Week 32- Vancouver

Sunday, 10 January, 2009 6:33PM Vancouver, BC, CANADA

Hey there!

As you can see I am finally home! YAY! I'm soooo happy to be here. Enjoying it so much I haven't taken time to write in my blog, but I thought it's a bit unfair of me to just leave you all hanging not knowing what's going on with me.

So Edinburgh was really great. I absolutely loved being there and I hope to go back one day. I enjoyed just having time to myself to go into the city and explore, also loved the fact that I could wake up at anytime and not feel bad.

On my last night there Anna and Robin took me out for Mexican food because I told them it was one of the things I missed most from home. It was actually really good for being from the UK, I may have said before that Mexican food in the UK isn't the same.

I was just a little nervous about my flight home just because the weather was really crazy in Edinburgh while I was there. It would be snowing, and I kept reading about Heathrow having problems. I knew I would get home, I was just expecting their to be delays in my flights.

And so there was.

I arrived at the Edinburgh airport at about 8:30AM (my flight to Heathrow was scheduled at 10:35AM) There was a massive cue (line up) for people to drop their bags. I waited for about 40 minutes until I reached the counter, it was pretty crazy. Then read the screen to see that my flight was delayed by 20 minutes. Ok, no big deal, I can handle that. I have a 2 hour lay over in London until my flight to Vancouver. So I go through security, get to my gate and the flight is delayed by another hour. You know what? it's gonna be alright. They won't leave without me, they can't.

So I arrive at Heathrow, head to my gate quickly, then run into security #2. Of course, because I'm actually flying to the US (Seattle- it was cheaper than going to Vancouver) so I have to go through the new security measures, let's just say, not that fun, but it was fine. I have nothing to hide. 15 minutes to spare, wrote a few emails to update my family and then into the plane. Everything looks good.

Then the pilot announces an hour later that out plane needs de-icing and it shouldn't take too long. An hour later... the airport has ran out of the de-icing fluid so they need to go and get more so we have to wait for it. An hour later... fluid has arrived we just need to apply it and then get on the runway. An hour later... Ok I am fine with the way things have been done we are heading to the runway, there is one plane in front of us. That took another 30 mins or so, then we took off. I watched a movie during that time, it was nice of them to turn on the entertainment for us.

I was a little bit nervous since I had no way of letting my family know my plane had been delayed by so much time. They were coming to the Sea Tac airport to pick me up. But I knew deep down I didn't need to worry and it would all work out.

The flight went well once we were in the air, I had the middle seat free so me and the guy on the other side put our legs up to sleep, although it's still extremely uncomfortable to sleep on a plane, I probably only slept one hour total.

Once I arrived I had to wait about 40 minutes to get through customs and I really needed to use the toilet, that wasn't so cool. Then I went to get my baggage only to figure out that it wasn't there. Interestingly enough I had thought about this possibly happening, and packed my carry on with a few clothes and shoes just in case. Good thinking on my part :) Anyway, it was still kind of a bummer, but why let it upset me?

Onward to hopefully find my family. They weren't at the baggage claim where I thought they might have been. I didn't have any coins to call them on a pay phone (my mistake.) Sea-Tac airport is really big so I warned my family that I'd get a bit nervous if I couldn't find them. I had to go to another Terminal so I took the train there hoping they would be there. Up the escalator and saw my mom and brother Mark at the top. What a relief! I was so happy to see them. I REALLY didn't care about my lost luggage at that point (and still don't-it's still lost) I am so so so happy to be home. I'm speechless really. It feels great to be here.

I am planning on going to school in August but I don't know yet if it will happen or not. For now, I am going to work, save up money, and enjoy my family and friends here in Vancouver.

Thank you all for reading, it means a lot to me, especially because I spent a lot of time typing this up. Hope it did you well :)

Bye for now!

Week 31- Scotland

Monday, 28 December, 2009 1:18PM Aberfeldy, Scotland

Hey everyone. Can't believe tour is over, and I'm in Scotland. The last few days with the kids were excellent. We had our second birthday party. I was in charge of the scavenger hunt, they loved it. We had lots of junk food, games and dancing. The children also performed their Christmas plays, each team had a different part of the Christmas story, they were very well done.

Our choir Christmas day was the 21st. We already had presents wrapped under our tree, the kids went to breakfast and we set up stockings on the stairs by their rooms. They came back upstairs and were shocked. They all got a new watch, CD player (they were donated by the Dublin Zoo) socks, trucks, pencils, bookmarks, toys, and some chocolate. We left the big gift for the 22nd. The suitcases FULL of new clothes and things to bring back to the school. They were all so so excited to try on their clothes and shoes. It's so hard to describe how it makes you feel to be able to give the children things you know they need, and to see how appreciative they are. I am so proud of everything they have learned. They worked really hard, and rarely complained. The night of the 22nd I had made a DVD for the kids with videos and photos of them from tour, we all really enjoyed it.

