....to America for Christmas!!!:-) I can't wait to go home for awhile and see everyone and especially since it's Christmas! I miss everyone and I'm sorry for the typos but I'm tired and wanted to write this while it was still pretty fresh in my mind. I love you all!!!!!! xxxx
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Summer 09 and The Beginning of Canterbury Tales
My summer was amazing and it was soo great being home for those 6 1/2 weeks. I love going home to see my family and friends:-) I got home July 12th and then went to Ocean City July 14th with my family for 2 weeks. It was nice to see my Mom's side from the west coast and spend that time together. It's always sad when the beach vacation ends knowing it'll be another year until we're all together again:-( I'm crossing my fingers that they make it over here to visit me during my spring break though hint hint:-)
I dogsat for Sissy and Bunky which was fun and scary at the same time, ha. I love their house but I definately enjoy it more when there's a Thanksgiving dinner involved and my family:-) It was fun living there for the week though and Maddie was a great girl and very well behaved. I think she was anxious for me to leave though because she missed her mom and dad. We became very good friends and she also became very close with Ali as well since she helped me while I was there since I'm too scared to be there by myself, ha.
I went back to the beach for a week with my parents and we have visitors in and out for the week...Ali, Kelly, Lisa, John, Aunt Donna, and Anna. We spent some time at Aunt Lil's and Gregory read me a book which was very impressive:-) It was another perfect week at the beach and I couldn't have been luckier to go there so much this summer.
One of the best weekends I've had in a long time involved some crazy people from Denver. We had a Denver reunion in Baltimore a weekend in August and it was sooo fun and so great to catch up with everyone and spend the weekend together. It always amazes me because no matter how much time goes by, whenever we're all together it feels like nothing has changed and I just saw everyone yesterday. It was so fun and we all hung out and slept at Kelly's house downtown where she lives with her sisters. There were a lot of people in town and it's the second annual gathering so hopefully there will just continue to be more and more people every year!
I went to a Ravens game while I was home which was so fun as usual and they won!! Yayyy:-) I love them and will definately make everyone a fan that I live with here...except for the Americans here because they obviously have their own teams, ha.
I had such a good summer home and loved everything about it but two especially fun times were the family gatherings at good old Hunting Hills Swim Club:-) We were lucky enough to all find 2 dates that worked where we could all meet at the pool and hang out for the night. I love being with my family during the holidays but I also miss the pool cook outs we used to have so this was realllly nice:-) The first time we did burgers and amazing sides which I actually can't think about because it makes me mouth water. We had a splash contest and did some relays and I didn't participate in the contest the second time....for obvious reasons. The second time, we did chicken and great sides again and both times we had great desserts from Lisa Crocker:-) (like Betty Crocker). The second time we played keep it up with a ball in the pool and then used the ball and made games with it going off the diving boards and such. Overall, good times as usual:-) I can't wait to be home and play games with everyone at Christmas!
Congratulations to Michelle & Joey:-) Their wedding was beautiful and she was a gorgeous bride. I absolutely loooved her dress and hair and everything about the wedding and everyone looked so great and so happy! The reception was alot of fun and the food was amazing with a really good band that kept everyone entertained and my mom dancing, ha.
I can't think of anything else which probably means that I forgot something really important and I'm sorry...just remind me!
CANTERBURY
Alright, so where to start...?!
I am in a gorgeous town called Canterbury which is located Southeast of London, about 17 miles from the coast and about 45 minutes from Paris. I'm about 2 hrs or so from London now because of having to switch trains and the tube but they are currently building a line that will go right from Canterbury to London and take about 35 minutes! I don't know what that will be finished but that sounds alot better/easier than what it is now. There is alot of history here and it's a very historic/touristy town. There are constantly tour groups and people with cameras around everywhere taking pictures of everything. It's so pretty and I'm excited to do a tour and learn about everything. There are all kinds of monuments and memorials about WWII and things from history.
I'm living with 4 other people: Emma, Maddy, Chris, and Ed. They are all here doing what I'm doing for the most part. Maddy is doing lacrosse for the county of Kent but based here. She doesn't actually work at the school during the day so she's strictly lacrosse with me and Jill, who is the head coach and started 3 years ago by doing what I'm doing. We all have a good time together coaching together. Jill has the U15 team; I have the U14 (new to lax) and Maddy has the seniors. I have alot of work to do with my girls because most of them have never played before but it's nice to start from scratch and watch as they progress which I guarantee they will:-)
I love my roommates and we all get along so well...so far;-) Everyone has their own personality and it's nice that 4 of us are all new to the school and department, adjusting together to how everything works. We all hang out together in lessons during the day then have our after school sports and then go to dinner at the school and then we're back at the house to hang:-) Chris does Rugby; Emma does Field Hockey/Netball, and Ed is Rowing. We had family dinners when we first got here because the dining hall wasn't open and that was fun. We live right next door to the Jolly Sailor which is a pub and that's just dangerous, ha. It's really fun but soo loud living next door because there are always people there and it's just going to get worse. Canterbury is a university town because of Kent which is based right outside of it I guess? Or in it? I'm not completely sure but the owner of the pub told us that it gets really crowded/loud there and everywhere around here pretty much gets more fun when the students are all back. It should be fun and it's really nice having roommates. Our house is so amazing and huge! I have pictures on my facebook but it doesn't even do it justice...it's massive. I've been working on my room alot and making it homey and my own:-)
I love the school, the people we work with, the department, my head of house. I am assigned to Jervis House which is literally right down the street so I'll have a couple duties at that boarding house. My head of house is in charge of signing things for lax because they needed an academic person behind each sport so she understands that lax can take alot out of you so I won't have as many boarding house duties this year which will be really nice. The school is gorgeous and huge. I tried to take pictures but I didn't get all the buildings...I'll work on it:-)
Those are the basics and I could go on and on with details because it's me and I ramble but I'll try and just keep it simple so that it doesn't go on forever and ever, ha. I will try and write as things happen and keep it updated. If you can, keep an eye on facebook because I'll try to keep that updated with pictures and such.
Miss and love you all!! xxxx
DP
ps. sorry mom, it was way too long to proofread:-)
I dogsat for Sissy and Bunky which was fun and scary at the same time, ha. I love their house but I definately enjoy it more when there's a Thanksgiving dinner involved and my family:-) It was fun living there for the week though and Maddie was a great girl and very well behaved. I think she was anxious for me to leave though because she missed her mom and dad. We became very good friends and she also became very close with Ali as well since she helped me while I was there since I'm too scared to be there by myself, ha.
I went back to the beach for a week with my parents and we have visitors in and out for the week...Ali, Kelly, Lisa, John, Aunt Donna, and Anna. We spent some time at Aunt Lil's and Gregory read me a book which was very impressive:-) It was another perfect week at the beach and I couldn't have been luckier to go there so much this summer.
One of the best weekends I've had in a long time involved some crazy people from Denver. We had a Denver reunion in Baltimore a weekend in August and it was sooo fun and so great to catch up with everyone and spend the weekend together. It always amazes me because no matter how much time goes by, whenever we're all together it feels like nothing has changed and I just saw everyone yesterday. It was so fun and we all hung out and slept at Kelly's house downtown where she lives with her sisters. There were a lot of people in town and it's the second annual gathering so hopefully there will just continue to be more and more people every year!
I went to a Ravens game while I was home which was so fun as usual and they won!! Yayyy:-) I love them and will definately make everyone a fan that I live with here...except for the Americans here because they obviously have their own teams, ha.
I had such a good summer home and loved everything about it but two especially fun times were the family gatherings at good old Hunting Hills Swim Club:-) We were lucky enough to all find 2 dates that worked where we could all meet at the pool and hang out for the night. I love being with my family during the holidays but I also miss the pool cook outs we used to have so this was realllly nice:-) The first time we did burgers and amazing sides which I actually can't think about because it makes me mouth water. We had a splash contest and did some relays and I didn't participate in the contest the second time....for obvious reasons. The second time, we did chicken and great sides again and both times we had great desserts from Lisa Crocker:-) (like Betty Crocker). The second time we played keep it up with a ball in the pool and then used the ball and made games with it going off the diving boards and such. Overall, good times as usual:-) I can't wait to be home and play games with everyone at Christmas!
Congratulations to Michelle & Joey:-) Their wedding was beautiful and she was a gorgeous bride. I absolutely loooved her dress and hair and everything about the wedding and everyone looked so great and so happy! The reception was alot of fun and the food was amazing with a really good band that kept everyone entertained and my mom dancing, ha.
I can't think of anything else which probably means that I forgot something really important and I'm sorry...just remind me!
CANTERBURY
Alright, so where to start...?!
I am in a gorgeous town called Canterbury which is located Southeast of London, about 17 miles from the coast and about 45 minutes from Paris. I'm about 2 hrs or so from London now because of having to switch trains and the tube but they are currently building a line that will go right from Canterbury to London and take about 35 minutes! I don't know what that will be finished but that sounds alot better/easier than what it is now. There is alot of history here and it's a very historic/touristy town. There are constantly tour groups and people with cameras around everywhere taking pictures of everything. It's so pretty and I'm excited to do a tour and learn about everything. There are all kinds of monuments and memorials about WWII and things from history.
