London, Brussels, Guinea

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I am about 45 meters under the sea bed, on the 'Eurostar' train from London, England to Brussels, Belgium. I'm going to visit my friend Audrey, who I met in Australia, and then catch a flight to Guinea, West Africa, on Saturday. It's there I will spend Christmas and New Years, learn more West African dance and djembe, meet amazing people, and eat amazing food...

The past month has been spent lounging in London in the company of new and old friends, every minute spend contemplating my good fortune, loving the city and all its quirks and surprises, the underfloor heating and hot tea of Jon's generousity and inviting flat...

After a run in with a header gone wrong, Jon split open his eye and proceeded to party all weekend, thus getting him right ill for almost the entire time I was there...it rubbed off on me as well, so a month ideally spent getting in shape and buildling my immune system for Africa turned into a month trying to get better and watch as many movies as possible...

After months of not having a home base, the past month has been HEAVEN, an absolutel blast of a time...trust me...despite a 'cough due cold' and a best mate with no energy, we managed to squeeze alot in...parties, markets, movies, huge walks all over London, museums, galleries, colder and colder weather, family visits including my newfound cousin in Manchester, plays, football games, nights out, nights in, runs along the Thames, Sunday Lunches, trips to Manchester, Liverpool, Shoream, Padstow, Oxford, friends, making presents, wrapping presents, sending presents, collecting used clothes for Africa, talking about the future, present, past, reading travel guides in the library, taking out way too many books to even begin to properly read from the library, sleeping in forever and ever, running through the commons, matchmaking, hosting parties, cleaning up for photographers, renting the flat, planning travel to Europe and Canada, becoming bestest friends, blah blah blah...

And the rest, as they say, is history...after Africa, I'm going to travel Europe for a while and visit some friends, head to Ireland, as previously stated way back in Plan A, and try and find a job for a few months before heading home in late April...

I like to think I have planted the travel bug deep within his bones, but Jon has wanted to take off for a year for a while...he may even come travel with me and to Europe in January to help me do Europe properly, understand all the lucious churches, the old buildlings, the history, the people...We shall see!

In 2 days I'm heading to Guinea, West Africa...while I have been travelling the world, the crew of Moondancers (the company I'm going with), have been working hard gathering funds, offsetting our carbon emissions, ordering Sun Ovens to donate to the villages, organizing our itinerary of buildling schools, teaching, dancing, drumming, sighseeing, helping out...

We will be roughing it, and I have my sleep mat, sheet, and mosquito net at the ready...all will be wonderful, this is what I've wanted to my whole life, and I can't wait...

Have yourself a Merry little Christmas...my wish for you is that you remember what it's really all about...whatever that truly is, to you.
Xoxoxo
Erin

"For in the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. And we will understand only what we are taught" - Baba Dioum, Senegalese environmentalist

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Comments

[gmilne]

you are the most beautiful, glowing, love sharing, woman. xoxoxox