Going to bed for them that night wasn't easy, especially for the girls. They were a mess, more than half were crying and just not ready to leave us. It was very hard to see them in that state. I have decided to sponsor Nompie. I got closest with her on tour, and just couldn't not. So I let her know that evening as she sat next to me telling me she wanted me to sleep next to her and wasn't going to sleep if I didn't. How hard is that to hear from a girl you love so much? So I told her I would write her letters and will try to come and see everyone in South Africa as soon as I can.

Anyway, they eventually all got to sleep, and we stayed up late trying to pack everything up. All the extra things donated to the choir got put in any space we could find, it was all so heavy, but we didn't want to have to pay to send it later on because it was free with the flight.

On the morning of the 23rd we spent out last few hours together with the kids, just quality "choir family" time. Then we packed up the coach and headed off. We arrived quite early at the airport, so we spent almost 2 hours waiting, we played games with the kids, sang songs, laughed, and just enjoyed each other. I took a few last minute photos and videos. Just as the children were heading to security the water works started for the children. It was not easy. I knew I had to hold it together because it only makes it harder for them if you are a mess. So I held it in, didn't think I would but I did. We gave them each a hug, told them we loved them very much and we wanted to come and visit them again at home. They left quite sad, and so did we. It hit me as they went out of sight, but I mostly held it in. Probably one of the hardest things to do. I almost couldn't breathe. A lot of it was just the memory of their sad face as we said goodbye. It was like they didn't understand why we weren't all going with them, they just felt as if we were abandoning them. So many of them had said they wanted to stay or us to come with them. Johan had told me to pack him in my suitcase and take him with me to Canada, although he admitted he was very excited to be seeing his family again. Amazing told me to cut off his leg so I could keep it to remember him. Kids say the darnest things. I assured him I would never ever forget him and I had lots and lots of photos to remember him.

Gosh I even miss them typing this up. I will admit that it is nice to just relax and not have to always be watching them or checking to see if they are ok. But it's so nice at the same time to know that you are responsible for them.

Jenny and I had a flight to Edinburgh at 5:45PM, the kids left at 2PM or so. We ate lunch with the other chaperones, said our goodbyes, which also weren't easy. We really became a team and family, I will miss everyone so much.

Earlier in the day we heard the Edinburgh airport had been shut down due to a heavy snow fall. We were really surprised, especially after hearing from so many people that it doesn't really snow there.

Our flight didn't get cancelled :) We sat next to a guy from Vancouver on the flight, he overheard us talking and had lots of questions about who we were and about the choir. So we educated him a bit.

Elizabeth picked us up at the airport with her cousin and his 4X4. She was a bit nervous we might get stuck with her car. So we headed to Carstairs. Everything was white and beautiful. I almost wanted to cry. I stayed in Carstairs in June, and had kept in contact with Elizabeth during the tour and her family had invited me back anytime. It was really amazing to see the difference in everything from summer to winter. She lives in a lovely little village. It was nice to have Jenny with me to be able to talk to about how I felt with end of tour things. She has toured before, so none of it was new for her. I feel so blessed to have her around, she is so helpful in so many ways.

I didn't sleep really, maybe an hour. I wasn't really upset, I was just processing everything, and thinking about tour and all the things we had done with the kids, the things we taught them, and the things we all learned. It was similar to leaving high school if that makes sense. Like closing a chapter of your life. It's not an easy thing.

We headed up to Aberfeldy (where I am now) to meet Iona and her family in the morning, so it wouldn't be dark for Elizabeth to get back. It gets dark around 4 or so here. The drive was about 3 hours, and was long, but very scenic, and reminded me of winter at home so much. Especially driving through the rocky mountains, seeing snow on all the trees, it made me miss home a lot.

I'm very happy to be in Scotland again, and extra happy that it's snowy and white. I was told I may not see snow while staying here because it usually comes in January, but knew there may be a chance in Aberfeldy and Inverness because they are much more north.

I slept fine the next night, and woke up on a mountain with a view of the white valley and nearby mountains. It's so incredible. Jenny and I both slept in, which was really nice. We got up, opened presents, and then dressed up to go out sledding (called sledging here.) We walked along the path in front of their house, past some cows, to the side of the mountain that we could slide down. Iona had her younger brother and mom visiting for Christmas so they joined us, along with her husband Colin and 2 daughters. They are 8 and 10, and really enjoyed having the choir girls stay with them. I was here in late July and Iona had me and 4 girls staying for 4 nights. It was a ton of fun having a house with 6 girls. I wrote about it then.

It was lots of fun sledding , but it's a big mountain and a good work out to climb back up. We borrowed a snow surf board that made us go really far, it was pretty crazy. Jenny even scared the sheep at the bottom she went so close to them. Can you tell I'm in the country? I am. There's nothing for miles. Normally I feel strange or unsafe in a place like this, but I feel quite calm and at peace here. I've got everything I need.

My toes were frozen after about 2 hours outside, and we all worked up quite an appetite. I'm trying to remember what else we did. We played games, watched part of a movie, and just spent time together. It was nice to be with a family during Christmas, I didn't feel uncomfortable at all. I stayed with them because when I was here before, I had felt so comfortable.

Boxing day Jenny and I went to Glasgow to meet up with Kyle for the day. He toured with us part time. So we went to a movie and out for lunch and just walked around. I have been trying to find waterproof warm boots that look nice. Not so easy to do, especially in a country that doesn't carry large sizes like mine. I found a temporary pair. I've been borrowing Colin's old rubber boots, which is why my toes were frozen. They are called Wellies here. It's a cute name I think. They are called Gum Boots in South Africa.

Yesterday we spent the morning outside building snow seats, a snow man and an igloo because it had snowed a foot overnight. It was so much fun to play in the snow again. I didn't get to do it much last year, I really missed it. We were exhausted after building the igloo, but it turned out to be quite nice. I remember building one years ago with my brothers. I missed them a lot. (still do) We spent the rest of the day relaxing and playing games with the girls. Iona's brother and mom have gone to their homes now, and Iona and Colin had a surprise birthday party to go to last night so we watched the girls for them. It reminded me of being with the kids again, I really enjoyed it. I'm going to have to do some sort of child care when I come home, I miss taking care of kids. We shall see though....

Today we slept in again and then after a 12PM breakfast headed into the town of Aberfeldy to do a bit of shopping. It's a very small place with not many shops. It's cute though. We found some nice things. We were meant to go to a Cailigh (Scottish dancing) but because of all the snow, there would have been no where to park. Also, some of Colin's family came over for dinner, so we were busy spending time with them. They were a nice family with 2 boys, they may come to Vancouver for a ski vacation, that would be cool.

Tomorrow is Jenny's last day in Scotland. Shame. I'm really sad to see her go, but she is off to London to meet up with a friend there and also get some alone time before she flies to SA to see the kids again. She will be spending a year working there, helping with administration duties and such. I'm really hoping to go there while she is still there, and she can show me around the area. So we are going to spend the day in Edinburgh tomorrow, we are both very excited. Have a few things planned. I'm hoping it's not too cold. It didn't snow today, but it was -6C so it was quite cold.

I'm leaving here on the 31st to go north to Inverness until the 4th. I will be meeting Anna and Robin, my hosts from Edinburgh, to visit with Anna's family for New Year. I'm looking forward to it, but it's going to be very cold up there, and I'm not sure I have all the clothing for it, I've got some, but it's hard to have warm clothes when you are limited to space and weight in a suitcase. I will then go back to Edinburgh and stay with them until I fly back home!

I've got about 7 hours to sleep, good night!

Thursday, 31 December, 2009 6:25PM Inverness, Scotland

So I made it. Wasn't easy, I left sunny Aberfeldy at 2 degrees, went through a snow storm and am now pretty much snowed in at -8 at Anna and Robin's parents house in Inverness. But it's lovely. I'm sad today is the last day of 2009. It's be a super crazy year for me, one I won't ever forget.

Edinburgh went well although our train got delayed because of the freezing temps and we arrived and walked into a snow storm. Very unexpected. It was -17 when we left Aberfeldy (I was frozen within minutes.) It was difficult to walk because the snow was everywhere in our faces, we got into a shop and spent a good amount of time there, and the snow had stopped. Everything turned into slush. It was like pellet snow, small tiny tiny balls, but not hail. I've never seen it before, it looked so fluffy on the ground, almost artificial. Edinburgh looks amazing covered in snow, I couldn't really get a nice photo because it was foggy and when it stopped, it melted immediately.

The last few days have been full of social gatherings, meeting friends of Colin and Iona and it's been really great. Aberfeldy has grown on me a bit. I actually really like it. I recommend it to a couple who is retiring or one who is wanting to raise children in the small countryside. Everyone knows each other here, and it's just really comfortable and everyone is really friendly, and it's incredibly safe.

I am missing Jenny a lot, but she is enjoying herself in London. I feel quite alone now. This is the longest I've been without my "choir family." It's starting to sink in a little. I'm really looking forward to being home with people I know. It's taken a lot out of me to have to talk to everyone, although I love telling people about what I've done, I just need a break, because it's all I'm going to be doing when I get home.

Anna and Robin said I can have as much alone time as I want, so that's really comforting. It's so cold here. Seriously my hands are like ice.

