Slideshow!

So, I've finally figured out how to put videos on here!

Here is a slideshow of pictures that I have taken in the first 3-4 weeks of the trip.

I haven't been able to post many on here, so here is a chance to take a more detailed look into my trip!

So much to catch up on...

I've been MIA lately regarding this blog...and I have a lot to catch up on!

The last time I blogged I mentioned the festival for St. George's Day we attended, and that was almost a week ago! This week has been filled with fun, including my birthday!

Tuesday we had class at the National Gallery in the morning which was an amazing experience.

The National Gallery, right next to Trafalgar Square.

It is an enormous gallery that is filled with classic paintings by artists such as Van Gogh, Monet, and Degas. We had to make sketches of a variety of paintings and then come up with ways to represent them in our own ways. My final project for this week I've chosen to use a painting with three ballerinas by Edgar Degas, and change it to make a collage of three hip hop dancers with graffiti in the background cut out of newspapers and magazines. I think the longer I'm here, the more artsy I've become :)

After class, I went off on my own to wander around the British Museum for a second time. When we were there for class, we only had a little bit of time, and I wanted to go back to wander through some more exhibits between classes. Luckily, our classroom building is right down the street, so it was easy to do. While I was there, I came across the Rosetta Stone. It was crazy to see it in person...I remember learning about it in school. Here are some other pictures I took from the Egyptian, Roman, and Greek exhibitions:

The Rosetta Stone!

Inside of the British Museum.

Wednesday, was my birthday! We didn't do much during the day, but at night we went and saw a show by the music group "Tango Siempre". It was a really impressive show, filled with tango music, dancers and a singer. They were amazing musicians, and I was so intrigued by the dancers. The female wore exceptionally high heels and sparkly dresses, and by the end of the show I was dreaming of becoming a tango dancer. She was just THAT good.

After the show, we attempted to find a pub to say "cheers" at for my birthday, but it was getting late. We ended up buying a big brownie cake from the grocery store, and eating it back at the apartment. It was the perfect end to my 20th birthday in London. Being in London was the only present I needed, and I don't know how my birthday will ever be topped!

All of the girls after the show on my birthday!

Today, we spent the day in class, but tomorrow everyone is thinking of heading to the Tower of London to take a tour. I already did this with my family, but we weren't able to see everything, so I'm planning on going back with the group. Then on Monday we will possibly be taking a trip to Stonehenge! Now that I'm caught up on days, I will hopefully be able to keep up from now on!

St. George's Day!

Today, although not as eventful as yesterday, was certainly filled with fun!

We headed back down toward Trafalgar Square to celebrate St. George's Day at the Rhythm of London music festival!

The Square was filled with people just like it had been when we were there for Holland's Queen's Day Celebration, but it was a much more mellow crowd this time. It was definitely filled with its share of characters though, and the performers were AMAZING.

First, we saw the Hounslow Wind Band which was a bunch of kids under around the age of 13 and 14 perform some swing tunes and they were very impressive. Then, it was our favorite part of the day, when three different performers that competed in the Busking Underground competition each took a turn onstage.

Busking is the type of performing that takes place in the underground stations here in London, for tips! First we saw Chris Read, who was not only an awesome singer, but also drop dead gorgeous. We were lucky enough to have him walk right behind us to meet up with friends, but we weren't brave enough to approach him! Oh well...

After Chris, two teenaged boys named Kieran and Patrick sang a couple of songs, and then the winner of the Busking Underground competition named Jamie West performed who was also good as well. After these guys performed, we saw the Royal Academy of Music and Players' Theatre perform different songs from musical theatre and it was really entertaining! The crowd got really into it, and even sang along.

Here is the link to Youtube, where I posted a compilation of some of the performances:

St. George's Festival!

To make the day complete, we were approached by a British man who started off his sentence with, "Well, you girls are obviously British..." before we cut him off with a, "Um, sorry, no!" He seemed surprised to find out we were from the States, and we squealed in excitement at being mistaken for real Brits. It was great, and we all had this awesome feeling of just belonging here.

