New Moon

So last night we finally went to see New Moon. I'm not a huge fan of the Twilight series (never read it or anything) but Donovan has been dying to see it. So anyway, it was my first experience at the movies in South Africa. And I approve. the movie was 40 rand which is like $5-$6 and the pop corn was under $2! The catch: you have to put your own butter/salt/etc on it...and the butter is in powder form. Hmm well it was still good! We also got a free butterscotch milkshake--some promotion for New Moon viewers only. During the previews, an ad came on that said "Now drink your milkshake". Interesting. It was SO hot yesterday--like 110! Today it's freezing like 85! On Wednesday it is a public holiday here and we are having our Christmas lunch and a grab bag. On Christmas day we will have a breakfast and watch the kids open presents since we are going away the next day.

Last Thursday I had a phone interview. The position sounded awesome but unfortunately it's in White Plains and the lady doesn't know if the manager will wait until Jan 15th to hire. I had the interview at MIDNIGHT (2pm PST) so it was quite interesting to go to sleep, then wake up, have an interview, and go back to sleep.

ONE MONTH until I arrive back home! I am SO excited! Happy Hannukah to all my Jewish friends (make that FRIEND haha) and family....xoxo

Howzit

Howzit? This is a South African "Hi how are you?". On Friday we went out to the Rusty Hook with a bunch of Donovan's friends.

On Saturday night we went to a birthday dinner for Donovan's grandfather who is turning 80 or something. Unfortunately, he is getting alzheimers or dementia or frontal lobe something or other so his wife says it may be the last birthday he can remember everyone. It was a nice dinner though at a restaurant. Everyone here eats chicken livers---YUCK! But they also eat chesey cauliflower and peppermint tart which is really nice.

On Sunday we went Christmas shopping for the kids. And then everyone came over that afternoon for dinner and a poker game. I didn't do so well. And Donovan and Brandon left for a real poker game where Brandon won 4,000 RAND. Donovan didn't play.

Donovan hit his final target for the year so has earned both of his bonuses! Plus he and the ladies from his office went in for a blood test because Paul (Donovan's boss) is give 5,000RAND to everyone who quit smoking because he wants a non-smoking office. It's great because both the ladies in the office and Donovan have quit now...it's only Morne left! Morne is Donovan's co-worker, by the way, who spent a lot of time with us in the US. He is back from America and is off to Greece on Friday! He has one meeting and then a week to hang out--lucky guy! After that, he is going to Mauritus!

Hmmm who else can I write about? What about Martha?! She is coming to NYC for 4 months living in a fantastic apartment--PAID for by her company. She will be in training here on a computer program or something. Most weekends she will probably fly home to see her boyfriend but some weekends she can come visit or I can go visit her! Well, let's be honest...I will probably move in and be her roommate/freeloader...

Well that's about all I can rustle up to write about today....will write again soon!

Sorry I haven't written...

Hi everyone! Sorry about the huge lack of time in posts. I have a little over a month over here now and getting ready for the holidays and vacation and everything and quite frankly, I've just gotten LAZY! I have lots of videos to post but don't have my camera cable with me right now. Anyway, I am officially arriving home on January 15th....a friday....at 3:15pm...at JFK! Not the greatest time to land but was the lowest fare I could find. I will be taking off from Joburg at 9:45pm...arriving in Cairo at 6am and taking off for NY at 10am! I'm going to be all sorts of messed up...won't know what time it is...my body will probably go into cold shock....but anyway...by now you have probaby seen my pics on facebook from the lion park. It was so cool! Especially putting the cubs and having the lions jump on our truck! I have some awesome videos I can't wait to post. After that we went to the Sterkfontein Caves, which are located in the "Cradle of Human Kind", where they found some of the oldest human ancestor remains. The caves were really cool. There is an underwater river and anyone who has ever tried to scuba dive to see how deep it is, has never been found---like not even their bodies! Creepy!

Donovan has joined water polo. Apparently he used to be like some amazing water polo player so when we went to watch his friend, Greg, play, all of the guys were begging him to join for the month so he did. I love watching sports when I know the people playing (personally).

The rugby has not been going so well for South Africa who lost to Ireland in all three tries. I finally drank a Savanna Cider and when I ordered a Malibu Bay Breeze, I got some strawberry cocktail drink but it was really nice anyway.

