Delightful moments

Hello all! My third week in London was full of impressive and delightful first-time experiences ka.

First of all, my sister and I went with our niece to her boys' school again. This round, it was to observe a liturgy, a form of religious worship in which the school asked their students to voluntarily read out several statements about love and caring, to sing several religious songs, and to share a little stories about their families and trips.

It was such a great way for kids to choose to be publicly present, practicing not only about what to read (with a book to read out the assigned sentences) and their turns to perform, but also ways to express caring toward one another. They were asked to write a card, picking out what they liked best to share with their parents. They could give it to anyone if their parents couldn't make it then ka. 

Leo, my first grandnephew, got to read twice and it was loud and clear so we were very proud of him. The school requested parents' consent for picture taking with kids too ka.

Secondly, I attended a book launch by one Fulbright alum who got his doctorate from Cambridge ka. His book entitled,'The Culture Trap' by Derron Wallace, was an in-depth investigation into histories and contexts influencing  thinking, behaviors, expectations of Black Jamaicans in New York and London. It was my first time too to attend this kind of event and it ignited lots of amazement how academics could lead us to see some different dimensions from their lens and research. 

Thirdly, it was our very first experience to dine in a 3-Michelin-Stars restaurant, Helene Darroze where my niece and her husband have been working for about 12 years ka. What could be similar to other 3-star restaurants would be a delicious lunch with the right ambience and services. But this one made us lost in words as there was a series of surprises after surprises!

For us, it all started from our first step to the restaurant area with welcoming smiles and gestures! Then, we were happily curious to see personalized written names and a specially crafted menu, our initials on the napkins, special news about us, and ‘our own tea blends’……couldn’t count the number of ‘wows’ we expressed! The food was delicately presented and tasted delicious with the amazing touch of fine choices of ingredients from local and other regions. We learned how each dish was created and tasted it carefully. You wouldn't believe that our lunch took us 4 hours to complete (and we couldn't even finish the desserts ka!) I think the best was the hearts of the team ka!            

Because of mom, an immediate member's visit, we were able to stay in an upgraded suite with a super comfy living room and bedroom with a butler. We're very proud of our girl and her husband who are well-loved and have been offered many wonderful treats for us ka.    

For this past week, the experiences have turned into lovely moments we'll always remember!