Here are the some pictures from the day:

The view as we walked toward the stage.

The view behind us and the National Gallery.

The beautiful Chris Read...

And his beautiful smile!! haha

Shopping and Walking

Today was, yet again, an immensely enjoyable day in London town!

We started off with a trip to Primark. Also now known as "Clothes Heaven". I am not exaggerating. Picture an H&M, or really young version of Macy's, with well-made clothes and shockingly low prices. Add in crazed shoppers and lines to try on clothes winding throughout the two-story building, and you have Primark.

I bought a pair of jeans today for 8 pounds. That's equivalent to 12 US dollars. Not only did I get these amazingly low prices, but I bought everything without trying it all on. The lines were too long, and we were too short on time. What adds to my love of this store, is that when I got back to the flat, every single item I purchased, fit. That just doesn't happen.

Not only did I buy a pair of jeans, but I also walked away with two shirts, a dress, a big black belt, and a long silver necklace that all fit perfectly, for 37 pounds. This discovery of Primark has now become the highlight of possibly my entire week. I will definitely be going back.

After this exhilarating shopping experience, we headed to a souvenir shop next door, and I refrained from buying anything I really didn't need. We then headed down on a path that led us past the Marble Arch, around the edge of Hyde Park, past Buckingham Palace, and ending on a street that was lined with British flags. It was the quintessential "day in London" and I loved every minute of it.

Here are some pictures from my day:

Me in front of the Marble Arch!

Beautiful Buckingham Palace with amazing flowers on the edge of Green Park.

Posing with the British Flags that lined the street away from Buckingham Palace.

At the end of our walk, right before we took the Tube back home.

Next up: St. George's Day celebration in Trafalgar Square on Saturday!

Horses, Hives, and Hyde Park!

(This was written on Wednesday, but due to video problems wasn't posted until Thursday)

Well, it's been a few days since I've updated, and there is A LOT to catch up on. Most of which has taken place today!

Tuesday we had art class at the British Museum. This is the oldest public museum in the world, and is very impressive. Due to time constraints we didn't make it through much of the exhibits, but we are definitely going to be heading back! I'll tell more about this museum after we explore it a bit more.

After classes on Tuesday, we went and bought some cd's that are only popular in England right now! So they count not only as new music, but also souvenirs! The cd prices over here are pretty reasonable, and we went a little crazy in the massive store!

Today, is where the real fun begins. Well, about half of it was fun. I'll start off with the bad...I was able to experience the British medical system today for my allergy shots that I am trying to keep up with while I'm away. This wasn't the bad part, in fact the overall experience was really easy and smooth. Unfortunately since it has been about a month since I've had a shot, my body wasn't so happy with getting injected today and I broke out in hives and gained a wheezing cough for about two hours after the appointment. Luckily, I had Benadryl on hand, and was able to get it under control relatively quickly. Now, while under a Benadryl-induced stupor, at least I know I'm not dying! There's nothing quite like panicking about breathing while in a foreign country. Hopefully this will be the first and last time it happens while I'm here!

Now, that was the bad. Don't worry, there was so much more good!

We woke up and headed toward Hyde Park around 10 am this morning to go and see the Queen's Birthday Salute! Every year there are cannons blown off in the park in honor of the queen and it is open to the public to view. We got there plenty early, and were able to get a pretty good spot in the open field right next to the ropes and the band!

After the band, came the horses! So many horses! They galloped at full speed toward the set up area pulling the cannons and ammunition. From there, everything was set up, and then came the rounds of firing that was absolutely unbelievable! Here's a link to a video I shot and put together on Youtube compiling all of the footage I got from the salute:

Queen's Birthday Salute

It was awesome, and I'm so glad we made it there! After that, we took a walk through Hyde Park and ran into some beautiful places, ending up with the famous Peter Pan statue! Here are some pictures of what we came across:

Beautiful walkway around the water.

Huge open grass area where Jenna and I decided to get some sun. A park worker came up to us demanding 1.50 and we decided it was more fun to LOOK at the chairs, not actually sit in them. At least we got a picture.

