Week 13 - Scotland

Sunday, 30 August 2009 9:42AM Robin and Anna’s Flat

Sorry, I’ve been so busy. It’s hard to remember everything to write... The reason my location is that Robin and Anna are my hosts. I’ve stayed with them for 4 blocks now, they wanted to have us longer. (Blocks are time periods for host families while we are here, they are 2, 3 or 4 nights, we have had 7 of them while here.) So I have been here for 11 nights, which is crazy, still have 2 more before we leave. The longest I’ve ever been with a family. We are very close with them now, they are wonderful.

Anna dyed my hair the other night, so I’m back to brown. It was her first time to colour hair, and she was quite nervous (as most people are) but she did a great job, and everyone loves it, including me. It was quite messy, but it always is when you aren’t professional.

I bought ethnic/gladiator sandals on my day off. They didn’t have my size in the ones I wanted (sizes are so small here, UK 8 is almost always the biggest they have) That size doesn’t fit me, especially for shoes. I’ve decided I can’t buy shoes here, so I got the sandals, I can manage a smaller size for them. I think they look cool, they are very different than what I would normally wear.

Now, to remember everything I’ve done in the last week... Oh! Kyle found my camera cord in the couch at the flat, I was so happy. So I’m in the process of getting them up and captioned. I think most are on facebook now, I just need to organize it all. It takes an hour or 2 to do, and I haven’t had a strong enough connection to be on the internet that long.

We were short host families this last block, so I’ve got Gabsile joining me, Siyamthanda and Nompie. We climbed a smaller mountain the other day. My legs were sore for about 2 days, I’m not sure why the bigger one didn’t hurt, I think it’s because the recent one had stairs, not too sure.

We went swimming yesterday, the girls are slowly getting more comfortable trying to swim.

We have had school, rehearsals. We performed at Jenners again on Friday and also Pick of The Fringe, which is a special show for the performances/shows that were most. We won last year as well. It’s so great to know that we are liked that much, there are THOUSANDS of other shows, really. So it’s a huge honour.

It’s crazy to think we are leaving on Tuesday, we have gotten quite attached to Edinburgh. Everyone warned me. That’s what happens when you move places often, when you stay somewhere longer, you just like it more. Dubai was the same way. I can actually somewhat get myself around here, which is cool.

We are going to church in a bit, and then Iona and her family, (my host from Aberfeldy) is coming to see our show tonight, so she asked if she could take us for lunch before the show. She is sooo nice. She really really loves the choir. We have gotten quite close.

Tomorrow is a free day for us all. I’m really looking forward to it. We are doing photo albums with the kids and then going to the park for the afternoon, so it will be very relaxed, which is what we all need.

The last 2 days is hasn’t rained, which is a nice change. I’m pretty sick of rain now. It’s worse than Vancouver because its really inaccurate. I find you can predict it better there, here it just decides anything at anytime, you have to be prepared. All of my days off it rained, and it started out being a nice day so I didn’t bring my umbrella.

Last night 3 girls handed us a huge bag full of coins to donate to the choir, apparently they do it every year. Anyway, I count the donation money, and they had counted a separated it for the most part, but some of it was mixed, so I spent 2 hours last night re counting it. It was more than they had said, which was good. Anna and Robin entertained the girls, so that was really nice.

Since being here I have thought that possibly when our tour is finished I may stay here for a week and just enjoy Scotland. I’m already here, it makes sense. I will miss home, and want to go back, but what’s another week when you have been gone for months? We will see where I am. It’s far away to know if I’ll want to.

The girls told me today they didn’t want me to go home after tour. Made me not want to think about leaving. I told them I would come and visit so they were happy about that.

Today I was blow drying my hair and Siyamthanda asked “Does that thing make your hair get long?” I laughed and told her. It was cute.

