With Love...: New Year, New Experiences

So, I fell of the face of the Earth for almost two months (well at least blogging Earth). Lots has been going on, and I guess I have just been putting it off. I don't even know where to start with things, as it has been such a long time. Let's start with the big news...

In November, I got a job at TGIF's, and it was alright and whatever (well, the two shifts I worked), but one day I thought "What the heck am I doing? I do not want to go back to Winnipeg to be asked what I did for a year and reply 'Worked at TGIF's!' " No, not what I want to say. I don't want to just pass the time like I have been so far being here, I want to experience. I have always wanted to au pair (basically nannying without major qualifications) in another country, my original idea was to go to England to au pair, what the flip am I doing at a restaurant." So began the search to becoming an au pair, it has been pretty scary totally untraveled area. I guess looking back, just getting the courage to look for families to work with and meet them has been an adventure, having to travel somewhere I have never been to, avoid getting lost, meet people I have never met, all on my own. It's gone well, I am still here to tell about it and have found a family that may be the perfect fit for me. With a few days of trials, to see if we get along and all works well, next blog I may be telling you I have become part of a new family and am moving off to live with them! It is terrifying really, not being in my own home, with people I hardly know but I know I will enjoy it, it will keep me busy, help me to learn and grow and most importantly, make me happy. I so happy to finally be getting my shit together!

I guess the next event to fill everyone in about is Christmas. It was wonderful, weird, but wonderful. I spend a lot of my free time making crafty gifts for my loved ones which included making Christmas cards, knitting scarves, making necklaces, making scrapbook journals, it was brilliant. I love crafting, and it was so nice to get to share with friends and family (many of which were surprised to find out I made what they received, well pleased with that!) I also spent a large amount of time baking, as many of us do, my mum and I made treat trays for families of our favourite holiday goodies, which were gobbled up very quickly. I spent Christmas at my aunt and uncles along with my mum and two cousins, it was lovely, really relaxed and just a good couple days of eating ,drinking, playing Kinect, opening and enjoying presents and relaxing. It was different from Christmas in Canada as I was missing my dad and sister (A LOT), the snow, and eating a large meal at dinner rather then at lunch time. Father Christmas was very good to me and I got plenty of great presents. But, my best present of all was having my boyfriend, Keaston and close friend, Tedi come visit me.

Having Tedi and Keaston here was glorious! We hit London up everyday, saw loads of the famous London sites, got ripped off by restaurants because we're tourists (more then once), took TONS of pictures and enjoyed each others company. It was so great to adventure around with them, as I loved seeing the sights as well. It's amazing, you see Big Ben again and again but every time it's breath-taking. Seriously, Big Ben is massive. We visited The Maple Leaf, a Canadian pub in London, a little taste of home, though we didn't find any Canadians. We also went to Brighton AKA the Seaside where we strolled along the beach as cold as it was. Brighton is such a fun town so much to see and do, we did a little shopping in their narrow streets filled with neat stores and markets. We did a high speed look through their museum, making sure to stop off at the gift shop to buy a couple trinkets. And finally, we ended the night with excellent pub food and gambled away all our money (okay, pennies) on a ridiculous pier game, that was totes worth it. I cannot say how nice it was and how happy I was to have them here and have some friends to hang out with and see London with, having them leave was heart breaking. Luckily, Christmas was just a few days away so I was distracted by the mayhem before that.

That's about the most interesting things that have happened in the past few weeks apart from getting seriously sick (surprise, surprise 4 times in 4 months), getting my first pay cheque from the Nursery, and the usual work at the Nursery. One thing I haven't shared about is the fact I have become veggie! Well, I am still eating some fish, but other then that. There was no sort of start date or major reason to it, I just started eating less meat as I didn't like the idea of eating food with a face and didn't have any major urges to eat it. Then I just sorta said, Yup, I'm a vegetarian, I don't want to eat animals, it's healthy, and quite inexpensive. It is going super well so far, not really having any troubles. There are TONS of vegetarian substitutes and veggie options which help make it easier. I am now trying to actually eat more vegetable and beans/nuts/pulses rather then putting a meat substitute on my plate where meat would usually be. This will be helped along by a Vegetarian Cookbook I got for Christmas!

The last few weeks have been really tough, and I have been rather home sick. Mostly missing my friends and family as I usually spend so much time with them throughout the holiday season. I have been catching up on Skype dates though and seeing how everyone is doing, trying to still be on the in of what's going on. As much as I miss them and desperately want to be spending time with them, I know that there will always be a space for me when I get home. It's hard to think I am missing so much, for what feels like so little. I know I will look back and that will not be the case, but sorta of the thought right now. As well as worrying about what will happen when I get home,though, I know things will just fall right back into place.

It's still weird to think I am living in England, like, I often don't register it. I just know that I am far away from my friends and that people speak funny here. I see Big Ben, The London Eye, Tower Bridge, and it doesn't seem real, you speak about a place, but do you ever actually realize you're there. That's the case for me, even in Winnipeg, I say I live there, but it's just sort of where I am, you're not totally aware of where you are in the world (geographically, not spirtually or some nonescense) . London is still a place on a map, and as much I as I say I've been there, I've lived there, it's hard to believe. Does any of this make sense? Nope

I think that is my update for now. Sorry for the large gap of nothingness. In the New Year I will try and keep on top of things and keep updating!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (A tad late...)