Work has been going well. I've started to get Brandon a lot more meetings. In fact, I have created a new position in the company. When I leave in January I will be training the new girl! I also made a new company profile powerpoint presentation for them which they gave to their digital guy to make snazzy.

The weather has been great. I improved by 4K time from 26 to 24:30 but take note that this trail includes HUGE hills so it's actually a decent time.

I can't believe I didn't have a Thanksgiving this year. It's strange to think about. It was just another average day here. The day after Christmas we are going to the coast to a resort called Pinnacle Point located in George (about 3 hours from Cape Town). We will be there until about Jan 6th. It is a 12 hour drive though! So this year, when you see me walking in the snow, you will actually be able to see me (until early February at least!).

The maid at our house, Gladys, has a daughter who was pregnant with twins. She gave birth at 5 months and unfortunately, the babies didn't make it. Gladys went home for a few days and brought back her daughter and grand daughter, Coquestso (Cynthia in English). So now all three of them are staying in Gladys' little room. I've never seen the daughter but the grand daughter plays with the kids and is around. It's an interesting situation because it mixes people who have horrible education (the grand daughter is 10 and can't speak English) and no money with people who...do.

On Sunday night, Father Christmas (there is no Santa Clause although Father Christmas is exactly the same thing) came to the golf estate and gave all the kids a present and we sang Christmas carols. Picture 200 people in the middle of a golf field at 8pm at night in tank tops and shorts singing Christmas carols! It's wierd (for us Americans anyway!).

Tonight we are going to Donovan's Mom's for dinner. I will try to write more often. I hope the weather is holding out (which I hear it is) and hope everyone is not too stressed with the upcoming holidays! xoxo

Holdies My Coldies!

I guess I'm being punished for my complaint the other day that it was too hot because now it's cold!!! A cold front has come in from Cape Town or something! I've had to bust out my long sleeves that I've kept in my suitcase, my closed-toed shoes, and my jeans! And this cold is supposed to last until early next week! And it doesn't help that I have horrible circulation (I think I've inherited this from my mom). My hands and feet are always cold (well, when it's cold outside, anyway!). I've come up with a saying that I always say to Donovan: "Holdies my coldies!" (haha lame I know) And being that Donovan is always hot and protruding heat, it works out quite nicely, although I don't think he appreciates the icy hands as much as I appreciate the warmth. I've forgot to mention that we have been playing poker maybe about once every 2 weeks. We played in Sun City and I came in second! The boys play poker every Wednesday night at a different person's house. Donovan came in third once and lost the other time. I wish girls could play but I don't like playing with a lot of people for big money anyway. I also forgot to mention that I did this run around the estate called a "time trial" and also came in second. I am doomed to second place! Oh, well I haven't run in nearly a month so I'm sure if I keep it up I can beat the guy who got first....maybe. At some point in my life, I would like to run in some type of marathon. If anyone would want to join me, let me know and we can run/train together when I get home. I've also started eating dates...they are so good! Well, now I am just blabbing on and on. Have a happy Wednesday everyone! Hope it's warmer there than it is here!

Living in SA

Hi everyone! Friday night was a lot of fun. The bar was half outside/half inside and afterwards we went to a 24-hour pizza place and got home at 3am! On Saturday night we just stayed in and watched "Star Trek" (the new movie). On Sunday, Eagle Canyon (the golf estate we stay at) had a Christmas fair where people set up booths and sell crafts and stuff. I got a pair of Ed Hardy flip flops for like $10, a pair of Soviet sunglasses, some African spices, and a bag. That night Brandon's brother, Damon, his wife Chantel and their little girl, Alexandra came over for a braii.

In December, Donovan's uncle is letting us stay at his holiday house for a week while he is in America. He is visiting America because his son is currently going to school there (I think at Columbia). The house is in Zimbalie (probably totally spelled that wrong) which is apparently a great vacation destination. And in South Africa, after like mid-December, all offices close until like mid-January (including schools!).

Joshua (Brandon and Natalie's son) got his school uniform for next year's grade 1! He was so excited and put it on and I took some pictures which I will upload later.

Well, that's all for now. Will write again soon! xoxo

What I do etc

There has been a request for me to further explain what it is I do at work...