I forgot after Pick of The Fringe we took all the kids out for hot chocolate because they did such an excellent job. (they always do, but they did exceptionally well) They had never had it before, so they asked, “Do we drink it? How do we drink it? When can we drink it?” So many questions. Just simple things you don’t think about them not knowing. I just told them to pretend it was tea, they had tea in South Africa, so that made it easier for them to understand. Then some took a sip and said “It’s chocolate Auntie! We can’t have chocolate!” We all assured them it was alright because it was a special treat. It’s good to know that they are so honest about what they are doing.

Alright, it’s about time to leave. I can’t seem to get connected to the Internet, so I’ll try to post this later. It seems like it works better in the evening for some reason.

Monday, 31 August, 2009 11:23AM Base Flat

I can't believe tomorrow is September, time is going by so quickly for me. We leave Edinburgh tomorrow too. I'm really sad, I like it here a lot. I am tired though, things are a bit easier in our regular concerts, but I really enjoyed the change of pace here.

I need to go with the kids now, so I'll have to write more later.

Hopefully I can get my photos done soon as well :)

Week 12- Scotland

Sunday, 23 August, 2009 10:27PM North Berwick, Scotland

Just a quick update. I'm staying with a host family now who lives quite far from Edinburgh, I'm on the coast, and it's beautiful. I also have wireless here, which is such a blessing, since I didn't have a computer to use at my last host family, and I was really busy. I still am, but I'm trying to slowly catch up. I feel like I'm making progress.

I need to get into the shower because I have to wake the girls up at 6:45AM so we can catch the train into Edinburgh. It's a nice train ride, we did it today. It didn't rain for most of the day today, which was nice. We took the girls to the beach, but it was quite muddy and Selina slipped, so we left after. It's quite relaxing here for having 6 kids in the home. (3 of their own, 3 of ours)

On Saturday we performed at the Foodie Festival. It's a small food festival. We didn't have time to stay after, we just ate lunch and left, I was a bit sad. It would have been hard with all the kids though.

My first host family is hosting us again, and they asked if they could take us for the rest of the time we are here. I really liked them and so did the girls. They haven't stopped asking me how many more days until we go back. They were a really cool younger couple, and they we really fun to stay with. Last time I was on the living room floor, but I didn't care because I liked the people, this time they are putting me in the room and the girls will sleep on a bed or the couches, so it'll be a lot nicer. The girls actually wanted to sleep in the living room, so it all works out! I'm excited to go back too!

I'm trying to think what else I did... I'll have to write later, I really need to get to bed.

Week 10 and 11- Scotland

Hey everyone!

Long time no update... I'm working on it, but just really busy right now. I am working on it, should be up shortly. I'm loving being here though. Really really loving it.

Sorry about the font changes...

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 1:03PM Edinburgh Flat

So I’m at our base flat right now... I absolutely love Edinburgh. We have gotten busy again so I’m trying to get sleep when I can so I have enough energy, so I haven’t made time to blog at all. We have wireless here, which is nice.

The drive here ended up being about 3 hours. Some miscommunication happened, so we all thought it was 6.5, I’m really glad it wasn’t. The roads went up and down like a roller coaster. It was really fun, and the kids were loving it, until a bunch of them started to feel sick...we pretty much dealt with sick children the last hour and a half of the trip. It wasn’t fun. Siyamthanda, threw up on my hands, and 3 other times after that. I became in charge of collecting it all. Johan always waits till he steps off the bus and then he lets its all out. So we had to clean up the sidewalk (called pavement here) with bottles of water.

I really like my host family. They are a younger married couple, I am staying with them for 2 of the blocks on time, so I am with them 6 nights altogether. Most of the other chaperones changed host families last night. I will go back with them again on the last 4 days we are here.

I love love love being in the city. I feel somewhat at home here, it’s as close as it gets. It’s so lovely. Real malls, big stores and buildings. Some parts remind me of downtown, but its still very different. The buildings are beautiful.

Yesterday was my day off, I was with Michelle and Angee. We walked the Royal Mile, which had a ton of people passing out flyers, and a bunch of nice shops. Very touristy. It rained on and off all day.

Tuesday, 18 August, 2009 4:25PM Base Flat, Edinburgh

Hey! So It’s been a while. I actually keep forgetting to do this. I had some free time, but I was just not thinking about doing this.

