Of the UK
Alright? (I've been here too long!)After traveling all way from Singapore, I propped my eyelids open with matchsticks and went out to dinner that night with my birth-mother, two cousins (and their spouses) and my Uncle and Aunt, whom I had never met. It was a little surreal as Uncle B kept staring at me. I was later told that my mannerisms, thoughts, words etc were so familiar to him. I reminded him of both his dad (my grandfather) and his now-deceased brother.I’m absolutely fascinated by the nature vs nurture discussion.The dinner was great. It was held in the local pub. I loved hearing the local dialect and strong Somerset accents. It was good food, which I’ll tentatively refer to as “English Cuisine”, and mediocre service - but the waitstaff smiled nicely so I’ll give them a pass mark!Here are a couple of photos taken in Stoke St. Michael, where mum resides.
The next day mum and I went for a drive. We explored Shepton Mallet and Wells. I was very excited to discover that Wells was the main location for Hot Fuzz. I wondered why it was so familiar to me!
Dinner that night was at my cousins place. They’re building a house so are currently domiciled in a temporary home on site. It was brilliant. Lots of good food, lots of wine, lots of laughs. My 2nd cousins were also able to be there, Sam and Alex. Great to reconnect with them also.This has been such an important visit. The tentativeness of the first meeting (in October 2009) was absent. I am a little shocked and very moved as to how much I have in common with my cousin Amanda. We are very similar people, and our conversations have given me some personal insights. It was actually hard to say goodbye as it just didn’t feel right. It’s as if Somerset is now my home and New Zealand is interfering somewhat. I guess that’s another thing I need to work through. I’m a citizen of two lands now.Wednesday saw me farewell my mother and catch the train from Bath back to London.
I found my way to my hotel, who wouldn’t check me in immediately, as apparently 10:45am was too soon. Fair enough. I dropped my luggage into storage and went roaming.I caught the tube to Tottenham Court Station, with the British Museum being the destination. At the top of the stairs, signage caught my eye. ‘We Will Rock You’ was playing at the Dominion Theatre - and they had a 2:30pm matinee. SO excited. Queen is one of the bands whose music moves me, and this was a show I’d always wanted to see. I hadn’t planned to. I hadn’t even thought about seeing a show. So I got the ticket. It was amazing. I absolutely loved the performance. It had a good story and a terrific cast. I loved it, and I highly recommend it.
The British Museum. This was a highlight. It was very well organised, and had free entry. There are many great exhibits. There is so much history on display there. I do have to say that after a little exposure, I did start to feel uncomfortable with the sheer volume of relics from Egypt and Greece etc that the British Museum has. I’m wondering if it’s time to start returning that which was pillaged back to their home nations. New Zealand is quite big on insisting Maori artifacts be returned to us, for example.
I caught up with a Kiwi I had met through Social Media for dinner, followed a wine at a very cool Wine Bar in Covent Garden. On the way to the Wine Bar we visited the Museum of Broken Relationships (a really great exhibition, recommended), and visited the absolutely stunning Apple Store and afterwards walked along the Embankment for a look-see.I finally got to the hotel and checked in. However, the room and key they gave me opened the door to an occupied room, much to the distress of the guest therein. So, back to square one. I ended up with a suite that was awesome. It boasted a separate bedroom, lounge/kitchenette, and a bath! Bliss.So - the UK was a very good detour. It has turned out to be hugely important and I have learned some interesting things about myself here.Next stop? Beijing.- S.
