Arrived!

Greetings from the UK! 

I arrived safely in London this morning and had a jam-packed day as I began to settle in. Eric and I took a taxi from Heathrow because we simply had too much luggage to even attempt public transportation, and arrived shortly at our dorm, Dinwiddy House. Although it is an old building, it is pretty nice, and I have my own room and bathroom, which is great. It's a little barren right now, but I'm hoping to fix that soon. 

Eric and I had a tiring afternoon as we walked around the neighborhood looking for the most important items of the day: towels and bedding. We went to probably the most stressful store I have ever been to: Argo's. Basically, you walk into the store and search through binders and computer databases of products, write down the pin number, and bring it to the desk where you pay and pick up your items. It was nice because I was able to get a lot of different things I needed, but quite stressful because I had literally no idea what I was doing. I don't think I've ever seen a store like that in the U.S.! 

It was fun walking around the neighborhood, and there is definitely a bunch of stuff to do. And I got my first picture of the trip! Quite appropriate, if you ask me:

After taking a quick nap so that I could make it past 7pm, Eric and I went to dinner at a small cafe called Thyme. It was fun walking around the neighborhood on a Saturday night; it seems like a pretty lively neighborhood.

I felt a little strange being here today because nothing in my program has really started yet, and I don't know anyone here besides Eric. I'm nervous about being in a new country for so long, but I know I will gain a lot from the experience. I miss home so much already - especially my family, as break was far too short - but Skype and FaceTime help me feel better. I'm sure with each day I will become more and more comfortable with my new surroundings, or at least I hope.

Tomorrow is a big day - orientation! I will be picking my classes, seeing the main campus of SOAS, and meeting the other new international students. Wish me luck!

Cheers (someone already said that to me - it was awesome)!