Still nothing going on....give me entertainment people!

So today is David's birthday. Yay. ¡Feliz Cumpleaños!

Seems a while since I wrote, really nothing happens in the very interesting life of a waitress. I have insane hours for the next few weeks, I'll be going to Colombia to get a rest! And that is saying something. We'll not tell Children's Vision about the insane hours I'm managing to work - they'll get me doing all sorts. So this is to be kept quiet!! Haha.

Good news, don't have to get any jabs to go back to Colombia. Except yellow fever maybe, but I survived 6 months without it so I'm sure I'll be ok. Apparantly in order to catch Yellow Fever you have to be bitten by a mosquito (which cant survive in Bogotá) which has bitten a specific type of monkey. I think the chances are quite slim. But I don't want to to catch it. Apparantly by law you have to have it. In that case I was breaking the law for 6 months. What a rebel I am.

It was so nice to sit and chat with Sarah the other night in the pub for a couple hours, I never get to see people anymore! Not that I'm gonna complain about the amount of money I'll have the end of this ridiculous slave labour of working in this restaurant. But, it was very nice to sit with a very good friend and pint. Not much beats that I'm afraid!

I can book my flights back to Colombia soon. YAY I can't wait to actually know when I'll see my kids again. When I can hug them again. Can't wait. So excited.

The life of a dish washer/waitress is......

BORING!!!!!

Just got in from 5 hours dishwashing. Life is insane. Give me Pre-Jardin any day. Actually no...I don't mean that. I love them. Really I do. They're just.....difficult. Rebellious. They like to run away from me. I am having difficulty typing. I think I'm very tired.

Went to the job office this morning. Signed on for the first and last time, then signed off. I will get 1 weeks job seekers allowance. But that money will make a huge difference!

I'm bored. I know I have stuff to do now, but it isn't exactly mind stimulating stuff. I guess thats what the difference in Colombia - it was hard to get bored with my work because it was constant, challenging mind stuff. Teaching English - not my strong point! So it took a lot of creative energy (all I posessed) to prepare those lessons. And it was constant Spanish which again isn't a natural thing, constant figuring out these kids, constant...doesn't matter about that one, constant....mind stimulation! Not getting that from serving tea and bread and washing dishes. Oh well.

So I finally figured out how to add a photo page to my blog, so instead of taking up loads of space on here for that, now with one magic little click you can get to my very own separate photo page! Well done me. So when interesting things happen (which wont be for a long time now as my life revolves around the chippy) you can see it for yourself. How very exciting.

Not got much to say really, managed to write quite a bit but it's not overly exciting. I'm greatful for the job, honest, I know its what I need and it's a God-send. Just wish it a) was more exciting and b) involved my kids! I miss them. I know I say that loads. But I'm tired of missing them. Tired of not seeing them. Constantly on my mind, and it is very difficult to have 120 things on your mind at once so it takes a lot of my mind-time. Wish I could give them hugs every day like I used to. When will I see them after August? Who knows. Wrote a few more emails today to people there but still haven't heard from a few people who I'd love to hear from.

I. CAN'T. MOVE.

I worked 11 hours today. I'm a waitress. I'll earn a lot of money, which is all I'm in it for. Definetly not for the excercise, the fun of meeting the public on a daily basis, or even the half hour break I get in the middle! I will be able to eat at university. That is all I'm bothered about. I ache everywhere. Tomorrow, I'm sure, will be worse. I may not be able to move tomorrow. It's quite difficult now as it is! And by next Sunday at 4pm, I will have worked about 55 hours, from yesterday. So I may have to rely on other people to bring me my food at uni, considering I wont be able to move EVER AGAIN after working those hours for a few months, but at least I'll get the food, right?

Santa Marta

To end my time in Colombia, I got to spend 5 days with a very good friend in Santa Marta, a gorgeous coastal town in Colombia on the Carribean Sea.

Hired, tired and happy

So yep I got the job. I am hired. I am excited but am so bloody tired I'm finding enthusiasm difficult. Did you know that at 3:30am it is light enough for me to walk around my house without falling over anything? Had one of those never-ending-never-sleeping nights last night.

So I'm SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woke up to something that really excited me though, I had an email off 2 of my kids in Colombia. It was really sweet what they wrote. One 9 year old wrote:

Hello Suzane, I remember you with much love. Thankyou for teaching me English. God bles you and help you every day. I am learning many things. I hope you write to me and tell me how you are. I love you very much.

Another 7 year old wrote:

Suzanne, thankyou for being so loving with everyone and with Roger and I. I want to say that I hope you are happy in England. Thankyou for loving Roger and I so much. I love you very much.

