The Hug that Changed it all

Ok so first day in London. This is an epic day. Got up at 8 at Best Western showered, ate breakfast. Had to check out of the hotel at 12 so we took the 12:30 to the airport way early for a 7:40 flight right? Yes. It was really funny because there was another girl staying at the best western who is going to London – and I knew her… well sort of. She is best friends with a girl I went to gradeschool with and she lives in Atkinson NH not far from me at home. Katy. Oh the wonders of facebook that I knew she knew my friend Kaileen! Hahaha and she lives in the same building at me here Building 20. She really helped pass the time at the airport. Her, zac and I talked a lot. And when you just meet someone there is so much to talk about. Her roommate is really nice too. So yeah we wasted some time in the food court “mall” area. It was funny to see so many “aquaintences” that I know I will eventually hopefully become better friends with! Its also a weird feeling saying hi to them again like hey do you remember we had that writing class together 3 years ago – I swear I am not a stalker hahaha. No, seriously we are a great group of kids assembled. I am excited to meet and hang out with everyone when I am not half asleep. Then we went through security (stressful again… why do we have to take our shoes off again? Just to put them back on… Literally.) We waited and boarded the humungous plane! I watched Attonement and then I think I feel asleep for a while. No, I know I feel asleep for a while because my neck was all the way on my left shoulder haha not comfy. The flight food wasn’t that bad. I had chicken in like red sauce with rice. They had free wine… but I was afraid god forbid my head wasn’t in the right place with the turbulence = not good. You would not believe the bag of goodies I got from Virgin Atlantic. I got a pair of socks, an eye mask, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a pen! I dunno the small pleasures in life. When we landed the captain said that it is a nice day in London 10 degrees farenheight (to which I had no reference point of how cold it was haha) Then he added, “But its raining I am afraid” something about the nice way he apologized and genuinely didn’t want it to be raining didn’t make it seem that bad. Well we got off and we went through customs. This is funny. So if we had a visa they were telling us to say we were on internship. As I was looking at my visa I was struck with horror it said it started 08-01-08 and ended 09-09-08! I was not going to be here in August. I got Carrie, who is one of the SU abroad staff members I have the pleasure of being close to from Orangeseeds and she was like ok just tell them you didn’t look closely at the visa – you want to intern while you are here and we are working on it your visa will probably get denied but we will help you on the other end. Then 7 minutes later she came back and said it was alright because they do the dates differently… so it started jan 8^th 08- sept 9^th 08 HAHAHA funny now and I will never forget the UK does dates that way. After that we waited for what seemed like forever for our shuttles to our flats. The drive on the bus was an hour at which point while it was boring scenery I succumbed to sleep. When I woke up I woke up to what I could swear was Newberry street in Boson! It was so cute so quaint! It was a City! It was the London I had come to see. Got in checked in got the key. And I will have to say to you up until this next point I was like this is great and all but what am I doing? A bunch of my friends and family are back home and I am an ocean away! I will never get used to this! And I was uneasy. Just nervous, not even really excited. I felt like people looked at me differently – I talked differently – I didn’t have food on me – the currency is weird – I do not know my way around ( OK I never know my way around haha) but this is a city oh my god oh my god oh my god! Then I got into the flat saw my roommate Don who I had met previously and my other new roommate Nita and I immediately inquired… Where is sam? Then I saw her and attacked her with a hug and it was ok because in the back of my head I was like what am I doing? I am going to visit Sam! J She was all refreshed from doing the prequel and had many stories and pictures to tell me ( she will probably have to tell me the stories again as I have not slept in about over 24 hours but hey! ) Then she is like a loving drill sergeant she will not let me sleep till tonight and it is only 3:30 right now. hahaha. No, then we went for mobile phones which they were out of the cheapest ones so we will go back at 9 am tomorrow. With this pay as you go it is free to receive calls and outgoing calls to the US are only .05 pence a minute. Text messages are the same thing free to receive and only .05 to send. So I will have a cell tomorrow J So text me and call me because its free for me… I dunno if it is free for you hahaha BUT DO IT! I will write down the number. We ate at a little Italian sub shop where I got grilled chicken. And you know what is magnificent? They love things plain here just like me! He didn’t even offer to put lettuce or tomato or mayo on this sandwich haha. Oh and they call wheat bread brown bread… weird. We then went to the worlds smallest grocery store for such a big city. I bought two things of prepackaged chicken deli meat, orange juice, dishcloths, oatmeal raisin cookies, tomato sauce, spaghetti, a large frozen pizza, 5 bagels, and a loaf of bread for 10.40 pounds so I think that was good. It stinks because in order to cook I have to arm myself with oil and spices that I didn’t bring from home. Oh well I will get it in small quantities. The one thing I have noticed by far, London shows up the US in class. Everyone and I mean everyone is dressed nicely. Now I don’t know if that is because they are all in the city to work. But you barely see them in jeans. And basically all the women are wearing heels and walking the cobblestone sidewalks. And yes, they do drive the cars on the other side of the road and yes I have to be careful which way I look and read the signs on the ground that tell me which way to look last and the pedestrian doesn’t have the right of way cars do but besides that it’s a mini Boston! I saw Trafalgar square and picidilly circus through the bus window I already can’t wait to go back! And tonight at 445 we have a meet and greet dinner over at the hotel some kids are staying at while they find housing. And speaking of housing… its gimunctoious! Us three girls room is a very good size and the best part of our house is the look outside of it. I am living the dream I tell you and right next to the heart of a city! Alright that is all for now. You must be sick of reading haha. And I dunno how much of this makes sense haha. Sam said that the jet lag may hit me harder tomorrow so stay tuned! It still doesn’t feel real yet!

Don’t forget me, I’ll write to you soon!

Stacey