Life is still rolling merrily along and as always has stayed busy. September was filled with seeing friends and family, planning for Europe and dating. A big reason for coming home was because my love life was pathetic in Japan. It is NOT the place to go to find love for most ladies. I didn't go for that, but just saying. So I was excited to be home. Many of the dates were bad, it is the reality of dating. One guy even offered to give me "some American meat *wink, wink, hip thrust*" I kindly declined. I did meet one sweetie though, Mr. K, and we dated for nearly 2 months, but now that has cooled off for the moment. Mind you he is an AMAZING guy! Who knows what the future holds but I am back at it again.
I am working now too. I started at my job about a week after arriving home. I make kazoos now! You can check us out at www.kazoos.com. It is great and I have a lot of fun. I have a car now too, a Ford Focus that is awesome. I still live at home but mom and I are adjusting. It is just the two of us and grandma now and I will stay there for awhile longer as my current income does not afford me the chance to move out. Still it is better than nothing and I have heat unlike Japan.
The month of October took me on a whirl wind trip! I started by going to Boston and seeing my old college roommate get married in a fantastic ceremony. I also visited with an old friend from Japan, Rishi. We hung out one night and bar hopped. He even took me to the restaurant that created clam chowder. The "chowdah" is great, my favorite soup since childhood, but here is a secret....it tastes the same as Cambell's. I swear it is true! On another day I met with my dear old high school friend Bruce. We spent the day enjoying food and went whale watching. If you ever have the chance, do it! I loved Boston, it was my first visit, and I can't wait to go back. I did the historic walking tour, went to numerous museums and exhibits, and just spent a lot of time walking on my own. It is a very easy to walk city, and never once did I have to take the subway.
NYC as seen from my airplane. Brighton Beach and the pier
After Boston I headed on to the UK for a 3 week trip. I started with Brighton Beach where my friends Debra and Pigg lived together. All of the friends I visited were fellow teachers in Japan. Brighton Beach is great even in chilly weather. The beach is made of smooth pebbles and it has a great pier. The city has a very young vibe with many local shops that cater to fashion, vegitarians, and world issues. Pigg's mom came the second night and cooked us loads of yummy food and got us schnockered (drunk). Next up was my long train trip to the Northeast city of Newcastle to see Kat and James.
Kat & James in Newcastle. Alnich Castle
Alnich Botanical Gardens. Myself at Alnich Castle
York Cathedral. The wall around York
Kat lived in the next village over from me and we became close our first year. She left and I missed her a lot. The trip was GORGEOUS. I highly recommend taking a train around the UK. It is very affordable and nice. That evening we went to a pub with some of her friends and I enjoyed my first pint of strawberry beer. Yum! The next day they gave me the tour of Newcastle, which is a very old city with lots of wonderful shopping and historic buildings. We went to a modern museum, walked along the river front and I think James cooked for us that evening. On Sunday we took a road trip to Alnwich (Aa-nik) which is a tiny town but filled with things to do. It is home to the castle which was used in the first Harry Potter film. The castle is gorgeous. In the town there is also a botanical garden and a bookstore which is famous in its own right. It has thousands of books, some dating back before the 1600's! That evening we enjoyed Sunday roast at a nearby pub. On Monday I set off on my own to the nearby town of York. Truly a must-see if you are in Northern England. The town is still surrounded by the ancient wall which has been restored and you can walk along. I choose to utilize the free walking tour offered by Friends of York. It was great! VERY informative, small group, and it finished in the center of town just in time for lunch. The town has lots of little nooks to explore plus a huge cathedral which is home to the oldest stain glass in Europe. That evening I cooked for my hosts since it was Monday and I knew they would be tired. The next day I chilled at the house while they worked. I had laundry to do and was setting off for Scotland that Wednesday morning.
In Scotland I met with my old friend Megan in Glasgow. Megan lives in Beaufort and we are college chums. She visited me in Japan and wanted to continue traveling so I invited her along. We met up with my friend Madeline who just moved into her new flat. It is BEAUTIFUL! That evening we enjoyed a yummy meal and chit chatted. The following day Madeline took off of work for a 1/2 day and drove us to the highlands and Loch (lake) Lomond. It is stunning there and I am so happy we could do that. We saw wild pheasent, sheep, waterfalls, and the most stunning sunset. We even ate at the very old pub where the waiters wore kilts. I had steak a guiness pie. Their pie is like our pot pie. It is yummy! That Friday Megan and I went to Edinburgh to explore the capital city. I had been there 10 years before for the Fringe festival, but it is so packed then you can miss many things. We toured the castle and Scott's Monument, a cathedral, and ate whisky fudge which I didn't care for. It is a great city for shopping too! We headed back to Glasgow and joined Madeline and many of her friends at a bar for drinks. That evening on our way home we spotted a city fox! The next day we packed and headed for Manchester, England!
Scott's Monument & Megan and I at Loch Lomond
With that I shall leave you till the next update (in about a day or two) I don't want to write so much I bore you!
Hooray for trips to the UK! Hooray for updates... keep 'em coming... miss you.
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