First Night Out!

I'm so sorry for the delay in reporting back since the packing extravaganza! After many dilemmas trying to distinguish the necessary from the desired, I finally finished packing a few hours before my flight. I arrived at the airport about four hours early (the recommended amount of time from the travel agency) to a very long line of students near my age. After checking my bags and having pizza with Mom and Dad, I proceeded through security. I arrived at the gate to a very intimidating scene; about 50 college age students grouped in two rows of seats all talking like they already knew each other.

Of course, being me, I went to the other side of the gate, too nervous to join the group. I sat down across from a boy who looked to be about my age. After he asked me to watch his bags while he went to get food, I decided I would ask if he was part of IFSA Butler (the study abroad group). He looked at me like I was crazy and asked what Butler is and why everyone kept asking him if he was part of it. I explained the situation, including the fact that the entire cult of college aged students was part of my group. He convinced me that all of the others probably went to Butler University and I was the one student on the program coming from a different university. Comforting...

I also discovered he, too, was from Vanderbilt, but he graduated last year and was attending LSE for graduate school for the year... small world!

After an eight and a half hour plane ride, we arrived in London. Extremely jet lagged, I finally worked up the courage to begin meeting other students. The first two people I met were also from Vanderbilt! After an hour and a half long bus ride, bringing everyone to their accommodations, we were finally dropped off at Farringdon Road (the street where my flat is). We were greeted by some graduate residents (our for of RAs) and shown to our appropriate flats. Two other girls and I were listed for flat 10. I was ecstatic, believing the three of us had a two bed two bath flat to ourselves, until the GR announced he too was in our flat and the three of us girls would have to share one room.

We entered the room to find a bunk bed and a single bed with about one and a half feet of walking room in between. We were in shock. After about thirty minutes of reorganizing the layout of the room, we decided it was as good as it would get, and began to unpack!

We had free time until dinner, when the entire group met up at a British pub for a traditional British meal of Shepherds pie and mashed potatoes. Being too tired to go out on our first night, my roommates and I made our way back to the room and watch a movie and go to bed.

Today, we had orientation most of the day, but had plenty of time to explore London. We found our way from the west side of Bloomsbury to the east side, back to the flats on multiple occasions. This evening we had fish and chips and then went to see Avenue Q. On the way back to the flat, some of the girls and I went to a small British pub, where we met plenty of English men. The first one asked why we were drinking the disgusting "bitters" (the beer from the brewery), to which we replied, in a very American way, that we wanted the "British experience." (The Brits were drinking Japanese beers...)

That's enough for now, it's getting very late!! Sorry this is soooo long, but I wanted to give you all an update on my first days here. More orientation tomorrow, classes don't start for a couple weeks. I miss you all!!