Soul Revival

I hope 2009 has started out well for you. My Christmas in Glasgow was quiet but pleasant. A friend of mine, Pape, who works as a chef cooked me a divine Christmas Dinner topped with his homemade gravy. It brought me home. Ahh, to recieve the gift of glorious food! The quiet came to an abrupt halt upon my brother, Jeff's, arrival on December 27th. During our time together in Glasgow we partied by night and relaxed in my flat by day. A few days after celebrating Hogamanay 2009, we hired a car and headed North for a roadie to the Scottish Highlands. Co dos to Jeff for tolerating stick shift, left sided driving, extremely narrow roads and my poor navigation skillz. We managed to survive the roads and spent one night in an Inverness B&B and two nights at Fairmont St. Andrew's. Being on the coast of St.Andrews was true bliss for me: see photo of gravesite overlooking the ocean. In retrospect, I realize that what binds Jeff and I so closely is the fact that we are so alike yet so different. Such a dynamic results in belly aching laughter and unnecessary drama. Goodbyes are always bittersweet, so grateful for the memory but sad about the separation. Thank you for the visit dear brother ;)

A few weeks of working at the two jobs day in and out I began to itch for some more adventure. Last weekend I spontaneously decided visit my Canadian mate, Robyn (see photo of laughing ladies.) She launched her European travels in November and is now temporarily residing on the outskirts of London in a town called East Ham. In our reunification came slow mornings, spontaneity, baked beans, laughter and the exchange of music, clothes, jewelry and perspective. Looking forward to more memories, next time...the Mediterranean.

Other exciting news, I booked my one way ticket to Paris for February 8th! I am leaving the UK after spending a memorable 5 months of working, travelling, learning, and building friendships here. I plan to spend three nights in Paris then travel down the West Coast of France to stay in Bordeaux, and arriving in Barcelona on Friday February 13th. I have been arranging most of my future accommodation through http://www.couchsurfers.com/ . Couch Surfers is a great service for travellers who would like to meet locals and travel inexpensively. It is a good alternative to staying at hostels and hotels. However, you can never over plan or be too alert. Once in Barcelona, I would like to start working part time in service while setting up a freelance English tutoring service. I have gotten some teaching materials together and am (trying) to learn basic Spanish. It'll be very interesting for both me and you to see how it all pans out. In Spain I will not only discover good weather and coastal beaches but also true perseverance.

Thinking of you all.....

Carlee XOX

Merry Christmas Video Blog

A Day in the Life...

Hello peoples. I must give a shout out to Andy on her special day! Happy birthday my dear :)

Mom and Dad, thanks for the sweet picture in your matching outfits, love it!

The photographs here represent a day in my Glaswegian life. I am absolutely loving my time here. With two jobs, playing on a Scottish Basketball Team, sightseeing and landing a great flat I can't comlain one bit. Currently I am planning, saving and looking forward to the big brother's visit on December 27th 2008. I've built quite the agenda leading up to New Years and we also plan to rent a car for our Scotland Tour 2009!! That's life in a nutshell. Apologies on being so breif. Hustling is tough work! Keep me updated how how things are going during your busy holiday season.

Love you alls'

- kisses.

Glasgow

I'm glad I followed my instincts to Glasgow. It's everything I wanted it to be. Once the layers of grit and gloom are peeled back, so much raw beauty is revealed here. This being said, you would assume that my transition to Glasgow was smooth sailing. It was nothing but. My first two nights here were hell. I stayed at the dodgiest, darkest, smelliest hostel ever and got eaten alive by bed bugs. I even went to emergency paranoid that a bug crawled in my ear...nothing was found. As soon as I saw the trail of bites along my limbs I checked into another hostel across the street with a much cleaner and friendlier atmosphere. But damn it, my new critter friends came along to feast on me during nights 3, 4 and 5. As grossed out as I was, there wasn't much I could do but bundle up at night and try to sleep with my mouth closed and my eyes open. Yeah, I'm exhausted.

I refused to let my night time visitors taint my first impression of Scotland . I had a fantastic time getting to know Glasgow by taking candid photographs, visiting the sites, being among other fellow travellers, working at my new job at the cafe and boogieing to sounds of the local D.J.'s. The night photo (above) is of Mitchell Library where I have a new membership and have made good use its free Wi-Fi. The photo of the father/son sporting kilts was in Botanical Gardens where a wedding was being held. At Kelvingrove's Museum and Art Gallery I photographed the floating heads which represented an exhibit titled, "Expressions." Finally, the photo of myself is on Byres Road in the West End which is known for good shopping and food.

Something else I've been involved with is the local basketball. An email of basketball clubs in Scotland was sent to me. I ended up training with group a few miles outside of the city. I didn't know a lot about it, but I had a ton of fun and was impressed with the ladies' skillz. The second time I went out to train with them I was surprised to discover it was the Scottish Senior Women's National Basketball Team that I was practising with! Yeah right!? They invited me to join and we have our first game this Friday night. We practise once or twice a week and have a game every weekend either at home in Glasgow or elsewhere in Scotland.