So I've been looking for Wellies, which are rubber boots. Everyone in Aberfeldy wears them, it's a country thing, that's become very popular now in the city. But they keep your feet dry. I didn't bring boots on tour because they are heavy and I was hoping to miss most of the snow. No such story. So I've been borrowing Colin's steel toed ones. Steel toed rubber boots. What do you think happened to my feet? Yup. They froze. Even with 3 pairs of socks (including ski socks) But at least they aren't wet. Actually it's funny. When I went into Edinburgh I didn't wear them, cuz well they aren't the most fashionable things, and my feet got soaked, but they felt warmer than cold toes in the Wellies. They have Wellie warmer socks that you wear with them, so I'll have to get those. I haven't found any in my size anywhere, so I'm hoping I will find them here. My feet are going to freeze tonight if we go out into the town centre.

Anna's parents are really nice, good first impression :) I might take a nap, I'm feeling very tired, and it's going to be a late night. I wish the kids were here, i'd love to see their faces for New Year. Maybe next year.

Friday, 1 January, 2010 10:48PM same location as previous

Happy New Year Everyone!!! Hope you all enjoyed your evening. So the big question is: Do you say "two thousand ten" or " twenty ten?" They called it nineteen before so shouldn't it be twenty now? I have a feeling we are going to get a mixture, I just wonder if people will eventually settle on one way...

I spent Hogmanay (Scottish New Year) snowed in. All the celebrations got cancelled because of the weather, it was a shame. A lot of people traveled quite far to be here. We can't get the car out even if we wanted to. It was nice, quiet and calm. I can't really complain, it could have been much worse. I might just have to come back another year. Not next though.

I'm feeling good about this year. It's going to be different for me. I have no plans for this year. It's quite scary, but also very exciting. No job, not much money, no home, (although I do have a place to stay) I'm just waiting for God to lead me where I'm supposed to go next. I have faith, and that's all I need. There are some things I'd really like to do, but I'm not sure if they will happen yet.

I've failed to tell anyone that ever since I left Ireland I've been sick with a cold. Just a stuffy drippy nose. But it hasn't gone away the whole time I've been in Scotland. I've got through a lot of tissues. It's really annoying. I thought it might go away after a few days. I think it's a combo of the cold temperatures and the food I've been eating.

My diet has been full of chocolate. It's horrible. I've eaten more chocolate in this past 6 months (possibly the past month) than I have in my whole entire life. It's the whole truth. I'm so tired of it, my body is. But, it's just there and I eat it. Also, I've discovered that I am quite sure I am allergic to caffeine. I thought I was before, and sort of stayed away from it, but I've had a huge amount lately because Colin and Iona got a fancy coffee machine for Christmas and I was trying all the different coffees and was getting massive headaches from drinking it. I normally don't drink coffee because I get headaches. It happens when I eat too much chocolate as well. So, I have come to the conclusion that I'm allergic. FYI: I'm also mildly allergic to menthol. It makes me sneeze. Strange, I know. My cousin is the same way, I'm not the only one.

We tried to get the car out today and no success. It got further than I expected, but there's about 2 feet of snow, and Robin and Anna's car is quite low to the ground. We pretty much have to shovel the whole road to turn it around to get it on the tracks to get on the main road. It'll be interesting that's for sure.

Tomorrow if we don't get it out (which it doesn't look like we will) we are just going to take the bus into the city centre. We went for a walk today, and my boots just soaked up with water, I am hoping they will be dry in the morning, they are by the fire now.

I slept in until 11:15 this morning. It's the longest I've slept in in the last 6 months. Felt nice, but I feel so tired, and have to stay up to talk to a friend.

Week 30- Ireland

Saturday, 19 December, 2009 8:29PM Drogheda, Ireland

So the past few days have been really good. We've just been spending time playing with the kids, a bit of school and just hanging out.

It's so nice to just relax and enjoy the kids and reflect on everything we have gone through, and enjoy the time we have left.

Lately all the kids (including the boys) have been making us Christmas/ Goodbye cards, they are so cute. I bought them some stickers the other day, they were quite excited about that. They are happy to be going home, but it's also hitting them that some of us aren't coming, so they aren't so happy about that. They are really attached to us. I am going to miss them so much. It's really hitting me this week, they are leaving SO SOON!

I've learned so much on this tour, but I am also really looking forward to spending time in Scotland, and of course, going home to my family and friends.

It's been really cold the past few days, we have had some flurries, but the snow hasn't sticked. The kids are looking out the window constantly, I don't enjoy cold, but I am very anxious to see snow (more for the kids to see it though) They are praying everyday for it to come. I've seen ice, but there wasn't any today.