Myself and the famous Peter Pan statue!

Overall it was a really fun day, ignoring the allergic reaction and night filled with Benadryl! Tomorrow is full of classes, Friday has been set aside for shopping at discount shops to get some cute British clothing, and this weekend we may be heading for a day trip to Stonehenge! Nothing is set in stone though, so I will try to keep this blog updated as fast as I can throughout the weekend.

Best Day Yet

Yesterday was by far the most enjoyable day I have had in London thus far. Why? Because it was just so full of random bits of awesome.

It started normal enough, with a matinee performance of the Mark Morris Dance Group performing at the London Coliseum. The show was a mix of opera, orchestra, and dance. It was really enjoyable, and the dancers were absolutely phenomenal!

After the show, we decided to search the theatre district to find discount tickets for a play called "Private Lives" featuring Kim Cattrall from Sex and the City...alas, they were all sold out. We have to see another show in addition the shows the professors have lined up for us, and we're all at a loss of what to see. All of the big musicals are expensive, but we're leaning toward seeing "Thriller", a musical set to Michael Jackson songs.

After we were turned down at the half-price ticket booth, we set out to find the actual theater that the "Private Lives" is shown at. Along the way, we stumbled across this scene:

We had managed to walk right into the Queens Day festival of Holland!!!

Confused? Yep, we were too. Luckily, we talked to some vendors and found out that every year in Amsterdam there is a celebration of Holland's Queen's birthday, and then the next day they bring the celebration to London and party on Trafalgar Square!

Still confused? We were too. But we just decided to go with it, listen to some good music, and of course, buy an obnoxiously orange t-shirt that said...

CAN'T DUTCH THIS!

After we wandered around the festival for awhile, we decided to make the trek down toward Big Ben again to get some pictures in the daylight. Of course, I forgot my camera, so I'll be heading down there again! By this time, it was getting dark and we had to get back to the flat. After walking for awhile, we got on the tube and took one stop down before realizing that the line we needed was closed down. For the entire weekend.

This was our reaction...

Obviously, the sunglasses on the underground were necessary.

We then had to find a bus that would take us, and then had to walk from the closest stop to our flat...which was a mile away. What should have taken us about 45 minutes to get home took us almost 2 hours.

It was just so much fun though. As we walked through the city, we realized wearing the bright orange shirts was a symbol for being from Holland and we had quite a few people come up to us and ask us "Are you Dutch?" Giggling, we would say no, and it would become obvious we were American and they would smile and walk away shaking their heads. Add in the amount of posing with statues and skipping down the sidewalks, and it was obvious we were having the time of our lives.

It was carefree, it was unexpected, and it was a total and complete blast. I'm so glad I'm here, and I'm so glad I've met these girls.

Sick in London

Well, we've been through being in London, learning in London, and now we've come to "Sick in London".

In my previous post I mentioned how I was either suffering from a major allergy attack or the onset of a cold. Seems I was correct with the cold hypothesis. Yesterday my ears were so full I had trouble hearing people speak, and by this morning my nose was completely stuffed up.

The good news? I'm in London.

I find myself not caring as much about being sick as I do when I'm home. We have so much to do, and we're constantly so busy walking from location to location all around the city I don't have have much time to think about how sick I feel. At home I have a tendency to focus on feeling sick, which only makes me feel worse. When it's only a cold, there is no point on dwelling on the obvious. I'm stuffy, I'm tired, I'm irritable. Get over it, kid.

Maybe it's part of the growing-up process I can see starting. I've already been forced to be more mature than I ever have had to be before. I'm cooking for myself. (Sure, there was the incident where I put a pizza in the oven on a piece of styrofoam because I thought that wasn't included on the 'remove all packaging' part of the instructions. And the time where I burned myself on a hot pan because I forgot it was just in 300 degree heat. But those are just minor setbacks.) I'm cleaning for myself. Finding my way around a foreign city. And now I'm dealing with being sick by myself.

