Settled, If Not Damp

Now that I've finally gotten the internet to work in my room (so that pink ethernet cord in my desk drawer WAS there for a reason), I figure its time to start a blog.

Traveling from Seattle to London was rather uneventful, which I suppose in the long-run is a good thing. For some reason, I can never be very productive when I'm traveling via plane or sitting in airports waiting for the next plane. The only activity that ever appeals to me is ipod listening and good ol' fashioned people watching. That being said, there were two people who definitely made my day: one tallish man with a shiny, shiny bald head, an itty-bitty soul patch and sideburns. But because he was bald, the sideburns had the appearance of just floating, disembodied on his face. On top of all that, he was wearing the brightest orange sweater I have ever seen in my entire life. You know, kind of like that bright orange hunting gear. The skin tight garment was basically glowing. It hurt my eyes to look anywhere near it. The woman standing next to him was just as good, for she was wearing a giant knee length cheetah-print peacoat, buttoned up to the throat. Her hair was like a rat's nest on her head, and she had on some granny pumps. I guess they were both pretty young, maybe early '30s.

They were obviously Satanists. (psst... go watch Rosemary's Baby.)

So after 16 hours of being completely sedentary, I stepped outside of Heathrow airport and was greeted by a light drizzle. In fact, it felt exactly like home. It lightened up a little bit today and yesterday, but it still feels pretty damp. Ah, rain. I was jet-lagged to the state of exhaustion when I got to campus (after an amusing taxi ride that involved a nice old English grandpa as driver and a soundtrack consisting of soft classical music, the can-can and the theme song to the Titanic, sung by a full-blown choir) and crashed on my bed with my coat as a blanket because I hadn't bought any bedding yet. Because I was so thrown off, all of my doubts and worries seemed to float up to the center of my consciousness. What I felt was an existential loneliness. (What am I doing here? I don't know anyone is this whole entire country. Its dark and gloomy out. What if I can't make friends? The water tastes gross. G-R-O-S-S. The shower is so tiny. The pound kills the dollar.) At the end of my third day here though, I've done a complete 180. I've met some great people (including a fellow American Studies major!) figured out when my classes meet and what reading I have to do for this week (thanks to that pink ethernet cable) and touched base with my family. I also bought some decent food and have become at least somewhat familiar with the layout of the campus. Classes start Monday, so most of the student body will be returning tomorrow. New faces to meet!

And what they say is true: English people are SO nice! All the people in bureaucratic positions that I've talked to so far have been so genuine and friendly (unlike in the US... for the most part.) And today! A bunch of us international students took a trip into downtown Brighton (double-decker bus) to pick up a few much-needed items. I went into the Apple store to get a power adapter, and when the girl helping me returned from the back room with power adapter in hand, she said I could have it FOR FREE!! Wow! I guess my status as an American study-abroad student is pretty clear... It was so nice I almost cried. Well, not really, but still. And then after waiting in line a while to buy some towels at another store, the cashier actually apologized for the wait!

Its so pretty here. I love being able to look up and see the green, rolling English countryside. I also love being this close to the sea, waking up to the sound of seagulls.