Check underneath the brief Paris post, it's about my time in London.
Family heading out tomorrow AM and I'm heading to visit Sommer in Germany. Yay!
mercredi 31 décembre 2008
lundi 29 décembre 2008
Paris
So I started writing a blog about my time in London and do really need to post it, but am having trouble getting myself to do so. It will come soon, I promise.
The fam is here (yay!) and I am freezing cold (fun, but where's the snow!?). Lots of pics are coming to Picasa asap!
The fam is here (yay!) and I am freezing cold (fun, but where's the snow!?). Lots of pics are coming to Picasa asap!
vendredi 26 décembre 2008
Happy Boxing Day!!!!!!!!!!!!--posted a day or two later
Merry Christmas everyone and as the Brits would say today, Happy Boxing Day as well!
Last night, Saki and I made a FABULOUS Christmas dinner, including chicken (precooked, we just heated it up), mashed taters (premade too...thanks Sainesbury!), gravy (powdered plus water), yummy baked veggies, green beans, rolls, French wine, mincemeat pie, and chocolate cake. Yummy!
Christmas Eve was quite the day! Since all of the museums were closed, Saki and I thought that it might be fun to visit the crazy-big and super ridiculously luxurious department store, Harrod's. Saki had to wait at her apartment for much of the morning for some furniture delivery men, so we agreed to meet up at the Princess Diana and Dodi AlFayeed (sp?) memorial at a designated time. I quickly found the memorial and went off to explore all of the crazy rooms (like the Luxury Room and Egyptian Room or Food Room). When the time to meet up approached, I headed to our meeting place and waited and waited. I figured she was held up somewhere, so I went to go and find a bathroom in part of the store I hadn't yet visited, passing by several of the large David Beckham Armani ad's (that's the brand, right? I forget). As I walked by a counter, I heard a women mention David and Victoria Beckham, but didn't know what she was talking about. Anyways, found the bathroom, but the line was way too freakin' long and I was worried about missing Saki, so I hurried back to the memorial. As I was standing against the wall facing the escalators (alone, probably looking a little suspicious), a crowd came down on the escalators. I notice that there are two young boys, both very well dressed in shirts and ties and I think, "wow, they must be going somewhere soon for Christmas Eve." There father was behind them and I noticed that he was also dressed very well (and pretty handsome looking as well). The kids turn to continue going down the escalator in the opposite direction, there's an old man and another person and then the woman who I assume is the wife/mom of the group because she was thin, pretty, and also very well dressed. She looks me straight in the eyes as she goes down the escalator and I realize, "wait! That's Posh Spice!!!!!!!!" as she turns to continue down the escalator. I notice a group of people behind them, taking pictures with camera phones, remember I have a camera in my purse, pull it out, and snag a quick pick, yes! I have just seen the Beckhams! Craziness! And just a day or two before I had been telling Saki how I didn't think I had really seen anyone famous (other than Condi Rice and now that I think about it, various other people the KPU brought to campus, mostly politics-related). Very cool and totally made my Christmas Eve Day, justly beating out dinner at McDonald's since every other place in Chelsea was closed or had stopped serving food.
Other highlights from my trip to the UK included the V(ictoria) and A(lbert) Museum, overpaying to see the movie Four Christmases with Saki, seeing The Sound of Music, Midnight Mass (which actually started at midnight) and the extremely cold 30+ min walk back to my apartment made in 15 min, shopping at H&M for cold weather gear, walking around London at dusk (er 3pm!), and a super delicious Whole Foods salad!!!! These were all in addition to the fabulous Sunday I spent with Theresa and Rob in Oxford, their home for the next few years.
Above all, thank you Saki for showing me around London and finding me a fab place to stay for an enjoyable holiday week (which was also not nearly as lonely as I had predicted it might be). You were amazing!
I will try and post pics on this blog too, but pics have recently been updated on Picasa, though many still need descriptions. More will come soon, Inchallah, due to the recent acquisition of my laptop.
Last night, Saki and I made a FABULOUS Christmas dinner, including chicken (precooked, we just heated it up), mashed taters (premade too...thanks Sainesbury!), gravy (powdered plus water), yummy baked veggies, green beans, rolls, French wine, mincemeat pie, and chocolate cake. Yummy!
Christmas Eve was quite the day! Since all of the museums were closed, Saki and I thought that it might be fun to visit the crazy-big and super ridiculously luxurious department store, Harrod's. Saki had to wait at her apartment for much of the morning for some furniture delivery men, so we agreed to meet up at the Princess Diana and Dodi AlFayeed (sp?) memorial at a designated time. I quickly found the memorial and went off to explore all of the crazy rooms (like the Luxury Room and Egyptian Room or Food Room). When the time to meet up approached, I headed to our meeting place and waited and waited. I figured she was held up somewhere, so I went to go and find a bathroom in part of the store I hadn't yet visited, passing by several of the large David Beckham Armani ad's (that's the brand, right? I forget). As I walked by a counter, I heard a women mention David and Victoria Beckham, but didn't know what she was talking about. Anyways, found the bathroom, but the line was way too freakin' long and I was worried about missing Saki, so I hurried back to the memorial. As I was standing against the wall facing the escalators (alone, probably looking a little suspicious), a crowd came down on the escalators. I notice that there are two young boys, both very well dressed in shirts and ties and I think, "wow, they must be going somewhere soon for Christmas Eve." There father was behind them and I noticed that he was also dressed very well (and pretty handsome looking as well). The kids turn to continue going down the escalator in the opposite direction, there's an old man and another person and then the woman who I assume is the wife/mom of the group because she was thin, pretty, and also very well dressed. She looks me straight in the eyes as she goes down the escalator and I realize, "wait! That's Posh Spice!!!!!!!!" as she turns to continue down the escalator. I notice a group of people behind them, taking pictures with camera phones, remember I have a camera in my purse, pull it out, and snag a quick pick, yes! I have just seen the Beckhams! Craziness! And just a day or two before I had been telling Saki how I didn't think I had really seen anyone famous (other than Condi Rice and now that I think about it, various other people the KPU brought to campus, mostly politics-related). Very cool and totally made my Christmas Eve Day, justly beating out dinner at McDonald's since every other place in Chelsea was closed or had stopped serving food.