So my first host family took us up Arthur’s seat, which is a mountain here, with an incredible view of the city and the sea. It was quite the climb, but totally worth it. I took pictures but I’ve lost my connection cord at the moment so I can’t get them on the computer. I’m hoping I find it. Might be at the bottom of my bag...

On Saturday we went swimming with the girls I was with, that was fun. The pool was really cold, it was one of the oldest “baths” in Edinburgh. We performed at Jenners on Friday which is a large department store, much like Macy’s or The Bay, Sears, that type of thing. It started out being a very upscale place which was quite expensive, it’s not as much anymore, but still quite pricy. I didn’t have time to look at anything.

Saturday we performed at Borders Bookstore, that went really well, very kind people working there.

My job position has changed a bit at concerts. I am now doing backstage costume changes during the concert, which is madness. You don’t realize what people do backstage until you are back there doing it. I’m sweating after it’s all finished. It’s fun because it’s fast paced and exciting, but it’s hard work too. Once I’m finished that I go back upstairs and do product with Jenny for the end of the concert. She is still in charge on Product, so I just help her out. It’s good.

The shows have been going well. I really love it. It’s different than what we normally do, I wish everyone could see it.

What’s kept me the most busy is trying to organize all the housing while we are here. It’s very confusing. I’ve gotten quite stressed about it more than once, but realized that isn’t what I should be doing. So I’ve taken a step back and looked at the whole picture and doing it a little bit at a time, it’s still difficult, but I’m glad I’ve changed my approach.

Sunday we went to church with a new host family. They had a huge house. It was wonderful having my own suite, it was like Dubai again. I was with 3 crazy boys. One of them thought it was a hotel, that made me laugh. I actually really enjoyed being with them. We joined up with another host family so the boys could play foot ball together. It was quite nice, until it rained. It’s rained almost every day this week. There are some sunny breaks, but it’s not warm, there is a very big wind here. I’m not used to it, but I kind of like it at the same time. You know how there are people who love rainy days? Well, I’m not one of them. But I really like windy days, not cold ones though, like when your face freezes in winter. I like that nice fall breeze when the trees are all over the place. It calms me at times. Maybe I’m weird, or maybe I’m the normal one.

Anyway, went off on a tangent...The church I think is called St. Andrew’s, but there’s a few of them in Edinburgh. It was so large, and so beautiful. I would have taken pictures, but it would have looked wrong. It was very formal, 80-90% of the people were dressed up really nice, and 50 -60% were wearing special outfits. They were all different, most were some sort of robe, some had sashes, some had hats, some had special jewelry. I can’t explain them all, but it was fascinating to look at them all. The choir was amazing, it was like going to a really expensive show, their voices complimented each other and the church so well. It didn’t sound real, but I could see and tell they were singing. The boys didn’t really know how to react. “It was definitely an experience they won’t forget,” said our hosts.

They had fabulous food, and made the boys all their favorite things. Chicken, Sausage, Hard boiled eggs (which she drew their names on and a smiling face) and our course ice cream. We also carved a pineapple, which I have photos of. (I wish I could find that cord!) We also had a glow stick party, that was so much fun!

Same day 11:39PM Suburb of Edinburgh

So today I went for lunch with my host family from Aberfeldy. I don’t think I mentioned they were coming to take me and the girls that I was with out for lunch. It was lovely but very rushed. We took almost 30 minutes to decide. The children aren’t used to going out to eat, so making a choice at a restaurant isn’t easy for them because almost every meal is already chosen and given to them. They were very excited, and had been asking me about it for weeks, I knew a while ago, but I didn’t know which day it would be. They had 2 daughters the same age as the girls, they joined us, it was lovely. They have sponsored 2 of the 4 girls that came. They really clicked with the daughters. It was nice to be together again, I’d love to stay with them again.

