Hullo from England

Hey everyone. First of all, I have to say I am so flattered that the famous Sasha (aka Sasha Fierce) is reading my blog. Second of all, I must say that my first post reads like a lengthy justification explaining why my blog is going to be horrible. Writing and subsequently justifying a horrible blog is not my intention. I simply want to focus on my experience rather than crafting the perfect blog post. Thus I anticipate entries that lack the linguistic panache of "Harlanguage" or the style of "Wapatoko." Nevertheless I can't wait for the chance to update any and all interested parties.

Moving on.

I know that this blog is Malawi themed but I feel compelled to report on an experience that is not at all African. It is, however, nutty and thus I feel fully justified in its inclusion. I am talking, of course, about family Christmas in England. For those of you who don't know, the whole G-bach nuclear clan packed off for a jolly 10 days in the British countryside to stay chez Aunt B and Uncle R. When I say that we had a good time I mean I don't think I wiped the smile off my face for the entire 10 days. Those of you who have spent any appreciable amount of time with me know that my family is my #1 priority. While I'm lucky enough to live 5 minutes away from most of my mom's family, I don't get to see my dad's family quite as much. Which is really a shame because they are, in a word, hysterical.

I feel so lucky to have spent my pre-Malawi week surrounded by people that I love. As I am a procrastinator by nature I know that left to my own devices, I would have left everything to the last second. This trip forced me to pack and then forget about it and simply enjoy myself. I got to swim, eat, ride, walk, watch movies and then eat some more. I really don't think that I've eaten that much since Brown ("you should get CBR, it's your favorite") and it was so fun to break into the tea and apple crisp/pie/cake after watching a movie surrounded by my entire extended family.

Anyway, thanks to the Gbach extended family for an incredible time and I miss everyone already.