Divided by a common language

Some people think that since we (meaning Americans) and the English speak the same language then we must be the same. Ohhhh no no. That is not the case at all. A common phrase I keep hearing is "we are divided by a common language." I love this. Mainly because it gives me an excuse for looking like a complete idiot every day at work. For example, when spelling out words (possibly to confirm the spelling of someone's name) even the pronunciation of the letters can be different. For the letter "z," it is not "zee" but "zed." Yes, zed, z-e-d, rhymes with ted. And the letter "h" is pronounced "hayt-ch." Correct, it does sound like someone is sneezing. At first, I was frustrated by this difference in pronunciation, but I eventually became used to it. The actual different words are more difficult to decipher. The following scenario occured last Friday:

Me: Hello, the is Libby Wolfe from the charity Help the Aged and I am calling to inquire about possible sponsorship for our upcoming running events. Could you please direct me to the appropriate person?
Operator: 'Ello love. You will actually need to submit your query in writing.
Me: Alright. Is there an e-mail address?
Operator: Yes love, do you have a pen and paper?
Me: Yes.
Operator: Ok. It is Tim "fullstop" A at highfive co uk.
Me: (awkward pause) Could you please repeat that?
Operator: Sure love, Tim "fullstop" A at highfive co uk.
Me: (even longer awkward pause) Um, sir, could you spell that for me?
Operator: (in a very confused tone) T-I-M "fullstop" A at H-I-G-H-F-I-V-E co uk. (please keep in mind the letter pronunciations I mentioned earlier)
Me: Um, ok, well, um, thanks.
Operator: Cheers!
Me: Uh yeah, cheers.

I actually wrote down "TimfullstopA@highfive.co.uk." I sat at my desk confused for about two minutes and eventually worked up the courage to ask the woman who sits across from me.

Me: Um, Sarah, what does "fullstop" mean?
Sarah: What? You mean "fullstop" as in a "fullstop" at the end of a sentence.
Me: I'm not sure. I don't know what a "fullstop" is...
Sarah: It is the dot at the end of a sentence or in e-mail addresses.
Me: Ohhhhhhh. Ok.
Sarah: (laughing hysterically) What do you call it?
Me: A period?
Sarah: (laughing even more) Oh, that means something else.
Me: Oh. Haha? Thanks.

And that was my Friday at work. Such a fun experience. After that little incident, they all sat around my desk for 30 minutes making me say words to see if they mean something different. We eventually made it to the names of my family members. They all laughed uncontrollably when I came to my dad's name, Chuck. I guess there isn't a single person in England named Chuck. The only Chuck they have heard of is Chuck Norris.

At work I am now known as the "Funny American who can actually make decent tea." There is something to aspire to...

Excuse me

Dear girl sitting across from me on the tube,

Please stop staring at me. Don't deny it, it has been 20 minutes and you always awkwardly dart away your stare when I notice it. I know I am an American, but please, it is embarrassing and makes me uncomfortable. You are distracting me from reading about Chelsey Davey and how orange she looks. However, I think you may be having more trouble reading since your book is UPSIDE DOWN. Also, I don't know what they teach you here in London, but wearing a red and purple scarf with fringe is not ok. Especially when your hair looks like a gigantic fire hydrant (totally unnatural).

Sincerely,

A concerned and slightly creeped out citizen (I use citizen relatively)


P.s. Whoever said Valentine's Day didn't exist in Europe was seriously mistaken. America, would you please stop influencing the rest of the world with your commercialized holidays. Thanks.

Tea is the new Dr. Pepper?

I drank 7 cups of tea today.

There is an office ritual (at least with the events team) where on the hour, every hour, someone takes all the mugs on a little tray to the kitchen. They then prepare each person's tea to their specifications. I drink my tea with a lot of milk and sugar. I have been told that by the end of my fourth months I will be drinking real English tea, not the "weak stuff" I currently enjoy.

After Tea # 4, I started feeling a bit bad that I wasn't contributing and preparing drinks for everyone. So for the tea at 2, I told them all I wanted to learn how to make tea correctly so I could pitch in. Patrik, Fiona and Camilla gladly accompanied me to the kitchen. I have two theories about their eagerness to join. Theory 1: They couldn't pass up the chance to watch an American attempt to make tea. Theory 2: They wanted to make sure I didn't make "rubbish" tea that they would then have to drink politely.

