First Week!

It’s now my second Sunday in London and I finally have enough time to sit down and write out my first week. There’ve been a lot of ups and downs. Our trip in from the States was really exhausting. Due to bad weather we spent three hours sitting on the tarmac waiting to get clearance to take off. Our six hour flight became a nine hour one.  This, of course, made us late for our orientation. We figured it all out though and powered through despite jetlag. And as a reward for being such troopers (actually everyone got to go), we got to go up into the London Eye for free! It’s usually £18. That’s about $28! So even though we were exhausted we went up. It was well worth the delayed nap.

Once we reset our clocks we made friends with all of our flatmates. There are two other Americans and four English students. All of them are very nice. We’re very lucky. It’s odd living with boys in University housing but with our own rooms and bathrooms it’s not too much different. I have a desk, a wardrobe, a bed shelves, and my own bathroom. For any of you who saw the room I stayed in in Chicago this past summer, it’s about twice the size.  We also have a full sized kitchen. By full sized, I mean tiny fridges and stoves, which they call ‘hobs’ but we have everything we need.

We’ve done quite a few things around the city. I’ve been trying to walk everywhere. We’ve been up around Westminster, all around our borough called Southwark (but pronounce Sutherk), and along the river. I’m still getting used to the fact that everything isn’t on a grid. The streets are crazy here! You can be walking along a street and all of a sudden it’s called something else. No change in direction, no shift in the plane, just a whole new road. Everyone keeps telling me even if you’ve lived here for years you don’t figure it out.

I’ve done two really great things so far while I’ve been here. The first is the Borough Market. It’s a food market that’s literally five minutes’ walk from my building. It has the best stands! There are fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, chocolates, flowers, literally everything. It’s such a great place. My first time buying bread there I waited for about five minutes because the bread guy was dealing with a million people. He kept telling me he’d be right with me and I told him not to worry. Well when he finally got to me, I told him all I needed was a baguette. After handing me my baguette, he cut a six-inch-square piece of fresh rosemary focaccia bread, handed it to me, and said thanks for waiting. He definitely earned my loyalty.  The second great thing I’ve done was free. Carmen, another roommate, and I went to an outdoor amphitheater by the Tower Bridge and watched a free screening of Pretty Woman. It was wonderful.

We haven’t started classes yet. They start this Monday, the 26^th. In fact, I’m not even sure of which classes I’m taking. So I’ve mostly just been taking it easy and exploring the city. Anyone who would like to email me can at calcatem@lsbu.ac.uk. Especially if you have recommendations on travel!