CDH Takes on London

Hi everyone!

Hope everyone is doing well at home, just a quick update from across the pond! I had a great weekend with the big excitement of Marissa coming to visit for the weekend. We kept saying to each other all weekend, is this real life? Did we just casually meet up for the weekend in London? We don't see much of each other during the school year, as she is at Northwestern in Chicago, so needless to say we were thrilled to be together for the weekend.

Classes went pretty quick last week and we went back to our service sites after being off for two weeks. The kids faces lit up when they saw me in the back of the room as they came into school. That was so exciting to see that they had remembered me and that we were creating lasting relationships. My volunteering experience has been so great here and so grateful that we have had this opportunity.

(Year Four at Nightingale Primary School)

Ok, so Thursday night, we had planned to meet Marissa and Martha Boyle (another CDH alum) for dinner and then Marissa and I were going to go out after with my friends. Waiting at the Russell Square station for them was just like going to see my family. I was so excited and could barley stand it! After we all made it to Russell Square, we headed to dinner and had a great night. So much fun to catch up and hear about each's experience, for Martha and I here in London and Marissa's in Spain. Thursday night, Marissa and I headed off to Roxy to meet up with some of my friends. We had a great night and Marissa hit it off with all of my friends, so that was nice!

(Martha, myself, Marissa)

Friday, Marissa went off with some NU friends and I headed for a guided tour of Westminster Abbey. Inside the Abbey is beautiful and so many people are buried at the Abbey. Some include: Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, and Sir Isaac Newton. It was a quick tour as their was a remembrance day service that afternoon. Friday night, a few of us at dinner at Rosey and Kari's house and met Michaela and Rosey's friends from home who were in for the weekend as well.

Saturday, we experienced a British Football Game. We went to see Crystal Palace vs. Everton battle it out. When Marissa and I got the stadium, she told me that both teams were like last in the league. Even with them being weak teams, it was so much fun to see the atmosphere. Almost comparable to a NFL game, but the Brits may be a little more into it. They had these chants that they chanted the entire game and they were on their feet the entire game. The game ended in a 0-0 tie, but it was still such a fun experience. Saturday night, Marissa had a friend who turned 21, so she met up with her friends and I headed home for movie night with the family. I had told Pasha several times that I would have movie night so we finally made it happen. It was a great weekend!

It was a great week and was so much fun to see Marissa and we said our goodbyes, but realized it is the shortest amount of time before we see each other again!

At bat: Prague this weekend to visit Lindsey Steer!
On deck: Bath & Stonhege
In the hole: Switzerland

A lot of exciting things coming up! My thoughts and prayers go out to the two CDH families who lost their son this past weekend. A sad time for the CDH community, but so humbling to see this community come together. It is a special community. Hug the ones you love & tell them you love them!

Love you all & miss you all!

xoxo