Day 1: I've Arrived!

I am finally here in London!  

These last two days have felt like a whirlwind.  I left Tuesday morning to fly from Salt Lake to Detroit with five other girls in my group.  

(Left to right:  Kayley Brooks, Kate Thornock, Madeleine Kmetzsch, myself, Amanda Baugh, and MaCall Ovard) 

After that three hour flight, we explored the Detroit airport and chatted.  I like all of them already!  We then boarded our nearly empty plane to London for a 7 hour flight on which each of us could have had our own row.  I was not tired enough to sleep and so I decided to watch three movies instead... bad idea!  I feel like a walking zombie right now.  Oops!

 (Kayley and I leaving Salt Lake- so excited!)

(Leaving Detroit- still excited but feeling a little tired from travel.)

I wanted to see the island while we were flying but unfortunately it was foggy the entire time.  The song "A Foggy Day in London Town" was playing in my head the whole time.  As soon as a little fog cleared, the first land I saw was GREEN!  So, so, green and beautiful.


After going through customs and meeting with some other people from our group at the airport, we loaded ourselves into a shuttle and headed to the London Centre.  The building is even more beautiful than I saw in pictures.  We got checked in at the Centre and then I hauled my bags up to the FOURTH floor where my assigned bedroom is!  Phew... I will get my workout in every day just going up and down those stairs multiple times (I just counted and it's 65 steep steps).  There are several bunk beds in one room, like five or six, and there are two of these rooms for the girls. 

(this is me at the BYU London Centre! My home sweet home for a few weeks.)

(27 Palace Court- where I live) 

(the stairs)

(I have the top bunk)

I got my bed made, unpacked, and got all of my things organized right before we headed out on our first walk!  Matt Mason, the history teacher, took us on a walk around the neighborhood we're living in.  I stepped foot in Hyde Park for the first time and what I saw of it was beautiful.  It's literally a few steps away from our front door and I look forward to spending a lot of time there.  I bought my Oyster Card (the pass that lets me use public transportation) for the month.  Matt showed us several of his favorite places to eat, buy food, and shop which will be very helpful in helping me become orientated these next few days.  

During our entire walk it was pouring rain.  We were all unprepared and basically soaked.  I then suggested we go find some rain boots.  A lot of girls jumped on board and we headed to Primark!  (Apparently I'm the "girl who's on top of everything" or "the girl with the plan." Four people have referenced me this way and I will take that as a compliment.)  We took our first tube ride to get to the store.  

(First tube ride photo with many people in the group.  If we look exhausted it's because we are.)

Primark is a wonderful place I will definitely be visiting again because I saw SOOOOOOO many cute and cheap things I wanted to buy.  Primark is like a more organized and less cheaply made version of Forever 21.  I bought myself a pair of silver rain boots (£12) and a new little black purse (£4).  It was a great trip and we all want to go back again!  We picked up a few school 
supplies and headed back to the Centre for dinner.

I got to sit next to the Mason kids for dinner, both of my professors' children.  Michael, who is 9, and I talked a lot.  They are all very intelligent and mature for their ages and yet so funny!  Our dinner was some kind of soup with potatoes, green beans, and beef which tasted really yummy since I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast on the airplane.


Our group decided to go out for dessert (all 40 of us loud and proud, young Americans) to Gellato Mio.  It was amazingly delicious!  I got half chocolitto (that's probably not how you spell it but it was dark chocolate) and half biscotto. The biscotto was by far my favorite!  It was so creamy and sweet 
with just the right balance of chocolate and cookie pieces.

Phew... now that I've documented my exciting first day in London, I think I'll call it a night! (The internet is not my friend at the moment and so I'll add pictures of all of these things a little later.)