I think it was a combination of the two. They did laugh with me (yes, I was laughing at myself) and they did have to correct me. Let me explain how to make tea correctly.

Step 1: Fill the pitcher with water and set it on the special heater it comes with that boils it in about one minute. It is important that you boil it this way and do not cheat by simply using the hot water out of the water cooler.

Step 2: Select the correct tea bags for each individual and place them in the empty mugs. There is white tea, green tea, red tea, and black tea (this is just basic tea). It is IMPERATIVE that you put the right bags in the right mugs.

Step 3: Pour the boiled water into the mugs to the appropriate level. Now, depending on the mug (as all are different sizes) you put in different amounts. Don't forget to leave room for the milk.

Note: Patrik explained to me that there is some debate over whether you put milk or water in first. But he so willingly informed me that the CORRECT way to make tea is to put the WATER in first.

Step 4: Let the tea bags sit. Different people prefer different strenghts of tea, so you must know how long to keep the bags in for the different mugs. Mine stay in for approximately 8 seconds. Everyone else's stay in for about 30. Use the plastic spoon to swirl it around.

Step 5: Use the spoon to take the tea bag out. Let it drain for a moment and then throw it away.

Step 6: Pour in the milk. Again, each person likes a specific amount of milk in their tea. You can determine the strenght of the tea by the color once you add milk. I prefer very very very light tea. Patrik likes dark tea. Fiona and Camilla are in the middle.

Step 7: Add sugar for the American. Fiona had to search for a packet of sugar so I could pour it in my tea. No one else uses sugar.

Step 8: The English will then start drinking their tea immediately. I have to wait five minutes. Apparently, they already burnt off all their taste buds and killed their nerves in their mouths. I have grown somewhat attached to mine. I think I'll wait and let it cool.

Step 9: Repeat one hour later.

So far, I'm pretty sure I have learned more about making tea than event planning. But hey...when in London...

Love.

A tour guide named Tony....and the rest of my week.

Sorry it has been a while.

I started work this week and have been trying to adjust to my new schedule.

We also went to Stonehenge and Bath on Wednesday. Somehow we missed the memo that it was a three hour drive there and then 3 hours back. We also had possibly the craziest tour guide ever. He literally talked for the entire 6 hours we spent in transit. I think I know him better than some of my relatives. He thinks everything British is so much better than anything American and made sure we knew what he thought. Here is a little excerpt:

Tour Guide: We here in the UK value our safety and have very strict regulations. When you all travel there are some things you need to know. You are not allowed to take liquids on board. You are only allowed to take 3 oz in a zip-lock bag.

Kid in the back: Dude, we had 9-11. We started all of that

Tour Guide: Yes, well I think we are much more strict and are much for difficult to get past. You see...we have excellent security. It is much different.

Image 3 hours of that. The other three hours (on the way home, while we are all sleeping) was something like this:

Tour Guide: As you will learn we love football, or as you say socccccccer. Americans like to believe they are as good as us. However, only about 3 Americans have ever been good enough to play in the UK.

The entire bus groans

Tour Guide: Oh, it looks as though you are awake. I thought you were all sleeping...

Kid in the back: We WERE and then you started talking.....

Tour Guide: Oh, well then, I can tell you all more about football. (He then proceeds to discuss football for 46 minutes.)

As you could probably tell, the kid in the back is super sassy. We should be friends.

But besides the field trip, my week has consisted of work. I'm starting to finally get into a routine here, which is really nice.

Today was probably one of the best days so far. It isn't that I did much or anything. I just worked and came home. But you know those moments when you look around and you realize you are really content. Not ecstatic, but not depressed. Just really happy and content with your life.

Well, I had a moment like that today.

