The Jeep's demise

The Jeep was a tough car! It survived the collision with the tree (2002) pretty well. To be honest, I am pretty impressed with how well it survived the rear-ending at 65 mph, the meeting with the guardrail, and then the repeat hit. I guess when you are drunk, hitting a car once just won't do! Oh, to be 24, drunk and stupid. This young woman's crowning acheivement must have been vomitting all over herself as she sat behind the wheel in her car. Shame. I only wish she would have paid her car insurance premium. Drunk with no insurance, not the way to be driving.

A Total Accident

On November 14, I was driving back home after enjoying a great dinner with some old friends, when I was hit from behind by a drunk driver. Fortunately, my injuries were minor, although I did spend about 10 hours or so in the emergency room. After a number of X-rays, scans, sutures, a concussion and pain meds, they released me! It was my second head injury in about six months and that seems to make everyone pretty concerned. I weathered this storm pretty well. My poor family was concerned, my friends were worried and my co-workers couldn't believe my bad luck!

The cool chairs

The coolest thing about this awesome table is that the top of the table is carved with an elephant at each head of the table, then a buffalo, leopard, rhino, and lion (The Big Five) are in between the elephants. The chairs are also carved with The Big Five. There are two elephant chairs, but they are also different from each other. On one side of the chairs is the full image of the animal, and on the back is a close up of the animals head. So cool.

The Table

Well, much like the rugs from Morocco and the Kudu couch, I decided that I needed some authentic furniture for my house. Purchasing this table (more photos in the next posts), completes, for now, my African theme. The table is made from kiaat wood. I met Oliver (the artist) and his wife; while they drove a hard bargain, I was able to negotiate a reasonable price. As soon as the shipping falls into place, the table will makes its way to my home. It will look great. My friends Ilyn and Gert have graciously agreed to keep the table in their home until I can sort out the details.

London August 9

Today was a beautiful day in London. Just the right temperature for a bit of wandering about the city and sightseeing. I was planning to head to the British Museum again, but decided instead to wander around by the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. It was great to just be outside and not need to rush off anywhere. I am really looking forward to tomorrow and being in South Africa. Just the twelve hour flight stands in the way. When I was leaving immigration today, the official was concerned that I was clearing customs when I didn't need to. We laughed a bit about my staying in Heathrow for eight hours. Then when I checked in at Virgin, the lady gave me a hard time about leaving the airport and not returning on time for my flight. I wasn't sure how to take all that today. I guess they were concerned for my well being. Never fear I have returned to the airport. Now if I could only find a place to get a hair cut!

Summer Academy Twelve is over...

Summer Academy ended last Friday, and this was a very successful summer. I worked with some very talented people, and this made this summer relatively stress-free. Of course there was the occasional Turk trying to escape after lights out, and the one of two Spanish kids with a big attitude, but overall, things were smooth. Our logo this year was "Celebrating twelve years and seventeen countries." Very cool. I am pretty excited to head to South Africa on Tuesay.

One Month

In one month I will be arriving in South Africa for the fourth time. This time, though, I will be seeing my godchildren for the second time. Kate and Emma are about two and half years old and have recently been joined by baby brother James. It will be great to see them again and meet James. Their mother Susan and I were exchange partners participating in the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program in 1999. We were lucky enough to be partners and became close friends even though we were 10,000 miles apart.

My time in South Africa changed my life, and has impacted almost everything I do. My year there tested my independence, my strength of character, and my relationships with friends and family. I am very excited to return this August and reconnect with friends.