I Love Free Things...

Like bus tours for instance. Maybe a nice quick boat tour, too. That's what my day was like. I believe I saw everything touristy today.

I saw some guards at Prince Charles office cause he was doing some filing there I'm assuming. I saw the Parliament building, London Eye, Big Ben, Regents Park, River Thames, Tate Modern, The BBC building. All the good stuff. And then I saw the Quebec Embassy and felt the urge to knock on their door and tell them even though they think they're cooler cause they have TWO native languages, they are not, in fact, a separate entity from Canada. Trust me Quebec, I live 45 minutes from you, the stamps say Canada.

Met some new friends and am excited to say: Yes, we're going to Paris and Versailles but my bum is not leaving that country until we finish our trip to Disneyland! It best not rain either or I'm pretty sure we'll all cry.

Also, I'm going to Bath and Stonehenge as well as Dublin at some point and maybe Barcelona. I'm working on it but I have found some trips that look appealing I just need to figure out if the price is right. Especially since traveling is really the only thing I want to do here, well and take pictures at the markets and go to a pub. This reminds me, I did win a pint today on the tour and could have shared it with the Australian guy who runs the program here and the tour guide but I thought that would be a bit odd.

I did order a Student Oystercard though even if it's awkward for me to get mail here but it will save me heaps of money in the long run, and I can use all the help I can get. I've already decided that unless it's of dire importance or something that is only purchasable once in a lifetime I am only buying a couple postcards each place I go. I just can't afford it to be honest.

I had the greatest hot chocolate ever today too, it tasted like someone heated up ice cream.

That's all I can remember for now, off to bed! Trip planning tomorrow with Kelly and Amanda. Yay, DISNEYLAND HERE I COME!!!

New Mates

Salutations

I had my very first day of orientation today and I met some wonderful people staying at the Nido flats whom I will hopefully be gallivanting with around the area and maybe a little farther. (Apparently there is a proper way to spell gallivanting)

It's weird seeing all this alcohol everywhere I turn and knowing I can just pick it up and buy it...I haven't, I promise but I definitely found the concept strange. Also, there was a pretty big consensus that we won't feel like we're in London until we see Big Ben or the London Eye.

I've been eating my veggies and whatever is put in front of me, I also have a stash of drinks under the bed in case I'm thirsty in the middle of the night. I'm working on finding the perfect snack for the same reason but I have yet to get to a real Tesco, I've only found an express but maybe I'll stop at the Waitrose tomorrow and see what's what.

I am within a 2 minute walk of the Arsenal football stadium and a 2 second one from the Arsenal Underground stop. We're planning on taking in a game this semester just because, when in London... On Thursday we have a bus tour of London and you'll get a lot more photos to look at of my adventures but I haven't taken any since the plane, sorry, too busy exploring.

Au Revoir.

Zombie Entry aka Shawn of the Dead

Between trying to stay awake and remember I am not at home I keep trying to think of things I need to do tomorrow. The main thing is get a mobile to use while I'm here because mine sucks and everyone knows it.

I'm so tired....

I got through customs and everything all right but I when I got to the passport place I told them I was a student and all that fun stuff and I was supposed to get a Student Visitor's Visa that had some cost of close to 70pounds. Apparently this is false and all they do is stamp your passport and write the word Visa (illegibly) near the top.... If it means saving money I'm all for it, I just hope I'm allowed outside the country.

4 months of London and they just installed a system where you pay a little over a pound or so and you get a bike for an entire day. How cool is that, I can rent a bike and tour London for a pound instead of taking the Underground or a bus or whatever. GENIUS!

I love London more than NYC, there I said it. It's got so much more history and it's so much less daunting. Plus, the boys are cuter and they have accents.

Dear Lord, when 7 o'clock comes around I am putting on my flannels, heavy socks and crawling into this bed to be in a horizontal position for 13.5 hours straight. That's the plan and if I wake up before hand I will cry multiple rivers...and an ocean.

Okay, while this has been slightly distracting I'm going to wrap this up cause I'm too tired to type more and it's probably a horrendous entry. The pictures I took on the plane will be up here soon. I hope.

G'day.

Flight

So, as I take photos of the sun coming up outside the plane I think to myself, “Self, how beautiful is that and how crazy is it that you can leave one place in the middle of the night and be somewhere completely new and wonderful with a whole day ahead of you?” Well, ladies and gents, it’s outrageous.

Now I have to remind myself not to stare into the sun as I try to capture the brilliance that is sunrise at a mile high.

This entry and those to come are hopefully going to sound slightly more thought out than the previous ones because I want to look back at this and not cringe at how awkward I was or how terribly these were written.

I am going to continue this flight without the blissful distraction of sleep, watch the sunrise, contemplate whether what they served me really was chicken and not a very mutant cousin, and pretend that as I am writing this sentence the plane isn’t shaking like we’re about to meet a very unfortunate end… I imagine landing early and breezing through customs like it’s my job and obtaining my visa like I own the damn country. I see myself arriving at my host family’s home to find a cat who wants my affection and perfect weather conditions to go shopping for everything I need.

While I had my obligatory thoughts of canceling this whole thing and staying home in the comfort of my bed I am glad I took this leap of freedom. To be on my own, surrounded not only by the history of England but of all Europe, is a fantastic opportunity that most people never get the chance to explore. As always when I leave home for periods of time I know I’ll only appreciate it more upon return.
But for realz, this turbulence is kind of bugging me, come on people I’m trying to type here. Geez.

Ah, my In-Flight Movie Review:
Easy A- Meh, I could have lived without it but it was cute and I did like the ending because I’ve often wished for a Lloyd.

Eat Pray Love- Good, inspired me to return to Rome and made me want to travel for the rest of my life even if I can’t sleep on planes anymore.

That’s all I have for you lovely followers today…tonight? Whatever.

(Seriously, this turbulence is bringing back memories of bus rides home from Westford with the way it’s tossing my stomach around.)