Thank goodness it's just a cold, or I would have been calling home and complaining to my mom in a much shorter amount of time. At least this time I waited. A day...but still that's pretty impressive for me!

Besides my sickness, today was a really fun day. We had discussion about the play we saw the night before, called "The Real Thing". I wasn't too fond of this show, mostly because it was heavy on elaborate dialogue, and was kind of hard to follow. After discussion this morning though, I definitely appreciated it more as I saw how deep Tom Stoppard intended it to be when he wrote it. I also left with my first paper from the show last week with the words "Excellently written paper -Lincoln" on the bottom . No grade. I think I love taking classes in London.

We ate lunch after theatre class at a cute pub called St. Brides Tavern. The owner was adorable and I'm sure she loved having 7 of us handing her cash at the end of our meal! After the delicious meal Kristen and I headed off to the Tate Modern again to finish up our art assignment. We spent a good amount of time wandering through the galleries, and it was nice to actually appreciate the art at our own speed.

Here are some pictures I took in the museum:

"Waterlilies" by Claude Monet. I was in complete shock and awe to see this in person!

My favorite: "Almanac" by Robert Rauschenberg

Second favorite. I just loved the color and the message.

"Girl in a Chemise" by Pablo Picasso. Can't really believe I saw this in person!

Hopefully this weekend I can rest up, get healthy, and get ready for another great week in London! I've been busy booking trips online, and May is going to be a big month of traveling. May 7-9th I am jetting off to Rome, and then the weekend after that I will be in Paris. It still sounds like a dream to me, and I have to mentally give myself a pinch to constantly remind myself that this is my life.

More on my trips in coming posts!

Learning in London

I don't think any of my blog posts have included the reason I'm actually here! That would be school, not vacation. (All of us on the trip forget this on a daily basis, too.)

We're lucky enough to have a really relaxed schedule with professors whose focus is on us experiencing London, not sitting in a classroom every day. This makes for about 2-3 days of the week spent in class while the other 5 are open to traveling and exploring London itself.

So, Monday we didn't have class so we spent it doing a very touristy thing...eating lunch at a restaurant called Ye Old Cheshire Cheese. It's a classic restaurant that serves real British food, such as fish and chips and bangers and mash. I got a chicken salad, and you'll understand when you scroll down and see what bangers and mash look like.

It was delicious though, and we sat at the iconic table that Charles Dickens always sat at when he ate there. That alone made the price worth it :)

Tuesday was a day full of classes. And when I say "full", that term should be taken lightly. We started off our day at the Tate Modern Museum of Art for our collage art class. The museum was enormous and we barely saw a quarter of it. We will definitely be going back, especially after realizing that much of Pablo Picasso's work is kept there. I never thought I would see a Picasso or Matisse in person!

After the museum, the rest of the group headed off to the FSU classrooms for a music class I'm not enrolled in, and I met up with them after lunch for our writing class. It was an interesting class about the differences between the way men and women are advertised in travel guides. We have to journal about experiences we have with food and touristy sites in the city, and this gave us another perspective to look at. After, we went to Oxford Street (think a busy street in NYC) where we purchased Belgian waffles, covered in chocolate and whipped cream. My body died a little after I ate it all, but it was so unbelievably worth it.

Today, I was hit with either a massive allergy attack (think itchy eyes, stuffy/runny nose, sore throat) or the beginning of a cold plus mild allergies. Only time will tell. Either way, I was content staying in the flat and getting all of my homework and laundry done while constantly sneezing and clearing my throat. My friend Kristen decided to keep me company, which is either a really nice or really stupid gesture, depending on whether I have a cold or just allergies. I'll take what I can get though :)

Tomorrow I have my speaking class and then we're headed over to the Old Vic theater to see "The Real Thing". I don't know much about it yet, but hopefully it's a good one! It's supposed to be much more serious than "London Assurance", but it's very popular. I'm keeping my fingers crossed my head isn't so stuffed up tomorrow, but I'll just have to suffer through it if it is. I'm not missing another night of London theater for anything!

Pictures from the last couple of days...

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese restaurant where two girls had...