I'm living with 4 other people: Emma, Maddy, Chris, and Ed. They are all here doing what I'm doing for the most part. Maddy is doing lacrosse for the county of Kent but based here. She doesn't actually work at the school during the day so she's strictly lacrosse with me and Jill, who is the head coach and started 3 years ago by doing what I'm doing. We all have a good time together coaching together. Jill has the U15 team; I have the U14 (new to lax) and Maddy has the seniors. I have alot of work to do with my girls because most of them have never played before but it's nice to start from scratch and watch as they progress which I guarantee they will:-)
I love my roommates and we all get along so well...so far;-) Everyone has their own personality and it's nice that 4 of us are all new to the school and department, adjusting together to how everything works. We all hang out together in lessons during the day then have our after school sports and then go to dinner at the school and then we're back at the house to hang:-) Chris does Rugby; Emma does Field Hockey/Netball, and Ed is Rowing. We had family dinners when we first got here because the dining hall wasn't open and that was fun. We live right next door to the Jolly Sailor which is a pub and that's just dangerous, ha. It's really fun but soo loud living next door because there are always people there and it's just going to get worse. Canterbury is a university town because of Kent which is based right outside of it I guess? Or in it? I'm not completely sure but the owner of the pub told us that it gets really crowded/loud there and everywhere around here pretty much gets more fun when the students are all back. It should be fun and it's really nice having roommates. Our house is so amazing and huge! I have pictures on my facebook but it doesn't even do it justice...it's massive. I've been working on my room alot and making it homey and my own:-)
I love the school, the people we work with, the department, my head of house. I am assigned to Jervis House which is literally right down the street so I'll have a couple duties at that boarding house. My head of house is in charge of signing things for lax because they needed an academic person behind each sport so she understands that lax can take alot out of you so I won't have as many boarding house duties this year which will be really nice. The school is gorgeous and huge. I tried to take pictures but I didn't get all the buildings...I'll work on it:-)
Those are the basics and I could go on and on with details because it's me and I ramble but I'll try and just keep it simple so that it doesn't go on forever and ever, ha. I will try and write as things happen and keep it updated. If you can, keep an eye on facebook because I'll try to keep that updated with pictures and such.
Miss and love you all!! xxxx
DP
ps. sorry mom, it was way too long to proofread:-)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Malaga (finally) & Amsterdam
I know I know..it's taken forever for me to write these blogs but blogging is not something that can be done without effort. It takes alot of time and cleverness to be this funny:-)
First things first: MALAGA, SPAIN:-)
This was the most beautiful place that I have been to since I've been over here. I have loved everywhere I've been for different reasons but this was just gorgeous everywhere you turned. The water was so pretty, the sand wasn't white but still nice in between your toes, people drove on the right side of the road, our place we stayed was perfect and 100 times better than anywhere I've stayed (hostels would never be that nice) with 2 pools, a restaurant, lobby with internet, bar, convenient store, etc. It was so pretty and every morning when I ran I could see the ocean and feel the sun already at 9am. Although sometimes I'd set my UK phone alarm for 9 thinking it was 9 and forgetting it was an hour ahead in Malaga so maybe the sun felt so hot because it was really 10am, ha.
There were many things that happened that week that were pretty priceless and would only happen to us 3..especially with me around, ha. The first night we went to dinner I caught my hair on fire. Funny thing was that I saw smoke and didn't know it was coming from my hair. There was a candle on the table and when I went to get up I leaned forward and I guess my hair brushed by the candle, I saw smoke, saw the candle still lit, and could hear it burning (tttssss) and I was brushing the smoke away from my face going "ummm I did something.." not knowing what had happened and Lisa goes "YOUR HAIR!!" and lunged forward grabbing my hair to stop the burning haha. My hair was fried with black edges and little pieces falling out the rest of the week and it smelled like there was a campfire following me everywhere I went that night.
Another incident we had was when Polly visited us. I'm sure you're wondering who Polly is. Lisa was sitting in the sitting room reading and started screaming and sad that a bird flew into our place. Sure enough there it was in Christine's room. We didn't know what to do because it seemed hurt and wouldn't move. I tried feeding it noodles like a Mama Bird feeds her babies worms but it wasn't hungry I guess cuz it backed away...I even nudged it's little beak with the noodle thinking maybe Polly didn't see it but she just didn't want it. So finally Christine got it and put it out the sliding door and she hung out on the roof across from us for awhile and was gone in the morning. We're not sure what happened to her but I'm sure she was happy to get away from us.
Another exciting event was that Christine read a book...an entire book!! We were so proud of her. She read Harlan Coben's Long Lost which I bought in the Dublin Airport and literally you can't put it down so she read the whole thing! Now she knows she actually does like to read, she just needs to find something she likes.
Ok, so now about our trip and what we did...you can track it by the pictures pretty much but I will quickly run through what we did each day..
They arrived into Malaga 3 planes later (Baltimore to Philly, Philly to Madrid, Madrid to Malaga) Saturday morning the 23rd of May. They walked around, settled in and unpacked and got the rental car. Then I got there at around 1130pm but I think it ended up being late so I didn't even see them until later like midnight I'm pretty sure. They drove me back and pointed everything out to me in the dark which wasn't too impressive until I could actually see it.
Sunday was a laid back day and we went to La Cala beach and Lisa and I should have worn more sunscreen because our fronts of our bodies couldn't see the sun until about Wednesday after that so we learned our lesson for Ocean City. Then we did dinner at the condo and I burned my hair...
Monday we went to the Nude Beach (Cabopino) and didn't pay for chairs but just laid out on our towels. We went to the supermarket to get stuff for the week for lunches and snacks so we weren't buying lunch everyday. We bought sandwiches at La Cala but then we had packed stuff the rest of the week like crackers, fruit snacks, and fruit so that worked out well!
Tuesday we went to the market in the morning which was huge. It wasn't anything too impressive and looked like most markets I'd been to before but was still neat to see and we got to see a different town. We went to the beach in the same town that day (Fuegirola).
Wednesday we left early and did the day in Granada. This was Christine's day. We went to Granada and did a Palace and some gardens and walked miiiiiiles. We went to a couple different town I'm pretty sure because we walked for so long and we bought some really neat rings there. It was interesting to see and nice to do something away from the sun for the day.
Thursday we just went back to La Cala beach and we kinda called this "our beach" now because we had been there a couple times and it was just cozy and we felt like we belong there now haha.
We went to Biddy Mulligan's for dinner. I broke a glass of course. I had my purse on the table and went to put it on the ground and knocked the glass off the table and they gave me a hard time. I burn my hair...break glasses...can't take me anywhere. We stayed there for a couple drinks and hung out with some really fun bartenders/waiters named...? oh wow I forgot their names lol. Lisa will remember. But anyways, I started telling my jokes and they were a pretty big hit. We had these drinks called a snakebite and apparently they aren't even allowed to be sold in some pubs because they are pretty strong. They are half strongbow or some kinda cider beer, half heineken and then some blackcurrant juice...they are very good but sweet and strong so you can only have about 2.
Friday we went to the pool at our place so that we could just use our place for lunch and the bathroom and just to be close for our last day and really relax. It was very nice having the pool there though because the ocean water was too cold but the pool was very refreshing. We went back to Biddy Mulligan's that night for a drink before we left and I went back with more jokes that I had written down from my Facebook. Both nights, a couple customers heard them and chuckled so even though people say they are dumb...they still laugh:-)
Saturday we had to leave:-( We left really early which was a hassle but it was such a treat not traveling by myself!! I was on their flight from Malaga to Madrid and was even able to sit with them!! I was so excited as you can tell:-) Then I got to Madrid and it was much harder than I thought it'd be...I ended up having to take a tram to my terminal and this took me awhile to figure out and resulted in my going up and down escalators and going in circles seeing the same things over and over but being the little world traveler that I am, I found it:-) So then I got back here on Saturday night and have a day to relax on Sunday before school started back up on Monday. I loved Malaga and it was gorgeous and gave us nice tans...even Christine got brown and we had a great time being together and got along very well and had a good week:-)
Now for Amsterdam...this one won't be as long because it was only a weekend. On Friday I had a morning lesson here for Rounders and then got a cab to Newport and made my way to the airport. I got into the airport and had to take a train to Central Station in Amsterdam where I met McKensie, Dani, and Lexi:-) It was soooo good to see them and did not feel like it'd been a year at all!! We went to the hostel and dropped my stuff off into the tiny 3 person room where 4 people would be sleeping (Dani let me share with her and we did the good old sleepover feet to head which actually worked well). We went to a coffee shop and got a drink and then we walked around Central Amsterdam for awhile and then found an Italian restaurant and ate there for dinner. Then they took me to the Red Light District. I cannot believe that these girls so that for a living...I was in shock they just sit there on their cell phones waiting for a customer. I dunno, it just would never be something I'd think is normal. There were tons of restaurants and bars and things around there though so it was the most crowded part of Amsterdam because after exploring West and East Amsterdam we realized that the central part was definately the party place of the city. So after walking around there we just went back to the hostel and went to sleep because Saturday was going to be a big day.
