Valley Girl in Vegas
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"Here we are at last, stepping off the plane in the original city of sin!" Karen's trip to Las Vegas changed her life!
Transcript
(Background noise - Roulette table)
"Here we were at last, stepping off the plane in the original city of sin, Las Vegas. Although it was November, the first thing we noticed, as we made our way out of the plane, was the heat. Blessed warmth! Wales in winter is pretty but warm it aint!
Our hotel was on the infamous strip. A garish collection of hotels, bars, restaurants and other attractions. Lights, colours, sounds, smells - totally sensory overload. The Imperial Palace Hotel - a massive Japanese pagoda - was to be our base for the next 4 days. And we sank gracefully into the luxury and comfort of our queen size beds.
Next day we were up early to eat a huge breakfast of ham and eggs. I could almost hear my mother saying "That's enough for a family for a week that is."
Onwards we pressed to begin our tour of the enormous theme park for adults that is Las Vegas. We stared open mouthed at everything that we saw and took reel after reel of film. Of course the major preoccupations in Vegas is gambling and shopping ... and boy did we do both. Showgirls, magicians, rollercoasters, shopping malls, restaurants ... Las Vegas has them all to excess!
And I have to admit that this librarian is now hooked. Instead of half a lager down the pub on a Saturday night, here I was sipping exotic cocktails and singing karaoke in front of hundreds of people.
The compere asked where I was from.
"Wales," I said proudly.
"Oooh, Shirley Bassey country."
"Yes, Shirley Bassey's my auntie!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a real treat for you tonight. All the way from Wales...Shirley Bassey's niece to entertain you!"I nearly died! But what a welcome I got ... until I started singing that is. Knees knocking, I beltered out my own version of Mustang Sally.
What's that expression, 'You can take the girl out of the valleys but you cant take the valleys out of the girl'... not even in Las Vegas!"
An interview with the author
Please tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Karen John and I am a librarian working for Caerphilly Library Service. I am a divorced mother of two teenaged children and a neurotic cat and, apart from an appearance on "The Price is Right," this is my only claim to fame.
What's your story about?
A holiday in Las Vegas which I took with my partner. It also contrasts living in Blackwood and holidaying in Las Vegas
Why did you choose this particular story?
I chose it because I had lots of photographs to back it up and I thought other people would find it interesting, and hopefully amusing. I also wanted to change the boring image which librarians have!
What did you find most rewarding about the workshop?
Seeing everyone's finished films and taking away with me the skills I would need to make more films.
