Cold

Cold, it is always cold. Cold outside, cold inside, cold during concerts, cold during school time. I think the cold has gotten into my bones and does not know how to go away. I also think I am truly cold blooded because I find myself just stuck standing in one place as people go by me asking me if I am ok, because it is not normal to just be standing in the middle of a room for nothing, or where ever else i have become stuck due to the cold.

Small Spaces

As I was visiting with a host family about the differences between the UK and America I came to realize why I like it over here so much. It is small. And I prefer small places. Everything here is compact, the streets are narrower, the buildings close together, you can walk many of the places you want to go and if you have to drive it is not far. You can get most anywhere on public transportation. The houses are smaller, there is still plenty of space but each room has a door closing it off, compared to the open floor plan of most houses in the US.

When I think of the US I think of large shopping strips so large that you have to drive from one parking lot to the next. Walking places is not possible in most cases; unless you are in the downtown area of a city. The roads just keep getting bigger and bigger as do the cars. Everything is big.

And I have learned that I like small. I like being in a room that is not open to the rest of the house. I like walking from one store to the next instead of driving. I like the smaller cars and streets. I don’t mind that the one place that kind of belongs to me on tour is the small space of my bus seat.

Small is good.

Paris

Another new country. France! We are here for only a short bit, a couple days to be exact, but I am loving every moment of it. We are putting on workshops at the American School of Paris (Yes indeed, African children going to France to do concerts for Americans), and tomorrow evening we have a concert. Today after our workshops we headed out to see the city. I have to say, it is different than I thought. For some reason I thought it would be smaller, meaning smaller streets and buildings and such, more like what is found in the UK. So it was quite educational to learn it was so different than what I had in my mind, it is big. We were able to drive by most of the major sites in the middle of the city. I do have to admit though, the chaperones seemed to enjoy it more than the children I think, considering that the game the boys who sit behind me on the bus were playing was how many motorcycles they could count. Once they got up to a hundred they gave up.

As the children were told Paris is known as the City of Love. Brian pipes up "The City of Brian!...Yes everyone loves Brian, it is the city of Brian"

I bet you did not know that France and England have eyes. There is a fair going on, and so there is a large ferris wheel that we drove by. (The children had all just seen the London Eye a few weeks ago)
Collins "Ah look! It is London's eye!"
Primo "Yes look there, Paris has London's eye"
Collins "Maybe this is France's eye"
Primo "Yes, this is France's eye"

Mirror Story

My alarm went off in the morning
I threw on some clothes for the day
Went and woke up my kids
Then went downstairs to get a cup of coffee
(my plan was to then go back upstairs with coffee in hand and fix myself properly for the day)

I arrive in the kitchen to get said coffee and greeted my host
She looked at me, and sudden horror crossed her face and said
"oh no, I am SO Sorry! We were going to put a mirror up in your bathroom before you came but we forgot!!!"

Hmmm...Lesson to be learned, I should not just drag myself out of bed and make an appearance before first doing something with myself. Or stay in my pj's so that people know I have not yet gotten ready for my day.

(That afternoon a mirror was put up in the bathroom)

UK

Being in the UK:

• I can usually understand what is being said, but when in doubt, smile and nod.
• Pull the string by the shower to turn on the hot water
• Everything is smaller
• Walk to where you need to go
• Starbucks…what Starbucks?
• Pudding (dessert) after every meal, yummy
• Small roads…am not sure how people do not crash into each other
• Love the big old churches
• Stone houses, so nice
• Pastures, hills, sheep, cows
• Seaside a lot of the places we go
• Hang the clothes to dry
• I love being back here! It is just grand!

Travel Quote

I was asking one of my kids, Stella, how her flight from America to Scotland went and she told me this:

"Today morning, I was confused yesterday night, because I went to sleep then I was woke up and was told to eat breakfast, and i was upset because it was night and i just went to sleep."

Poor girl, time change is so hard for kids sometimes!

Two Weeks Of Office Work

After being with my choir for a week I was asked to come early to Lisburn, Northern Ireland to help out in the office for two weeks prior to the choirs arrival.

It was a variety of different things that I helped out with: phone calls, tour details, prepping things for the bus, etc. And in the non-office hours I enjoyed time out with friends. A lovely tour of a castle and the Giants Causeway. And beautiful flat of my own. Although I feel like I should have something great and interesting to say, it was kind of a couple of normal work weeks except that I was in a different country while doing the work. Although I have to say, the sights were quite different and I was very excited about those, and it was lovely to see my friends over here.

Most of all, I am looking forward to my team and children to be here with me. I was just settling in with them, when I came over here. So although I have had a lovely time I am really looking forward to Tuesday when they arrive!