Some more good news is that I found a single room in an amazing flat to rent for 2 or 3 months. I posted an advert on a UK website and connected with a young Irish couple. I viewed the flat this morning. It is situated across from Kelvingrove Park which is between the West End (Glasgow University) and the City Centre. The flat is modern, newly renovated with high ceilings and massive windows. And the price is right =-0 It works out well because while they're in Ireland visiting family over the holidays, my brother is coming to visit me! Can't wait!!!

Since these bed bugs have been so persistent with me I will return the favour in my attempts to get rid of them. I'm spending the day at the laundry mat washing ALL my gear. The last thing I want to do is infest this couple's lovely home with these unwanted guests.

Stay Posted

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Some Mo' Soul Searching

First off, Happy 30th birthday to my brother Jeff! This year has been huge for you. I hope all your dreams come true on your special day, cause it all goes to shit after this...just kidding ;) On Nov 5th I participated in UK's annual Guy Fawkes Night (photo of 4 bundled up bunnies.) It is a night of fireworks and bonfires throughout the UK to commemorate the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 when some Catholic peeps including Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the House of Parliament in London. The bonfire was massive and very mesmerizing (photo.) The fireworks were so close that I could smell the burn and feel falling ashes on my face, much different than viewing fireworks from a barge like Vancouver's Symphony of Fire.
Another celebration I was happy to partake in was Halloween. The act of dressing up in costumes and getting hammered is emerging in its popularity among UK adults. I decided that it was only fitting to dress up as Amy Whinehouse. My housemates and I went to a house party (photo) then ventured to a nearby pub. Good times! The final photo is of a vibrantly coloured tree in front of Chester's Cathedral on an autumn day.

While enduring all this fun I've also had my knickers tied up over indecision. Arriving in the UK with a chicken scratch agenda is liberating but at the same time overwhelming. It's like starting a paper without a topic. The opportunity to travel and do it solo is rare so I want to make it count. Over the past few weeks I've asked myself what do I want? What kind of experiences do I hope to have? I've applied these questions not only onto the upcoming year but onto life itself. Making choices without any distraction or influences from other people is pretty cool and the sense of self-reliance is huge. In time one answer revealed itself to me, Scotland baby! I recently gave two weeks notice at the cafe and on November 17th I am taking the train to Glasgow to live. I have never been there before but I know in my heart of hearts there is something for me. I look forward to networking in a big city and what I'll discover in terms of Glasgow's employment & volunteer opportunities, accommodation, people, sports and the arts. I will update with news as it comes hither.

Thinking of you often. xo
PS. Woot Woot Obama!

Knowing Me When I Don't

I miss you
For making me laugh at inappropriate times,

I miss you
In our moments of discussing nothing and everything,

I miss you
For offering tenderness when I'd act a fool,

I miss you
Along with the happiness and tragedy we share,

I miss you
Your sound, your sunshine, and your stance,

I miss you
For knowing me when I don't.


CSD

Cardiff, Bristol & Bath

Before I put my head down and work like a hog over the winter months I decided to take advantage of some free days I had last week. Since I've enjoyed Wales so much I decided to begin my three night venture to its capitol city, Cardiff. Cardiff Castle (photo) was the first castle I've ever been to, other than the Disney Castle, so it was memorable. It was occupied by the Bute Family who founded the city's coal. The next morning I rented a bike and rode it along Tariff Trail to Castell Coch. Note to self, as awkward as it feels, STAY LEFT! After Hostel Happy Hour, myself and two other lone travellers found and Irish pub complete with a 17 piece band upstairs. F**king wicked.

Day two found me in Bristol. Originally I planned only to have lunch in Bristol en route to Bath, but was seduced by the city's raw industrial allure. The photo of The Holy Cross was taken at St. Mary's Redcliffe Church. (It seems nearly every Church was named after St. Mary) I was lucky enough to be in the church during organ rehearsal. I never knew there were chords that low! Rumors of Bristol's vibrant night life was convincing enough to check in for the night. The hostel I came upon wasn't choice at first glance, but ended up being very memorable. After a few rounds in its basement bar I took to some live jazz at Old Duke Inn (photo.) Kudos on the local talent. Since my time in Bristol I've been flirting with the notion of relocating there sometime in the New Year... hmmmm...

12 miles East along Avon River is Bath. Soaking in the rays and the city's harmonious, leisurely feel was a perfect way complete this trip. I thought it wise to do a hop on-hop off bus tour due to time constraints. It was neat to see rows of narrow streets flanked with Georgian inspired buildings and see where Jane Austin wrote her classic novels. My next must read is Jane Austin's Persuasion. I also toured The Roman Spa Museum (photo) and was amazed at how well preserved the artifacts dated from the First Century AD were. Soooo old!

The photo of the train is myself at Newport Train Station. The photo is an important addition as I spend good amounts of time at stations like these on my travels throughout the UK. I feel happy and content to come home to Chester and get back to my bedroom and my work. The boss lady is giving me full time hours and I may work for Royal Mail over the Christmas months to earn extra £ :)

Keep in Touch XXX