On Friday night a bunch of us went out to the Shoreditch area. Which, if your from here you would pronounce "Shordidge" We ended up dancing at a bunch of different clubs and running into a bunch of the other volunteers from the US at another place. Over all it was an evening of debauchery which lead to us being up till 4am which subsequently lead to us being late for our planned group trip to Cambridge. Much to the dismay of our coordinator Gemma. Who quickly got over it when she saw the condition we were in.
We took a lovely coach ride out of the city. FINALLY, a chance to get out of the little box called London I've been living and working in for a month. Its a big city, but I was so happy to glance out the window at a field passing by and then see wildlife and nothing for a short while. When we arrived in Cambridge we first stopped at a coffee shop who shooed us away from there outdoor seating area even after all 14 of us purchased coffee from there store, all because we told them we wanted it in To-Go cups. (called Take-Away over here) Having ordered the coffee for Take Away, they were serious about us getting it away from their store. Had we ordered in regular old mugs we could have happily sat there all damn day. Anyways, I'm going off on a tangent about coffee cups. I will now get back to the story. Cambridge. After what I will refer to from now on as "The Great Coffee Incident of 2009" we decided to start our day with the highlight of our trip. That was hitting the river and hiring boats so we could go punting. What is Punting you ask? Well its a long boat that can be as small for 3 or 4 people or as big for 12 and you stand on one end using a pole to push the boat down the river. Here is a diagram for you.....
Pictures of us on the boat are currently on my camera who's battery is dead and will need to charge before I can post.
It was so freakin relaxing, I think the first time on this trip I have been able to sit back and breath deep. Slowly going down river with our cute guide David telling us a bit of history about the buildings we were passing. Here's a pic of Cambridge for you, imagine me on a boat in the center of it.
After punting we all went our different directions to explore the town which of course brought me straight to a pub. Turns out it was one that the members of Pink Floyd enjoyed frequenting they even had a nice painting on the wall in tribute.
When we got back together we headed over to one of the Trustee's houses nearby where Peter and his wife Doris, opened up their home and even supplied a feast to boot. We all sat around tables in the back yard drinking wine and eating some of the best home cooked food I've had since I've been here. (that doesn't say much for my own culinary talents)
We headed back around 7pm. We got back to our dorm around 9pm, needless to say we were pooped. Me and my new friend Monica ended up drinking a few drinks and planning the next day before heading to bed.
When we woke up Sunday it was 9am and we were ready to tackle the Tower of London. Here's a nice aerial view of it for you, and obviously I didn't take this picture.
That's right, its that freakin castle from the 2nd video. Its a damn castle. Right in the middle of the city. You'll never see that in the US. The closest we have is medieval times with the fake castle facade out front. Anyhow, We arrived around 10am and walked all about this place till around 1pm. We saw the crown jewels, took a picture with a beefeater.
That's one of these
NOT one of these
Walked down to London Bridge and checked out the Borough Market. Over all its been a really full weekend. On top of that I booked my travel for a trip to Paris for the last 2 weeks of free time we have. I am riding on top of the world and wishing to bury myself under the covers for a month.
That brings us back to Monday, today. Getting to work, all tired from the weekend. But that doesn't matter. I have to work just as hard and smile just as big. Although, after a weekend of Rough Sleeping (that's the term they use over here for sleeping on the streets) the clients come in on a Monday morning and I can only imagine not having a comfortable bed to rest on at night and seeing how nice you want to be to people. Monday's are tough. Some harder than others. Today was non-stop. There was even an incident where someone threw over a computer in a fit and the police had to be called in. But then there are the moments where I am flying high cause I am remembering everybodys names and we are connecting and I can talk them into joining one of the groups, or one of the clients comes to me with a poem he wrote that he's proud of and I encourage him to join the newsletter and another one comes to me with a problem and I am able to help them, not just refer them to the Project Workers.
Its really so amazing. How hard and how rewarding it is. Although I now have a stalker. So that would fall into the difficult category. I will go into that another time.
I hope this message finds you with a smile on your face and love in your hearts.
Be good to yourselves and others.
Jessica Ellis - Global Volunteer
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