So I have been in London for three days and feel quite at home. I didn't think I would adjust so quickly, but I suppose it's a good thing. Throughout the past few days we have been doing an abundance of exploring. Yesterday, Friday, we had orientation lectures all day, which proved to be very boring. Some of the policies are absolutely cracked. For example, if you are more than five minutes late to a class you are marked absent. These classes are three hours a piece, so I highly doubt that missing the first ten minutes warrants an absence, but whatever we'll just have to leave super early. We had an hour break in between the different meetings so Allie, Lia, Erin, Dana and I went to Pret A Manger for lunch. After our second lecture, the five of us walked to Kensington Palace, which is conveniently right around the corner, and Will and Kate are moving in there shortly. So I think we'll bake cookies and welcome them to the neighborhood. Then we just walked through Hyde Park. We walked to the Round Pond and around the Long Water, and saw the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. While we were walking along the water, the swans were harassing us. They were really quite frightening and literally swam at the pace of our walk and anytime we got too close to the water they did a weird little swan warning look. Either way, it was enough to keep us away from the water.
We eventually found ourselves much further from our apartment then we had originally planned. So we decided to venture further into Central London while trying to figure out the bus system. We wanted to go to High Street, but went the wrong way and ended up in Oxford Circus. When we got off the bus we all felt like we had stepped into New York City, smells included. I think it was the first time any of us felt like we were actually in a city, since where we live is so residential. We wandered around and got dinner at a restaurant called Garfunkels. We then figured out our way home through the tubes, which our stop coincidentally ended up being on High Street. We walked home and when we got back everyone on our floor was going out. However, from our day of exploration we all just wanted to sleep.
Today, we did not have any orientation stuff planned so we had the day to ourselves. I slept until 11:30 and we actually left around 2. Erin, Dana, Lia, Allie,and I went to High Street. It has loads of shops including the UK version of TJ Maxx, TK Maxx. When we were in there, Dana realized she left her straightener on, and being as how she didn't want to pay to re-build 37 Hyde Park Gate after it burned down, she walked back to turn it off. I had to go to the UPS store to try and mail my phone, so we went together. I ended up not sending it because it was 60 pounds to ship, which is absolutely absurd. We walked back to High Street, and got on a bus that took us about 10 feet from 1 stop to the next. But whatever, at least we're embracing public transportation. We just kept wandering and ended up finding this cute little square with a French Cafe in it.
We ended up get lunch at Pizza Hut, very European of us. We didn't stay out too long, and just came back and hung out. I called my Mom and Skyped with my Dad and K.C. I think we're going to go out with everyone on our floor tonight. Tomorrow we have to be up early for a Coach and Walking tour at 10 and 2. Still phoneless. See y'all later.
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