Our flight was delayed (miserable) after we sat on it for 4 hours and then in the lobby for another, but thankfully we got onto a flight at 8 the next morning and arrived at Heathrow Thursday night. After finding our way to our rooms and then doing a bit of unpacking, we collapsed in our beds because we knew we’d have a long day ahead of us.
On Friday, we woke up and went to Orientation meetings which were… interested *yawn* and that night on a Jack the Ripper tour where we saw various churches and buildings where “Jack” was supposed to have gone and where many of the murders took place. We Also walked down numerous streets in the East End and saw the Roman Wall, pretty exciting stuff!
























Remember that one time when I’m literally terrible at blogging? Not to worry though! We’re all settled in and I’m finally going to sit down and write about everything that’s happened… mostly because I’m doing laundry and finished my work for the beginning half of this week… well… almost finished anyway. So here goes nothing…
Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending - Maria Robinson

I’m new at this whole bloggingthing, so bear with me. I’m 21, a junior in college, and studying abroad in London, England for the semester. Coming from a small town (less than 4000 people) and a small college (less than 5000 people), living in London is quite the change. I’ve always wanted to live in the city, though, so being here with 3 of my best friends is going to be an amazing experience. Of course, this also means I want to write it all down!
Naturally, I’m running late on starting this, as we’ve already been here since the 19th of January, but better late than never, right?
I guess I should start from the beginning, which was not a great omen for the trip. Amanda, Cassie, and I arrived at the airport to catch the 7:45 p.m. plane. Things were mostly going smoothly. Of course a few tears were shed, as expected, but we made it through security without a hitch and were loaded onto the plane at 6:50. Of course, after taxiing down the runway, we noticed that the plane had stopped. The captain soon informed us that there was a temperature problem in the cabin, and we would have to go to have electricians look at it. After about an hour and a half, we were off again, only to have the same situation happen once again. Due to USA laws, passengers are not allowed to sit on a plane for more than 4 hours, so at 11:30 we were asked to leave the plane where we would sit in the terminal and wait for the news about our flight. After another hour, we learned that the plane would be canceled and rescheduled for 24 hours later, because a part needed to be flown in from the UK. We were instructed to get in line to receive a new ticket or a hotel accommodation. Lucky for us, Cassie’s grandfather came to get Cassie and tactfully cut the line, so we got onto a new flight for 8:15 the next morning, meaning we would be scheduled to arrive in London 12 hours behind schedule, at 7 on Thursday evening, the 19th. After getting our bags (of course the luggage belt broke and needed to be fixed) we were finally back at Cassie’s grandparents’ house at 2, and we slept until 5:45 the next morning before getting up to do it all again.
Good news! We finally arrived in London on Thursday night, the 19th, and Amanda’s grandmothers friend (a Londoner!… from Ireland) picked us up. We made it through customs no problem and, after stuffing 6 big bags, 6 carry-ons, and 5 people (including the woman and her husband) into 2 tiny cars we were off to the university! Driving through London that night reminded me of two of my favorite cities, Boston and New York (ironic, isn’t it?), and I soon realized that I could definitely learn to love this city as well. Just big enough to make you in awe of your surroundings, but still find it manageable, this would be my new home for 3 and a half months, and the emotions going on in my brain flip flopped from nervous, to scared, to downright terrified, to ecstatic for what was to come.
After a bit of trouble getting into the college, we finally lugged our bags up 4 (yes, FOUR) flights of stairs and began the unpacking process. We met our friend Kristen in the hallway and the four of us have been inseparable ever since.
On Friday, we went to orientation and met a number of people on campus. After that I went to a mandatory meeting for students in theatre classes which consisted of the professors telling us what each class entailed and then saying we were essentially stuck with those classes as the good ones werefilled up. We then had lunch (or final free meal from the university, so they told us) and met with our advisor who helped us to finalize our schedules so we would be ready for Monday’s classes. After this we finished unpacking, had dinner in the refectory (cafeteria) and went on a Jack the Ripper tour, which took us all around East London as we learned about the murders that took place there in the 1800s. After this we met up with a friend we’d made, Mikaela, and her friends Allyson and Kathleen. After attempts to get to various clubs in London, which were hindered by the busses, we went to the Metropolitan Bar, a classy place with lots of seating and where the attendees seem to be young London professionals. We all had a beer and were excited to talk about where we’re from and what we expected out of our trip.
I don’t want to overwhelm with information, so I’m going to stop here for the night and get some sleep, it is almost midnight after all! And if I want to get breakfast before my 10:30 module (class) I’d better get some sleep.