Family

First, thank you to my Nana who sent some grits over. Hopefully, I will be able to find a kitchen somewhere and cook a large breakfast and serve these to everyone. A lot has happened in the last few weeks since my last post. We have all become very settled in London and are making friends at church and learning to navigate the city with ease.

Classes and meetings with different agencies/businesses around London have been very interesting and we have had the opportunity to see many plays. My favorite so far has been “Rafta Rafta”, an updated version of the play “All in Good Time”. One evening Keith and I went and saw the the musical “Blood Brothers” together and we told the couple next to us we were watching it because it was loosely based on our lives. We explained how we were separated at birth but met again by chance at Furman and now we were reunited as brothers. The couple then asked us if that was why we were dressed in the same outfit, but we hadn’t even realized we had done this. Brown shoes, khakis, and a micro-plad button down apparently are not as common here as in the states. At the end, I’m not sure if the couple believed us or not, but we had fun with it.

I have finally uploaded pictures from London and some of our side trips so you can view them. Keith, Rachel, and I traveled to Dover to see the castle and famous chalk cliffs. They weren’t as magnificent as the ones in Eastborune, but they were still beautiful.

The most exciting news has been that my parents were here for almost a week to visit me! We spent the first few days in the Cotswolds, the countryside heart of England. We stayed near the little town of Broadway and traveled around to many of the smaller cities nearby. This area is so rich with culture and history it is unbelievable. I rank it the second prettiest area of England, behind the Lake District. On the country roads, I got to test my driving skills with the rental car and I actually did quite well. The last event we attended in the area was called a balloon glow. Five hot air balloons blew fire into their bright balloons in rhythm with a music compilation that was playing over a loud speaker – quite interesting and entertaining.

Once in London I toured St. Paul’s with my parents and I must say it is my favorite of the many churches we have toured thus far. We also spent some time in Harrod’s and I got to view the Princess Diana memorial in the store. And yes, it was weird. There were tourists all around it taking pictures of themselves with a ring, chalice, and picture of she and Dodi Al fayed that were on display.

Having my parents come and visit me was such a treat. We caught up on everything that has been going on here and at home lately and my mom brought starbursts, airheads, and sour patch kids for me. If any of you know my dad, you realize he likes to research and carefully choose where we eat each meal and it was very much worth his efforts. I am so thankful they were able to come and they left me with a tripod so expect some better night time pictures soon.