I was walking to the King's Cross tube station from work. I had my warm trench coat on with my warm scarf. It was a very nice evening out. Not too cold and not raining. I remembered to use my purse that zipped. I refuse to get robbed. Also, the shuffle mode on my iPod was making me so happy. So I'm rocking out to my iPod, walking down the street and I just looked around me and realized that I was actually LIVING in London. I of course have realized before that I was IN London, obviously, but never before have I actual felt like I lived here. I finally understand the tube, I don't need to look at the map, I just know what train I need. I don't need to look down at the street to see what way I look before crossing (right first, then left). I don't need to stare at the coins to try and figure out which ones I need to use, I know the big octagons are 50p and the little ones are 20p. It all is finally making sense.

Such a good feeling.

Love.

P.s. I'm going to start carrying around travel sized deodorants and body spray to give to people on the tube. Seriously, they need some guidance.

Holiday Inn on Carburton St.

My roommate Rachel and I tried to go to church this morning. I have been emailing Brock and Bodie Thoene (2 of my favorite authors) about the church they attend while here in London. They then directed me to the pastor Ron Anderson who gave me directions to where the congregation is meeting. They usually meet in St. Mark's Church, but the government is attempting to seize the historic building to turn it into a museum or gallery or something. So, until that is figured out, they are all meeting in the Holiday Inn on Carburton Street near Regent's Park. I found the location of the Holiday Inn on Google maps and figured out what tube station I needed.

So Rachel and I got up early and rode to Great Portland Street station. Now, if you know anything about me, you know that I am fairly decent with directions. I usually know where I am going and if I am unsure I make sure I have looked at a map and understand how to get to my destination. So, as usual, I had looked at the map and knew where I needed to go. We stepped out of the tube station and all of a sudden nothing looked like the map I had studied.

Google maps told me there was one main street, I saw three. It also told me there would be a street to my right that I would go straight dowm, no such street existed. Also, if anyone has been to London before they know that street signs are not a huge priority. Only about 50% of streets have them and the ones that do have signs that are put on the sides of building that face two streets at the same time. So we attempted to find the street we needed and ended up walking around for 35 minutes looking like fools. We asked several people if they knew how to get to Carburton St. and they looked at us as if we were speaking Chinese. Needless to say, we never found it.

I have several theories:

1. The Holiday Inn does not exist.
2. There is more than one Great Portland Street tube station.
3. Google maps is seriously messed up.
4. I am losing my mind.

It is probably the last one.

Well, better luck next week.

Love.

Saturday

Here is a quick update:

• Neili arrived! Michael and I picked her up and besides getting lost while carrying her 67 pound bag, it was a wonderful day.
  
• The shower works again!
• I actually slept in!
• It is sunny today! Yes, the sky is actually blue right now.

I'm off to go book my trip to Paris for next weekend, then shopping at Oxford Circus, and tea at the Orangery.

Love.

Help the Aged

I had my interview today. It went extremely well and I got the internship. I will be working at Help the Aged. That is pronounced age-id. I awkwardly learned that when I mispronounced it to my supervisor. When it merges with another charity on April 1 (not a joke), it will be the largest charity in the UK and the largest charity internationally that advocates the elderly. I will be working with the events team on Monday, Thursday and Friday. My primary responsibilities will be helping liaise with the celebrities and politicians that support the charity and planning events. The next upcoming event is a golf day. They told me I will learn more about it on Monday.

While the interview went well, the rest of the day I was struggling. I woke up and went to take a shower. Don't worry, our shower still wasn't fixed. Therefore, I stood in the tub and held the hose over my head. Unfortunately, the hose is not long enough to reach the top of my head, so I have to basically do wall squats to wash my hair. The landlord came 30 minutes after I showered and put the head back on the hose, but it still is not attached to the wall. We are hoping that tomorrow it will be firmly attached to the wall. But I don't think that will fix the stench. There is a weird smell that comes out of the shower whenever someone uses it. We have decided that it might be calcium buildup or something. We are Journalism majors, not chemists. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

I also got stuck in the gate thing for the tube today. Someone had gone right before me and then I put my Oyster card on the sensor too early and tried to walk through and it closed on me as I was half way through. Then I had to "seek assistance" from the Indian man on duty. He didn't seem to pleased. He told me I needed to top up my card. So I went to top up and I couldn't get my card to work. Then the man had to come over again and do it for me. He really didn't like me. But I did eventually get on the tube.

