Heathrow @ MindSay 
Have you noticed how once you set a goal that obstacles and challenges suddenly arise? Of course they do. If you didn't have the goal or the intention to go in a certain direction, a particular event or object does not present itself as an obstacle. The more you want to achieve something, particularly in a certain planned way, the more an obstacle can challenge you - how much do you really want it?
World Champion, Jana Rawlinson has had her fair share of challenges over an amazing athletic career. At her fittest, she has proven unbeatable on the track in her pet event, 400m hurdles. Her biggest challenge has been in staying fit and healthy for the biggest prize - Olympic glory. A knee injury disrupted her 2004 Games and the 2008 Olympic year has been another struggle for her. She is only just returning to international competition this week. Will her persistence and tenacity drive her to overcome this challenge and enable her to claim her Olympic dream? Often when we are faced with recurring challenges such as injury, there may be lesson that we need to get. Often we resist or fight our challenges rather than responding, like an aikido warrior and going with the challenge and redirecting the force.
What are your challenges? Have you stopped to consider what message it is that you need to get to overcome these challenges once and for all?
:-/ unfortunatly my last day in London was yesturday, and by far the most stressful. as we woke up, we were alerted about the possible delay of our flight or cancelation over at Heathrow airport. It wasnt half as bad as the media made it out to be. we made it to the airport in matter of minutes and were checked in within 20m. I was kind of bummed when they told me I had to dispose of my book. you really couldnt bring anything but your passport, wallet, and boarding pass.
It was a pretty cool day though. Faraaz's mom did some muslim prayer around us for about a minute. We got sent with bracelets with the kuran scriptures on it for security. I had a pretty kick ass time back in the UK though. I got to see part of other cultures I wouldve never have gotten to experience back in my region.
I bought tons of PG Tips tea lol, I got used to my tea time back in London. Before my last day, I got to go to a Brazilian Chuhascaria which was also new to me. had the usual rodizio, which is the regular buffet and every 3-5 minutes theres different kinds of meat coming around the tables. Aunt Dida got to help us with some last minute shopping.
I was really sad before leaving the house and closing the door one last time. I really felt like family by the second week I was there. They made me feel totally welcome and prepared us with meals and all sort of things. Im really going to miss Indian food lol. it was great though, meeting Mosin, Dida, Mr. Sterling, Faraaz's parents, sisters, and some more of his friends. We had the great time. I hope im able to make this trip again sometime in the future.
Last nights arrival in Heathrow airport was an amazing feeling. Stepped out of the airport with amazing lights blazing off parking lot lights. compact cars everywhere, diversity wherever you turn your head too. Just to give you a picture of how cultural this place is, in my friends neibhorhood. We got a Jamaican family to our right, Portuguese folks down the left, Irish across the street, and a mangolian builder working on our kitchen right now.
I really feel like I'm already at home. Faraaz's family is wicked friendly. We took a short tour of London last night by incident lol. We missed a wrong turn into a tunnel ;-). Got the see the ritz hotel, millenium wheel, and that most expensive store in the world lol (I forgot the name). already ive seen so many nice cars, we got to see a ferrari buzz us by on london central, lambo shortly after lol. Amazing buildings, the museums look so incredible.
I cant wait to start touring. I took a short walk to some main street around here, everything is so closed in, but yet it looks so opened out for everyone to experience. I'll get some pictures of the neibhorhood pretty soon along with my days tour of today!. heres some of the airplane ride, big motherfucking clouds lol.
would be a crime staying inside anylonger lol, peace out from London, UK!
How’s about…a little town in upstate New York, early in the morning of the 17th of December. I start here because this was the day that it all began. The day that was the beginning of my adventure to the motherland – that’s the United Kingdom, just in case.
I left school early; well it was about midday before we left but after a long night of celebrations for the completion of exams that’s early!! So we got on the road, I managed to find a ride to the city, as I was flying out of JFK. The drive wasn’t long and I was in good company so things started well, but if there is one thing I hate about traveling it would have to be the hours you spend doing absolutely nothing (except maybe reading a trashy magazine) waiting in airports. Oh the things you got to do to travel the world. Such a small price to pay I would say!!
So finally later that night I boarded a plane bound solely for one of the fastest paced cities in the world, London!!
I arrived early the next morning, feeling surprisingly refreshed for having been confined up in a tiny economy class seat for the previous 6 hours. Has anyone ever walked out to the arrivals lounge in Heathrow airport because the feeling I had was like I was a new born puppy being put on display in a large glass cage. Its nuts you walk out and there are people hanging over every inch of space there is to snatch the first sight of the unknowing innocent people getting off their planes. I felt the urge to bust out a dance or something – but you will all be happy to hear I restrained myself and held back!!
