An adventure that seems like it started this morning yet so long ago.

Some pictures taken while driving from the Airport to our House.




Well this is a day late but I didn't have internet yesterday... so here it is....

I can’t believe it really happened; that I’m really here.

We have arrived and spent our first day in London, our new home. This is crazy. As we walked the streets, learned to shop in the grocery store and learned about the tube in our new home the feeling was all too unreal. We got on a plane in Georgia, at what seemed like this morning; in all actuality this day has been going on for 48 hours.

This little adventure has already taken me on a rollercoaster, I can’t imagine what is next; from 7 am on the 26th when I could sleep no longer and hand only slept for about 4 hours, to 11 am when Brooke and I departed our apartment, to about 12 when we realized there was a time change between Birmingham and Georgia, that we had totally forgotten about, to arriving at the airport my friend driving off and me figuring out what line to get in to check in, one bag being 4 lbs over weight and me having to rearrange my packing situation, to the check-in lady losing my passport for the worst 10 (seemed a whole lot longer) minute span of my life, to meeting all my classmates/housemates/travel buddies/ new friends, and going through security with a few of them, to sitting in the airport wondering if they’d really let us take of. I think that pretty much all of my group was convinced that something was going to happen and we wouldn’t get to go, so the arrival this morning was quite an exciting time on the plane this morning. There was an hour and a half delay to taking off while sitting in the plane because of storms, an 8-hour flight that included great movies and great times but not much sleep. Then came the landing in our new home and hoping we didn’t screw something up at customs and not be allowed in. There was a 30 minute bus ride where we got to see and learn a lot about London, and mostly admire the new world surrounding us. There was the arrival the Daniel House, and walking into our new room for the first time, obviously the nice boys carried our luggage up the stairs for us at some point in this. There was an issuing of our new cell phones, and an exchange of numbers with each other. Our first meal in London, and the real fun began. We went and bought oyster cards or Tube and Bus passes, had our first shopping experience and lesson, came back and had about 30 minutes to get a few things settled in our rooms. Then off again we went. Armed with our cameras, “buddies”, oyster cards and tube maps we set off, all we knew was what line we were getting on and where we were getting off, well and where we started. We got a few blocks from the tube stop and were sent out, told to make our way back to the house by 5 for dinner, this was about an hour and a half away. That’s it, no experts, no one who has done it, just us. It was great. We walked a lot; talked a lot; saw a bunch of stuff, and random people doing random things. Sat and people watched in Leicester Square, shopped a little and bought some very cute scarves to being fitting in with the Europeans, as if our shoes didn’t give us away enough. But we did it, figured out some connections and stops we could walk between so we don’t waste tube money, and we made it back with 20 minutes to spare.
And here I am all unpacked, still debating if I’ve packed too much or too little.

It has been a great day, a long day, basically 3 wrapped into one. I think in the past 3 days I’ve slept maybe 4 to 5 hours total but I am still awake and trying to keep myself up a little while longer so I can adjust to the time change.

I love you all and I want to hear how the first days of school went and life in your world.

And yes Kristina, we were here in time for this and actually a large part of our group was at it. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070826/en_nm/britain_carnival_dc;_ylt=AiMmezVnYG7981QEC8oO9iADW7oF