Hame!! :D

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So, I'm home now!! Crazy stuff eh... damn!! Its awesome to see everyone again, but I'm starting to stress a bit again - you actually have stuff that matters back home to worry about, and there's just not enough space for everything :p and I have no idea where mum's put my purse, or my diary, and she's asleep, argh!! Annnnnyway... :p

So after the last one, I met Andy and we went for a daunder, placed in a playpark :D I did the monkey bars!! And we got a Big Al at fergburger... damn, we halved it and it was still massive!! Got his car, then he drove me to the airport, which was awesome. Went through, and kaked myself cuz they announced me over the tannoy to see a member of security - turns out they'd only forgotten to take my luggage number for teh LA changeover :p so the flight to Auckland was uneventful, listened to music and dozed, had two Chinese guys next to me who didn't speak good English at all lol. Hoyed it to my LA flight, and realised I couldn't buy Joanne (Inny's friend who was picking me up at the airport) wine, cuz you have to be 21 to import it in to the US (yes I did ask) :p and was sitting with a nice girl called Leah, and watched the Miley Cyrus - Best of Both Worlds movie (to catch up with my sister, ok?!) :p and staretd watching A Fish Called Wanda but fell asleep - yes I actually did manage to sleep on this one!! YEA!! Got off, and the American security wasn't as bad as expected!! Saw Joanna and Nathan (oldest son) met her husband Irman and youngest son Owen, and they took me to Santa Monica beach via Beverly Hills and UCLA and lunch at a nice Persian restaurant :p the portions are so massive though, I had mine boxed to take away!! Like PROPER massive. Beach was awesome, placed throw-ball with Irman, and built sandcastles and tunnels with the boys :D went out for dinner downtown to eat sushi (my choice) :D and they took me to Banana Bungalow, my hostel - they'd totally mucked up the bookings though, like everyone there didn't have the right room or whatever :p got it sorted eventually, and I hung out with a girl called Charlotte, who's just starting her gap year!! Nice girl. Went to Orbit Hostel for the free booze night, but it was finished by the time we got there :p chatted to randoms, then went back and played pool and slept (not for like 3 hours though, was too hot&bothered!!

Sun 23rd - was pretty damn jetlagged after gaining a day :p but made myself get up at 9 and get the free breakfast (cereal and toast) and went with Charlotte to the grove (posh concert/shopping place down the road) with the farmers market, it was kool, bought fruit & pressies for Joanne&family :D went back, had last night's leftovers for lunch, then bused it to the walk of fame on the boulevard, YEA!! Did the whole thing, was kool, got some photies, and hiked to the hollywood sign (well, as far as you can go) - was very kool, not as big as you think it would be though!! All uphill, yay :p go a lift back form some nice Californian/French people, and got lost then found my way again :p bused it back to the hostel, said bye to Charlotte and Joanne picked me up!! Went past the famous new theatre, and a mad cathedral thing, and went to Little Tokyo for more Japanese :D Shaba Shaba?! I think it was called. You cook it yourself on the stoved in your table :p and its soup with meat and veg and pasta, very nice!! Saw a 1-man band after, was funny, and had theee most awesome frozen yoghurt afterwards!! You get fruit toppings and everything :p they took me back to the hostel and I said bye - they're such awesome people, so generous and nice!! Talked to folk, then went to bed.

Mon 24th - MAGIC MOUNTAIN DAY!! :D Got up nice and early and bought the tix online (after much confusion) and hoyed it ther ei nthe shuttle!! Went with Matty, friend from the hostel, he's kool, 32 and lots of tattoos and piercings :p went on all the aweasome rides, he puked after deja-vu, a forwards then backwards one though, so he held my bag and only came on the tamer and water ones :p was such an awesome day - what a way to spend the last day of your gap year, in Six Flags Magic Mountain!! YEA!! Found a take-away sushi thing for lunch - nice change to the MASSIVE cheeseburgers and fries - seriously, you should see the size of them. We have 1/4 pounders - over there, its 1/3 pounders, no joke :p should have taken a pic of a sign!! Hoyed the shuttle home, got a little house burger :D and ended up getting a bottle of Jack Daniels (not had since Jan!!) and drank it, went with Veronica (girl from Vancouver) to get her food, and talked to a girl from Holland called Alison (I think) :p met a total up himself guy who was 40-odd called Steve, very annoying. Met a Vietnamese guy called Lock?! and he took 1 puff of Matty's joint and he chocked all night, shame. Went to bed eventually!! My bed is so funny in this place, top-bunk, the railings are totally broken and the ladders and questionable :p

Tue 25th - home day!! Daaaaaaamn :p me and Matty went along Melsose Drive after I'd packed, and saw a bit of the Paramont Studios (you had to get a guided tour to see the whole thing though) 😞 and walked back - good walk, took ages!! Nice and hot 😊 Took pics, hoyed a shower, made soup :p and hoyed an orange then it was time to go after facebook!! Said bye to Matty and Bob and Daniel (guys I'd met the night before) and hoyed it to the airport in a shuttle with an American guy and an Irish girl - the security getting out of the country it torture!! 4 massive queues... and hoyed it on the plane back home!! Starting to get a bit nervous about it. Sat next to a guy called Eddie, he was kool. Watched 3 movies (Star Trek, I Love You, Man and Woodstock) didn't sleep, was pretty uncomfortable, didn't have an aisle seat unfortunately!! Got there, wandered around Heathrow for a bit (the staff there are so grumpy) read me book, and hoyed it on the flight home!! Talked t oa guy called Adam who had just driven to Mongolia for charity with his friend :p the flight was pretty empty though, even though it was 3 flights combined!! Funny steward guy, kept going on about the fact it was his birthday, clearly didn't want to be there :p and by this time it was...


...Wed 26th, and properly home!! Walked off the place, got to baggage, looked around for my belt and sat my Roy running up to me!! It was amazing, we just hugged for ages and looked at each other and it just felt right that we were together again, immediately all doubts totally vanished fro mmy mind. Then Ailsa came, and GOD, she's grown, she's nearly as tall as me now!! Scary stuff. Then saw maw, didn't seem like long since I;d seen her though lol. Eventually found my bag, as it had been on a different conveyor belt, nice Scottish staff member had it on a trolley :p cuz I'd flown for LAX you see, hehe. HOyed it back in the car, sitting between Roy and Ailsa, just chatting, arrived home (listened to Radio 1, yay!!) and maw and Roy and Ailsa bathed my feet for me, yay!! They were mingin from the crocs like :p weather surprisingly warm, and not too rainy!! Granny and Grandad and Aunty Fiona and Uncle Bryan and half my friends came round, was so good to see them all again :D had dinner, and we all went to Droutheys and caught the last round of the oub quiz - I beasted it, it was the music round :p was just so awesome to see everyone again. Me and Roy walked home and went to bed... and by this point, it was past midnight andi t was Roy's birthday. Perfect!! :D

And that's it, that's my travels (for this time) 😉 over!! I genuinely am happy to be home, had prepared myself for it, and its so amazing seeing everyone again - as much as I loved travelling and volunteering and the people I met, there is no place like home, and you need to get back to reality and your life at somepoint!! It was the best decision I ever made though - wouldn't give it up for anything 😊 xxxxxxxxxxx

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