We woke up on Saturday and were gone all day and night...I'm pretty sure we walked for 13 hours straight. We saw anything and everything. We started with the Van Gogh Museum which was really neat and then we sat in Museum Square for awhile because it was such a pretty day. Me, McKensie and Lexi then spent 2 hours in the Heineken Brewery making videos to send to friends and family and this was sooo much fun. I loved that place and didn't want to leave lol. Then we met Dani outside and we walked around for a bit and then went to this Pancake place because Amsterdam is known for their pancakes or something and I know why now!! So thin and just mmm sooo good:-) Then we walked around for a couple more hours seeing things and went to the China District for dinner which was really good. Then we went to a coffee shop for a drink and hung out for a bit and then went home. We were exhausted from walking so much and the sun and just a long day in general.
On Sunday, their cab came at 5am to take them to the airport for their 7am flight. They went to Prague and are actually going home today. I had a nice little touristy day by myself. Check out was at 11am so I slept in, showered, packed my stuff up, checked out and went to the Anne Frank House/Museum. This was amazing and I am so glad I did it. They did it Friday before I got there so this was perfect on Sunday that I was on my own to do it. It was incredible being there and seeing videos of her father talking and her best friend and her real diary and just being in the house. Then I walked to a different side of town to the Pancake Corner for my last pancake there:-) It was sooo worth the walk lol:-) And then I made my way to the train station to get back to the airport for my flight home. I got back around 10pm or so and started school on Monday because it wasn't a holiday or anything, just a normal weekend but so neat I went to Amsterdam for the weekend:-)
I wish that I had spent more time with them but I am so glad I did it and it was so worth it. It was a great trip and another amazing experience:-)
I have to go because I have to go over to School House to help with the little ones but I will write another blog soon about my plans for September.
I miss everyone and I will be home for summer in less than 3 weeks!!!!:-)
Love,
DP
First things first: MALAGA, SPAIN:-)
This was the most beautiful place that I have been to since I've been over here. I have loved everywhere I've been for different reasons but this was just gorgeous everywhere you turned. The water was so pretty, the sand wasn't white but still nice in between your toes, people drove on the right side of the road, our place we stayed was perfect and 100 times better than anywhere I've stayed (hostels would never be that nice) with 2 pools, a restaurant, lobby with internet, bar, convenient store, etc. It was so pretty and every morning when I ran I could see the ocean and feel the sun already at 9am. Although sometimes I'd set my UK phone alarm for 9 thinking it was 9 and forgetting it was an hour ahead in Malaga so maybe the sun felt so hot because it was really 10am, ha.
There were many things that happened that week that were pretty priceless and would only happen to us 3..especially with me around, ha. The first night we went to dinner I caught my hair on fire. Funny thing was that I saw smoke and didn't know it was coming from my hair. There was a candle on the table and when I went to get up I leaned forward and I guess my hair brushed by the candle, I saw smoke, saw the candle still lit, and could hear it burning (tttssss) and I was brushing the smoke away from my face going "ummm I did something.." not knowing what had happened and Lisa goes "YOUR HAIR!!" and lunged forward grabbing my hair to stop the burning haha. My hair was fried with black edges and little pieces falling out the rest of the week and it smelled like there was a campfire following me everywhere I went that night.
Another incident we had was when Polly visited us. I'm sure you're wondering who Polly is. Lisa was sitting in the sitting room reading and started screaming and sad that a bird flew into our place. Sure enough there it was in Christine's room. We didn't know what to do because it seemed hurt and wouldn't move. I tried feeding it noodles like a Mama Bird feeds her babies worms but it wasn't hungry I guess cuz it backed away...I even nudged it's little beak with the noodle thinking maybe Polly didn't see it but she just didn't want it. So finally Christine got it and put it out the sliding door and she hung out on the roof across from us for awhile and was gone in the morning. We're not sure what happened to her but I'm sure she was happy to get away from us.
Another exciting event was that Christine read a book...an entire book!! We were so proud of her. She read Harlan Coben's Long Lost which I bought in the Dublin Airport and literally you can't put it down so she read the whole thing! Now she knows she actually does like to read, she just needs to find something she likes.
Ok, so now about our trip and what we did...you can track it by the pictures pretty much but I will quickly run through what we did each day..
They arrived into Malaga 3 planes later (Baltimore to Philly, Philly to Madrid, Madrid to Malaga) Saturday morning the 23rd of May. They walked around, settled in and unpacked and got the rental car. Then I got there at around 1130pm but I think it ended up being late so I didn't even see them until later like midnight I'm pretty sure. They drove me back and pointed everything out to me in the dark which wasn't too impressive until I could actually see it.
Sunday was a laid back day and we went to La Cala beach and Lisa and I should have worn more sunscreen because our fronts of our bodies couldn't see the sun until about Wednesday after that so we learned our lesson for Ocean City. Then we did dinner at the condo and I burned my hair...
Monday we went to the Nude Beach (Cabopino) and didn't pay for chairs but just laid out on our towels. We went to the supermarket to get stuff for the week for lunches and snacks so we weren't buying lunch everyday. We bought sandwiches at La Cala but then we had packed stuff the rest of the week like crackers, fruit snacks, and fruit so that worked out well!
Tuesday we went to the market in the morning which was huge. It wasn't anything too impressive and looked like most markets I'd been to before but was still neat to see and we got to see a different town. We went to the beach in the same town that day (Fuegirola).
Wednesday we left early and did the day in Granada. This was Christine's day. We went to Granada and did a Palace and some gardens and walked miiiiiiles. We went to a couple different town I'm pretty sure because we walked for so long and we bought some really neat rings there. It was interesting to see and nice to do something away from the sun for the day.
Thursday we just went back to La Cala beach and we kinda called this "our beach" now because we had been there a couple times and it was just cozy and we felt like we belong there now haha.
We went to Biddy Mulligan's for dinner. I broke a glass of course. I had my purse on the table and went to put it on the ground and knocked the glass off the table and they gave me a hard time. I burn my hair...break glasses...can't take me anywhere. We stayed there for a couple drinks and hung out with some really fun bartenders/waiters named...? oh wow I forgot their names lol. Lisa will remember. But anyways, I started telling my jokes and they were a pretty big hit. We had these drinks called a snakebite and apparently they aren't even allowed to be sold in some pubs because they are pretty strong. They are half strongbow or some kinda cider beer, half heineken and then some blackcurrant juice...they are very good but sweet and strong so you can only have about 2.
Friday we went to the pool at our place so that we could just use our place for lunch and the bathroom and just to be close for our last day and really relax. It was very nice having the pool there though because the ocean water was too cold but the pool was very refreshing. We went back to Biddy Mulligan's that night for a drink before we left and I went back with more jokes that I had written down from my Facebook. Both nights, a couple customers heard them and chuckled so even though people say they are dumb...they still laugh:-)
Saturday we had to leave:-( We left really early which was a hassle but it was such a treat not traveling by myself!! I was on their flight from Malaga to Madrid and was even able to sit with them!! I was so excited as you can tell:-) Then I got to Madrid and it was much harder than I thought it'd be...I ended up having to take a tram to my terminal and this took me awhile to figure out and resulted in my going up and down escalators and going in circles seeing the same things over and over but being the little world traveler that I am, I found it:-) So then I got back here on Saturday night and have a day to relax on Sunday before school started back up on Monday. I loved Malaga and it was gorgeous and gave us nice tans...even Christine got brown and we had a great time being together and got along very well and had a good week:-)
Now for Amsterdam...this one won't be as long because it was only a weekend. On Friday I had a morning lesson here for Rounders and then got a cab to Newport and made my way to the airport. I got into the airport and had to take a train to Central Station in Amsterdam where I met McKensie, Dani, and Lexi:-) It was soooo good to see them and did not feel like it'd been a year at all!! We went to the hostel and dropped my stuff off into the tiny 3 person room where 4 people would be sleeping (Dani let me share with her and we did the good old sleepover feet to head which actually worked well). We went to a coffee shop and got a drink and then we walked around Central Amsterdam for awhile and then found an Italian restaurant and ate there for dinner. Then they took me to the Red Light District. I cannot believe that these girls so that for a living...I was in shock they just sit there on their cell phones waiting for a customer. I dunno, it just would never be something I'd think is normal. There were tons of restaurants and bars and things around there though so it was the most crowded part of Amsterdam because after exploring West and East Amsterdam we realized that the central part was definately the party place of the city. So after walking around there we just went back to the hostel and went to sleep because Saturday was going to be a big day.