Stacie brought our team some Kraft Mac N Cheese from Texas, we are enjoying it now. Sometimes you don't realize how much you miss something, it was so good. There are a lot of things I will miss here though. Some are:

• Snack a Jacks - Salt n Vinegar (they are just mini rice cakes, but they are so good)
• Mueller Fruit in the Corner Yogurt - Strawberry or White Chocolate Raspberry, although most flavours are good (quite like fruit on the bottom, yogurt just tastes better here)
• Chocolate- Galaxy, Cadbury Twirl, Mars Delight the list goes on...
• being in a car on the other side of the road
• old beautiful churches
• Edinburgh, Belfast and London
• Primark (store a lot like Ross)
• Nando's in Belfast
• the different accents

There's many more, I will add as I remember

Things I love about my tour:

• being with cute South African kids all day, every day
• having devotions with the kids in the morning
• being involved in school and seeing the kids learn, seeing how much English they have learned in the past 7 months, seeing their confidence grow each and every day
• having the kids knock on your door when they are scared or have a problem with something and being able to comfort them
• having a great team that gets along and has fun together
• traveling so often and getting to see so many countries
• sitting with a different child on the bus and taking photos
• staying with great host families
• going to Dubai and Germany and all that was with that
• listening to the kids on the bus
• watching the kids play and playing with them
• waking the kids up in the morning and saying goodnight
• hugs!

Again, there is much more, and I will add to this

Week 29- Ireland

Tuesday, 15 December, 2009 10:59AM Drogheda, Ireland

Yesterday was my day off, Jenny, Stacie and I took the train to Belfast because Stacie didn’t get to go there. We tried to find the Titanic Quarter but we got lost going around a construction site, and decided to just go into the city centre instead. We wasted a lot of time walking, but that’s ok. Anyway, we found a market set up on the Parliament building grounds, there was food from all different types of countries, and little gift booths. A great place to shop for Christmas presents. We ate lunch at Nando’s, Jenny and I love going there, so we had to take Stacie because we kept talking about it. We did a bit more shopping, had some dinner and headed back, only to realize we missed our train stop. We were a bit worried because the next train was in 2 hours, so we told a train worker and she found another train for us to take so we made it back in time. We really enjoyed our day.

Today is school and rehearsals, our school room is small so we are teaching 2 classes at a time, while the other 2 play, it’s worked really well. It’s nice to just spend time with the kids. I gotta go teach in a few minutes.

Only 8 more days with them :( I can't believe it's true!

Week 28- Ireland/Germany

So I totally meant to post this before I went to Germany, but I guess I got distracted and forgot, so sorry!

Here it is:

Sunday, 6 December 2009 2:55PM Dublin, Ireland

We arrived safely to Dublin. I had Thursday off, the first thing I did is sleep in, it was the latest I’ve slept on tour (10 AM) then I went to some the malls, and looked around the city. They use Euros here, so I had to be even more careful of what I bought. I was doing the exchange of everything. Things are really really expensive here. I thought the UK was bad. I found TK Maxx, which is like TJ Maxx in the states. One good thing about being in Europe is that they have bigger shoe sizes. It’s pretty much impossible for me to find shoes that fit in the UK. Anyway, on tour you get really tired of wearing the same shoes. I found 2 pairs of adidas for less than $40. I checked the price like 5 times because I didn’t believe it. I had to get them because adidas for $40 are rare. Adidas fit my feet properly that’s why I always have them. I even found girls! I’m always buying guy shoes because they don’t make female in my size a lot of the time. Because I have to be careful of weight for going to Germany and Edinburgh, I sent my old shoes home, and 1 of the new pairs, they are white, and I’d like to keep them that way, so I thought it was the best idea.

On Friday we went to the Dublin Zoo for the second time. Some it was the first time because they weren’t yet with us. We have a new Auntie! I meant to put it in. Her name is Stacie, she is from Texas. Lauren has left us, which we were very sad about and miss her very much, so Stacie has come to be our Music Supervisor for a few weeks, the children have to learn a few new songs for their performance in Cape Town in January and we needed someone who has experience to teach them. She has toured before many times, so she’s great with the kids, and we are all very happy to have her join us, even if it’s just for a short time.

The zoo, yes, we started off having a camera in our face recording everything. It was pre- Germany, everything in Germany is going to be recorded like a reality TV show, it’ll be interesting, I’ve never been much of a camera person. Just act normal, right? It was good for the children to experience it ahead of time, they have only dealt with it once before on a cooking show they were on when we were in Belfast.

First we went to meet the elephants, that was so awesome. They are my favourite animal, so I was quite excited, we thought we might get to ride them, but they weren’t that type of elephant. We weren’t even allowed to feed them, although we were quite close to them. We learned some interesting things, and the kids had really good questions. They kept asking things about what would happen if they got sick because they just recovered from being sick, so it’s what was on their mind, it was funny.

