Sunday, December 19, 2004

Very strange indeed...

To be back in the States (or as my Mom says; 'State-side').
At first glance it was very strange to see people in the 'correct' drivers seat again :) And unfortunately I find American accents a bit abbrasive (for lack of a better descriptive word) after 4 1/2 months of the lovely lilting Kiwi accents and assorted English, Scottish, Irish and Aussie accents I've been around.

Left Wellington yesterday (today) at 4:30pm and flew to Auckland (1 hour)
Left Auckland yesterday (today) at 7:30pm and flew to L.A. (12 hours)
Saw the Holywood sign =0)
Waiting here in LAX for my flight, after much hub-a-loo through customs, luggage, and security, but they gotta do what they gotta do.
At this point I AM looking forward to getting home - getting over with all of the travelling and giving the parents big hugs!

Ugh, but am I really back?
Strannnnnnge feeling. Maybe it'll settle once I'm actually back home, in the house and town I grew up in, with my family and! my critters! I need some Jakey luvin! *grins at the thought of snuggling with her puppy tonight)!!! Not nearly enough dog luvin over the past 4 1/2 months, though Anne's kitty was a sweety.

I'll arrive in Texas just under 2 hours after I left Wellington - though I left yesterday... and yesterday is today... hehehe I'm a time traveller!

Sorry for random thought spillage - can you tell I'm bored? And quite happy to have internet access again, after over a week? /addicted
Oh! I decided last night - er Saturday afternoon to buy a lotto ticket, well a couple actually, since I hadn't bought any yet. Well I won $36 bucks! Hehehe what are the chances? I bought myself a 2 disc CD set of CHRISTMAS music, listening to it now, getting the MooooOoOooooood!

Annnnd! What are the chances of this?! I ran into a girl I know from school in MN! at the Auckland airport and we were even on the same flight. She had been just two hours north-east of where I was doing her student teaching. We talked for a bit before boarding about our experiences and exchanged email addys so we can talk more :)

This morning one of my students - who was also a neighbor - came to say goodbye. I had taken him to Te Papa - the national museum on Thursday and then to see the seals at Cape Palliser and the lighthouse there on Friday. He got a big kick out of me and my slight apprehension of being so high up... *cough* anywho... today he brought me a little fishey key chain he painted and a stuffed snowman because I'm going back to snow - something he hasn't seen much of in northern NZ. When you squeeze it's hand it plays It's A Small World - rather fitting I think.

Jer, if I don't call you on Monday, don't take it personally? Might spend it out with Mom - she needs an Aspen-fix :) And I could do with a Mom-fix ;) I'll try to call you Monday evening :) Glad to see you got a room on Aya's floor!

Ok think that's enough for now. Good waste of 35 mins in surfing net and typing!

Merry Christmas everyone!