We woke up on Saturday and were gone all day and night...I'm pretty sure we walked for 13 hours straight. We saw anything and everything. We started with the Van Gogh Museum which was really neat and then we sat in Museum Square for awhile because it was such a pretty day. Me, McKensie and Lexi then spent 2 hours in the Heineken Brewery making videos to send to friends and family and this was sooo much fun. I loved that place and didn't want to leave lol. Then we met Dani outside and we walked around for a bit and then went to this Pancake place because Amsterdam is known for their pancakes or something and I know why now!! So thin and just mmm sooo good:-) Then we walked around for a couple more hours seeing things and went to the China District for dinner which was really good. Then we went to a coffee shop for a drink and hung out for a bit and then went home. We were exhausted from walking so much and the sun and just a long day in general.
On Sunday, their cab came at 5am to take them to the airport for their 7am flight. They went to Prague and are actually going home today. I had a nice little touristy day by myself. Check out was at 11am so I slept in, showered, packed my stuff up, checked out and went to the Anne Frank House/Museum. This was amazing and I am so glad I did it. They did it Friday before I got there so this was perfect on Sunday that I was on my own to do it. It was incredible being there and seeing videos of her father talking and her best friend and her real diary and just being in the house. Then I walked to a different side of town to the Pancake Corner for my last pancake there:-) It was sooo worth the walk lol:-) And then I made my way to the train station to get back to the airport for my flight home. I got back around 10pm or so and started school on Monday because it wasn't a holiday or anything, just a normal weekend but so neat I went to Amsterdam for the weekend:-)
I wish that I had spent more time with them but I am so glad I did it and it was so worth it. It was a great trip and another amazing experience:-)
I have to go because I have to go over to School House to help with the little ones but I will write another blog soon about my plans for September.
I miss everyone and I will be home for summer in less than 3 weeks!!!!:-)
Love,
DP
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
May Days:-)
Well, we have been having beautiful weather where it actually feels hot here but windy and then today looking out my window...rain. I think it's supposed to rain the next few days which is a downer but hopefully the weather men are wrong!
Saturday is Speech Day, which is apparently the biggest day of the school year here. They have a huuuuge tent set up (like for weddings) down on the lacrosse/rounders/athletics fields where it'll take place and the whole school comes. They give out all kinds of rewards and apparently it's really boring but a big deal and everyone has to dress up (no idea what to wear!)
One week from Speech Day, I'll be on my way to meet Christine and Lisa in Malaga, Spain where it is currently (hold on, let me check)...sunny and 70 degrees! It will feel warmer though because it is so far south. I remember in the Canary Islands it was like 65-70 some days and we were like oh man, we won't get any sun and we ended up getting tan and had to use the pool to cool off! So, I am going to start researching Spain-y/Malaga-y things to do around there so we can get the whole experience including camel riding:-) I'm very excited and then I come back and I will have to start thinking about how to get my life into 2 suitcases to come home!
I'm not sure what I'm doing for July yet before I come home because I wanted to do Greece but the girl who told me she's going is going with her sister and 2 friends and her sister booked it all and now the travel agent is away until the end of May and I'll be in Spain and blah blah blah sooo I'm not sure what my plan is yet for then..maybe I'll be coming home early!:-)
Let me try and recap from the last time I wrote..hmm..
Since lacrosse is over, I have been helping with the Summer term sports which are: Rounders, Tennis, and Athletics (very interesting). Athletics is like Track&Field and I've been to two events which are all day on Wednesdays which is nice to break up the week a bit. The first one we went to was District and the other teacher I went with and I got the job of announcing and recording in the box in the stands-very interesting. She kept wanting me to announce to see how people would react to my accent and I refused. When she'd leave to go to the toilet, they would walky-talky something to announce and I'd put my head down so they thought no one was in the box lol BUT I was a good recorder of all the times and names and everything!
The next one we went to was the next week and it was all the girls who qualified for County and we took about 13 girls and my job was just to sit with the girls that day and make sure they got to their events on time and such. Yesterday, at the last minute, we found out that one girl needed to go to Cmbrawn (soo Welsh) to do her javelin throw so I went with another teacher and she drove the 3 of us there, she threw her javelin and won, we drank tea, and came back lol so that was a quick trip! I am mainly doing Athletics and I am actually learning alot about the techniques and how to teach things like: shot put, long jump, hurdles, high jump, sprinting, etc. so it is a good experience. I have also been playing tennis and told Lisa we are playing this summer. I'm not that great but it is really fun and my arm hurts the next day which may or may not mean I'm doing something wrong lol.
Lastly, I have a couple Rounders lessons and that is just a game that I will never get into..it's even worse than softball. Maybe this summer we can have a family party and I can teach everyone how to play rounders up at Western Hills or something lol.
A couple weekends ago it was bank holiday weekend which I still don't understand what it is but I just know that banks were closed on Monday so schools were too. I went to Dublin with another girl and it was very fun. We got there Friday night, dropped our stuff and went out to this club 2 doors down from where we were staying and then Saturday we took the train to Bray to go see the coast and walked around there. Sunday we woke up and did the Dublin bus tour and we decided not to tour the cathedrals or anything since we had seen enough history in London but we did do the Guinness factory tour which was reallllly cool. I have lots of pictures and I didn't put them all on Facebook since it takes so long but it was really really neat..I will have to explain it more when I got home. I got a shirt from there which was my only Dublin souvenir which my mom couldn't believe but ya know..I'm not made of money-gotta prioritize! :-) Sunday afternoon/evening we went to this realllly good Mexican restaurant that the Dublin tour bus guide said was his favorite in all of Dublin because for some reason we were both craving Mexican and we both got REALLY GOOD enchilladas! So then we made our way to the airport that night and we got back into London and took the tube and buses back to where she lived and got to bed late. It was nice seeing where she was though because I like seeing other peoples' lives here and living situations and such. So we didn't get to bed until after 1am then I was up at 7am to make my way back to Monmouth and got back here around 1pm or so...so it was a long and busy weekend but very worth it!
I can't think of anything else right now but if I do, I will include it in my next blog. Oh! I sent my Mom an "I <3 MUM" mug for mother's day which I was very proud of since she calls herself "mum" to me now:-) And I received two very lovely cards from her and Sissy that they made at the beach:-)
Ok, that's all for now!
love you miss you!
DP
Saturday is Speech Day, which is apparently the biggest day of the school year here. They have a huuuuge tent set up (like for weddings) down on the lacrosse/rounders/athletics fields where it'll take place and the whole school comes. They give out all kinds of rewards and apparently it's really boring but a big deal and everyone has to dress up (no idea what to wear!)
One week from Speech Day, I'll be on my way to meet Christine and Lisa in Malaga, Spain where it is currently (hold on, let me check)...sunny and 70 degrees! It will feel warmer though because it is so far south. I remember in the Canary Islands it was like 65-70 some days and we were like oh man, we won't get any sun and we ended up getting tan and had to use the pool to cool off! So, I am going to start researching Spain-y/Malaga-y things to do around there so we can get the whole experience including camel riding:-) I'm very excited and then I come back and I will have to start thinking about how to get my life into 2 suitcases to come home!
I'm not sure what I'm doing for July yet before I come home because I wanted to do Greece but the girl who told me she's going is going with her sister and 2 friends and her sister booked it all and now the travel agent is away until the end of May and I'll be in Spain and blah blah blah sooo I'm not sure what my plan is yet for then..maybe I'll be coming home early!:-)
Let me try and recap from the last time I wrote..hmm..
Since lacrosse is over, I have been helping with the Summer term sports which are: Rounders, Tennis, and Athletics (very interesting). Athletics is like Track&Field and I've been to two events which are all day on Wednesdays which is nice to break up the week a bit. The first one we went to was District and the other teacher I went with and I got the job of announcing and recording in the box in the stands-very interesting. She kept wanting me to announce to see how people would react to my accent and I refused. When she'd leave to go to the toilet, they would walky-talky something to announce and I'd put my head down so they thought no one was in the box lol BUT I was a good recorder of all the times and names and everything!
The next one we went to was the next week and it was all the girls who qualified for County and we took about 13 girls and my job was just to sit with the girls that day and make sure they got to their events on time and such. Yesterday, at the last minute, we found out that one girl needed to go to Cmbrawn (soo Welsh) to do her javelin throw so I went with another teacher and she drove the 3 of us there, she threw her javelin and won, we drank tea, and came back lol so that was a quick trip! I am mainly doing Athletics and I am actually learning alot about the techniques and how to teach things like: shot put, long jump, hurdles, high jump, sprinting, etc. so it is a good experience. I have also been playing tennis and told Lisa we are playing this summer. I'm not that great but it is really fun and my arm hurts the next day which may or may not mean I'm doing something wrong lol.
Lastly, I have a couple Rounders lessons and that is just a game that I will never get into..it's even worse than softball. Maybe this summer we can have a family party and I can teach everyone how to play rounders up at Western Hills or something lol.