Donovan's sister, Natalie (who we are staying with) and his brother-in-law, Brandon own a gardening/landscaping company called Four Seasons Gardens. My job is to call different golf/residential, estates, casinos, etc. to see if we can come give them a quote to do their gardens. When estates go "up for tender" it means that a bunch of companies go and get a tour of the estate and what needs to be done and then all give a quote for their services. Then they would sign a contract for a year or 3 years work. So even if an estate isn't up for tender right now, I am creating a calendar so we will know when to call to get on their "tender list" whether it be next year or in 2013!

Other than that I keep forgetting to mention that Donovan quit smoking! He hasn't smoked for 2 months now! Congrats to him!

We are going to Oumas' (grandmas) for lunch today. Tonight we are going to Central Grill which is like a hip bar place. Tomorrow we are going to dinner and a movie with Donovan's friend, Greg, and his girlfriend, Donna.

It is SO hot today--only 85F but feels hotter. I took a spin class yesterday and was the only one that showed up so it was so scary just me and the instructor. I still need to put up pictures...will do that as soon as I can. but here is one below just for a teaser...have a great weekend everyone...I miss you all soooo much! Will probably be home around January 10th and I think Donovan will be heading to Canada for 2-3 months but we will see...you know how the plans always change...

us at Sun City:

South Africa

Well, I have been here for nearly a month now and it has just flown by! The weather has been absolutely gorgeous minus the occasional hail storm :-). I don't even know where to start since I haven't written in so long. Last week, we spent the week in Sun City and it was AMAZING. We stayed a week at the Vacation Club which is like a self-catering family part and then the weekend in the Cascades/Palace. We layed out in the sun everyday and went to the Casino and ate out and relaxed and swam and drank and did what anyone would do on vacation. I got a bit of a tan and would have more if it weren't for my constant re-application of SPF 50. I got a little burnt on my stomach and I got a bee sting on my arm the last day which is swollen since I didn't get all of the poinson/stinger out.

One morning we had breakfast at The Palace. It is rated one of the best hotels and breakfasts in the world. The breakfast is 180 Rand each which is like $25 but well worth it! They have every kind of juice (including smoothies), every kind of cheese, meat, cereal, danish, someone making omelttes, someone making "pancakes" (crepes) and waffles, a sushi bar, oysters, every kind of fruit you could think of (I got to try lots of new ones!), etc etc etc. I ate so much that I wasn't even hungry until dinner! Had to get my money's worth!

We divided our time between 3 pools: the pool at the Cascades, the pool at the Palace and the pool at the Vacation Club. On our trip was of course, me and Donovan, Natalie and Brandon and Jordan and Joshua. Also, Natalie and Brandon's friends' Janine and David came with their kids, Dana and Dillian. The Cascades pool and Vacation Club pool are gorgeous pools but nothing compares to the Palace. People bring you towels and lay them on the super comfortable lounge chairs...they bring you drinks and people go around giving massages. I didn't get one at the Palace but I did have a back/neck/shoulder massage at the spa one day.

Donovan and I have started to learn Roulette so we have been playing that. I only play black or red and I'm up like 400 RAND and Donovan is up like 1500 RAND because he plays for real.

I've met some more of Donovan's friends. We went to his friend Sheldon's farm which is cool because he has like 10 dogs, horses, chickens, ducks, etc etc.

I have been working half days at the office searching for estates, casinos, etc to try and get a landscaping/gardening/maintenance contract there. The kids here don't have to wear shoes to school! Can you believe it?! Well at least while they are young...

I will post my many pictures up later on....