Now we are trying to figure out how to watch ABC on the internet. I guess only people living in the US can watch ABC.com. I think they should amend that to include citizens living overseas. I would really like to watch The Bachelor right now and it isn't on any of the other sites like surfthechannel or hulu or sidereel. One girl figured out how to get around it though, so we are calling her.

Love.

Too cool for umbrellas

I had the chance to sleep in this morning. We didn't have class. I don't work yet. No tours. However, I didn't get to capitalize on this opportunity.

That is because there is this really loud train.

Yes, it is below my window and yes, it does go by every 3 minutes. Apparently, I will get used to it. Until, I may invest in earplugs.

After the train rudely woke me, I thought I would take a shower. Taking a shower here is not what I would describe as relaxing. I finally prepared myself mentally and emotionally and slipped on my shower shoes.

When I walked into the bathroom, this is what I saw:



Early that morning, the shower head fell off the wall. It was then only the head on the hose. Water still ran from the head (and I use "ran" generously), but you had to hold the shower nozzle above your head. So, my shower took about 30 minutes and I think I still have conditioner in my hair right now. Since then, the actual shower head has fallen off. We now have to shower using a hose. Dear maintenance: Help!


But neither of those were going to get me down. I was going to hang out with Michael today! For those of you who don't know, Michael is Neili's boyfriend who goes to Michigan and is also studying here in London. So Michael and I decided to play while we anxiously await Neili's arrival Friday.

Michael lives in Waterloo. It is about a 10-minute tube ride. So, I put on my coat, grabbed my Oyster card and bravely made my way to Earl's Court station down the street. I rode the tube two days ago for the first time and was with about five girls. I hadn't ridden it since. I pulled out my card. Swiped it. No problems. Made my was the escalator.

Ok. Here we go. I need the District Line. District. Hmmm. I wonder why they named it that? Ok. Focus. Do I need Eastbound or Westbound. Wait, what way is East here? I'll just look at the map. Ok, I need Eastbound.

I headed down another escalator and found myself on the platform. Unfortunately, there were two different trains on this station.

What?! Two trains?! Umm....ok, let me see. I don't know what this sign means. Maybe if I walk past it again. I don't want to stand here and make it look like I don't know what I am doing. Ok, that sign isn't helping. This train looks ok. I guess I'll just get on this one.

I stepped on the train and saw that it was indeed the District Line. The rest of the trip was a breeze. I switched to the Eastbound Jubilee Line and then exited at Waterloo Station. I was a little ahead of schedule so Michael wasn't there yet. I decided to get a Coke at the McDonald's attached to the tube station. I ordered a medium Coke.


Get serious! It is the same if not smaller than a small in the states. Ridiculous. I took that down in about three sips, almost stepped on two pigeons (yes, inside the McDonald's) and then met Michael outside. We decided to walk 1.3 miles to the British Museum. One thing I love about London is that all the museums are completely free. As we walked from Waterloo to the museum, we passed over the Thames, saw Big Ben, the London Eye, the Lyceum Theatre where Lion King is showing, and all the theatres for Dirty Dancing, Oliver, and Hairspray. On the way it started to mist. I got very excited because I had actually brought my umbrella! I looked around before I pulled it out and notice that not one Londoner was using an umbrella. Seriously?! Everyone was just walking in the rain. Well, I sure wasn't going to be a lame American, so I battled nature. By the time we got to the museum, my wonderfully straight hair had started to resemble that of a chia pet.

Here we are at the museum entrance:


Unfortunately, the museum wasn't exactly riveting. We walked in and stared at the map for about 10 seconds and then decided to wing it. One of the most exciting parts was finding a map on the ground that would originally cost 2 pounds. Thank you to whoever threw that on the floor. The other interesting part was eavesdropping on the back of a tour talking about the Rosetta Stone. This is after we had been staring at the wrong side of the rock for five minutes.

Michael: So where is the writing?
Me: Yeah, how did they ever decipher this? There aren't any letters or pictures.
Michael: I thought there would be actual writing you could see.
Me: Yeah, this is lame. Why are all those people standing on the other side of the glass?
Michael: I think they are part of a tour.
Me: What's on that side?
(we walk over to see that side of the stone)
Me and Michael: Ohhhhhhhhh.