BANGERS AND MASH!

Tate Modern...not the most attractive museum from the outside, but is filled with amazing pieces!

Delicious artery clogger...Belgian waffle covered in milk chocolate and whipped cream.

Two of my roommates enjoying these waffles immensely.

Being Tourists

Yesterday was exhausting, but very enjoyable, and even educational. We visited the Natural History Museum that is absolutely gorgeous. It was so large though, that we only got through half of it in 3 hours, so we'll definitely be going back!

Here are some pictures from the museum:

Dinosaur right when you walk in the museum!

Me posing with a stuffed tiger!

The beautiful outside of the Natural History Museum

Then, today started off with a bang. Or should I say, lack thereof. We all leisurely woke up around 9 or 10 am to find out that our lights didn't turn on. To add to that wonderful news, we turned on the faucet in the kitchen, and realized the water didn't work. Because we had no power, we had no Internet connection, and therefore felt disconnected from the world.

We all sat around in the upstairs flat staring at the wall and talking about random things for 3 hours before the electricity finally came back on. It took an hour for the water to come back, and when it did it spontaneously would spurt from the faucet with such a force we would get a premature shower.

It was an interesting morning/afternoon.

We made up for it though, by walking down the Thames River as the sun began to set after dinner. We started up by Saint Paul's Cathedral, walked over Millennium Bridge that was a spot in the sixth Harry Potter movie (think opening Dementor scene). After that we spotted the Globe Theater which we will be visiting in a couple of weeks (and will be seeing A Midsummer's Night Dream, no less) and from there started down the Thames Path leading directly next to the river toward the London Eye. We finished our journey here (when our fingers were numb and our hair was sufficiently windswept) with pictures of the Eye, Big Ben, and Parliament. We hopped on the Tube back, and felt like real London-ers :)

It was so overwhelmingly beautiful, that I just felt like I was floating the entire time we walked down the river. It just really hit me how lucky I am.

Here are some pictures from our journey tonight:

Me standing on Millennium Bridge with Tower Bridge off in the distance.

The re-constructed Globe Theater.

I don't think this picture needs an explanation!

Taking the Tube back home...

Being Adventurous

Yesterday was quite a milestone for me! I not only went to an indian restaurant for lunch, but a japanese restaurant/bar for dessert and a drink at night! This would normally be so far out of my comfort zone that I wouldn't even walk in, let alone eat there!

And shocker...I ENJOYED IT!

We had a theatre discussion class in the morning, and on the way back the three girls I was with decided to try a restaurant called Ghandi, where they advertised a 7.95 (pound) lunch special with three courses. Trying to stay open minded, I agreed, and we walked into a dimly lit, but very fancy indian restaurant. We sat down, and we ordered our three courses, and I ended up getting some sort of fried onion as an appetizer, chicken curry with rice as a main course, and vanilla ice cream as my dessert. The appetizer was...interesting. Not horrible, but not my favorite! I was pleasantly surprised when my chicken curry came out that not only was it delicious, but it was even better to mix it with the rice! People that know me, know that I don't mix food...I know, I'm really a 5 year old child.

Of course the ice cream was good, and I left the restaurant very satisfied. Not just because it was a good meal but because I was so proud of myself for trying (and liking) indian food! Then, last night we went to a local japanese cafe/bar for a drink where I had my first glass of wine in a public place in London (which was very good) and tried some japanese spring rolls (another huge accomplishment for me).

All in all, I am very impressed with myself. I told myself I would be adventurous and try the different types of food in London, but I wasn't sure if I would actually go through with that promise. I'm happy I did though, because it's just one way I think I'm growing up while being here. Even though I've only been here a week, I can see myself changing already.

Am I Really In London?

I think it might have finally hit me tonight that I'm in London.

The day started out ordinary enough, with a trip to a large art supply store to get materials for the collage class I am enrolled in. It was quite a walk, and fortunately for me, I was able to relax in the flat while everyone else walked a mile in the opposite direction to get to class at 2. It just so happened it was the one class I didn't sign up for! It was nice to relax and shower at my leisure, so when everyone came back I was ready to head out and hit the town and watch some great British theatre.