xoxo

Transition entry: Last week in the UK---first week in SA

I’m sorry I haven’t updated my blog sooner but it’s been hectic! First I will touch on our last week in England. We cleared our entire house out only leaving a blanket and some pillow to sleep on. Chris came over and we had a slumber party! That night we had our “Farewell Dinner” at the Royal Oak. The staff gave us dinner and drinks on the house and also presents including “blessing scarfs”, chocolates, a Gurkha hat for Donovan, Nepalese knife pins, and an Egyptian cotton scarf straight from Cairo! And of course two beautiful cards with notes that I will keep forever. Strangely enough, the guys had also taken just about everything we were getting rid of in the house including some nice stuff like printers and shelving units and some not-so-nice stuff like broken chairs. I was able to squeeze in a few more days of work too which was nice! We sold our car to Cynthia and the day after we sold it (mind you, we had 2 cars the entire time in the UK “in case one broke”), our car broke. Actually it ran out of gas! So we had to walk to a gas station and get some…oops! The next day we woke up to a flat tire! Can you believe it?! I think our car was having a laugh. During out last week, we also met up with Donovan’s old friend, Ashley. He is in Bible school! He took us to his school and it was something out of the Secret Garden…apparently it used to be a really posh school for like the Queen’s kids. I hung out with Jackie a few more times and on our last night we had pizza and salad with Jackie and Adam. We slept at a Christian Bible place the night before our flight because Donovan’s friend, Anton, is a manager there and recommended we stay. It was quite interesting because what they do there is translate Bibles but it’s not as easy as it sounds. They are translating in like thousands of languages but it’s not just a direct translation. For example, in certain cultures, a Dove represents peace but in a certain South American culture, it represents evil so that part of the Bible would have to be translated differently. So basically an anthropologist has to go study the culture and learn the language before translating! So much work! Anyway our room was complete with two single beds and a Bible in between… The next morning was our flight to South Africa! We knew we had a stop in Lisbon but once we arrived in Lisbon, we found out we had a stop in Maputo which is in Mocambique! Unfortunately at the exact moment that our breakfast was being served, I was really nauseous so I didn’t eat. Once we arrived in Maputo we had to get off the plane and wait in the airport which if you wanted a new African wardrobe, or perhaps any designer fragrance or get drunk off of expensive liquors, it would be your place. But if you want, say, a piece of bread, a cracker, or even a sandwich-no can do! There was nothing to eat there so I was starving by the time we had to get back on the SAME plane and go 45 minutes to Joburg. Luckily the hostess snuck me some crackers! We arrived in Johannasberg, found our airport transfer taxi and were off to Donovan’s sister’s house! We are staying with his sister, Natalie, and brother-in-law Brandon. They have two adorable children, Joshua and Jordan. We have our own room and bathroom which is nice. Their house is beautiful complete with a 3-car garage, in-ground pool, and 2 maids. So that means no laundry, no bed making and no cleaning!



On top of that, Donovan’s family is absolutely wonderful! We’ve already had 2 braais (South African bbq) and the meat here is out of this world. I’ve never had better chicken or steak in my life! I feel like I have done so much already—basically, we went to dinner at his Mom’s house, went out to an Italian restaurant with Brandan, Natalie and their friends, I went out for a day with Hailey (Donovan’s other sister) and her son, Connor to this gorgeous old house that the lady has now turned into a lunch/tea place. So we sat outside and had a sandwich and coffee and the kids played in the yard. We went to his Ouma’s (grandmas) for breakfast and went shopping of course. Not for clothes though..just for food and toiletries. I won’t need to buy any clothes here because Natalie got rid of so many of hers and they fit me perfectly so I have so many new shorts, tanks, dresses, pajamas, sandals everything! Some with the tags still on! Last night we went to a “21st” which is a huge party that everyone has when they turn 21 and “become an adult”. It was Donovan’s God Mother’s son and it was a biker-themed party. Natalie and Brandon live in a complex called Eagle Canyon which is surrounded by a high wall and tight security (to avoid burglaries) and a beautiful golf course is in the center. There is a clubhouse that has a restaurant, golf store, spa and gym. I joined the gym and went through my work out with trainer on Friday so I will get to start doing that this week. And I can walk to the gym which is convenient since I can’t drive here. Donovan joined the BIG gym with Brandon so that they can train together (not in the complex). Apparently, the gym I joined doesn’t have heavy enough weights… One day while walking to the gym I heard a cute little bird squacking. All of a sudden the bird flies full force towards my head and I duck…it was so scary! I later found out that these birds want to poke out your eye if you get too close to their babies and they usually won’t actually hit you, but sometimes they have bad aim…needless to say, I walk off the path when I see these birds now. I also went to a pilates class with Natalie which was really cool. It’s in this lady’s house and she transformed her garage into a gym. My butt really hurt the next day. So what have I noticed so far about South Africa in comparison to the States? Well, the weather for one. Of course the weather is hot and dry and beautiful everyday (pretty soon I will hopefully be tan…HAHA). But it is also the “rainy season” so there have been crazy thunderstorms and hail---yes HAIL! People (mostly black) are just all over on the sides of the roads and meandering across highways like nothing. They ride in the back of pick up trucks, standing or sitting, speeding down the highway. At every traffic light (or “robot” as they call them here) you are bombarded with people selling you sunglasses, purses, squares of grass, handing out flyers, or begging for money. The beggars are creative though…of course you have the good ‘ole person holding a sign that says they need money to feed their family but then you have blind guys with canes being escourted up and down the highway. Apparently, the escourts get money and give the blind guy some but keep most of it! Also, every parking lot has watchmen. They just stand in the parking lot and make sure that no one vandalizes your car. But be sure to give them a tip when you leave! Or else they will remember your license plate and scratch your car the next time you come! Even though I haven’t gone to any parks yet, seen any elephants, played with any lion cubs, or even gone swimming, I feel like I have done so much just because everything is a new experience for me. It is so interesting and wonderful to see where Donovan is from, how he grew up, and meet the people who love him. Tomorrow I am going into the office with Natalie and am going to start doing some office work (her and Brandon own a landscaping company). Next week we are going to Sun City (“the lost city”) for a week! I can’t wait! Well, that is all for now and I will try to write again soon but don’t know how soon soon will be. So, in the words of South Africans, I’ll write again “now now”. P.S. And yes, I saw all the embarrassing baby photos ;-)


