Christmas time in London Town!

SO SORRY for the ridiculous gap between posts- there was a small hiccup in my life: my laptop got stolen. Dana, Caroline and I went to Chipotle for dinner, the only one in London, because we were just craving some American food. It was really crowded, pretty much every American in London was there, and we were seated at a bar-style table with barstool chairs. We all piled our bags underneath the table and 15 minutes later I looked down and mine had been stolen. Inside was my ipod, wallet, laptop, and a book that my mom had given me that I was just about to finish. My first thought was that I wouldn't get to finish the book!! Everyone at the restaurant was super helpful, one of the guys we had been talking to ran out to check all the dumpsters and corner shops for my bag, and the manager of the restaurant gave me a handful of free meal vouchers! Woohoo! Lesson learned: I will back up my music and pictures multiple times in the future.

Other than that, life has been great! We gave all of our students books for Christmas and our last lessons were mostly reading stories and playing games, which they really enjoyed. At one of my schools we ate Christmas dinner with the kids, and one of my students flagged me over to eat with her and the other 3rd years. She finished before me and was sitting there for a while, then finally asked me "Are you almost done with your pudding?" "Well, pretty soon, why?" I asked. "I'm waiting for you so we can go play!" she said. So cute. I explained that I couldn't go outside and play with her so she should go on out with her friends, but then she got really sad because she wouldn't see me for 2 weeks. AH! I love these kids! 

Both of my housemates are gone and safely at home for Christmas, and now I am at my house with a fellow YAGM Kari Beth. On Saturday we, along with another YAGM Nathaniel and his sister will attempt a traditional English Christmas Dinner. It's a pretty big deal over here. I'm not sure how I feel about the Christmas Pudding, it's mostly dried fruit that's been soaked in alcohol for months, but it might be worth it just to light it on fire. 

This past weekend Kari Beth and I went to Paris and I got to see my mom and grandparents! It was absolutely amazing, and it snowed which made it feel more like Christmas. The downside to the snow: My family were stuck there for a few extra days, and my Grandparents are still in Munich as I type this. KB and I made it out alright after waiting at the train station for 3 1/2 hours to be re-assigned to a new train, but all in all Eurostar handled everything very well. Now it's time to relax, make buckeyes, and enjoy the holidays! This will be my first Christmas away from home :( 

Love and peace to you all, Happy Christmas!

KB and I at the Galleries Lafayette 

HUGE Christmas tree given to the city of London by Norway, a tradition since 1947

Gram, me, and Mom at Versailles