England & Back in Canada

Sorry for the late post, I tried uploading this in Switzerland, Ottawa and now Guelph and for some reason it doesn't want to cooperate with me. Let's try one more time.

England was very jolly indeed. It was a bit of a rough start as I missed my flight on Saturday morning (note to self: don't go to a party, get home at 5AM and try to have a cat nap before you leave, because 15 minutes can easily turn into 3 1/2 hours). In any case, I made it to Brighton thanks to my dear friend Soph going out of her way to pick me up at Heathrow. We got there at 4PM and went straight to the Ladyboys of Bangkok. The show was hilarious; Jess and I even got pulled up on stage to do the YMCA! I had been to a Ladyboy show in Thailand when I lived there in 2000...it was a bit different seeing it when you're 21 versus when you're 8, though. We were lucky that the Brighton Fringe Festival was on, and we spent the night dancing in a tent that was playing some pretty deadly swing music with the other Fringers.

Unfortunately Soph had to drive back to Cambridge the next day, so Kate, Jess and I wandered around The Lanes in Brighton. The Lanes are the bohemian shopping streets, full of really eclectic things and people. We sat on the rocky beach for a long time, went to the famous Brighton Pier, had some Vietnamese food, etc. Really lovely day! Afterwards we went to a comedy show (for only £5...steal of a deal) - again, hilarious! - and then stumbled upon a tent set up for the festival with a great atmosphere. It was very hippy-ish with more interesting people, music, drink, and a street vendor that I had seen on The Food Network. It was so bizarre, but of course I took a picture with him and tried his PHENOMENAL Indian street food - I have no idea what it was but it was gooooooooooooood. We spent the rest of the night talking to the other Fringers and making tonnes of cool friends.

Beautiful Saturday in Brighton

Enjoying some fresh seafood at the sea 

Angus (the Indian streetfood guru) and I

I'm getting my rabies shot next week, don't worry

Kate and I trained up to London Victoria Station the next day, where we parted ways. I made my way to my hostel and got ahold of my friend John, who I know from high school. I spent most of my time in London with him and his friends. If I wasn't with him, I was with my friends Desiree and Kyle from Dublin. On my last day, Desiree took me to Greenwich Park for a breathtaking view of the city, and to feed some very brave squirrels.

I spent a few days in Ottawa with my grandparents, dad and brother. Murray received his Bachelor of Computer Science last Tuesday, and we're all very proud of him. I trained up to Guelph on Wednesday and moved everything into my new house. I'm still in the process of decorating, so I'll get some pics up when it's all finished. It's been great being in Guelph, even though I was a little unsure of how I would feel. I love seeing my friends again and revisiting all of my old stompin' grounds - I think I might be getting on their nerves, considering how much I reminisce. I'm just sentimental, I can't help it!

So I've had my last day in Europe for about a year and a half. It was bitter-sweet (mostly bitter), because I have grown to love the continent and all the amazing people I have met there. It makes me sad to say that I probably won't get to travel much within the next two years, but after that I have all the time in the world to see other wonderful places that I have missed this time around.

Until later,
xoxox Jennalyn, no longer abroad