I’m at a new host family tonight and they live quite far from our flat, they only have 1 small car so we are having to take the bus to and from their home. It’s the first time I’ve had to do that, all the others have had to do it at almost every host family. We all have bus passes so it’s easy. Not always convenient, but we are grateful for what we have. They don’t have wireless internet which I’m glad about. It’s why I’m able to write this now. I’ll also get some more sleep, which I need.

Tomorrow we are going to meet Annie Lennox for the unveiling of the Aids Awareness campaign. It’s a really big deal, a lot of important people will be there. I need to look nice :) The children will be singing 2 songs as well. I’m almost positive I won’t be allowed photos, that’s what happens though...

Ok sleep time!

My day off is Thursday... still not sure what Im going to do... we might go see Ice Age 3.

Thursday, 20 August, 2009 9:22AM Base Flat

Yesterday was good. Went to the city council and met the Lord Provost and Annie Lennox, she loved the children, it was great. They performed outside and it wasn’t raining, so that was nice. We had lunch in St. Andrew’s square and we handed out flyers, the children performed 2 songs to encourage people to come to our concert. I bought a Irn Bow. It’s a special Sottish pop. They take pride in it. It’s different. Not bad and not really good. It taste closest to cream soda, but it’s a weird version of it. Then we had our concert. My host family from Carstairs came to see us, which was nice. They sponsored one of the boys, so it was really special for them to see him again. My last host family also came to see the show.

Jenny, Kyle, Lauren and I decided to go see the 9:50AM showing of Imagine That with Eddie Murphy, hopefully it’ll be good. We are going to have Mexican for lunch, I’m so so excited. I miss Mexican food so much.

Same Day 10:20PM Host Home Edinburgh Suburb

My day off was really good, not long enough, and rained on and off all day. The movie was really good, I recommend it. Lunch was also really nice. So inexpensive too! It’s called Viva Mexico I think. It’s along the Royal Mile. Then we went to a shop I was at last week, Jenny wanted to go because I got some really cool stuff there, so I got more gifts to bring home. Lauren left to go call her dad back home.

Kyle, Jenny and I walked to the castle, but didn’t go inside. There isn’t enough time to look at everything unless I spent a lot of my day off there, which I didn’t want to do. So we headed back to the flat only to walk past the Washington Monument and see that it was £3 to walk to the top. So we went for it, over 200 steps of the very narrow and claustrophobic space. We laughed about it the way up and down. There are 3 stopping points on the way up, to come out and get the view, so I took lots of photos. (Still can’t find my camera cord, hopefully I don’t have to get another one somewhere...) On the very top part, it’s so narrow people can’t pass, they can sort of in the other spots, but it’s still quite squishy. So the top landing is very small so it fills up quickly and people can’t get down, it was a bit of a jam for a while, but we convinced them all to go down with us. Not sure why no one else controlled the situation. We got down no problem, but it sure is difficult to go down on the small steps. It was worth it for the views. Much like Arthur’s seat, but not as high, and easier to get up.

I went to the mall to get a few things I needed quickly, and came back only to have 30 minutes of Internet at the flat to reply to a few emails. It just went by so quickly. That’s why I didn’t get this posted yet, tomorrow for sure!

Now I’m back at my hosts, who only have internet on their computer, so I might make a phone call or 2 and then get some sleep.

We perform at Jenners again tomorrow, and on Saturday we are performing at the Foody Festival, which is a food festival, and we get to eat there. I’m quite excited. Hopefully it’ll be good!

PHOTO LINKS

Ok, so I promised photos, I'm hoping these links work.

From Oldest to Newest...

Flight to London: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=119884&l=829abf16eb&id=681227473

                   And also: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130791&l=6c00d60bc5&id=681227473

Northern Ireland: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130804&l=9f051f785c&id=681227473

Dublin Zoo: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=119885&l=f3c4961b32&id=681227473

Stormont Castle: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130810&l=7d4141408c&id=681227473

Ayr, Scotland:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130821&id=681227473&l=6778a359b3

Aberfeldy and Helensburgh: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=120651&l=32f29d9718&id=681227473

Auchterarder: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=124868&l=a93d4188e7&id=681227473

South Queensferry, Edinburgh: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=124869&l=1c1a8c6aba&id=681227473