For some reason the site is not allowing me to format my pictures so I'm not able to place them within the text so here they are...all out of order...

This is the downstairs of our house (I didn't take any pics upstairs):

Our bathroom:

Donovan with his God mother's children (and his eyes closed):

At the 21st:

South African hail storm!

That's Josh running to escape the hail!

Donovan with Brandon and Natalie:

Me with Brandon and Natalie (at Tony Spaghettis'):

At our Royal Oak goodbye dinner:

Our house in the UK (bare):

Donovan fixing the tire on our funny car:

Me and Jackie (and Adam and a chili):

England

Ok so I apologize for not updating...been traveling and only got internet access now! The following post was written last week but not published...I still have a lot to write about my last week in England and my first week in South Africa but at least for now, here is a summary of my time in England...or atleast my likes and dislikes...write again soon!


Things I will miss about England:

1. British Accents. They are funny but what's even funnier is how the pronounce certain words. For example, Zebra is "zeh-bra", Hyundai is "Hi-oon-day", Aluminum is "al-ih-min-ee-um", garbage is rubbish, garbage cans are dust bins, fries are chips, chips are crisps, trunks are boots, underwear is pants, color is colour, the toilet is the loo, a napkin is a sanitary pad and a serviette is a napkin, a cash register is a till, gas is petrol, tires are tyres and cell phones are mobiles. And finally, "You alright?" is "How are you?" and "Cheers" is goodbye slash a little bit of thank you.
2. That people think my "accent" is cool. Some girl the other day was like, "Wow--your accent is so cool. I'm so jealous!" Really? American accents are so...oh I don't know...blah.
3. Indian food: It's reallyyyy good here! Curry, naan bread, and bhat (that's rice!)! Mmmm...
4. The 'Royal Oak" and all the Nepalese guys: The 'Royal Oak' is the pub where I worked. All the guys there were Nepalese and I swear, they are the nicest breed of people in the world.
5. Chandy: This is half beer; half lemonade and it's amazing (and I don't even like beer!).
6. Pimm's: Yummy rum mixed with lemonade, mint, and fruit drank most famously during Wimbledon
7. Honesty in signage: The British have really funny signs in their country, like the one I blogged about before on the tube which said something along the lines of "If it's really busy, people may have to sit on your lap." Other favorites include "Elderly Crossing" complete with a picture of Grandma and Grandpa with canes and "Please don't eat smelly food" courtesy sign in the train station.
8. Old stuff: everything here is really old but really beautiful at the same time.
9. Price of Brie Cheese: It's like 1 dollar for a triangle (not on sale!).
10. Proximity to other countries: it's so easy to go to France for a weekend or Germany for a "holiday". In the same regard, people from all over Europe and the rest of the world reside in the UK so you're always meeting interesting people from all sorts of cultures.
11. Aero chocolate: delicious chocolate bars that come in regular chocolate and chocolate mint. Silky chocolate with air bubbles. Yummy!
12. Coronation Street: a British soap opera. It's ok...if I ever come back I'm sure it will be easy to catch up on...
13. Museums: so many of them are free! It's great!
14. Boot sales: imagine BARKS garage sale every Sunday---that's what we have here!
15. Bed and Breakfasts: they are cheaper than hotels here! And plentiful!
16. Radio 1: it's better than Z100---WAYYYY better. They play throwbacks and new music and have great DJs and celebrity guests and cool games. One of my favorite things they do is have each musical guest record their own version of someone elses' song.

