Some more England

I put about 660 pictures on facebook last night and it took me three hours. You all are lucky that I'm not burnt out on uploading pics yet. So here are a couple more. I will put some more pictures of London up soon...I'm pacing myself.

Back home...forget to tell you I left!!

I have been to England. I am now home. You are pretty smart and probably figured that out already. I took a lots of pictures -- 700, to be precise. I am not, however, going to put them all on here. It was more difficult than you might think, picking the best ones to throw on here. One of the first ones is a pic of me and my mates at Wimbledon, which is a whole 'nother story. There are just a couple pics of London up right now because there are too many to choose from and London is a lot bigger than my capability to explain it.

I am still processing everything, and I have been home for exactly one week. God DAMN it was an amazing trip. I think the thing that amazed me the most about England is that it is actually real. The country exists -- it is a place in the world other than Colorado. It's not in the United States. It's not in Pueblo county. It's far away and really unbelivably cool. I wish I was there.

Anyhow, the pics ended up in order exactly opposite the way I intended, so be courteous and start at the bottom. And yes, I will post more in a bit.

Dear England

Dear England:

When I gently invade your shores in three weeks, I promise to do a few things, and I promise NOT to do a few more. I will pack light, and by that I mean I will take a backpack with clothing and a small day bag to pack my essential shit in. That's it. I am going for the simple lifestyle when I'm with you. You and I will be like some weird vegan couple on a honeymoon. The simple life, you might say. I will buy some laundry detergent so I can occassionally wash my clothes, and then I'll give it to someone else when I leave. I will buy some trinkets for my friends and family and I will mail them home the next day. I will not overencumber myself, even for a little bit.

I promise not to wear anything resembling an American flag or promote anything that has to do with the American lifestyle while I am in your country. I hate people who wear "God bless America" shirts anyhow, and I'm FROM America. I will try to blend in -- I once told my brother, "Act like you've been there before, and then after the first time, you have, so you're fine." That's not to say that I won't be in awe, because I surely will be. But I won't go all giddy at the mention of Trafalgar Square, and I won't blow a load in my pants the first time I get on the tube. Don't get me wrong. I will have my camera with me at all times. I hope I can take some quality photos too instead of getting too wrapped up in myself and expending shitty shots on the usual suspects. I want to do something special with my camera, and if my mind allows me, I will try. That's all I can promise you, dear, I will try.

And when it comes to people, I will attempt to do as the locals do, but I will find that blend of touristy imitation and being a douche. Because I am the only guy in my group of 14, I will be staying with some other travelers or residents or whatever while I am in your country. I promise, and I really mean this England, I will not be an asshole. Polite, courteous, maybe a little funny funny, but not a dick. I promise to abstain from all assholery while I am in your country. We have a president for that. England, I think what I'm trying to say is that I am going to try to be as un-American as possible. That doesn't mean I'm going to start using words like "lad" and "cheers" and assume a crappy accent, but I think you understand. I am going to do my best. I hope you like it.

Much love,

Jamers

Yeah and about England...

I don't remember if I talked about this before and I don't care to go back and look. But yeah, I am going to England for a bit this summer. I am taking a school trip -- two classes, six credit hours, two weeks in England...oh man. It's going to be amazing. I'm gonna check out a bunch of plays, all the usual sights in London, the cliffs at Dover, Stonehenge, WIMBLEDON!!! I will be there in the first two days of the tournament too, so it will be tennis nirvana times TEN. I might even go to the new Wembley. I got a sick new camera, and I already plan on spending a ton of money over there, but I don't even care. It is going to be absolutely amazing. It's kind of crazy, seeing how this is the first trip/airline flight I've ever gone on. But whatever. I won't believe anything until I'm there and back. I'm still going to be ecstatic in the meantime.

Also, about this blog. It started out as a school assignment, but I think I have been able to get a little more enjoyment out of it than I anticipated. I am going to keep it going through this summer of tennis and then see where I'm at. My summer plans, as of now are pretty simple: Play some tennis before I leave, have a good time while I'm gone, and then play some tennis when I'm back. I'll still be working nights at the park (more on that later) and even a little bit at school. But I'm going to play a lot of tournaments, and probably travel to a lot more than I have before. I need to have a solid summer of tennis and make a good impression on this new coach (whoever that turns out to be). I'm looking forward to it.