Glasgow: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=124873&l=225e20ceef&id=681227473

Lytham St. Annes, England:

Blackpool: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=124881&l=e8ee8363d6&id=681227473

Dubai, UAE: 1. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=127930&l=53789761dc&id=681227473

                    2. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130829&l=13ac5e482b&id=681227473

                    3. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130956&l=65e531e150&id=681227473

                    4. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130573&l=c3a7db440f&id=681227473

Camp in England: 1. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=131221&l=f18daee25f&id=681227473

                            2. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=131225&l=40739227a8&id=681227473

That's all for now! Enjoy!

Camp in England

Wednesday, 5 August, 2009                           1:40PM            Middleton, England Camp

So I made it back. The guy at the Dubai Airport was trying to give us trouble and didn’t want to let us on the flight because the children’s legal guardian was in the UK and not with us, but he did and told us that we probably wouldn’t get into the UK. Let me say that prayer works. We all got in. Agreeneth had a bit of trouble because of complications last year, but it got cleared up and we are all here and safe. 

The flight went well. I sat next to Sikhombuzo and Amazing, they were well behaved. Someone we met in Dubai worked for Emirates (the airline we used) and they set it up that the children would all get special bags with fun things. They baked them a special chocolate cake, and they got a bunch of other chocolate and toys in a little backpack. They were seriously on sugar overload seeing how they almost never have chocolate. 

The bus ride from Manchester to here felt so long. We arrived here after 12AM, so everyone was sleeping on the way over. It felt like home as I was looking out the window seeing all the trees and hills. I really missed seeing all the green, I didn’t realize until I saw it. I woke up a bit before arriving, it was dark and I looked to the left and saw a beautiful lake lit by the moon, a tear hit my eye. Further down the road it just became the middle of nowhere, nothing, just hills for miles. I wondered if the whole mall across the street was just a joke. We stopped once or twice for sheep and rabbits to move across the road, it was really cool. 

As we got closer I started to see homes, it was just so far from the city, I thought there would be no way I would find internet or a store. We stopped on the way at a grocery store to buy all our food for the week. 

Anyway, we eventually saw civilization, but its just a small town. I didn’t see the mall, it might just be a few shops.

We are in a hall/cabin. That’s the best way to describe it. It’s rougher, but we were warned. It has everything we need, and that’s what is important. The bunks in our room are very short, so most of us chose the top so we wouldn’t hit our heads. I am with Michelle, Lynsay, and Lauren. I slept so great, I was exhausted. I woke up at 7AM feeling like it was time to wake up, but went back to sleep anyway. Wake up was at 10, which was nice. I feel very rested now. 

We decided to rotate with the chaperones taking half the day off. So we are off until 12 or off from 2PM until the kids bedtime. I’m off this evening. I don’t know if there is anything to do around here. The owner of the place said he would give us the password for the internet, so I’m VERY excited about that. 

The children are practicing a song for the Fringe right now, that’s the only rehearsal they have to do while we are here. 

We are back to eating the same type UK food, I didn’t miss it at all. Maybe chips and yogurt, that’s it. It will be hard to avoid bread this week, because it’s in all our meals. I will do my best. I’ve actually gained weight on tour. I’m not sure if I said that already or not. I ate a lot in Dubai because I liked the food so much. I can afford it though. A lot of the others have lost weight. I think it just depends on the person. 

Regarding Dubai... I really think if anyone gets the chance to go there, they should, it was such a great experience to go there. I really can’t say that enough.

I'm going to upload pics tomorrow, that's my job duty :)

*** I just remembered I forgot to blog about the children learning to dive in Dubai. Kyle taught them how in the pool at the hotel, some are quite good. The girls just went into the shallow end and pretty much fell in, it takes practice, but they enjoyed it a lot. I'm not sure if i mentioned they didn't enjoy the salt water in the ocean, all the ones i asked said they would rather be in the pool. 