Things I will NOT miss about England:

1. English Breakfasts: I don't know about you but I'm not that hungry in the morning. A bowl of cereal or a piece of toast and coffee is plenty for me. So I don't know how the people here eat those bloody English breakfasts! I mean who wants eggs, toast, mushrooms, tomatos, sausage, and bacon for breakfast! Yuck!
2. Tipping policy: As a patron, it was all well and good. But as a bartender, not so much. People do NOT tip bartenders here and when you eat out, it is customary to tip only about 10%.
3. Driving on the other side of the car and the other side of the road: it's wierd and scary and I can't do it, therefore I don't like it.
4. Degrees Celcius and Military Time: What can I say? I'm an American stuck in my ways.
5. Pounds: the pound is worth a lot more than the dollar (1 pound = like $1.65!) which means when you come to the UK, you automatically have less money. So not cool! And the paper money only starts at 5 pounds! And they have SO many coins...1 pent...2 pents...5 pents...10 pents...20 pents...50 pents...1 pound...2 pounds... Such heavy pockets here!
6. Teenagers: teenagers here all seem to be troubled. They all have babies and start drinking really early.
7. The weather: contrary to popular belief, the weather is NOT horrible here. However, being from NJ, I know that there were definitely more sunny hot days in NJ than here this summer, and for that, the weather makes it to my "dislike" list. But I have to give the weather some credit...it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be!
8. Eggs are not refridgerated at grocery stores. Yet the refridgerators come with egg containers to put them in...hmmm.

10 days until SA and some Britney!

Just a quick post....10 days until South Africa! And also, if you remember me and my cousin's Eurotrip and how Venice was so boring...well, he has finally posted one of the many videos we made that day and I wanted to share it: BRITNEY LIVE IN VENICE.

If it's terribly hard for you to understand what exactly is going on in the video...here is some explanation. We are under an overhang at the train station in Venice and it is pouring so everyone is underneath the roof. There are 2 hippy guys singing horribly with a sign that says something along the lines of "Give us money and we will stop singing". Their bowl is empty. I tell my cousin to go up to them and ask if he can make them a business proposition...he joins their band and they split the "hefty" profits. The guys immediately agree and the video is what ensues!

Well, I might as well tell you what I've been up to this week. On Monday I went into London to meet up with Nancy (my mom's best friend from California). Donovan met us later on in the day. We went to Harrods and had lunch in Covent Garden. We then went to the Tower of London to do the tour (something I've been wanting to do the whole time I've been here) and it was closed! It was like the one day that they were closing at 3:30pm for repairs! Can you believe it? Anyway, it was a lovely day.

Me and Nancy:



On Wednesday night I hung out with a new friend I've made, Jackie. We drank wine and talked. She lived in Mountain Lakes, NJ for 6 years when she was younger! How crazy! It was a really fun night. When her bf got home, Donovan then joined us and we went to the pub for an hour or so. We were singing and having a grand 'ole time.

Tonight I'm working the pub. I also worked a funeral reception today at the pub. Tomorrow we are having lunch with Donovan's friend, Ashley, who he hasn't seen in 8 years and who is currently in Bible School! Saturday night I'm working and then Sunday we are going for lunch with Cynthia (woman who's kids I babysat) and her family.

We also started to clean the house this week but still have a lot more to do...

Have a great weekend everyone!

