Birmingham, Pippa's home.

Leaving Swansea was bittersweet. I knew that after Friday I couldn't depend on any more motherly affection to keep my spirits high. Mrs. Mary and Mr. Rick were so sweet to me and I felt so at ease being there with them and their friends. I got to meet so many lovely people. We went to a cream tea in the city center with Jo, a friend of Mary's who is about my age. She was so vibrant and fun to be around, and she had this phenomenal Welsh accent that sounds like one is singing a song. They lift the ends of their words up very melodiously; and it sounds a bit Scottish or something. The cream tea was great; little scones(scons) as they say, with cream and sandwiches. SO cute! We walked on the beach and went into town.
That night, Mrs. Mary got the idea to go out for coffee, music to my ears, in Mumbles. Mumbles is a posh sort of vacation spot( what isn't in Swansea?) in Swansea. It is Catherine Zeta Jones' hometown! Mary, Bernie, and I went to Verdi's cafe overlooking the sea. Tres belle! I had the best latte of my life. It was Irish Cream and it put all of the lattes I have made and consumed to shame!

Oh man, I forgot to mention Trivial Pursuit night. The Lifelink church in Swansea was having a get together one night at a friend's house and so we went. It was just Mary, Jon and myself. The owners of the house were hilarious, just adorable people. Mr. John, the owner, kept trying to get me to "fatten up" so he would put pieces of food on my plate and say, "oh dear girl, nothing is going to be said for you if you don't fatten up a bit!" I laughed pretty hard. Okay, so there were a lot of young people there and they are all really loud and well, British or Welsh. I loved it. During the game, everyone was yelling, being uber-competitive, and just really getting into it. Mrs. Mary and I got a little frustrated because there were a lot of answers that all of these smart kids knew and we didn't until we came to find out that it was a British version. We were relieved that it was not expected for an American to know where some obscure river meets in some obscure town in Britain. It was a great night. The Millers just made everyday a delight. I couldn't have been happier.

So, I left Swansea on Friday after getting some fish and chips( I had to have these by the sea ONLY) and famous Welsh ice cream. I got on the train to Birmingham New Street and got off about two hours later. From here, I stayed with Pippa Rimmer, who is just well incredible! She, among other things, speaks five languages, drinks really good wine and has a killer accent. She made me laugh so much, which really made everything so comfortable. I will admit that I had felt anxious about staying with people I don't know, but she made everything super fun and we talked about music, languages, life, the arts, politics. Her music library is unbelievable and I don't know that I have met anyone so aware of other places and cultures as much as she is. We went out for authentic Balti Indian...bon apetit, then had a glass of really good wine and listened to albums I was drooling to hear! So we basically just had girls night every night because her husband was out of town. Pippa knows Corinne Bailey Rae and all sorts of other famous people. Oh and her cat, Taffy, is absolute fun. It has been such a lovely, perfect time so far.

Birmingham is the second largest city in Great Britain. It holds one of the most diverse populations in Europe.

God has just taken care of me traveling by myself and getting on and off the right trains in safety. Even more, it has been such a joy to be around these people. I have truly already learned so many new things. I am learning to be even stronger in the Lord, trusting in Him and therefore adding strength to my own self. My point in all of this going around by myself is to gt outside of my typical comforts and learn how to do things REALLY on my own. It's such a great challenge and my character is getting stronger; I can already feel it and I am not even being immersed in French everything yet! I thought I was independent, but after this summer and so many of my weaknesses became so apparent, I have begun to try and fix some of those things that I don't trust about myself. I plan to defy gravity this time, knowing that I will be flying and falling, but at least I will get off the ground every once in a while. The falling isn't bad because I have my Foundation.
Well, I am off to visit Warwick Castle tomorrow for a day. Many pictures to come. I am headed to Bath tomorrow night to stay in B&B for a few days. Thus continues adventures in Austen land. Can't wait!

p.s. I am sorry about the butchering of the English language in these ramblings, but I have to type fast and carelessly in order to get it all out!