I am now a resident of New Haven

Just a quick note, as I am using the computer at the library....

Dad and I made it safely through three days and nearly 2,000 miles from Houston to New Haven. After having loaded the truck in 105+ degree heat, the cold front here made unloading nice - around 70 degrees! Wow - what a change. I can't believe this is August.

So, I am almost completely unpacked and the apartment is taking shape. I hadn't seen it before arriving, as one of my roommates picked it out. However, I LOVE it. The apartment is half of the first floor of a beautiful old house in a gorgeous residential part of town. We are caticorner from a small grocery and coffee shop. People and families are out running/walking their dogs and strolling all day and everyone seems to know each other. It is wonderful!

I'll post some pictures once we have the Internet up and running in the apartment.

Moving Day

Well, as of today, I have officially finished the first quarter century of my life!!! Sounds a bit crazy when I put it like that. However, I could not be more excited about beginning this next chapter of my life.

This week has been busy - packing, sorting, packing, giving away and more packing. I don't know how I had so much packing to do after having most of what I own in storage for 3 years. But, alas, I do have a knack for building up things to pack!

And today I will finish packing the moving truck with everything I own. Tomorrow morning before the sun comes up, dad and I will hit the wide open road heading from Texas to Connecticut. I'm glad we're getting out of town before hurricane Dean hits land. We'll spent 2.5 days on the road - arriving in Connecticut sometime on Monday.

And the next chapter begins....but more on that later!

SALSA!

I've always loved Latin dancing. I've taken a couple salsa classes, but somehow the music just seems to be in my blood. Houston has a great Latin dance scene, so I try to take advantage of it while I'm here (and have time!). This past week has seen not only several fun nights of dancing, but I also learned about the origins of salsa music and dance.

Believe it or not, salsa actually comes from Puerto Rico, Cuba and Spanish Harlem (NYC) with a strong African influence from the Caribbean. It essentially came about in the 1970s and has developed since that time. "Salsa" is a Spanish word meaning "sauce" - showing that this type of dance is a combination of several styles, both music and dance.


Recently, the movie "El Cantante" was released - starring Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. It's certainly not the best movie I've ever seen, but it was an interesting look at the life of Hector Lavoe - one of the men central in the Salsa scene of the 1970s. LaVoe (played by Marc Anthony) came from Puerto Rico and quickly became on the of top singers in the New York Latin scene. His life was filled with drugs and misery, but he was an amazing musician.


One reason that I enjoyed the movie so much was that a friend of mine had exposed me to the roots of Salsa and "introduced" me to LaVoe's fame and music. I had heard some of his music before, but never knew who he was. It has been a really neat lesson on Latin music, culture and SALSA!!!

So, of course, I had to get out there and do some dancing myself after seeing the movies and hearing the music! I met up with a friend of mine from Elementary school(!!!) at Skybar in Houston. Thursday is their Latin night. We had a great time together!

My Peruvian friend (who taught me about Hector LaVoe) also came. What fun we had.

Ole!

My first visit to the Georgia Aquarium

An outing that I eagerly anticipated for my trip to Atlanta was a visit to the Georgia Aquarium.

When I left Atlanta in August 2004, plans were underway for the Aquarium. I think they had just broken ground to begin construction. Everyone was talking about it - the largest aquarium in the world - whales and sharks and and and.... It was sure to draw crowds!

For me, the Aquarium was a new amazing attraction, though it was actually completed nearly 2 years ago. So, a few days before my trip to Atlanta was finished, Happy, John and I set out to explore the adventure for ourselves. Albeit, the kids had gone before - but I was super excited to see it for myself.

Indeed, the aquarium turned out to be everything that people had described it to be. There were many touch pools, a variety of neat underwater exhibits and exotic animals. My favorites were the beluga whales and the whale sharks in the huge 8 million gallon aquarium (I could have sat watching it for hours). Here are some pictures from our trip to the aquarium.

Happy and John in front of an aquarium

a leafy sea dragon

Baby beluga in the deep blue sea......

big crabs

Happy and John at a touch pool

where we could touch......

Small sharks (yikes!) and...
stingrays
a cute penguin on a rock
and we go in for a closer look!

Wow! The jellyfish glow under black light!

Even otters need a nap.

John and Happy in a look window

(seen through an aquarium)

and finally - the huge 8 million gallon aquarium

whale sharks and all!

Visit to Atlanta

I just returned home from a two week trip to Atlanta. Let me tell you - I had no idea how much I liked that city until this trip back. The lush green trees, the hills, the culture and diversity - it was so refreshing to be there. Of course, the part of the city I knew very well how much I adored are my friends there. What a happy reunion after nearly a full three years away!

My plane arrived a couple hours late in the middle of the night and I caught a taxi to the Herold's house, where I was staying. I was tired and a little travel weary, but as I walked from the taxi to the house, all that vanished with a glimpse of my welcome home sign:

Happy and John made this sign for me and it was hanging on the porch as I walked up.