Then we got to meet the 2 day old giraffe, it was still taller than me! It was so cool to have a giraffe so close to my face. I’ve been close before, but it was when I was 6 or something. You forget what it’s like. We had a sea lion showing off to us, which was quite funny. Met the sleeping tigers again. (They were sleeping when we came in June) I saw one up, but then he lied down to sleep when we got to window, so I know they were alive. Haha.

Then we ate and all of a sudden it was dark, that’s what happens in the winter...

Our special visitor then came to meet the kids, they were very curious who it was and had been waiting all day. We had explained who Santa was to the best of our ability. It’s hard to explain it to a young child who hasn’t grown up knowing about it. Either way, he’s still a very exciting guy to meet. Especially when he has presents! So they were a bit hesitant when he showed up, but they got used to him quite quickly. Our kids adapt to just about anything, they are amazing. We failed to tell them that children usually sit on his lap, so they shook his hand and stood beside him for a photo. The zoo made key chains for each of them with Santa, they don’t know yet, it will go in their stocking :)

We let them all open their gift together, which was a monkey, with the velcro hands and feet, and a box of dominoes, they really like monkeys so it was the perfect gift. Most of them know dominoes as well.

The kids performed for the staff and children of the zoo, it was their Christmas party, but there were a lot of people there, it went really really well. They also gave all the kids a huge box of chocolate and CD players! We have hidden them and are saving them for Christmas gifts. Very exciting stuff!

Yesterday we performed a few songs at a french restaurant here in Dublin. They took 20% of all sales of the day to donate to the choir as well as all their tips from the day. We also had many large donations from spectators. We ate dinner there, which was really great and they invited us back for lunch. It’s the kids new favorite restaurant. Le Bon Crubeen in Dublin. I suggest it if you are ever here. It’s nice food, really great staff and inexpensive as well.

Dublin isn’t what I expected. It’s much more European, very multi cultural, a lot of Americans and Australians here. But it still feels like I’m in Ireland, the accent is very hard to understand. I have had trouble many times in the last few days trying to figure out what people are asking me. I’m getting much better at accents though. I’ve also figured out the different coins, some of them look quite similar though, but they all have something different about them. It’s not so bad when you know what you are looking for.

We are in the heart of the city, it’s so loud outside, so many noises, but I still seem to fall asleep each night. I wonder if when I return home from tour I’ll have trouble being in the same bed for a long time. I doubt it...

I’m feeling much better, my stomach isn’t hurting anymore, it was finished about half way through yesterday. I pretty much had to fully clean out my body to get rid of it. I’m not sure what caused it, but I’m glad it’s gone. I don’t want it again. I’m just being careful what I eat, so it doesn’t come back.

We are getting everything ready for Germany now, we leave early Wednesday morning. I’m really interested in what it’s going to be like. Most people we are with there won’t know English so that’ll be fun. Never mind struggling with different accents in English, we have another language this time. It’ll all work out though. We are just doing 2 songs on the TV show, but we are there for 3 days, so we are hoping to find some fun things to do with the kids if we have free time. We don’t know if they have things planned for us or not, so I’m going to look online and see if I can find anything.

I probably won’t blog until I get back from Germany, we will be quite busy there, and we don’t know if we will have Internet where we are staying, or time to go on it.

Take care all.

Sunday, 13 December, 2009 3:08PM Drogheda, Ireland

Update:

Monday the people at Paddy’s Palace took us and the kids to the cinema to see a film (theatre to see a movie) haha. It was their first time in the cinema, they were excited, but nervous. Some of them didn’t like how it was so dark, but they all got bags with goodies, so that made it much better. Over half said they would want to go again.

Tuesday we took the kids to the play at the park for a few hours because it was a nice day. After that we took a walk to the National Museum. It was mostly full of historic things in Ireland, lots of old everything. Some of it was really neat to see, but most of it was boring for the kids, and even for us. We didn’t stay too long. Later in the evening the staff invited the kids to come and sing Christmas Carols, they only knew a few, and didn’t know all the words, so I spent some times teaching them We Wish You A Merry Christmas, Jingle Bells and Santa Claus is Coming to Town ahead of time. It didn’t stick so well, but we had lots of fun. They got the kids a bunch of souvenir gifts.

We all went to bed early because we had to wake up early for our 6:30AM flight to Germany.