A couple weekends ago it was bank holiday weekend which I still don't understand what it is but I just know that banks were closed on Monday so schools were too. I went to Dublin with another girl and it was very fun. We got there Friday night, dropped our stuff and went out to this club 2 doors down from where we were staying and then Saturday we took the train to Bray to go see the coast and walked around there. Sunday we woke up and did the Dublin bus tour and we decided not to tour the cathedrals or anything since we had seen enough history in London but we did do the Guinness factory tour which was reallllly cool. I have lots of pictures and I didn't put them all on Facebook since it takes so long but it was really really neat..I will have to explain it more when I got home. I got a shirt from there which was my only Dublin souvenir which my mom couldn't believe but ya know..I'm not made of money-gotta prioritize! :-) Sunday afternoon/evening we went to this realllly good Mexican restaurant that the Dublin tour bus guide said was his favorite in all of Dublin because for some reason we were both craving Mexican and we both got REALLY GOOD enchilladas! So then we made our way to the airport that night and we got back into London and took the tube and buses back to where she lived and got to bed late. It was nice seeing where she was though because I like seeing other peoples' lives here and living situations and such. So we didn't get to bed until after 1am then I was up at 7am to make my way back to Monmouth and got back here around 1pm or so...so it was a long and busy weekend but very worth it!
I can't think of anything else right now but if I do, I will include it in my next blog. Oh! I sent my Mom an "I <3 MUM" mug for mother's day which I was very proud of since she calls herself "mum" to me now:-) And I received two very lovely cards from her and Sissy that they made at the beach:-)
Ok, that's all for now!
love you miss you!
DP
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Spring Has Sprung:-)
Hello everyone!:-)
I am back here in Wales after a terrific holiday away from here for a few weeks and a very nice break with family and friends.
It started with my parents here and staying in my little town of Monmouth for a few days while I finished up with school. Then we went to Bath and stayed right in the heart of Bath which was a treat because it was walking distance to everything possible. We stayed in Bath on Saturday and then Sunday we left for Cornwall but stopped at Stonehenge (sp?) for a bit and then made our way to Uncle Hank and Aunt Shirley! They were very nice and alot of fun to stay with--I think I learned more from Uncle Hank in those few days than I did in my years of school. I felt smarter leaving there:-)
They took us everywhere in Cornwall and it was beautiful and my mom has many pictures to show you everything we saw. Then we went to London for the remainder of the trip (Tues-Sat). My dad is a history buff so we saw EVERYTHING there was to see and did all the audio tours and I learned more from that trip also so between the tours and Uncle Hank, I am smarter than I was in March!
Then on April 4th, my parents and I made our way back to America! We went on separate flights which I wasn't thrilled about but we all made it back there and were able to spend another week together:-) At home, I was able to see everyone that I wasn't able to see during my time home in December and it was a very much needed trip. It was very fun and relaxing and it came at the perfect time.
I was able to go out with my friends and I saw different people everyday and every night, went to lunch with family, hung out with friends at night, enjoyed home-cooked meals and then the best of all on my last day I got to spend Easter with my fantastic family:-) It was a great break/vacation and now I am back and we have our faculty day tomorrow and then school starts back up on Monday. Apparently this summer term is the quickest because it's warmer and we are outside all the time so I'm looking forward to it.
And in about 5 weeks, I will be meeting Christine and Lisa in Malaga, Spain which is so crazy that it's only 5 weeks away!! I cannot wait for that and will tell you all about it:-)
I will update again but for now, I miss you and I love you all and I am so happy that I was able to see everyone while I was home:-) And if I didn't see you, I will be back in July for good!
Love,
DP
I am back here in Wales after a terrific holiday away from here for a few weeks and a very nice break with family and friends.
It started with my parents here and staying in my little town of Monmouth for a few days while I finished up with school. Then we went to Bath and stayed right in the heart of Bath which was a treat because it was walking distance to everything possible. We stayed in Bath on Saturday and then Sunday we left for Cornwall but stopped at Stonehenge (sp?) for a bit and then made our way to Uncle Hank and Aunt Shirley! They were very nice and alot of fun to stay with--I think I learned more from Uncle Hank in those few days than I did in my years of school. I felt smarter leaving there:-)
They took us everywhere in Cornwall and it was beautiful and my mom has many pictures to show you everything we saw. Then we went to London for the remainder of the trip (Tues-Sat). My dad is a history buff so we saw EVERYTHING there was to see and did all the audio tours and I learned more from that trip also so between the tours and Uncle Hank, I am smarter than I was in March!
Then on April 4th, my parents and I made our way back to America! We went on separate flights which I wasn't thrilled about but we all made it back there and were able to spend another week together:-) At home, I was able to see everyone that I wasn't able to see during my time home in December and it was a very much needed trip. It was very fun and relaxing and it came at the perfect time.
I was able to go out with my friends and I saw different people everyday and every night, went to lunch with family, hung out with friends at night, enjoyed home-cooked meals and then the best of all on my last day I got to spend Easter with my fantastic family:-) It was a great break/vacation and now I am back and we have our faculty day tomorrow and then school starts back up on Monday. Apparently this summer term is the quickest because it's warmer and we are outside all the time so I'm looking forward to it.
And in about 5 weeks, I will be meeting Christine and Lisa in Malaga, Spain which is so crazy that it's only 5 weeks away!! I cannot wait for that and will tell you all about it:-)
I will update again but for now, I miss you and I love you all and I am so happy that I was able to see everyone while I was home:-) And if I didn't see you, I will be back in July for good!
Love,
DP
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
New Beginnings
Hmmm, where to start?
Alot has happened since I last wrote! I cannot believe that it's almost April now! My parents have landed in London and are hopefully making their way here and should be here this afternoon--I cannot waaaait! I am getting so anxious and antsy to see them. They will stay in my little town of Monmouth until Saturday morning and then we are going to Bath for the day/night. We leave Sunday for Cornwall to see the fam and stay there for 2 nights I think. The rest of the time we are in London which I am very excited for because London never gets old and you never run out of things to do there:-)
My parents leave April 4th at 6am to go back to Baltimore and I leave around 4pm to go back and get into Baltimore around 930pm or so. I was going to go to Greece but the girl who I was going with decided that she was going to travel with her boyfriend instead because he is coming here to visit--lucky her.
I was going to go to Denver but that didn't work out and I have been wanting to go home so now I am! I'll be home April 4th-12th and I cannot waaaait!:-) I can't wait to see my friends and family and just be home for a week and drive! I miss Chipotle and Chick-fil-a and everything Americany so I am going to eat lots and enjoy my Mom's cooking and Easter and being with friends and family and use it as time to rejuvenate myself:-)
As many of you know, Charlie and I broke up..well actually it wasn't mutual so Charlie broke up with me. It was a week ago and I am dealing with it day by day. Distance proved to be too much for him to handle. I was willing to do anything and everything but I couldn't do it on my own and you can't do anything to fix it when one person gives up.
Anyways, I am getting there day by day because I am here and enjoying the experience and I will be just fine:-)
Last weekend I went to Cardiff with Ceri (the girl I coach lax with) and her friends for the Wales/Ireland rugby match. Apparently, it is the biggest day of the year to be in Cardiff. Streets were closed off from cars because it was flooded with people. It was such a fun experience and I'm glad that I went. It was really fun and something that I would have never known otherwise. Cardiff is very fun so hopefully I will go back at some point before coming back in July. With lacrosse being over now, I will have Saturdays free so Ceri said we could go down early one day and shop and then stay there overnight and go out because hotels are really cheap there so that'd be fun!
Lax is over...very strange because it started in September and now it's over. Our teams ended up doing well and I think that I helped...I'd like to think that at least:-) I am going to be helping with Athletics (which is like track/cross country) and Tennis in the summer term. They said the summer term flies by and is very relaxed and fun because the weather's nicer and we are outside all the time so that is nice to look forward to.
So we start back up April 20th with school and then Christine and Lisa get here May 23rd:-) I am doing just fine here and am enjoying it very much.
I'm not sure what else there is to tell you. I will write after I am back from Easter and once school starts back up again.
Miss you, Love you
xoxo
DP
Alot has happened since I last wrote! I cannot believe that it's almost April now! My parents have landed in London and are hopefully making their way here and should be here this afternoon--I cannot waaaait! I am getting so anxious and antsy to see them. They will stay in my little town of Monmouth until Saturday morning and then we are going to Bath for the day/night. We leave Sunday for Cornwall to see the fam and stay there for 2 nights I think. The rest of the time we are in London which I am very excited for because London never gets old and you never run out of things to do there:-)
My parents leave April 4th at 6am to go back to Baltimore and I leave around 4pm to go back and get into Baltimore around 930pm or so. I was going to go to Greece but the girl who I was going with decided that she was going to travel with her boyfriend instead because he is coming here to visit--lucky her.
I was going to go to Denver but that didn't work out and I have been wanting to go home so now I am! I'll be home April 4th-12th and I cannot waaaait!:-) I can't wait to see my friends and family and just be home for a week and drive! I miss Chipotle and Chick-fil-a and everything Americany so I am going to eat lots and enjoy my Mom's cooking and Easter and being with friends and family and use it as time to rejuvenate myself:-)
As many of you know, Charlie and I broke up..well actually it wasn't mutual so Charlie broke up with me. It was a week ago and I am dealing with it day by day. Distance proved to be too much for him to handle. I was willing to do anything and everything but I couldn't do it on my own and you can't do anything to fix it when one person gives up.