That made me happy! These are 2 kids who mean so much to me, they love me and I love them back equally. So I'll write back to them now. Funny thing is, I did write to them yesterday but the email bounced back, so now I have a proper adress I can write to them!

I need sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess who might have a job....

ME!!!!

Someone actually wants to hire me for 9 weeks! Full time, working in a fish and chip restaurant. Wouldn't be my first choice of work, but at £5.20 an hour, 35 hours a week, who's complaining! They're so short on staff they're willing to take me on temporarily and they asked me to go for an interview tomorrow morning.

YAY!!

I may never want to eat fish and chips again after this.

Oh, good news, uniform is provided. Lucky me.

Strange photos of some strange people....do I know them?

This is Jenny, my brothers girlfriend, and Matthew, dancing at the pub on Sunday afternoon.

Then my brother saw them.

And then proceeded to try and kill him.

This is honest truth.

My friends are weird.

This lot of ugly mugs is the reason we were all at the pub that afternoon. Yes, this is TheTempted. Matthew, Andy and Daniel. Absolutely bloody mint they are. So proud of you all! I love you!!!!!! *Suz starts the whole screaming chick act, tears streaming, hands flapping, fainting......* (they wish)

Money and food...what more could I want?? TO BE HIRED!!!

This week is a blessing. People from church are showing interest in what I did for 6 months, and I get money.

I went for lunch with a lady from church last week and we talked about Colombia for 2 hours, and then today I went round for lunch at the house of a couple from church and again, talked for 2 hours. Tomorrow night I'm going out round for tea at another house, and Thursday night another couple has invited me round. So I get to sit and tell people about what I love so much and all that goes with it, and show photos (if I remember them!! Oops!), and people get to sit and listen to me chat on and on and on about it all. I know so much, and it's amazing how long for or how many times I'm willing to talk about it and repeat myself, just so people know. So, thankyou to those who are kind enough to show interest in what means so much to me!

And I get money. Had my job seekers allowance appointment today, so that was great, no problems there! That's about all for that. Still no job....anyone want to hire me for 2 months?

I am having distinct problems typing today. I should count how many times I've had to use the backspace key. FAR too many. At least one per sentence. Not good.

Looking forward to uni!

A little bit of Colombia

So this is a couple pics of me in Colombia. The one with several kids is really cute - you know what game where you cover someones eyes and make them guess who it is? Well the little kids were playing that game. Except they'd jump up and say 'My turn my turn!!', cover my eyes, and say 'who is it?' so ofcourse I'm not supposed to know who it is! I played along, I'm nice.

The second pic is of one little boy who is very cute and lovely. The big boys were playing games of stealing each others shoes, which was fine for them. But then this little boy got his shoe taken off and he was SO upset, so I had to get his shoe back, give him lots of hugs and kisses and make him laugh again. I suceeded! Well done me!

This is just a little bit that shows how much I love these kids and how much they gave me.

Don't want to put other pics on here, only fair to keep the kids lives private and not make it too public! But there's just a few pics.

Man I miss them!

Bowling and Spoons

So last night we went bowling for Alan's birthday. I've put some photos on, which are further down the page...and yet again I forgot to put them in reverse order, so look from the last one up. Not that it really matters, but thats the order they actually go in.

Spoons IS a mental card game. It's such a stress! SO much fun. Wish I'd remembered to teach the kids the game in Colombia. Next time!

And then we played Spoons...mental card game. Good if you want a heart attack. The blur is my brother.

My really cool white bowling shoes (which come with velcro....what do they take me for?!?!?) and Jenny's *not quite as cool as mine* red ones.

Gotta love those blue slushy things....what are they called? Oh yeh....blue slush

Injured, not stupid! I CAN bowl but have a dodgy hand. Didn't do too badly though!!

Me and my lovely ladies, Jenny and Sarah

Me and Alan - bowling for his birthday. For some reason, we think he looks camp in every photo of me and him together....not entirely sure why.....coz he isn't....

Things in the news are myth...I wish

Sat and watched Middlesborough lose tonight. 4-0. Man I hope England don't play like that. I will support them to their death....please play good!

Got awoken this morning at 7:35am by what I thought was someone slamming my bedroom door. Why someone would be doing that at that time, I have no idea. But I figured it wasn't worth worrying about so went back to sleep. When I did get up though a few hours later, my dad told me that there was an explosion. A house just down the road was left as a shell. An 80 year old woman died and her husband was, is, in intensive care. I couldn't believe it. Still cant. They think it was a domestic gas explosion but they are still investigating. The whole neighbourhood was cordened off all day with policemen everywhere. Things like that don't really happen in your neighbourhood. They always happen in someone elses. Very strange. It's all a myth. It doesn't really happen. The news makes it all up. Until you feel your room shake because of it. Then it's real. Unbelievable.