Claire's Birthday and an Irish Bum

Another week closer to South Africa. This was a hectic week in that we first found out that we would be going to Montreal, Canada. The next day we found out that we are no longer going to Canada at all. So, as it stands now, we are leaving for South Africa on October 19th and returning in early January. Plans could change at any time but that's the plan for now.
Yesterday was Donovan's friend, Claires' birthday. So we went into London to an area called Angel about 3pm and started the festivities at The Winchester bar/club! The night ended at the Old Queen's Head Bar. The area of Angel reminded me very much of Hoboken. It was a lot of fun and a long night including some prayer to the porcelain Gods. Ugh. It was so interesting though because unlike a party in America, in Europe/the UK there is so much more variety. For example, Claire is South African, her boyfriend was Dutch, 2 guys were Italians, 2 more South Africans, 2 Brits, 1 American (that's me!), 1 Australian...all at one party! It makes for good conversation anyway instead of "Hey--where you from? North, Central or South Jersey?" It's like "Hey---where you from? Like in the whole world?"

Here are some pics from the night:



Donovan and Tony:


Claire, Lauren, me and Linda:


Chris and Zoey:


Me and Claire with champagne mojitos (good idea at the time!):


Me and Chris:




On Friday night I worked at the pub. There was this really cute old Irish man who ordered a Guiness and right away, I started asking him about Ireland. It all started out nice. He's been a lorry driver for 25 years (that's truck driver to Americans) and he has a son named Jeffrey. But as the Guinesses' kept coming, Noel (pronounced 'Nole") kept spilling more and more of his secrets. I learned he'd been to prison 5 times (but rest assured...it was all for fighting and stuff like that when he was young...). I learned that his belly button also served as the "mouth" to one of his many body-covering tattoos. Attractive. I learned that the Guiness at our pub was "very strong", that I had a "very nice accent", and when he started to pull his pants down to show me his other tattoos...well, I served some other nice guests. Apparently the rest of the bar staff had seen his ass last weekend so they weren't surprised. Irish people are crazy. I really want to go to Ireland. I got a book from the library on tracking your ancestors so I was thinking I can find my Irish relatives and go pay them a surprise visit!
Oh, and I started reading "Eat Pray Love" (recommended by many including Audra) and am really enjoying it. It's so funny because she goes to Venice and describes it exactly like me and Nat experienced it! Page 105 for anyone who has the book...
Tomorrow I am going into London to meet with Nancy for lunch and do some sightseeing. Have a great week, everyone!

Cheers! And stay sexy, NJ...

York...and 3 weeks until SA!

Hello everyone. I'm sorry I haven't written in quite a long time but I'm just so OVER England and SO excited for South Africa! Just 3 more weeks until we're sitting on Donovan's familys' porch overlooking their lawn with elephants roaming and giraffes eating at the trees...just kidding. There are no elephants or giraffes in their back yard...only lions. No, still just kidding. There are no animals in their back yard. But anyway, last week I went with Donovan to Dewsbury and spent a day in York. York is the oldest city in England and is surrounded 80% by a huge castle wall. And I happened to be there on the Food and Drink Festival which meant I didn't have to buy lunch! I just got to sample all the delicious food from chili and fudge to curry and sausage! I also went to the train museum which is like the biggest one in England (and free too :-)). Here are some pics from York:

Big museum:


This is like some crazy Japanese bullet train:


They are remaking the Flying Dutchman (Spongebob, anyone?) which hasn't run since 1892!



Silly sign but it was true in those days:


Pics from York:




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This is the wall that goes around 80% of the city:




The last remaining part of the original castle:


Amazing cupcakes!


Old lady getting her sweet on!


Ok, now on to more important things like me making eggplant parm. Can you say delicious? Cuz it definitely was!!!



On Saturday we went into London and met with Dononvan's Aunt Carol, Uncle Micky and cousin, Joe. We walked around the Thames and had a nice lunch on the river. Of course I forgot my camera, though!

We have discovered a really big library in the center of town where you can rent CDs for a pound! Which means burning them onto our Ipods! I've got all new music so it's pretty exciting. Also, the Curry's in town (electronics store) is going out of business so they are having a huge sale and I got Tombraider Legend (for PC) for 47 pents! That's like less than a dollar! I started playing and then Donovan kind of took over but it's still really fun! We are 33% through the game.

On Monday I am going into London to have lunch with my mom's best friend, Nancy, who will be here for a few days traveling with her husband for work.

I will try and write again soon... if I have anything good to write about that is!

Poor Donovan...while I'm out having all the fun he's working...here is a picture of an angel sleeping after work...coffee cup and all...


Good night!