I promise, we really are smart. That is when we stood at the back of the tour and listened to the tour guide talk about how the British took yet another artifact from someone else.

After reading all the descriptions about the various sculptures (pieces of the Parthenon, Egyptian ruins, etc), we decided that 75% of all the art in that museum was taken from someone else during some kind of war.

These two were our favorites: (Notice that neither look like they were chopped off a big stone and taken)





We also noticed that the North America exhibit only held about ten items.


Michael said this is all they could take during their short stint over there. The sign on the display also explained that Native Americans all over North America and the plains hunt herds of animals. Um, I live in Kansas, you don't get more "plains" than that, and I have never seen a Native American hunting. Maybe it's just me, but I'm pretty sure there aren't any herds of buffalo meandering through Overland Park.

After we had spent an hour in the museum, we decided we had seen enough and left. Thankfully, it had stopped raining and we had a lovely walk back to Waterloo. I then took the train to Gloucester station because I had to meet with my advisers on campus about my internship and upcoming interview. I had no problems this time and looked quite at home on the tube. At least I like to think I did.

During my meeting with my advisers I found out that I will be an event planning intern at Help the Aged, one of the largest charities in London. I believe that I will be planning an awards ceremony that the Prime Minister's wife hosts. I was told that celebrities and politicians are the huge backers of this charity, so I will be working closely with them and hosting events. I'm definitely fine with that!! My interview is Thursday at 3:00. Tomorrow I will take the tube and find the company so I don't get lost on Thursday.

Sorry this is about 383 paragraphs. It was a very long and eventful day!

Love.

Je m'appelle Cyrel

I have some depressing news. Dr. Pepper does not taste the same. It tastes like flat, syrupy, diet Dr. Pepper. Ew. Guess I won't be drinking that for the next four months. Oh, and it rained today, so I looked like I wet rat. Thankfully, so does everyone else. Frizzy hair is totally in here.

That was today's low. On the other hand, I found out that the company interviewing me for my internship has requested that I come in this week instead of next week. Everyone else interviews next week at various companies around London, but three of us were asked to come in this week. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not, but we will definitely find out soon. I have a meeting with my program coordinators tomorrow at 4:30 and then will have my interview on Friday sometime.

The ultimate high today was finding our new favorite pub. It is called the King's Head and it is literally a minute and a half from our flat. One thing I have noticed whenever we walk into a pub or a store is the stares. The second we step into a building, every single Brit in the room turns and stares directly at us. I'm not sure if it is because we travel in packs of 20, or if it is because we are constantly talking over each other and yelling. Probably a pretty solid combination of the two. One student we meet at Imperial today told us it was because we smelled like Americans. To that I replied, "At least we don't smell like the French!" He laughed and then didn't make fun of us a much.

Well, back to the King's Head. We made friends with the bartender. Before he served us, he made us introduce ourselves. Apparently, Americans are hilarious. I don't really see the humor. The conversation went like this:

Bartender: Good evening, how are you?
Me: Awesome.
Bartender: Haha. Awesome. Hahahaha.
Me: Ha....yeah?
Bartender: What are your names?
(The other girls introduced themselves)
Me: My name is Libby. What is yours?
Bartender: Je m'appelle Cyrel.
Me: Pardon?
Bartender: Cyrel.
Me: How do you spell that?
Bartender: C-y-r-e-l. It's French.
Me: Ohhh, got it! Nice to meet you!
Bartender: Nice to meet you as well! What would you like?
Me: Well, do you take credit cards?
Bartender: Yes, and we will even give it back to you too.
Me: (awkward chuckle). Yeah? Well, may I please have the fish and chips?
Bartender: Do you see that man walking out the door?
Me: Uh huh
Bartender: He is the chef. Sorry. No food for you.
Me: Oh. Bummer!
Bartender: Bummer?
Me: Yes, bummer!
Bartender: What is "bummer"?
Me: Ummm...bummer....is like....ummmm..."That sucks!"
Bartender: Hmmm... I like that. Bummer! Bummer, bummer bummer!! Ha. I'm going to use that.
Me: Haha. Ok? Thanks!

I sat back down with the girls at our table. Every time Cyrel walked past our table the rest of the night he said "Bummer!" and laughed.