Late at night, under the stars....

Stars? What stars. I wish there were stars. I'm sat up, doing nothing. Would be more exciting if I could see the stars. I don't want to go to bed. I spent the evening watching the Simpsons, Along Came Polly, and Lost. Now I feel like I should be doing something interesting. Nothing is going on. Everyone is in bed. But I guess the sooner I go to bed, the sooner tomorrow will come. And the sooner tomorrow comes, it'll be a new day with a new tomorrow. Which will bring me closer to when I leave. Man I miss them. I dreamt about them last night. About the kids. About the kids who changed my life. Sounds soppy I know. But true. And true is good, yeh?

Phoned for Job Seekers Allowance today. They're phoning me back on Friday for more info. might be getting some money. That'll be lovely.

Still just sat up, waiting. What for? Who knows.

Going for fish and chips tomorrow. How English is that? A lady from church, who is going to Colombia this summer, is taking me out so she can hear all about it. Fab.

Ok, I'll go to bed. Only sensible really. My mind is dangerous at this time of night. It runs a million miles in front of me and I can't quite catch up. Wish I could write it all down. But like I said, I'm too far behind.

A tale of addictions

You know when you give up something that has been one of the most important things in your life for 4 years? Like a boyfriend? I know I did the right thing for me at this time, but it still sucks. It is hard and is gonna be hard. But I knows its what I need. I've changed as me and haven't been able to discover it by myself. Given time, things will be better for both of us. I know it. Just at the moment, it sucks.

Life is plodding along. I'm going to see if I can get job seekers allowance tomorrow because I cant do the next 2 1/2 months without getting any money! And I am job seeking, its just difficult! By the time I've paid for flights back to Colombia, paid for the insurance, paid for the board and lodge, I will have £0 in my bank account. Not good. Especially for starting uni. Not good. But I know its what I have to do! I am SO going back to Colombia - couldn't do without it. 10 weeks till I get there. I miss them so much. There are some kids I can't get out of my head. They really get under your skin. Like an addiction.

Another addiction - moving around. New places, new faces. The 'curse' of being brought up as an MK - missionary kid. Every couple years I was moving around. After so long, I start itching to be somewhere new and different with new names and experiences and new way of life. I came home and am itching to move on again. I know its coming soon - 10 weeks till I'll be back in Colombia, and only about 4 months till I'll be in Glasgow. With all new faces except 2. Can't wait. Actually don't know how I'll make it. Nothing is happening here. I love the unknown - some people can stay in the same place their whole lives with the same people and the same streets and the same...everything! I am not one of those people - I need change.

I love my life, honestly! I know it doesn't sound like it. But I do. Just need a bit of change.

Suz who? Oh yeh....

It's been months, I know. Nearly 7 months I think. But I was in Colombia and internet wasn't entirely easy. Now I'm back in England, where internet access is far too easy and I seem to be spending too much time here, again.

I spent 6 months and 3 days in Bogota, Colombia, working in a Children's home. Was it worth it? Hell yeh it was. I fell in love with the whole thing. With the kids, with the work, with the passion, with the dream. I'm going back in the summer for 4 weeks. The term 'gap year' is technically how you would describe this year - a gap from 'reality', right? I don't think it entirely applies to this, because this is what I want my reality to be. Yeh it won't be for atleast another 6 years, but, after uni, I really want to move back there and work there. I realised that after having been there about 3 weeks, and throughout the following 5 months, I never lost the dream. I am SO going back there!

For the moment, I'm being quite lazy, staying up too late, getting up too late. might have a job soon though, working in a local theatre.

And then in September I'm heading off to Glasgow to go to uni, studying nursing. What a stress that was. If I learned anything while being abroad, it was this - DON'T APPLY TO UNI FROM A DIFFERENT COUNTRY. I wasn't in control of any of it and it stressed me out no end. But I made it in the end, and everything is sorted. I don't think I could have applied more blindly though - haven't seen the city, haven't seen the uni, haven't seen the accomodation, don't know a great deal about the course - but, everything worked so it must be a God-thing, and my dream is to work in the Children's Vision International Clinic as a nurse. And I can't do that without this 4 (or 3) year nursing degree. So it's gotta be right.

That's about it for now folks! Really, I'm just staying up coz I'm buying a t-shirt off Ebay. And the thing doesn't finish for another 29 minutes. So I'll hang out here. What fun!