Travel beginnings!

As I write this I am in London, it is about 1am here and my cousins are still awake busy about the house! I am writing this in a Word document and will post it as soon as I get to South Africa- when you read this it means not only have I arrived safe but I have found a way on to the internet! England has been amazing and I want to write everything down while it is still fresh in mind, even if I cannot share it right away.

I arrived ahead of schedule but the line to get checked at the UK border took a painfully long time. Jennifer and Norman, my cousins, were right there to greet me as soon as I passed through customs. It was bright and early in the morning for them, but it was nearly time to sleep according to my body. I managed to nap for an hour or two and then prepared for a family filled afternoon. I got to see lots and lots of British relatives and specifically lots of little British cousins! Everyone is doing just great and for those of you that know the lot, they send their love. That evening I got a fabulous driving tour of London with Jennifer, Rochelle and Adele. With no traffic to slow us down we hit all the major sights and then some, albeit in the dark, but it was amazing. I was exhausted by the time we were through and promptly fell asleep when we got back around 10pm. Today Jennifer and I made our way back into London, this time on foot, and walked and walked and walked. I saw Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar’s Square, The National Gallery, Covent’s Garden and more! We even managed to snag tickets to see Dirty Dancing at the theater for the evening- a fabulous show. You all might find it hard to believe but I managed to only purchase one article of clothing and it was on sale for ₤9.

Tomorrow I will wake up early to say bye to Paul as he stops by on his way to work and Norman before he leaves as well. Jen and I are planning lunch with Paul’s wife Nicky and I hopefully will get to see their babies again- they have two twin 4 year old boys, Joshua and Alfie, and then two twin baby girls, Amber and Saskia. Then it is back to Heathrow, boarding an 11 ½ hour flight, and traveling to yet another continent. This will be the last time I see family for quite some time. No homesickness yet, but I am starting to grasp just what I am getting myself into. It will be a long while until I see traffic driving on the correct side of the road again!

Cheerio loves!

P.S. I arrived in Cape Town very early this morning and have had quite the exciting day! Tomorrow once I have started orientation and find a way to charge my laptop I will let you know all about it! I am safe, happy, and overall very excited about the next five months – I wish you all could be here enjoying this warm beautiful evening with me. My bedroom has a perfect view of Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak!