Sorry it took so long...

I didn't have internet for a bit... Definitely a different way of signing up for stuff. Took me two trips to a library that is about a mile and a half from my flat to access, but I finally got it all set up in my room! Just need to figure out how I can access the vital school e-mail stuff on this thing since it won't let me.

Hm.

But anyway. An update.

Let's start from Saturday and work our way to today, since I haven't been able to contact anyone. And this will probably be a random replacement for e-mails sometimes. So, Saturday! My birthday! After being dropped off by my wonderful friends and going to the wrong terminal (I know, I know...) I finally got to the United terminal and checked in without any problems. My suitcase was under 50 lbs... I know. Shocking for anyone who carried it or heard about it. And for those that saw my suitcase...

I packed light. Honestly. Most of the girls who gathered their bags after getting into London had at least two if not three big rolling suitcases. I definitely packed light and wish I had brought that extra one. But back to the airport. I went through security and was flagged as a random passenger that was going to be searched by hand. Definitely interesting. I was patted down and my hands were wiped and analyzed, probably for explosive residue or something like that. Not a huge deal, especially since I wasn't in a rush and my plane had gotten pushed back to 7 instead of 6. Reason?

Snow in London. Not Chicago.

Go figure.

Everyone at the airport seemed to appreciate how polite I was, which was awesome. So I went through security and all that jazz and sat around for a few hours before getting on the plane. It was kind of sad that they sent us through mega first class and then business and then we all went to the back of the plane. I sat next to some pretty cool people on an aisle seat in the middle row. There was the usual crying baby and all that and my reading light, along with the other two in my row, kept flashing on and off and being annoying. I watched a movie or so and basically read/slept throughout the entire thing. I got a bit antsy at one point but overall it wasn't bad. I'm actually looking forward to the flight back because 4 hours seems to be my limit.

Got to Heathrow and found my way around pretty well, it helped that I latched onto a few of the kids from my school. We met up with the woman who would usher us south to Canterbury, and we all piled on a coach bus and went down. It was pretty uneventful, but the town is fantastic. I will link everyone with pictures once I actually get some. Of course, it's been snowing so I feel like I'm at home most of the time. Ha. We unpacked and basically crashed, hanging around one another's flats or walking around randomly.

Monday was orientation and the general stuff for that. Nothing real exciting but I picked my classes. Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday is Victorian Lit (I'm the only American) and American Lit (One of two Americans) and then Wednesday is British History (all Americans) and Modern Britain (All Americans and a handful of Brits). The classes have been awesome and I only got a little lost attempting to find the library. It's a lot of walking and my ankles hurt a little since I'm so used to my ten minute walks on campus back home.

Classes are awesome and my professors are fantastic. Food is odd at points and finding something I like is a bit harder than I imagined. I'm getting used to the money deal but have ended up with a TON of change in my pocket. Everything under 5 pounds is changed into coins... so I have a lot of those. I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow but it is hard to find food that isn't going to spoil in a few days since there are no preservatives. I'm getting the hang of everything though and will probably go wander around the town and maybe shop or do something cool this weekend.

My flat is pretty decent. About six of us, including me and another American and we all share a living room/kitchen deal. They're kind of loud but I feel more like a guest than anything considering how short of a time I will be here. They seem nice enough although I haven't really gotten a chance to check them out and talk to them quite yet. Everyone is actually really nice. Most of them if not all are getting ready to go out since Mondays and Wednesdays are party nights apparently. No thanks. At least not this week and my first night with internet. Limited conversations on text (meaning one or two every few days) has not been fun and I feel a lot more relaxed with internet. Now just to figure out how to work the wireless on campus and I'll be set... especially for those long hours between classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

So yeah :] Found the tattoo parlor so I'm set. I dunno if I'll get a tattoo out here, but I think it could be fun once the weather warms up. Not quite sure what yet, but probably something that has to do with this trip, probably.

Not much else at this point. I'll probably post more once we actually start doing stuff. There are a few field trips that we are going on as a group, as well as other trips I can sign up for with tour guides that are actually really cheap. So I'll probably do those too once I get a free Friday open.

Woo.

Love you all and miss you <3
-Sam