To the other side of the world and back....

It has been a long journey the past two weeks.  From California to London, and then on to Johannesburg for the first part of the trip.  We arrived on time and in good spirits (just needing a shower and a short nap).  We were greeted by Glenda, our host for this adventure.  I first met Glenda back in 2007 when she attended a workshop the very first time I taught in South Africa.  We have remained friends over the years, always having dinner at CHA to catch up.

I don't know about you, but when I am in a foreign county I always like to see what kinds of different foods they have at breakfast (or at the grocery store).  Our hotel had a huge buffet, but of course I had no interest in taking pictures of the eggs and toast.  I was more interested in this...

 Hummm...I've never had cold rolled up fish for breakfast....ever.

And of course the traditional English breakfast sides...tomatoes, beans, potatoes, mushrooms and green beans.
One ham and cheese omelet please!

 So on to the event...
Glenda and her team did a fantastic job getting everything set up.  Today's class had about 170 students.  That's a lot of people to teach at one time!

  Each table had a little something special for the ladies as well as the first class kit.

There was a photographer on site throughout the event so we asked him to capture a shot of Mario, Tim and I with the team of women that helped us in the classroom.  We took some serious ones, but I liked this shot best.

photography by Richard O'Donoghue

Ready to start?
We are!
What a fun time teaching with Tim.  Truly, the master of product information and encouragement.  People may have been outside their comfort zones, taking on new ideas and techniques but in the end we think they loved what they created.  The best part is that each one was totally different from their neighbor.  Individual choice, individual color and creativity.  That's what it's all about.

 This was spotted at one of the tables, an altered drawer unit...amazing.

 And the creator of the portable drawer unit...Patricia Basson.

Class time...

 My friend Brenda with her finished burlap canvas

 Another finished burlap panel (this one by Val Thorpe)...each of them are so different.

One of the things I was looking forward to was meeting Anna-Karin Evaldsson.  Anna-Karin is on the Sizzix design team and loves creating with Tim's product.  I have been a follower of her blog for quite some time and finally got this chance to meet her.  She was just as nice in person as she sounds on her blog.  Great to finally meet you in person Anna-Karin!

One last picture for today.  My husband had a dream come true...he wanted to play golf in South Africa and he got the chance despite the rain.  Thank you to my friend Lyn for setting him up to play golf with her husband Rob.  He had a great day!

I will be back tomorrow for the next leg of the journey.  Were off to Port Elizabeth and the game lodge called Kichaka.
carry on,
paula