Anyways, I am getting there day by day because I am here and enjoying the experience and I will be just fine:-)
Last weekend I went to Cardiff with Ceri (the girl I coach lax with) and her friends for the Wales/Ireland rugby match. Apparently, it is the biggest day of the year to be in Cardiff. Streets were closed off from cars because it was flooded with people. It was such a fun experience and I'm glad that I went. It was really fun and something that I would have never known otherwise. Cardiff is very fun so hopefully I will go back at some point before coming back in July. With lacrosse being over now, I will have Saturdays free so Ceri said we could go down early one day and shop and then stay there overnight and go out because hotels are really cheap there so that'd be fun!
Lax is over...very strange because it started in September and now it's over. Our teams ended up doing well and I think that I helped...I'd like to think that at least:-) I am going to be helping with Athletics (which is like track/cross country) and Tennis in the summer term. They said the summer term flies by and is very relaxed and fun because the weather's nicer and we are outside all the time so that is nice to look forward to.
So we start back up April 20th with school and then Christine and Lisa get here May 23rd:-) I am doing just fine here and am enjoying it very much.
I'm not sure what else there is to tell you. I will write after I am back from Easter and once school starts back up again.
Miss you, Love you
xoxo
DP
Sunday, March 1, 2009
It's March!
Hey,
Lots to update you on and I will try to do it as briefly as possible because I know that I do tend to ramble.
Fuerteventura was amazing! I would definately go back to the Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) again in the future. Everything was just so beautiful and the people were friendly and there were alot of things that I would still like to do. We used it as a time to relax and just rejuvenate basically so we didn't travel around and see things. We stayed on local beaches or the pool at the resort and soaked in the rays. Everyone is still asking how I got so brown which I absolutely LOVE hearing:-) It was soo nice there and I definately needed the tan..makes me feel better!
We went to Maspalomas twice for their beach because it is the most famous and biggest tourist beach. It was so crowded-I can't imagine what it is like in the summer months. We walked in the dunes which was pretty cool and it was neat to walk through, although that was part of the nude beach. I hate nude beaches and I will never like them..I walked through with my head down and I started gagging at one point looking at the way these people all just lay there with their goods hanging out for everyone to see.
So anyways, that was that and one day when it was cloudy we decided to ride camels. That was interesting. We did it where there was a chair on either side of the camel so you just sat on the chair but they sit on their knees so they are ground level and I almost fell off when he got up. Ours was named Negro and then we had Sophia Diez and Lopa. Lopa's head was very close to my back the whole walk so that was scary but we walked all through the dunes and it was neat..not very cute creatures though. So that trip was great..very fun and loved soaking up the sun because I really missed it!
What else can I tell you about? Well I went to Ash Wednesday mass on Wednesday and my goal for Lent is to go to church every Sunday morning. I started this morning with the 930am service and it was very nice. I sat next to Judith and her daughter just started playing lacrosse at another school in town so we chatted about that and she is very excited about it. She was very nice and welcomed me into their parish..I feel so loved:-) So that is what I am aiming to do for Lent..
Thursday was Eisteddford Day which is Wales Day and it celebrates their culture and their country being the land of song and it was a very interesting day. The school is split into 4 houses with the year 7-13 in all the houses so there were competitions all day with the choirs, solo instrumentals, singing, poem readings, dances, different subject competitons, etc. So this went on all day and then at the end they announced the winners and everyone was excited and etc etc.
So that was my first and only Welsh Day but it was very interesting I must say.
The weather here has been very nice..it was actually hot today with blue skies. I learned over my holiday trip that the weather in England is not nearly as good as the weather here in Wales so I lucked out:-)
At the end of this week, we are taking the first and second senior teams to the National tournament so I will see alll the girls over here doing what I'm doing there because they will have their teams there. That will be really fun to see everyone so hopefully we can start planning our April trip. Then Monday and Tuesday we take the U15 team to their National tournament so busy busy! Monday, March 16th we have a meeting in London where they just catch up with all the girls to see how it's going and such and I am going to Bath on Sunday and staying with one of the girls there and then we are getting a ride to the meeting in London on Monday so that will be fun. Then a couple weeks after that my parents will be here which I am so excited about!
I was talking to one of the girls last night who I went to Italy with and we were discussing our tentative plans for the April break. We are thinking Berlin, Prague and then about 5 nights in Greece. No idea though because it depends on money and how many people want to go and a bunch of other things so we'll see. But that would be fun..I want to do Greece definately and I would really like to do Germany too. Alright well, this is getting long and the dinner bell's going to go off soon so I'm gonna get going.
I miss you all and I will see you in about 4 months:-)
xoxo,
DP
Lots to update you on and I will try to do it as briefly as possible because I know that I do tend to ramble.
Fuerteventura was amazing! I would definately go back to the Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) again in the future. Everything was just so beautiful and the people were friendly and there were alot of things that I would still like to do. We used it as a time to relax and just rejuvenate basically so we didn't travel around and see things. We stayed on local beaches or the pool at the resort and soaked in the rays. Everyone is still asking how I got so brown which I absolutely LOVE hearing:-) It was soo nice there and I definately needed the tan..makes me feel better!
We went to Maspalomas twice for their beach because it is the most famous and biggest tourist beach. It was so crowded-I can't imagine what it is like in the summer months. We walked in the dunes which was pretty cool and it was neat to walk through, although that was part of the nude beach. I hate nude beaches and I will never like them..I walked through with my head down and I started gagging at one point looking at the way these people all just lay there with their goods hanging out for everyone to see.
So anyways, that was that and one day when it was cloudy we decided to ride camels. That was interesting. We did it where there was a chair on either side of the camel so you just sat on the chair but they sit on their knees so they are ground level and I almost fell off when he got up. Ours was named Negro and then we had Sophia Diez and Lopa. Lopa's head was very close to my back the whole walk so that was scary but we walked all through the dunes and it was neat..not very cute creatures though. So that trip was great..very fun and loved soaking up the sun because I really missed it!
What else can I tell you about? Well I went to Ash Wednesday mass on Wednesday and my goal for Lent is to go to church every Sunday morning. I started this morning with the 930am service and it was very nice. I sat next to Judith and her daughter just started playing lacrosse at another school in town so we chatted about that and she is very excited about it. She was very nice and welcomed me into their parish..I feel so loved:-) So that is what I am aiming to do for Lent..
Thursday was Eisteddford Day which is Wales Day and it celebrates their culture and their country being the land of song and it was a very interesting day. The school is split into 4 houses with the year 7-13 in all the houses so there were competitions all day with the choirs, solo instrumentals, singing, poem readings, dances, different subject competitons, etc. So this went on all day and then at the end they announced the winners and everyone was excited and etc etc.
So that was my first and only Welsh Day but it was very interesting I must say.
The weather here has been very nice..it was actually hot today with blue skies. I learned over my holiday trip that the weather in England is not nearly as good as the weather here in Wales so I lucked out:-)
At the end of this week, we are taking the first and second senior teams to the National tournament so I will see alll the girls over here doing what I'm doing there because they will have their teams there. That will be really fun to see everyone so hopefully we can start planning our April trip. Then Monday and Tuesday we take the U15 team to their National tournament so busy busy! Monday, March 16th we have a meeting in London where they just catch up with all the girls to see how it's going and such and I am going to Bath on Sunday and staying with one of the girls there and then we are getting a ride to the meeting in London on Monday so that will be fun. Then a couple weeks after that my parents will be here which I am so excited about!
I was talking to one of the girls last night who I went to Italy with and we were discussing our tentative plans for the April break. We are thinking Berlin, Prague and then about 5 nights in Greece. No idea though because it depends on money and how many people want to go and a bunch of other things so we'll see. But that would be fun..I want to do Greece definately and I would really like to do Germany too. Alright well, this is getting long and the dinner bell's going to go off soon so I'm gonna get going.
I miss you all and I will see you in about 4 months:-)
xoxo,
DP
Saturday, February 7, 2009
February
Hello All!
Happy February! I just called Mom-Mom Marge and wished her a happy birthday-she said she would tell everyone at Sissy's tonight that her darling granddaughter called her on her birthday. I try:-)
I'm trying to think of what's happened since I last wrote. Well, I wrote a "25 Random Things About Me" on Facebook which was fun. I had a rough draft and went from there with it lol. I'm sure it's stuff that most of you already know but maybe you'll learn something new-never know:-)
A couple weekends ago, I decided that I needed to wash my kitchen and bathroom floors but didn't have any soap for it so I used Herbal Essences and my flat smelled like shampoo for awhile which was nice. I think I discovered a new invention or at least a new way of using shampoo. Went looking for deodorant last week and couldn't find it-turns out it is a spray. Surprising I know haha. I couldn't find it anywhere and then the lady took me to the section and I still couldn't find it then I saw that it was a spray. So I got Tropical Girl Power ha. So that was another interesting experience.