I'm not sure if he is laughing with me or at me. Probably the latter.

At least I am imposing some of my vocabulary onto the Brits. It is about time. Already, I say the words "lift", "brilliant", and "top up" frequently.

We don't have class tomorrow until 6, so a bunch of us are going exploring. I can't wait to see how long I can go without being made fun of.

Love.

P.s. If you ever get the chance, try to get a Brit to do an American accent. Greatest thing you will ever hear. Our tour guide yesterday tried to say "Y'all here?" It didn't work out so well.

Day 2

What did I learn today? I learned to pay attention...or else.

Lesson #1: Cars come from the opposite direction. This may not seem like a difficult concept, but don't be fooled. Old habits die hard and pedestrians do not have the right-of-way. A bus clipped one of my flatmates yesterday. She is fine, and kind of a funny story, but, nonetheless, its dangerous. Thankfully, the words "Look left" or "Look right" are painted on the streets next to the pavement. I always have to cheat and look at the directions. Glad I know my right from my left.

Lesson #2: Don't go near the foreign embassies if you value your life. The protests are never ending. Currently, there are huge mobs of Palestinians protesting outside the Israeli embassy and Trafalgar Square. As we were walking home yesterday a man of middle eastern descent came from the direction of the protests and brushed past me. (Side note: I walk really fast, so this guy was flying). I looked up at him as he nearly knocked me over and he had blood running down his face. Right when he passed us another man met him from a side alley and handed him a scarf to wipe off his face. Neither of the men ever stopped walking, especially as four police vans came barreling down the road towards us. We later heard that there were several casualties at the protests that afternoon and evening. Intense.

Lesson #3: Give yourself at least 5 hours for the grocery store. I headed down the street to Sainbury's for a quick stop and ended up staring at the brands of food for over 45 minutes. I needed some breakfast food and juice, as well as a dinner to heat up. I went straight to the frozen food aisle and found about two things I would actually eat. There were countless packages of beef stroganoff, liver and vegetables, and Moroccan chicken. Also, I haven't quite figured out what is in a mince meat pie, (obviously some sort of meat) but it doesn't sound appetizing. I also learned that "pulp free" orange juice is called "free of bits." After staring at the juice for ten minutes, I went to look for English muffins. Certainly they would have English muffins in England. All I found were crumpets, which looks similar to English muffins, so I guess we will see tomorrow morning. Even though it took forever to find food, I did only pay 6 pounds for orange juice, apple juice, macaroni and cheese with spinach, butter, crumpets, and clementines. What a steal!

As I have been learning a lot, I also made the greatest discovery of my life.

I FOUND DR. PEPPER!

They have it in the union at Imperial College. I about cried. Literally. However, it is 8 pounds. Ha. Get serious!

I bought a phone today too. My number is 0114407552370884. Yes, that is accurate. You are more than welcome to call me, as incoming calls are free for me!

My address is 40 Hogarth Road, Flat 5, Kensington, London, SW5, UK. If you feel compelled to send me a package, please include mild salsa, Tostitos scoop chips, and Dr. Pepper. Please and thank you.


Love.

3 bags, 2 flights, and 1 long day

In case you haven't heard, I made it alive. However, that isn't to say it wasn't without a few challenges. I'll take you through the day.

(For clarification purposes, my thoughts are in italics)

I arrived with plenty of time at the airport in KC, check both my bags, ate some Quiznos and made it through security. I sat down to wait for boarding and ended up across from a French guy. He looked a little bewildered at our meek airport and so I smiled. He then starts talking in French. Haha, excuse me? Too bad I took Spanish. I just smiled back. The flight attendant starts to board the passengers. Everyone starts to frantically gather their bags. Relax people, it is going to take her ten minutes to even open the door. I patiently waited in line and handed her my passport. I said hello and asked how her day was going. No response.