Our first theatre experience was set for tonight, and we met our professors outside of the FSU Study Centre to walk to the London National Theater together.

As I walked through the British theater district, staring at the cute shops and elaborate theaters in awe, I thought to myself, "Wow. Am I really in London right now?"

We came to the National Theater and it was very modern looking on the outside. It holds three theaters, and we were lucky enough to see "London Assurance" in the Olivier Theater. "London Assurance" is a classic play that was written in 1841 by Dion Boucicault. While this sounds like it would be stuffy, it was the complete opposite. The two main characters Sir Harcourt and Lady Spanker almost had us all in tears as we laughed throughout the entire show. It seemed modern, and I was surprised to find how old it was. I would definitely recommend it, especially to people who love a good romantic comedy.

It was an especially great show, because two of the actors are famous in the US. The actor that played Lady Spanker is named Fiona Shaw and she plays Mrs. Dursley in all of the Harry Potter movies! Another actor known in the US was Mark Addy who played Max Harkaway and is best known for his roles in "A Knights Tale" and as the dad in the TV show "Still Standing" that was on CBS!

It was just an amazing show, and as we walked out into the surprisingly warm evening and looked to our left as we walked back over the Thames, I saw Big Ben, Parliament, and the London Eye all lit up. It was at that moment that I thought to myself, "Wow. I'm really in London."

And I plan to make the most of it!

All Alone and Surviving on London Food!

This morning, my family jetted off to Rome. I spent last night with them eating at Hard Rock Cafe and getting lost in the city...pretty fitting for the last Csaszar-family outing for 9 weeks! I said good-bye to them on a tube platform, gave them hugs, and got on the train. As the train pulled away, I didn't look up to see if they were looking at me, and tears started to form. In the blink of an eye, the platform was gone, along with my family, and I was literally alone in London.

The tears that welled up in my eyes never actually fell down my cheek. After a couple of minutes of hard blinking and avoiding eye contact with the London residents I was sitting next to, my eyes were suddenly dry. I felt exhausted...but relaxed. In a way, I think having my family there was kind of holding me back. Don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of having them here. But the balance of family, new friends, and new city was very difficult, and it was hard to wrap my head around moving to Europe by myself, but also seeing my family every day for the first weekend I was there.

I know they couldn't come any other time though, so I'm happy they could at least visit, and I don't regret any time I spent with them. My flat-mates and I are getting along really well. Myself and the two other girls kind of have free reign of the apartment, because the two guys that are staying here too have a separate bathroom and bedroom with their own desks. The girls room is pretty crammed, so we do our hair out in the family room (because our room and bathroom doesn't have outlets) , our homework (the one assignment we've had so far at least!) in the family room, and cook our meals in the kitchen.

Speaking of food, we made our first (and second) trips to the local grocery school called Budgens that's a few blocks away from our apartment. It's pretty small, but I managed to find the bare essentials. So far I haven't cooked a REAL meal for myself, but peanut butter, salad, and fruit salad has been good enough for now. One of the girls I live with used a frying pan to make zucchini today, and I was amazed. I obviously have things to learn.

Today, we went on a bus tour of pretty much all of central London, and it kind of helped us to get our bearings. It was really enjoyable, and the tour guide was adorable, always calling us "love" or "deary". After that, we hooked up our international phones, so we can now reach each other and don't constantly have to travel in a huge group for fear of someone getting lost. After that, we had an orientation at the Florida State Centre where we will be using the library, student lounge, and classrooms for our in-class lessons. It was another exhausting day of walking, (probably about 5 miles all together!), but we're about to head up to Budgens to reward ourselves with a chocolate bar. Hey, I may have started a new life in London, but I'm still a choc-aholic :)

Here are some pictures from out of the bus window:

Tower Bridge

Cool art made out of umbrellas!

Parliament and Big Ben off in the distance!

All Moved In!!

I've officially moved in to the flat...I guess we're all official London-er's now?