This week was really easy because there was snow off and on all week and lessons were cancelled and school was cancelled on Tuesday and then the rest of the week, it wasn't closed but hardly anyone was in because most people live in the Forest which is up in the hills so they couldn't get down here because it was way worse there than here. Everyone here loves snow and says they've never seen this much in their lives which is neat to experience with them. You could see people actually skiing down the hills over in the distance of the pictures I posted on Facebook. The girls were sledding as much as they could and making snowmen and snow toilets and other odd things. They call it "sledging" here which is strange but I've never heard of that. Anyways, Monmouth goes crazy when it snows. Apparently we are supposed to get more before the whole thing is over but I'm not sure if/when that will happen.
This time in one week I will be in the middle of my travels to the airport for Fuertaventura! My mom got me some guide books from Amazon.com and I have been looking at them for some ideas on what to do and such-very useful books! I've also been working on my resume so if any of you know anyone who's hiring, let me know and I'll send you my resume:-)
Well, I'm not really sure what else to tell you..I am sure I'll have tons of stories after my trip about traveling and then the week there at the island. Can't wait to put up pics and share my experiences with you all! If I think of anything else or if Lisa reminds me of something I forgot to include in this, I will write another one, ha.
Happy Valentine's Day:-)
Love,
Danielle xo
Happy February! I just called Mom-Mom Marge and wished her a happy birthday-she said she would tell everyone at Sissy's tonight that her darling granddaughter called her on her birthday. I try:-)
I'm trying to think of what's happened since I last wrote. Well, I wrote a "25 Random Things About Me" on Facebook which was fun. I had a rough draft and went from there with it lol. I'm sure it's stuff that most of you already know but maybe you'll learn something new-never know:-)
A couple weekends ago, I decided that I needed to wash my kitchen and bathroom floors but didn't have any soap for it so I used Herbal Essences and my flat smelled like shampoo for awhile which was nice. I think I discovered a new invention or at least a new way of using shampoo. Went looking for deodorant last week and couldn't find it-turns out it is a spray. Surprising I know haha. I couldn't find it anywhere and then the lady took me to the section and I still couldn't find it then I saw that it was a spray. So I got Tropical Girl Power ha. So that was another interesting experience.
This week was really easy because there was snow off and on all week and lessons were cancelled and school was cancelled on Tuesday and then the rest of the week, it wasn't closed but hardly anyone was in because most people live in the Forest which is up in the hills so they couldn't get down here because it was way worse there than here. Everyone here loves snow and says they've never seen this much in their lives which is neat to experience with them. You could see people actually skiing down the hills over in the distance of the pictures I posted on Facebook. The girls were sledding as much as they could and making snowmen and snow toilets and other odd things. They call it "sledging" here which is strange but I've never heard of that. Anyways, Monmouth goes crazy when it snows. Apparently we are supposed to get more before the whole thing is over but I'm not sure if/when that will happen.
This time in one week I will be in the middle of my travels to the airport for Fuertaventura! My mom got me some guide books from Amazon.com and I have been looking at them for some ideas on what to do and such-very useful books! I've also been working on my resume so if any of you know anyone who's hiring, let me know and I'll send you my resume:-)
Well, I'm not really sure what else to tell you..I am sure I'll have tons of stories after my trip about traveling and then the week there at the island. Can't wait to put up pics and share my experiences with you all! If I think of anything else or if Lisa reminds me of something I forgot to include in this, I will write another one, ha.
Happy Valentine's Day:-)
Love,
Danielle xo
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Oh my, It's January.
Can you believe it?! The last time I wrote was a month ago! I am so sorry to all of my faithful followers:-) So much has happened in one month it is pretty unbelievable. I'm back across the pond and homesick again-it's almost worse this time because I absolutely loved being home when I was there but once July comes I will be back in America for the rest of my life..except for some vacations hopefully. So I am trying to do my best to be optimistic and enjoy the last 6 months here...wow that sounds like so long!
Soo after I wrote the last time, we had the last week of school with a bunch of Christmas festivities which Ali was here for. We had a staff talent show type thing and the PE staff were jelly babies and we had these big stretchy bags and rolled and jumped around. I actually had it recorded on my camera and forgot to show everyone while I was home..very funny. So then Friday, the 12th we had the staff Christmas party which was fun-good food and dancing and music and lots of wine. Then Ali and I missed the bus Saturday morning from Monmouth to Newport so we took a cab and then she couldn't get on the same bus to Heathrow because she didn't have the same ticket as mine..it was just an open-return one and blah blah we had drama with that so eventually we both ended up at the Heathrow airport and took the tube to our hostel which was very interesting. Looking at the ceiling and seeing how small the room is, you just couldn't imagine how they fit all the furniture in there but it was fine. We thought we would outsmart the cleaning people by sneaking into the laundry closet and getting new sheets because we wanted to make sure they were clean and then we started taking them out and it was about 30 pillowcases...not smart. haha so then we felt like idiots because we grabbed a bag full of pillowcases from the linen closet. But it ended up being ok in the end. We did all of the touristy stuff there was to do and it was very fun. Now I am back and all by my lonesome and cannot wait to have visitors again-hurry up Mom and Dad!!
So then I got back on Tuesday and Charlie came to visit Friday-Monday:-) That was fun and it was really nice having him there and he met the family and all that good stuff. Then Monday, I went with him to Michigan to meet his family and that went very well also. I also met his high school friends..I love them all-the fam and the friends:-) Next time I'll see them will probably be the summer though but I am learning to take things day by day and not worry about the summer yet!
Then I was home for Christmas and everyone had the bug and that was fun..glad we were all in it together:-) Then that Sunday I got to go to the Ravens gameee!!! That was sooo exciting! Man I looove them!!! They are just so cool:-)
My laptop had to have the motherboard replaced which controls the whole system and all the hardware and I haven't gotten that back yet so I have watched the last 2 Ravens games in the computer lab with my jersey on and sweaty palms because I get so nervous! And I can't even celebrate with anyone..just me jumping around haha. So yeah, waiting on that and hopefully it will get here tomorrow so I can get the internet and everything sorted out with the IT guys but Lisa will probably make me watch the game in the computer lab anyway-superstitious family, I tell ya!
My last few days home I went to Denver to see Kaitlyn and Charlie and his friends/roommates and that was really fun. So weird being out there and not going back to school but just to visit. It was really good to be out there and see everyone though and I was so sad to leave obviously.
Hmm let's see what's happened since I've been here...
Well I got a bug bite that scared me because I constantly scratched it for 2 days and so it got swollen and really red and my mom scared me saying I should get it looked at. I shower with the water so hot that it leaves almost a rash looking type thing on wherever it hits so when I got out of the shower, I thought I had a rash from the bug bite and hyperventilated a little bit...I kept careful watch and the rash faded and then I remembered it was because of the water temperature. I left home sick and came here more sick (sicker?) and went to the doctor and got some antibiotics..feeling better but still tired. Getting there though. The doctor also reassured me that bugs here do not cause illnesses so that was a relief!
Went to Merlins yesterday for dish soap and everything on the back was in Welsh so I had to ask someone if what I picked out was for dishes..the first thing was for toilets. Then I found the dish soap:-) My favorite place Woolworths closed..it's like a Walgreens or Rite Aid or things like that. Rumor has it they are replacing it with Icelands which is all frozen food and if you've visited me you would know that I can fit 2 ice trays in my freezer and thats it sooo Icelands will do me no good:-(
I think that's about it right now..I am planning my February half-term break and I am going to visit one of the girls who I did Italy with in Bath and then we are going to leave Tuesday for Munich then stay there for however long and then end in Berlin and come back to London on Saturday...and we start school back up on Monday. So it's really only a week break but I had to do something or I'd go crazy here for that long by myself. Not sure what we'll do for the long April break but some girls were talking about getting a place off Portugal or Greece so we shall see. I am also in the midst of planning a curise with Christine and Lisa for the end of May:-) We're thinking the Greek Islands:-) Sooo I am very happy and trying to just keep myself busy planning things and finding things to do..spending money-ugh. I will update you as soon as something exciting happens in my Welsh life:-)
xo,
DP
Soo after I wrote the last time, we had the last week of school with a bunch of Christmas festivities which Ali was here for. We had a staff talent show type thing and the PE staff were jelly babies and we had these big stretchy bags and rolled and jumped around. I actually had it recorded on my camera and forgot to show everyone while I was home..very funny. So then Friday, the 12th we had the staff Christmas party which was fun-good food and dancing and music and lots of wine. Then Ali and I missed the bus Saturday morning from Monmouth to Newport so we took a cab and then she couldn't get on the same bus to Heathrow because she didn't have the same ticket as mine..it was just an open-return one and blah blah we had drama with that so eventually we both ended up at the Heathrow airport and took the tube to our hostel which was very interesting. Looking at the ceiling and seeing how small the room is, you just couldn't imagine how they fit all the furniture in there but it was fine. We thought we would outsmart the cleaning people by sneaking into the laundry closet and getting new sheets because we wanted to make sure they were clean and then we started taking them out and it was about 30 pillowcases...not smart. haha so then we felt like idiots because we grabbed a bag full of pillowcases from the linen closet. But it ended up being ok in the end. We did all of the touristy stuff there was to do and it was very fun. Now I am back and all by my lonesome and cannot wait to have visitors again-hurry up Mom and Dad!!
