With December closing out the calendar year of 2011, I find myself in peculiar place of being 4,000 miles away from home about to break tradition for the first time in my 21 years of existence.
Believe me, this is not just a jargon of words, but the outline how I will spend my Holiday season. I think it at the foremost, the itinerary that my parents can follow, but I am also allowing you to see what is in store in the coming weeks! xD
Although miles away from my humble abode, I have been happily invited to spend Christmas in Old Woking with my cousin Patrick and his wife Katy. I am undoubtedly looking forward to my first ever Christmas abroad and my first ever English Christmas meal at Katy's parents. Even far from home and I still find a way to be with family, what luck! I know my grandma will be most pleased that I am spending Christmas with Patrick. And my hopes are, that either my parents, or Donna & the girls can set up a Skype date from Columbia, SC on Christmas Eve/Day to wish Grandma Watson a Happy Christmas!
But before all the Christmas festivities can officially begin, I am to spend the 17th to the 19th of December in Salisbury, Wiltshire-- most notably, close to Stonehenge. Following my time in Salisbury, the day of the 19th I will make the short journey by train to Southampton, home of my newly beloved Saints, and will pay tribute to the great football club by entertaining myself in a stadium tour of St. Marys. After spending the night in Southampton, I will trek back up to Woking where I will once again greet Patrick and Katy for the first time since I departed their house for Manchester just over three months prior.
Now, following what I forsee as a most enjoyable Christmas and Boxing Day, I will depart on December 27th to Hanover, Germany where my great high school friend, Thorben Wiese will greet me and bring me to his house in Minden.
Thorben has arranged for his family, the exchange student living with him, 2 friends, and myself to make for the capital city of Berlin on December 29th for a day trip. :D
I will spend New Year's with Thorben and his family. On the 2nd, Thorben and I will make our way to Hamburg to visit another exchange student who came to my high school, Milena. I look forward to spending the remainder of my holiday there as I fly back to Manchester on January 6th to prepare for the latter part of my exchange program!
Oh, and Rachel from Birmingham, who I met at the Miss May I, Abandon All Ships, Chelsea Grin, Chunk! No Captain, Chunk! show, has gladly offered to take me to Cadbury World sometime in January. I have become a huge fan of Cadbury chocolate. :D
You can look forward to seeing multiple pictures!
PS - 17 Christmas shopping days left!
