Day 1 In London

Dear Grace,

Today I woke up early because I wanted to be sure that I was ready when Colin came to pick me up to take me with him into London. The daylight is different here at this time of the year. The sun doesn't come up until 9:00, and it goes down at 4:00, so my brain is eternally confused on when I'm supposed to be sleeping.

Colin took me with him to a business meeting in London and we actually got lost for a bit looking for a gas station (they call it a "fuel stop" or a "petrol station" over here). But that turned out to be fun because Colin basically gave me a little tour of the west end of London and he was able to tell me about the different things we saw.

After that, Colin drove me to Hyde Park Gate where I finally saw my flat for the first time in real life. It's even prettier in person than the virtual street tour on Google could ever have shown me! However, once Colin had helped me climb up five stories with my luggage and hugged me goodbye, I quickly came to the realization that the flat advertised on the website was very different from the one I checked into.

To be honest, I'm too tickled about living in London to let any housing quirks bother me too much, and the things I've noticed so far just make me shake my head and laugh. Along with the Victorian plumbing, the rotting wood floors covered by the unraveling carpet, and the lack of any proper heat, the windows are as old-fashioned as you can get (beautiful, but also meaning they don't seal in any way when you shut them), and the electrical wiring is questionable at best.

For example, last night when I plugged in my electric blanket, not only did it spark and blow up my power adapter, it also left a lovely little scorch mark on the blanket!

Well anyway, after I dropped my bags off, I grabbed my adorable roommate, Betsy (left) and our friend Briana (right):

and the three of us went on our first adventure in London: grocery shopping! I was so excited to find cereal and milk at regular prices over here, as well as nutella and a few other things.

One of the best things about London is how available public transportation is. I bought what they call an oyster card, and it basically lets me use the tube and the buses anywhere I want within a certain area.

(My first time on the Tube!)

We literally spent the rest of the night last night riding buses around the city. The best part is that if you get a seat on the front of one of the double deckers, it's like riding on a ride at Disneyland!