I had so much fun staying with the Herolds. It was as if I'd never left. Actually, I couldn't believe that John remembered me because he was 2 when I left and is now 5. They made sure to talk about me and show him pictures. I'm sure Happy wouldn't let him forget. It was so touching!

During the time I was there, the kids' focus was on circus camp - a summer camp they were attending. They were learning acrobatics, trapeze and Spanish web along with other circus tricks. They practiced them every where we went.

not too shabby for being 5 and 8! And, lucky for me, I was even there to watch one of the actual circus camp shows!!!

Happy and John made up and ready to perform

This one is hard to see, but if you look closely, you can see that it's Happy upside-down on the Spanish Web - hanging by one leg. Impressive!

Of course, the Herold's weren't the only friends I got to see while I was in Atlanta.

Susie, Maddie, Katy, Sydney and Emily

(a lot of "-ee"s)

Brings us back to KIPP:PATH

All in good time, my pretty. All in good time.

With Sydney and Maddie - what cuties!

With Victor at a posh Thai restaurant near Georgia Tech

Emily and Heather - Lookin' good!

a trip out to the Clarks' to see Brian and Heather

Roasters with Ben

a gourmet meal with Bernard

an afternoon visit with Nancy and Al

Michelle and I visit Melissa for lunch, after a visit to...

the Hindu temple of Atlanta

(which was an awesome cultural experience - the temple was beautiful, we were given holy bananas and we even got to chat with the man who was carving all the moulds for the ornate decorations all around the temple!)

And, of course, I couldn't leave Atlanta without a Thai themed party. I pulled out my photos, took a trip to the Decatur International Farmer's market, greased the wok and had a great time eating and visiting with everyone who could make it.

Tricia chats with Demond and Shaniece about joining Peace Corps.

Jeff, Robin and Tricia in the food line. Look at that spread!

Bernard goes for some curry.

It was a wonderful trip!!!

a break from the rain

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is one of the best known waterfalls in the world. All of my Thai friends had heard of the falls and would often mention them when we traveled to any waterfall in Thailand. I didn't think I had ever been to Niagara Falls - at least I didn't remember ever going, so I was super excited when I learned that I would be going with my family on the way to the summer family reunion in Canada. As it turns out, I had been once before - when I was about 6 months old, but I suppose that doesn't really count.

Actually, Niagara Falls is several different Falls in the Niagara River. "Horseshoe Falls" (where we went) is on the Ontario, Canada side and there are a couple more on the Buffalo, NY side as well. We were awed by the majesty of Niagara Falls and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to go.

Emily with Horseshoe falls in the background

As an extra adventure, we took the "Maid of the Mist" boat trip on the Niagara River. After donning our rain (mist) coats, we boarded the boat which took us right to the base of the falls. They are so high that a great cloud of mist is created by the falls hitting the river. Entering the cloud of mist was like being on another planet. Sight was limited and all I could hear was the tremendous roar of the falls - absolutely amazing!

approaching horseshoe falls

ready for the mist

in the mist

going back to dock with both falls behind us

Visit with Kat in London

The last day of my trip to England with mom, we spend with a good friend of mine, Kat. She had actually been in the US on vacation when we first arrived in London, but returned in time to see us before we headed home.

We started our day together at the Orangery at Kensington Palace - where Princess Diana lived when she was alive. This was a beautiful English tea parlour where we enjoyed tea and desserts. We tried to be very "proper". Here are a few pictures.

In front of Kensington Palace

Inside the Orangery

tea, anyone?

Emily and Kat with our tea

"OH, how Proper!"

mom is the best at looking proper

After tea, we explored some of London that mom and I hadn't seen yet. I don't have many pictures from this, but here is one from Portobello Road (or, "mushroom road" as mom called it). I was really excited because in the 1971 movie "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" there is a song "Portobello_Road" - and here I am at that exact place!

"Portobello road, Portobello road

Street where the riches of ages are stowed.

Anything and everything a chap can unload

Is sold off the barrow in Portobello road.

You’ll find what you want in the Portobello road."

And this, my friends, concludes my trip to England, my trans-continental journey and my 2.5 year abroad.

Homeward bound!

Canterbury, England

The other day trip that mom and I took was to Canterbury, England. Probably most famously known for the Canterbury Cathedral (which is home to the Canterbury choir). As was most of our trip, the day was chilly and wet. But, we persevered and still really enjoyed the quaint town, old castle ruins and the cathedral.

on our way to Canterbury

we arrived and that's the "way out"

(we thought those signs were funny!)

We first went to the old Norman castle still standing (barely) on the edge of town

mom waves from a second story window

looks like it could lead to the secret garden!

an old burial mound - seen from atop the old city wall

looking out from on top of the mound

The Canterbury Cathedral

Emily in front of the Canterbury Cathedral

the pulpit inside the cathedral

a candle to mark the shrine of St.Thomas of Canterbury

prayer candles

modern stained glass window

going outside at the cathedral

the outdoor corridor

while we were outside this little (well, not so little) feline climbed aboard my backpack

it stayed there for a really long time as we walked around outside

SO funny!

Ha! Ha! Really funny. A bar in town.

Yellow Rose in Canterbury!