London, Egypt, Jordan 2009: Last full day...

Work and school were canceled again today because of the snow. Of course, this is better for me because I was able to spend more time with Ian, Jill and the kids. I'm starting to feel like I'm at the cabin. Very comfortable, and a bit lazy. Jill, Kelly, her friend and I did a little shopping in Kingsley, an adorable collegetown nearby. The rest of the day was spent reading, setting Jill up on Facebook, eating, chatting, playing cards, sipping wine, and drilling brilliant Clare on math equations. She's a very apt mathematician for a nine year old.

The books I've been reading the Egypt and Jordan Let's Go manuals. I will ultimately tear out the pages I need and leave the books behind. "Reading Lolita in Tehran" which I've determined may not be the wisest book to pull out at a local Egyptian coffee shop; so I will finish it when I return. "Islam" which describes the Muslim religion's birth and growth from Mahammad on; This, I WILL take with me. And, finally, my Listen and Learn Arabic manual. I will most definitely NOT be anywhere near fluent, but I will bring it nonetheless as an aide and can respectably speak a few key lines.

Ian informed me that the SuperBowl on Sunday went off quite well! Especially in the south where the game was interrupted by some adult entertainment giving the term 'touch down' a whole new meaning. Who won? Sounds like everyone was a winner that day.

Jill had me try a little Veggi-mite. A popular bread spread in South Africa that Americans tend not to like. I, of course, fall in that category; the spread tastes like intensly potent soy sauce and looks like mud. Not so good.

I leave at about 6p.m for Egypt tomorrow. I'm excited, but I'm so comfortable here it's hard to believe I'll be heading out tomorrow. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to write from here on out as I'll be running from place to place and sleeping on trains and 'beneath the stars' during parts of the trip.

Kelly and Jill in Kingsley