Flight Attendant: Your carry on is too big.
Me: Oh, I'm sorry. I measured it at check-in and it fit the specifications.
Flight Attendant: Well, you can't take it.
Me: Ok, lady. I was being nice, but seriously, I'm taking this bag on the plane. Ok. What can I do?
Flight Attendant: You have to check it.
Me: Ok. Can you check it all the way to London?
Flight Attendant: Yes. You know this is going to be really expensive.
Me: Yeah, because you are rude and won't let me take my bag with me. Do I have a choice?
Flight Attendant: No.
Large, Middle-aged, Balding Man Behind Me: Haha. I can't believe you thought you could take that. Haha. It's huge.
Me: Ha. Yeah. Thanks jerk. I just left my home for four months and the last thing I want is to check this bag.
Flight Attendant: (Hands me my receipt)
Me: Thank you. Have a nice day
Flight Attendant: (No response)

Other than that, the flight to Chicago went well. I sat next to a nice lady from Germany. Once in Chicago, I waited for 6 hours for my next flight. Everything was great. I met some fun people, had McDonalds, and read my book. 30 minutes before boarding I took two Dramamine. GOOD NIGHT! I could barely keep my eyes open when I sat down in my seat (37C, there were 39 rows total). However, I seemed to be the only one wanting to sleep. I found myself in the middle of all the Truman State and Missouri State students, which would be fine, except I think they all injected themselves with caffeine before they boarded. One girl was so excited she sang "We are going to London! O-M-G!" Don't worry, in case you were deaf and couldn't hear her singing, she spelled out O-M-G.

After the flight, we went through customs without any problems. We then loaded all our luggage onto a bus and headed towards the residence. Let me just say this, the actual flat did not exceed our expectations. I think our floor is slanted at a 40 decree angle. Oh well, it is better than nothing. At least, I won't want to hang out in the flat.

Other than that, I absolutely love London. The people are so great, minus that they think we are funny cause we are Americans. Tomorrow we get a tour of London and get to explore! I can't wait to learn more about it.

Love.

2 bags, 50 lbs each

Question of the day:

How is all of this...

and all of this...

Going to fit into these...

It is a valid question.

While I starting packing yesterday, Michael Jackson's Thriller blasted through the house. (Sorry Colony West, you could probably hear it outside.) Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to drown out the thought that I seriously overpacked.

And I'm not even going to think about the weight issue. The limited space is enough to occupy my mind right now.

This should be interesting.

To Do Lists

Somehow, I went from having three weeks until my departure to only four days. I'm not really sure where that time went, but, nonetheless, it is gone. Due to this recent realization, I now have three extensive To Do lists - Things To Buy, Things To Do, and Things to Pack.

The first list falls in the Depressing Category. It seems as though to adequately prepare for London, I must spend all the money I saved up for London. I think I have personally met Target's goal sales quota for the month.

The second list is slightly overwhelming. I have this constant feeling that I should have been actually running my errands the past two weeks instead of in my last 96 hours on U.S. soil. Unfortunately, there isn't much I can do about that now. Therefore, I have scheduled my last four days in 15 minute increments, including sleep. If I stick to this ridiculous schedule, I should miraculously have everything completed by the time I leave.

The final list is just hilarious. I have been informed that I am allowed two suitcases no more than 60 in., weighing no more than 50 lbs. each. Do you now see the hilarity of such a situation? Now, normally this would not be a problem, as I am pretty low-maintence, but there are two main reasons why such a stipulation is quite ridiculous.

1. I will be living in London for FOUR MONTHS. Last time I checked, I wore more than three outfits in the past four months. I guess the Brits will just get used to seeing me in the same thing ... over and over and over again.
2. It is WINTER. Such a season requires coats, sweaters, and boots. I can't wait to try and fit all that in one suitcase. Also keep in mind, it will be turning into Spring while I am over there, subsequently requiring a entirely different wardrobe.

So, to accomplish everything on my lists, this is what I must do:

• Forget about sleeping - This should be easy. Not sure if you know this little fact or not, but there isn't Dr. Pepper in London, which means I am drinking about 16 cans a day in anticipation of my four month drought.
• Hire a personal shopper at Target - Every ten minutes or so I remember something else I need, so I really should just have someone on standby pulling items for me as I call.
• Purchase a vacuum wrap bag - Have you seen those infomercials where they fit 11 sweaters in a plastic bag and then hook the special vacuum machine up to it and it sucks all the air out so that the bag is smaller than even one sweater? Yeah, I could use one of those.

Well, wish me luck. Should be an interesting next couple of days.