So then I got back on Tuesday and Charlie came to visit Friday-Monday:-) That was fun and it was really nice having him there and he met the family and all that good stuff. Then Monday, I went with him to Michigan to meet his family and that went very well also. I also met his high school friends..I love them all-the fam and the friends:-) Next time I'll see them will probably be the summer though but I am learning to take things day by day and not worry about the summer yet!
Then I was home for Christmas and everyone had the bug and that was fun..glad we were all in it together:-) Then that Sunday I got to go to the Ravens gameee!!! That was sooo exciting! Man I looove them!!! They are just so cool:-)
My laptop had to have the motherboard replaced which controls the whole system and all the hardware and I haven't gotten that back yet so I have watched the last 2 Ravens games in the computer lab with my jersey on and sweaty palms because I get so nervous! And I can't even celebrate with anyone..just me jumping around haha. So yeah, waiting on that and hopefully it will get here tomorrow so I can get the internet and everything sorted out with the IT guys but Lisa will probably make me watch the game in the computer lab anyway-superstitious family, I tell ya!
My last few days home I went to Denver to see Kaitlyn and Charlie and his friends/roommates and that was really fun. So weird being out there and not going back to school but just to visit. It was really good to be out there and see everyone though and I was so sad to leave obviously.
Hmm let's see what's happened since I've been here...
Well I got a bug bite that scared me because I constantly scratched it for 2 days and so it got swollen and really red and my mom scared me saying I should get it looked at. I shower with the water so hot that it leaves almost a rash looking type thing on wherever it hits so when I got out of the shower, I thought I had a rash from the bug bite and hyperventilated a little bit...I kept careful watch and the rash faded and then I remembered it was because of the water temperature. I left home sick and came here more sick (sicker?) and went to the doctor and got some antibiotics..feeling better but still tired. Getting there though. The doctor also reassured me that bugs here do not cause illnesses so that was a relief!
Went to Merlins yesterday for dish soap and everything on the back was in Welsh so I had to ask someone if what I picked out was for dishes..the first thing was for toilets. Then I found the dish soap:-) My favorite place Woolworths closed..it's like a Walgreens or Rite Aid or things like that. Rumor has it they are replacing it with Icelands which is all frozen food and if you've visited me you would know that I can fit 2 ice trays in my freezer and thats it sooo Icelands will do me no good:-(
I think that's about it right now..I am planning my February half-term break and I am going to visit one of the girls who I did Italy with in Bath and then we are going to leave Tuesday for Munich then stay there for however long and then end in Berlin and come back to London on Saturday...and we start school back up on Monday. So it's really only a week break but I had to do something or I'd go crazy here for that long by myself. Not sure what we'll do for the long April break but some girls were talking about getting a place off Portugal or Greece so we shall see. I am also in the midst of planning a curise with Christine and Lisa for the end of May:-) We're thinking the Greek Islands:-) Sooo I am very happy and trying to just keep myself busy planning things and finding things to do..spending money-ugh. I will update you as soon as something exciting happens in my Welsh life:-)
xo,
DP
Thursday, December 4, 2008
December!
I can't believe it's December and that my birthday was 2 weeks ago and that Thanksgiving was this time last week! Time is definitely flying! My birthday was fun and then Thanksgiving was really fun and it was nice that I wasn't by myself. The usual group of girls that I hang out with (Amy, Steph, Andrea, Tegan, and Katherine) all decided that I needed to have a proper Thanksgiving dinner where we could all hang out together that night and cook together and have a little bonding time. When my mom came out here so brought some extra bags of stovetop thinking ahead to Thanksgiving and then some french fried onions which everyone loved and was picking off the top of the green bean casserole. I made the green bean casserole for the very first time and I must say- It was delicious! I think I did an excellent job and was very proud of myself! Although when Mom-Mom and my mom were here and my mom made it, some of the top ones were a little dark and Mom-Mom said "boy, you really cooked those onions" and mine turned out that way too so it must have been the oven:-) But they had never had it before and really liked it. Tegan said she didn't like green beans but would try it to be nice and ended up loving it so I think I did a pretty good job:-) I also made stovetop which wasn't the most difficult of tasks but even I would find a way to mess that up- and I didnt. We went to a nearby town called Ross and got an already roasted chicken, well we got 2. So we had them, green bean casserole, stovetop, butternut squash (not a fan), mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin pie, and ice cream. I was very full so it felt very much like Thanksgiving! I said the prayer before we began our meal and everyone loved it and clapped and I reminded them that you usually don't clap for the person after they do the prayer haha. Very good meal though:-)
Ali is coming to visit on Monday!!! I am sooo excited and she is making fun of me because of everything I have planned for us to do and how busy I am keeping her but I want her to get the most out of this trip and even my little town has a lot to offer:-) So we are going to a couple castles and up to the Kymin which Lisa loved:-) It was a 45 minute walk straight up haha..very tiring but it has the best view around of Monmouth so it is definitely worth it..with some water! Then I'm going to take her out on Friday to Spoons, the pub we go to every Friday so she can see it. Won't stay out late since we leave for London the next day and I already have alot planned for that Saturday! We go home Tuesday out of London Heathrow..so crazy how soon I go home!!! I am very excited to be home and to see everyone and to just hang out in the house. DU has a 7 week break this year so everyone is home for what seems like forever so I am very jealous.
I had a meeting today with head of boarding, ceri the girl I work with, and the head of the pe department. It was very interesting and helpful just talking about next term and getting more girls involved in lax and really talking up sports in general around the boarding house. Also, since lacrosse ends in April, they said I need to start thinking now about what I want to do after school during the week. My options are: Athletics which is basically track, Badminton, Rounders, and Tennis. They said maybe I could broaden my range of knowledge of sports and help with some different ones on different days so I may do that. I am finished here in July and then want to travel before coming home for good. I'm so sad that I am missing the OC vacation this year but it will always be there and I won't always have the chance to travel Europe. I was worried in my meeting that they would bring up next year and that I'd have to say that I wasn't coming back but they didn't! Some girls actually are going home after they are finished lacrosse at their school. Most girls are leaving in April/May but I told them that I planned on staying through to July 3rd and they are already short on staff for sports so I wouldn't just abandon them.
This past weekend we went to a triangle where we take all the teams and they play 2 different teams and it was the same place where a bird pooped on my twice so I was a little anxious the whole time being there and paranoid about what was around me. But, I came home poop free so it was all clear!
Let me know if anyone would like anything from London while I am there before I come home, already getting scarves for Kelly which have been requested ha. Let me know if you can think of anything else you may fancy:-) Alright, well I will write again if I think of anything else and let me know if you have any suggestions for what sport I should take over in the Spring!
Love,
DP
Ali is coming to visit on Monday!!! I am sooo excited and she is making fun of me because of everything I have planned for us to do and how busy I am keeping her but I want her to get the most out of this trip and even my little town has a lot to offer:-) So we are going to a couple castles and up to the Kymin which Lisa loved:-) It was a 45 minute walk straight up haha..very tiring but it has the best view around of Monmouth so it is definitely worth it..with some water! Then I'm going to take her out on Friday to Spoons, the pub we go to every Friday so she can see it. Won't stay out late since we leave for London the next day and I already have alot planned for that Saturday! We go home Tuesday out of London Heathrow..so crazy how soon I go home!!! I am very excited to be home and to see everyone and to just hang out in the house. DU has a 7 week break this year so everyone is home for what seems like forever so I am very jealous.
I had a meeting today with head of boarding, ceri the girl I work with, and the head of the pe department. It was very interesting and helpful just talking about next term and getting more girls involved in lax and really talking up sports in general around the boarding house. Also, since lacrosse ends in April, they said I need to start thinking now about what I want to do after school during the week. My options are: Athletics which is basically track, Badminton, Rounders, and Tennis. They said maybe I could broaden my range of knowledge of sports and help with some different ones on different days so I may do that. I am finished here in July and then want to travel before coming home for good. I'm so sad that I am missing the OC vacation this year but it will always be there and I won't always have the chance to travel Europe. I was worried in my meeting that they would bring up next year and that I'd have to say that I wasn't coming back but they didn't! Some girls actually are going home after they are finished lacrosse at their school. Most girls are leaving in April/May but I told them that I planned on staying through to July 3rd and they are already short on staff for sports so I wouldn't just abandon them.
This past weekend we went to a triangle where we take all the teams and they play 2 different teams and it was the same place where a bird pooped on my twice so I was a little anxious the whole time being there and paranoid about what was around me. But, I came home poop free so it was all clear!
Let me know if anyone would like anything from London while I am there before I come home, already getting scarves for Kelly which have been requested ha. Let me know if you can think of anything else you may fancy:-) Alright, well I will write again if I think of anything else and let me know if you have any suggestions for what sport I should take over in the Spring!
Love,
DP
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