In London. Almost didn't make it through passport controls this morning because of a public school issue/miscommunication...but because the officer said to her boss (thinking me out of earshot), "This young woman is very very nice, can't we just bend the rules a bit to make it work?" Voila! I've been issued a class two visa & Naya a class one. Which means we've just become British citizens....kidding!
After a three hour nap of deepest sweetest sleep, we're about to trek down to the South Embankment of the Thames for the festivities. The streets will be closed for New Year's Eve from 6pm to 5am, so London will be a pedestrian city. There are flowers blooming in the window boxes here & green grass & leaves on the bushes. A coat without gloves or hat is just about right. Blue sky coming through the clouds, no rain today.
I feel like I'm cheating so far--we just went into a store to buy batteries for Naya's camera & a little chocolate at another shop & I find myself surprised repeatedly that everyone speaks English. Whenever we take these out of country expeditions, I've just realized, it has always been to a non-anglo zone.
Everyone we've interacted with or sat next to so far seems to have this secret smile. They all look happy & somehow like they are amused by us. It's a bit like the first pages of Harry Potter when the magic starts infiltrating the muggle world. It feels very small town & like people are wearing their hearts on their sleeves.
I know I am. Though I'm feeling like a doe from the Whitefish range released in London, simply relying on my kind eyes to help me find my way, hoping they don't mind four-leggers on the tube & in the pubs, the transition is going well. I am tired. I am still unsure as to whether it would feel better to be here or home...but I can feel an equilibrium starting to occur. Beautiful mammalian adaptation skills at work!
Happy New Year my friends.
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