Amazingly Great!!!!!!!!

Hello all,

I write to you after an amazing weekend. The weekend may have been so amazing because it was a weekend with no work and filled with ALL fun!!!! We will get to that in a bit though. First...last week. Last week was a workaholic week, literally. I have been trying to save up enough money so I can travel. Monday through Friday I worked at my school job. In addition to this, I had Ambassador training (a promotion, somewhat like a manager) at my catering job on Monday night. I was fortunate enough to go home first, change, and grab a bite to eat. After the three hour training, a group of us went to the local pub for a couple of pints and talked life...work really. Tuesday night I worked at the Tate Modern as a bar tender 17:00 to 22:30 (long night). Here, the shirts they had for us did not fit me, so the manager had to change everyone's uniform into a shirt that would fit me: funny and a bit of a hassle. The job was not incredibly difficult but just really long. I really enjoy working in London's museums because I get to see all of the behind the scenes stuff and also wander the many cooridors when it is closed.

Wednesday night found me at the Royal Exchange near the Bank tube stop. This venue is not one of my favourites, I have worked here a couple of times before. The times I have worked here it has mainly meant carrying trays of drinks. This evening 22:00 to 23:30 was no different. I held trays and then had to clear for like three hours, making myself look busy and wandering through lawyers whom had a bit too much to drink. If I had not been able to run home between school and this event, ordered pizza and sat for 20 minutes, I may have drop kicked the guests. Again I ran into a problem with the uniform and had to roll up the sleeves and wear a black t-shirt underneath so my middrift was not exposed...ick not a pretty sight. The manager found it quite humourous though. This event was nice though because the catering company allowed us to eat some of the canopese, which were delicious!

Thursday night was brilliant. I went from school straight to my event...a dinner at the Natural Histroy Museum...my favourite museum in London. I arrived a tad bit early and so I sat in the museum courtyard that has a Christmas market, loads of Christmas lights, and an ice skating rink. I sat here for about about 20 minutes eating my bagged dinner made the night before. When it was time for me to go in, I went in, passsed security and had dinner again provided by the caterer. The caterer I was working for was rumoured to be evil, but I decided to try them out anyways (mainly because of their venue). Not only were they not evil, they were organised, friendly, and very generous to their staff. This event was flash. It was a British military company and its Gold Awards. It was the top 12 teams out of 3000 and they were treated like royalty. The two MCs were BBC broadcasters and I chatted with them both for a minute or two (I was the wine waiter for the VIP tables, I know...pretty nice). During the evening I witnessed a flower pot with flowers and sand weighing approx 25 pounds fall from 10 feet in the air and hit a man on the head and back. He was unsuspecting of a falling flower pot and was knocked to the ground four about five minutes. Everyone stopped and stared...I tried to help until the managers came...what a nightmare! All in all this event was great!

As I mentioned before, I had off the entire weekend. Friday afterschool and into the night, my three coworkers and I got together for some drinks and dinner. I ended up getting home past midnight and devoured a massive kebab; it was brilliant. My coworkers took the mick out of me for being American all night...they had some liquid courage and finally said what they were thinking (just kidding, we all teased each other the whole night). They now call me Captain America. The Friday night was brilliant!

Saturday I found myself sleeping in (which was nice after four 17 hour days), waking up to sunshine that caused me to jump out of bed and go for a run before it disappeared. When I returned, my flatmates and I cooked up a massive breakfast (Adam and I proclaimed it our Thanksgiving feast). We spent 2 hours in preparation and delivered: scrambled eggs, bacon, crepes (thanks to our French Canadian flatmate) with strawberries and creme, homemade hashbrowns (I shredded a potato), cantalope, gremelon (green melon but in an Arabic accent), and toast. This does not sound like loads, but when you see our stove and the three of us, you would be proud!

From here, Adam and I went for about a five mile walk to Regents Park and Primrose Hill (Iknow it sounds romantic, but we were so full we had to walk it off, plus the weather was beautiful). Next we went to a house party of one of the guys we work with and we meet up with Faitek, Emily, and JP. It was nice to go to a party and know others (besides my American frinds) there (it makes this feel like home...but we will get to that convo in a bit). I navigated the Night bus system home in only two buses and one hour...very efficient for my journey.

Sunday I slept in a bit and then went to meet Alex in South Kensington. The day was so beatiful we decided to skip the Victoria and Albert musuem for a walk aroun this area. We eventually made it to Kensignton Gardens and then to Hyde Park and Speaker's Corner (for those of you unfamiliar- Speaker's Corner is an age old tradition that allows people to say whatever they want on Sunday afternoons. It always makes for an interesting couple of hours...hearing people bash Americans, proclaim Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Atheism, bash the UK, whatever wants to be said. It is full of debates an ignorant comments, in addition to some very intelligent comments). I was sucked into a man blaiming Londoners and Western Europe for the 7/7 bombings. Granted he had some very good points, he went about it the wrong way and managed to insult a Muslim woman (he was Muslim himself). The dialogue between the man and the woman fascinated me. I shouted a couple of things, but nothing that was heard thankfully.

Sunday night my flatmates and I went out for a pint at the pub across the street from our flat and discussed some very interesting and relevant topics...ones that can pass being mentioned on the blog (let your imagination go!). I was in bed and sleeping like a rock by 23:00.

Moving on to my school job, I have had a bit of a project going with one of the girls in year 8. She has been a terror (slammng doors, telling us to F£$% of and for the last 8 weeks we have been trying to get her to listen and communicate with us. Starting last week, for some reason, she really took to me. I was able to get her to take off her coat (against uniform), return to her lesson, and do work!!!!! She now sees me in the cooridors and runs up and shows me her report (behaviour report). Granted she does not obey everything I say, it sure is a start. Today I had quite the confrontation with a year 10 about his coat and he threatened to knock me out (I looked at him and told him to have a go with me, of course he did not though). Then his mates came running up, shouted at him, and told him to be quiet and do what I say. They told him I was "safe," which means I am to be trusted and respected because I have their best interest at heart. It is a major compliment to hear that type of talk.

Now for the bit about home- Recently I have been really thinking about London and how it has turned into a home for me. I ride upon the top deck of my bus and cannot imagine being anywhere else. I try to think about returning home and just cannot imagine living the American lifestyle or the lifestyle I am used to in MInnesota. I am so accustomed to everything here that it makes me really sick to think about leaving London. I now I will and want to see all my friends and family again, but London is where it is for me. I truly enjoy this place like nothing else. I am really looking forward to someone coming so I can show them around. Whoever that person is I do not know yet.

I feel returning to the States is going to be a very traumatic experience. Last time I came home from London it took me the whole second semester to recover (although never fully recovered, hence my return to this great city). I will not bore you with it anymore because I still have a bit of time here...we will save these sappy posts for a later date.

Now that I have everyone thinking I do not miss them or their company (very untrue...I miss you all and wish you could share this experience with me), I will part and post this beast of a post.

Congratulations to Dottie Cannon on winning Ms. Minnesota!

Thank you to everyone for the posts, emails, phone calls and letters!

I miss you all and wish the best for everyone! Christmas is on the way and I miss snow! Stay tuned for some very exciting news (one of the jobs I have in a couple of weeks may cause me to wet myself. I will inform you all closer to this spectacular event!!!!)

CHEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!