Everyone was so tired; we all slept on the flight there. When we arrived, Ray was there to greet us, it was nice to see him again. Then we went through the doors to have the camera crew filming the children. We were met by a German Celebrity, (I can’t seem to find her name online) they didn’t want any shots with the chaperones in, so it was funny to see the kids react when we weren’t there, they didn’t really know what to do. We went to the hotel in Koln where we stayed (and just happens to have one of the nicest breakfast buffet’s I have ever seen, I’ll miss it. Then we took a rest, and then she took the kids and us to Fantasia Land. It was really fun. Everything was decorated for Christmas, and they had real snow put under all the trees, I thought it was real at first, I mean it was, but just didn’t come from the sky, they had some machine making it. So the kids rode a few rides, and they did a bunch of filming and interviews with the kids, again the chaperones were not allowed in any shot, it was really hard to stay away from the kids for the whole day. We really didn’t like having to just give them away to the crew.

We came to Germany for the kids to perform on a show called “World Vision’s Big Show for Little Stars.” So all the filming was to make a video clip for the show. Thursday the kids rehearsed in the morning and then we all headed to the tv studio for the day. We had to do sound check and dress rehearsals for the show on Friday night. It was a really neat experience to get to see how everything is done for a show. Let me just say, it’s so much work! Everything takes a really really long time, and you have to be so patient with people. It’s not always easy just waiting, especially with 23 kids. Friday morning was the full run through of the show, so we spent the day at the studio again. The kids got some nap and play time in which was nice, the show was really great. It was a competition for children, there were 5 other acts. A boy from Australia who sang, a girl and boy from Columbia who did Salsa dancing, a boy from India who could solve a Rubix’s cube in 30 seconds blindfolded (it was real), 3 drummer boys from Georgia (the country), a girl singer from Norway, and a breakdancer boy from Seattle. They were all really good. We placed in second, and the breakdancer Jay won. Our kids were really happy, they liked him the most. They didn’t really understand that we were competing even though we explained it to them, but they were excited to be on tv.

We are now back in Ireland, and I have yet another stamp on my passport :)

We had a concert today, it was our last church concert, it was hard not to cry. I’m really going to miss these wonderful children. Our last concert is in Belfast, and then it’s camp of fun. I’m really excited, we are going to have another birthday party, scavenger hunt, baking, crafts, and maybe even a water park. We are also do our own Christmas on the 21st with the kids before they go.

Week 27- England

Sunday, 29 November, 2009 9:13PM Northampton, England

We are now finished all our full concerts! How exciting is that? We have a few special events to do.

This past week some of our children and chaperones got sick, which is why we had to cancel a few concerts, everyone just needed to rest. So we stayed all together and just chilled. I wasn't one of the sick ones, so it was a nice break for me, even though we had some long nights checking the children's temps every 2 hours. It's what you gotta do, and I can't complain because they are all doing much better.

Tuesday we are meeting the Prime Minister of England and performing with Annie Lennox again, that'll be fun. On Wednesday we are on to Southern Ireland. We will be there until the children go home for Christmas.

It's been nice to be all together again, especially because it's the ending of tour, you really want to spend time enjoying each other.

The days are getting colder, most people here have said it won't snow until January. I haven't seen any frost yet, just rain and wind. (It was extra windy in Wales)

The children had a lot more energy today, almost back to themselves, they were much louder and more bouncy today, that's for sure. It's good to see. :)

Wednesday, 2 December, 2009 10:40AM On the road in England

We are on our way to Southern Ireland....it’s going to be a long trip. We were near London last night, and we started our journey at 8AM this morning.

Yesterday was a great great day. We spent it n London. First we headed to 10 Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister Gordon Brown, we ate lunch in the State dining room, that was pretty cool. Many important people have been in that room, we also were in the council room. Gabsile sat in Mr. Brown’s seat, the only one with arms. They have tons and tons of security there, Stormont Castle was quite similar. After that we had some extra time, and across the Thames River just happens to be the London Eye! It was really awesome, it was a nice day out too, very very cold though. It was a highlight of the day that’s for sure. Paul drove us through London to see all the special touristy things, I think the only thing I didn’t get to see was Harrod’s, there’s always next time... In the evening we performed at a special event for Annie Lennox in the Guild Hall, which is a very famous building. She had asked us to come, that’s how much she loved the kids! They were equally excited to see her, she is so great with them. She really wants to perform a song with the choir.

We just entered into Cheshire to give you an idea of where I am. It was also Nompie’s birthday yesterday, she is now 9. I took her picture with Annie, they both liked that.

I’ve recently been having a strange issue with my stomach. All the kids are doing much better, chaperones as well. Anyway, I don’t know what’s wrong but I’m in a lot of pain, it’s not a regular stomach ache, it hurts far more, the most my stomach has ever hurt before, and it doesn’t go away. Sometimes its not as bad at others, but it’s always hurting. It’s worse when I am standing, and I don’t feel like eating. I’ve eaten about 2 meals in the past 2 days. Eating doesn’t make it feel better or worse. It’s the worst when I wake up. I had some Pepto Bismol but it only worked for a few hours. I’ve been praying a lot, it’s taking away all my energy, and it’s just really frustrating.