Other highlights from my trip to the UK included the V(ictoria) and A(lbert) Museum, overpaying to see the movie Four Christmases with Saki, seeing The Sound of Music, Midnight Mass (which actually started at midnight) and the extremely cold 30+ min walk back to my apartment made in 15 min, shopping at H&M for cold weather gear, walking around London at dusk (er 3pm!), and a super delicious Whole Foods salad!!!! These were all in addition to the fabulous Sunday I spent with Theresa and Rob in Oxford, their home for the next few years.
Above all, thank you Saki for showing me around London and finding me a fab place to stay for an enjoyable holiday week (which was also not nearly as lonely as I had predicted it might be). You were amazing!
I will try and post pics on this blog too, but pics have recently been updated on Picasa, though many still need descriptions. More will come soon, Inchallah, due to the recent acquisition of my laptop.
lundi 22 décembre 2008
London Calling
Greetings from London!!!!!!!!! Vacation is thus far going well (though expensive) and it's great seeing Saki again and seeing Theresa in Oxford yesterday. It's crazy how much London feels like America and so many things are a bit of a shock to the system...like grocery shopping! Many things I had only kind of realized that I had missed and just generally realizing how much my life has changed in the last 9.5 months.
Anyway, I just wanted to take this chance to wish everyone a very Merry and blessed Christmas!!!!!!!!! (and Channukah and Kwanza and Boxing Day and everything else...). More when I have the chance (and quasi-free internet). I love and miss you all!
Anyway, I just wanted to take this chance to wish everyone a very Merry and blessed Christmas!!!!!!!!! (and Channukah and Kwanza and Boxing Day and everything else...). More when I have the chance (and quasi-free internet). I love and miss you all!
jeudi 18 décembre 2008
Tabaski in pictures
So, Tabaski has now come and gone and I have pics to prove it. It is probably the biggest holiday of the year for Senegal (and other Muslim countries) and in many ways parallels Christmas because family member travel across the country to go back home for a week and be together, eating good food, though the meaning is different. Taken straight from Annicka's blog, this is the general gist of Tabaski:
"Tabaski is the celebration of what I believe in Jewish tradition is the Akedah? It’s when Abraham took his son to the mountain to sacrifice him and the son was spared and God provided a ram to stand in his place. Judeo-christian belief is that it was Isaac. Muslims tell the story with Ishmael. To each his own, literally. So each family has appointed at least one person to be responsible for sacrificing a sheep on Tabaski. They’ll fast until after the prayer service and then they’ll slaughter the sheep and we’ll eat meat all day long. "
Tabaski dinner, the Gningues
"Tabaski is the celebration of what I believe in Jewish tradition is the Akedah? It’s when Abraham took his son to the mountain to sacrifice him and the son was spared and God provided a ram to stand in his place. Judeo-christian belief is that it was Isaac. Muslims tell the story with Ishmael. To each his own, literally. So each family has appointed at least one person to be responsible for sacrificing a sheep on Tabaski. They’ll fast until after the prayer service and then they’ll slaughter the sheep and we’ll eat meat all day long. "
Yea, that's basically it...
There were a lot more pics, but I can't change the orientation of pictures with blogspot, so the pic of the sheep being gutted and a bunch of the kids are only available on picasa (which has also been updated, but not arranged or with descriptions, yet).
Tabaski dinner, the GninguesKilling the Gningues' Tabaski dinner
Prepping the "sauce" with the Gningue women
Abdou "Jambar" Diouf and Kara Diouf, my village parents
"George" Gningue and Mame Dib, his first wife. (He's the 93 year old who thinks I'm his 3rd wife...not so much!)
Head shot of my in my Tabaski outfit...you can't see the braids or the henna, but they are there, I promise!
A week later, I took my hair out of the braids, and this was the scary result...
Prepping the "sauce" with the Gningue women
Abdou "Jambar" Diouf and Kara Diouf, my village parents"George" Gningue and Mame Dib, his first wife. (He's the 93 year old who thinks I'm his 3rd wife...not so much!)
Head shot of my in my Tabaski outfit...you can't see the braids or the henna, but they are there, I promise!A week later, I took my hair out of the braids, and this was the scary result...
And now I am off on vacation, yay!!!!!! More posts from there, maybe :)
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