I've pretty much become adjusted to the time difference, but I'm still exhausted at the end of each day, partly because my family is here visiting.

Yep, my mom, dad, and sister hopped on a plane the day after I left and flew to London...odd, I know. My sister's spring break happened to fall on the same week I moved here. So, against everything my parents stand for, they booked tickets last-minute through a travel agent and are now here in London for 4 days and then they're heading to Rome for 3. My parents are definitely not the types to fly "across the pond" to meet their daughter who is studying there for 9 weeks, but for some reason they did! It's really nice they're here, but definitely strange!

So far, I've seen the Tower of London, gone on a Jack the Ripper tour, eaten at two pubs, gone grocery shopping at a little London market, and made a late-night run back to the market that ultimately ended with the store being closed but made for some laughs along the way.

My London life has so far been great...although it's only the first weekend and classes haven't started, I am so excited to really settle in to this fabulous city. My parents are leaving Tuesday which will be sort of bittersweet. It will be nice because I can finally settle into my real life here, and not feel like it's just one big vacation. It will be sad though, knowing that not only will I not be able to see them for 9 weeks, but we're not in the same state, let alone the same continent!

There are definitely some characters on this trip with me, and I can already tell I'm going to have the time of my life with them. They're people I'll have a connection with for the rest of college, and probably for the rest of my life. I won't lie and say I haven't felt nervous, or some anxiety about living with virtual strangers, but just the way I've been able to talk to all of them, and learn more about each of them in the short time I've been here makes me feel better.

There will be hard times, I know this. But I just want to make the most out of everything I'm being introduced to. How many people can say they lived in Europe for 2 months? Luckily, I'll be able to.

Pictures of the flat!!

LONDON!

Well, we arrived!! It was quite a long journey to get here, but now we're sitting in the hostel, not really believing we're in London, England.

We arrived to the Cleveland airport at noon on Wednesday, boarded our flight to Chicago, and then 5 pm Chicago time we boarded our flight to London! The flight itself wasn't too bad, just long. After we landed, with nobody able to sleep, we fought our way through the crowds of Brits on their way to work on the tube, but somehow managed to get on the right train!

After an hour on the subway-like tube, we arrived at Kings-Cross station in central London, with our 60 pound bags, not really knowing where to go, having only my small page of directions I received with our hostel confirmation. After wandering around for awhile, jet lag completely setting in at this point, we finally came across the hostel, only to find out we now had to drag our huge bags down a tiny staircase to lock them up. The staff was really nice though, and the hostel was really welcoming, except for the fact we couldn't check in until 2.

For the next 4 hours, we wandered to coffee shops, restaurants, parks, and even the British Library to find a spot to sit and try to stay awake. Finally, 2 pm came and we got our room that was really cramped but nice! There are three sets of triple bunk beds and one chair the middle bed-users step on to get into bed!

We walked around the area the hostel is located in, and then just hung out at the hostel until 10pm on Thursday, by now having been up for more than 30 hours, we passed out!

We've already met some really awesome people here though. We met two Portuguese guys and watched a soccer...I mean football...match with them last night. Then, this morning we met three Australians, one girl who had been studying in France, and two guys who came to London to live and work for awhile. One in particular, Ian, is planning on meeting up with us later in the week...hanging out with Australians after being in London for less than 2 days...pretty cool.

Then, about an hour ago we met an older British man who wrote down some great markets in the area our flats are, and how to get there. Everyone here is so friendly, and I can't wait to actually feel like I live in London, and not just a tourist. When we move into our flats tomorrow, hopefully I will feel like our stay is more permanent and not so much like I'm in limbo.

Jet lag is pretty bad, and I kind of feel like my head is up in the clouds, but for some reason I can't sleep longer than three or four hours at at time without waking up. I think my body is just a little confused about what time it is still...I've never traveled this far from home!

So far though, I'm not homesick, and I actually don't feel like it's much different than being away at school. I love the people I'm traveling with, and i can't wait to get more settled in. It's still strange to me that I'm in LONDON of all places, but it's definitely awesome!