Oh, we also performed on the 29th, for a special event called Gumboots. They are raising money to help educate children in South Africa, I stayed in bed for it because of my stomach, I was so glad to just lie and rest. I heard it was packed out, and there were people everywhere.

On the bus last night my stomach was hurting a lot again (as it is now) and I was almost in tears from the pain. I asked Nompie if she wanted to sit with me, remembering that it was her birthday, and it would be a nice treat for her. She had also asked me the day before, but I had already promised someone else. Anyway, she was delighted :) We talked for about an hour and then she fell asleep on my lap, she woke up and said, “Auntie, Are you sleeping?” I replied. “Trying to” and she went back to sleep. It was so cute, I love that girl. My stomach felt so much better, although I couldn’t sleep from the lights outside.

It was a day to remember that’s for sure.

We leave the UK today, it’s a bit sad leaving the place you’ve spent most of the last 6 months. This month I will be in 6 countries! England, Wales, Southern Ireland, Germany, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. That’s pretty cool, I have to say. It’s going to be a great month, lots of fun, I’m excited.

I’m off for now, I don’t want to waste all my battery power.

Now we are on the ferry, I’m glad it’s the fast one, most of the kids were feeling sick, had a few throwing up, so we decided to put them in the play area to nap, it’s solved the problem well, I was feeling sick too, so I took an hour nap, but I’m going to use the Internet in the Sea now. :)

Week 26- England

Tuesday, 24 November, 2009 12:45PM Gloucester, England

My last day off was in Bath, we were performing in Bristol. Our bus driver Paul is from Bath and had asked the 4 of us that were off if we’d be interested in going to a natural spa bath. They are like hot springs, but not as hot. It’s what Bath is known for. We all said yes, so he hooked us up with a free 2 hour spa session. It’s quite expensive and you get to go in the pools (one on the roof and one inside) of natural hot water and they also had aromatherapy steam rooms which were totally awesome. I felt like a celebrity being there, everything is really fancy. We went in the roof one first, it was nice that it wasn’t raining, it was neat to feel the contrast of being in hot water having the cold wind blow on your face. It’s like going in your outdoor hot tub in the winter time.

Everything in Bath is old and Victorian looking. It’s beautiful. I took a few photos. The day in Bath made up for the London day of getting lost.

I had a really great host family in Bristol too.

We then went to Weymouth, which is on the Southern Coast of England, very nice views, but the area wasn’t very safe. The dad in the family I stayed with was from Zimbabwe, he had an interesting accent living in England for 30 years. The house we stayed in was a previous Bed and Breakfast so it was really big, almost too big. I was afraid of getting lost in it.

In the morning we spent 30 minutes at the beach, it was cold, but we hadn’t been to the beach in forever so we wanted to experience it while we were there knowing we may not see it again on tour. We had a fabulous time, I forgot my camera on the bus :(

Next stop was Cheltenham. Just for one night, again a great host family and we all wished we could have stayed longer. It was raining like crazy the whole day we were there and then stopped in the morning when we were leaving. We have avoided a lot of rain on tour, but this past week has been every single day no matter where we are.

Currently in Gloucester and staying with a Jamaican family. I think almost everyone is because the church hosting us is primarily Jamaican. I never realized they had churches in England like that. Learn something new every day don’t ya? Anyway, their culture is very different from the UK. I can’t really describe it other than telling you my experience. My hosts are nice, but they haven’t really talked to us much. I’m used to being asked every kind of question you can think of, and they are just quiet and ask something if they need to otherwise they are quiet and keep to themselves. They made us food and left the dining room. They are just living their life as if we aren’t really there. It’s fine, it gives us freedom to do what we want, it’s just different. Some of the others have experienced the same with theirs. My hosts are singers, they have really good taste in music, I’ll say that.

On Thursday we are going to perform for the Prime Minister of England. Yes, that’s right. Sadly, the queen won’t be there. Afterwards we have been given a Choir Christmas present of going on the London Eye! I’m so so so so excited. 1) because I was planning on doing that on my day off in London, if it was the one thing I got to do- but then didn’t have time due to getting lost and 2) because we get to go as a whole choir, and things like that are so much fun with the kids around. It’s going to be a fun surprise for the kids when they find out, they have seen it already when they visited.

We only have 3 church concerts left. I can’t believe it. I knew time would go fast, but it’s going crazy fast. Even the kids are shocked. Were trying to get things packed up because we won’t have our bus with us in about a week. We will be going to Southern Ireland and renting a bus to get us around while we are there for December.

P.S. I had canned corn beef with rice for dinner. It's one of the more interesting things I've had here.