Selina (one of the girls in my school group) told me today that she loved the Aunties and Uncles so so much. She's a louder girl who likes to talk A LOT, especially when she shouldn't be, but I think she is one of the funniest in the choir, so I responded "you do?" she said "yes" and I said "that's really good, but can I ask if you love us so much why do you sometimes not listen to what we ask?" This is the funny part... Selina said" well Auntie you see, there's these smelly monkeys and they make my head go crazy!" I didn't know how to respond.. she said it so seriously though. She's very good at hiding a smile. I just laughed though. There's so many other funny things she said, I just don't remember to write them all down. We've got some boys who are also quite funny. I'm going to try and write more things they say, just for you to get a better idea of what I'm around all day long.  That's my second job duty :)

Friday, 7 August, 2007                       11:16PM                      Camp in Middleton, England

So the place we are in is an old church. I didn’t take a close enough look, it’s just been converted so it has a bunch of rooms, I only knew because I saw the real roof in one of the bigger rooms. 

I picked a bad time to blog...I need to get in bed. I’ve been trying all day, but other things have occupied my time. I’m really enjoying this break, and being able to have free time to do the things I haven’t had time to do.

I didn’t get a chance to get links up for my facebook photos because I have been uploading them all, but I should be able to do that tomorrow. 

Today I painted the girls nails, I’ve been wanting to do it since tour started but they aren’t allowed to have it on for concerts, so I thought this would be the perfect time to do it. We also got a bit of make up for them to put on. The bright eye shadows look so nice on them, I took tons of pictures, which I will be putting up tomorrow. 

Tonight we had our birthday party. It was so much fun! It was a surprise so we sent all the children to bed, then set everything up and woke them up. We celebrated April- July birthdays, so there were 7 of them. They all decorated a CHOCOLATE cupcake and had fizzy drinks, chips and candy. Pretty much everything they aren’t allowed to have, but it’s a special occasion. We also had dancing and musical chairs. They were screaming so much, I took some videos. I realized today it takes forever to post videos on facebook. Like almost an hour for a 30 second video. It is probably the connection here. I might have to wait until I get home to show my videos. One of the quotes from Phephile, who is also quite a comedian was " Auntie you are very cleaver, very cleaver"

I went to the store yesterday and bought grapes and yogurt for myself, I ate it all and then bought more today. I love love love grapes and yogurt, especially mueller fruit in the corner yogurt, I will miss it when I go home. I’ve had 4 in the last 24 hours :)

I’m going to bed now, we have to get up a bit earlier tomorrow, the children have rehearsals with Dave, who is the Music Coordinator for ACC in South Africa. I’m not sure his official title name, but that’s what he does. His wife Helen is in charge of all the Education, so they make a great couple :) Very very nice people. Ok bed time.

Saturday, 8 August, 2009                                5:33PM                                                         Same Location

The weather here has been soo nice. It hits me sometimes that I'm actually living my dream. I forget because I'm just living and it's just normal to me. It's really amazing that it's happening, I remember many years ago telling people the only true dream I had that I thought was possible was to work with the African Children's Choir. It just boggles my mind. 

This morning I got all the children showered by myself, it took about an hour. I was quite proud of myself. That's less than 2 minutes a shower! I wish I could be that fast. I can't even wash and condition my hair that fast :(

Today the children are doing rehearsals because they need to go through the concert for Monday. I'm watching the girls learn the new dance, it's amazing that they only go through it a few times and they know it. They learnt a new song while we were here and we only spent 2 days on it. It's not perfected, but in a week, they can learn a song. They have a new costume for the festival so it's quite fun for them. 

The bus is back, so I have re packed my bag, with as many different clothes as possible. It doesn't take long to get tired of them. We are leaving tomorrow for Edinburgh, it's a 6.5 hour drive, which is our longest road trip yet. I will probably blog on my computer for part of it. 

I have posted photo links up, but I'm sure you've seen that already... just a friendly reminder :)

Again, I encourage you to leave comments. I haven't had much feedback, just curious if you have any questions etc. No pressure haha. 

I've had the whole day free pretty much. It's so wonderful. I actually don't feel tired this week.