The First Week

Day 1: The flight over was interesting to say the least. I was excited for the bulkhead seat with extra legroom only to find out that I would be stuck in my seat with a baby sleeping right in front of me, or not sleeping... as it would turn out. The parents were nice enough but I was literally stuck in my seat for 6 hours and in order to get out the contraption the baby was sleeping in had to be removed... without waking up the baby. The flight was a lot better than I had originally anticipated, considering I'm used to flying discount airlines I was in for a treat. 2 meals, a free newspaper, and multiple drink services?! Yes please. Not to mention the FREE pillow and blanket, they really did it right. After I got to the airport I made my way through customs and eventually found myself waiting for someone whom I was planning on sharing a cab with. Things didn't work and her flight was stuck in the states but I happened upon another NYU'er. After we got in the cab and began to drive on the wrong side of the road it began to sink in, I am living in another country thousands of miles away from all my friends and family. A wave of emotion set in as I could hardly keep my eyes open yet couldn't keep them off the foreign landscape passing me by. I got settled in at the dorm and went on a walking tour where I learned about where all the local shops and pubs are. The dorms are interesting, (read: small), but have a lot of character and spunk. With no AC it tends to get a little hot in the afternoons but hopefully once it cools off it will get better.

Days 2-4: The last few days have been a blur of making new friends, and exploring London before classes set in and the STUDY part of study abroad kicks in. We found a nice plub (pub/club) down the street that is a lot of fun to go to and might end up being our go to place. Eating here is going to be a challenge, the groceries are expensive and being a veggie head abroad is a little... different than back home. Yesterday we went on a bus tour of London which was nice, played a little of a speed tourist game but it was nice to at least SEE all of London's major attractions. The british culture isn't all too different from life back home but it is different enough that I find myself perplexed at least a few times a day. Chips are fries. Toilets are restrooms. Etc. It seems like most british people have a hard time understanding our American slang and accents even though its really not THAT different. Classes start tomorrow, until then just getting ready and enjoying our first typical London day, foggy and rainy!