Safe and Sound- Across the Pond

Well I'm here- in london. I believe it's about 5am US time. I believe it's about noon UK time. Honestly I'm not entirely sure about either of those statements, but I'm trying my best to get acclimated to being here. It all happened very very fast. And just as I suspected, I felt rejuvenated and ecstatic the minute we landed at Gatwick. Customs and security weren't bad at all- I'm guessing because Gatwick is a smaller airport...? than say Heathrow.

My room is pretty much what I expected, though the bed appears more comfortable than I thought it would be. There is a nice little fridge in the room. I've unpacked and I don't think I have anything to do until 5 pm. I'm debating on whether or not I want to go out and about on my own to try to find some things-- like a hairdryer.

And it looks like my adaptor for my laptop isn't going to work. The laptop has a three-pronged electrical cord and my adaptors only have spaces for two...so I'm using the battery right now and I don't know how long this will last me. HOpefully I can find out from someone if it's okay to just plug in the two prongs into the adaptor...(which I doubt is OK) or if I need to go buy another adaptor. Either way is fine with me. I'm just thrilled to be here. The London Eye can be seen from the front of the dorms...where I must go out to the sidewalk to smoke since the UK went smoke-free just 5 days before I got here. I'm not really that worried about it though- I imagine it will be just like being in Ohio...for smokers anyways.

People here aren't very happy with the smoking-ban situation. The first conversation I had with a local (while standing outside the airport in a clearly marked 10foot by 10foot area designated for us) touched on the following topics: immigration, terrorism, visiting Poland (which is apparently much better than the UK) and how human rights are being violated with the smoking-ban. So really it's not that different here. hahaha!

I'll post some picture soonish of the various things I've encountered thus far. My blogging was just interrupted by a classmate who wants to try to find groceries before our "tour" at 5. So...I'm off to find groceries! Right now the plan for blogging is to write in notepad, save to flash disk, upload to blog in the student computer center until I get my laptop electrical outlet situation figured out.

So here I go!!! (My mouth hurts from smiling already.)
:o)

And now to continue from the PAWS (Public Access Workstation) computer lab:
A girl I met has kindly lent me her adaptor so i should be able to type properly on my laptop now, while it's plugged in in the dorm. Biggest problem so far? Feeling disconnected from the internet. How did I ever survive without wireless?! It's insane. I feel so behind just because I haven't checked my google reader.

I've changed my shoes 4 times since i got here. I bought a cell phone, which is a crazy cobalt-blue color. I also bought some groceries and CRUMPETS! Oh they're so good and mushy and wonderful. I'm still fighting the urge to eat Hob-Nobs, as I can easily down a sleeve of those tasty cookies in less than five minutes.

Our locale seems nice enough-- there's a pub I've eyed already called Hole in the Wall which is within walking distance. The people in my program seem nice...but there are a lot of younger people here too. I find myself looking around to see who I'll most likely end up hanging out with...but right now it's hard to tell.

At five tonight we're going on a brief walking tour with our professors, so we know where things are, etc. I don't know if that will include dinner or what. I've already had 2 lattes since i've been here. Why do I love it here so much? The only thing that's irritated me thus far is the enormous Imax theatre that Ford sponsors. it's this enormous hideous building with a huge picture of a Ford truck on it.

Okay I realize this is disjointed. I think I'm going on about 4 hours of sleep and my gut is rumbling. Tomorrow will be better. Right now I'm just overwhelmed, exhausted, and ready to get going and settle in at the same time. Gotta love changing time zones! More to come.