I was picked up by one of my really good friends from home’s parents, who now live in greater London, which was nice to see a familiar face as opposed to the many unfamiliar. I went from there and spent a few wonderful days catching up with them and a few of my other friends and people that I knew that lived in London, even managed to bump into a couple of unsuspecting on Bond Street as well, small world aye!! Was awesome to hang out for a while and not have to worry about the daily things of school and training, and I really got to relax for the first time in a while. Great feeling. Next on my list of travels was a flight to Edinburgh to see my sister – it had certainly been a while but when I saw her nothing looked much different. She looks great and was so glad to see her. We spent all of that afternoon, night and a large portion of the morning chatting away over a few beverages just catching up.
From there once work was finished (for them not me) and all xmas parties had been attended to we hit the road and drove down to my grandparents place in Southport in Northern England. This was cool, it was the first time I had seen my grandparents since I was much younger and also my brother came up and the three of us kids spent xmas with our English cousins, it was weird but cool, because we are all grown up now and hadn’t seen each other for a long time.
Christmas day was wicked. We had a huge feast, I say feast here instead of just dinner or meal because that’s exactly what it was – a feast of massive proportions I think there were 5 courses in all. I was stuffed full after that, we rounded off the afternoon by playing that game; I never am sure what it is called, where you write names on paper and stick it to their foreheads and then they have to guess who they are by asking questions that can only have ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. This was a great way to entertain all the family – a game for all ages. Once the oldies retired to their beds, the younger generation of James’ headed out to the pubs to dance off their xmas dinners, mind you I think we might have burned off more than that as we walked the whole way home after the pubs closed. I think it took us over an hour, though on any given day I’ve been told it takes less than 20minutes!!
On the 26th – Boxing Day to those of us from ‘down under’ – my sister, her boyfriend, one of her friends that has just moved to Edinburgh and I all set off once again in the car, this time however our destination was Newcastle to board the Duke of Scandinavia en route to Holland, Amsterdam in fact. After a extremely rough crossing where many were only just managing to hold down their xmas dinners from the night before, we spent the next three nights in a hostel right in the center of Amsterdam. The country is so beautiful I could hardly believe it. It was so different to what I thought it might be. We spent our days walking the canal-lined streets and window shopping and marveling at the buildings that looked more like they belonged next to the leaning tower of Pisa rather than on a quiet street in Holland. It was amazing how these buildings stood up, apparently we learnt that they were built on very soft soil due to the moisture from the canal water and so gradually the soil is moving and therefore they are moving with them. By night we walked the infamous red light district and saw some sights you would never see in up-state New York. But like I said the city is amazingly beautiful and the people are so nice and friendly!!
It was back to Edinburgh on New Years Eve, after a much nicer and not so rough return crossing on the Duke. Had an awesome time with my sister and some of her friends that were staying in Edinburgh for a visit. A couple of them had just got engaged and so there was a double celebration to be had!! We headed for the huge street party – hogmany. One of the biggest in the world for New Years Eve I think!! There was so many people, such an awesome experience. I almost got lost but managed to find my way back to the pub we were planning to meet back at and sure enough everyone was there.
After a crazy time after Christmas and during new years I headed south and back into the empire land and to Birmingham, well actually kind of south of Birmingham, a little brand new village type setting called Solihul.
That is where my older brother, Scott works. He got a job from London about 6 months ago and moved north to take the job and its ins quite a cool little place actually. Very different to anything else I have experienced in England, a very new, modern little place where everything looks the same. It seems as though it should be part of the countryside, and kind of is if you go more than 5 minutes out of the center, but has the feeling of a cute little township!! After much good food, and a little tiki touring around the mid section of the motherland I jumped the 9am bus down to London and managed a flight out of Heathrow and before I knew it I was back in NYC jumping yet another train upstate to head back to school.
Looking back I can’t believe how fast time flew by, and how much I managed to jam pack into my little 3 week tour. I loved the time and the experience and more than anything being able to hang out and catch up with my sister and brother again!!
Well I guess this is it for me for the time being, I hope you have all enjoyed the travels with me as I have taken you about the life of a upstate NY liberal arts college student, who spends more of her time submerged in water rather than standing dry on land!!
I wish you all well in your travels as they continue through life and I leave with just one piece of advice….. – just do it! Whatever the cost the benefits will far outweigh it in the long run!!
Travel safe and I look forward to reading the experiences of the new season!!
Kez
Well, here we are in Glasgie, Scotland.
Apparently, the Al Qaeda bombs were going off just as we were landing at Heathrow on Thursday. We still didn't know what was going on as we took our British Midlands flight into Glasgow Airport.
As soon as we saw Aunt Marion, she told us what had happened...
Shit...
....and the headlines over here are like the headlines were on 9/11.
....
Anyway, this European keyboard is making my hand do all kinds of contortionist tricks right now. I'm getting massively fucked up cramps in my hand that I'm not even sure that an update is really that necessary.
We are safe, and that's the most important thing...
More to come later....