I am here, I am alive, and now my computer works. The past few days have been a whirlwind of scheduled itinerary from BU and getting acclimated in general. Let me catch you up on everything:

Friday/Saturday: The Flight and Arrival

The flight was delayed out of Boston and we sat on the tarmac for about an hour and a half. We landed in London to a frigid -8 degrees and crammed our luggage into a modernized black cabby to get to our posh South Kensington Flat. My address is 14 Queen's Gate and I can see the Hyde Park gates when I walk out of the door. I had the room to myself and went shopping for some essentials with my friends Michelle and Amy. We ventured to Regent St. where the most posh shopping is (directions to the street included going past the Bentley auto store) and we had fun taking the tube for the first time. It was quite an adventure but much cleaner and more efficient than the good ol' t.

Saturday: The roomies arrive

My roomates Nicole and Annelise got here Saturday from the group flight. We live in a triple that is on the 2 1/2 floor. Kind of Harry Potter-esque. We all share a bathroom which is right near my bed as well as a minifridge. I crammed my clothes into my 2 drawers and bureau before they got here so the move in was pretty seamless.

Sunday: RA tours and minor sightseeing

Sunday we had a couple of mandatory dorm events but were able to get out to Kensington High Street for some walking around and dining. We had lunch at the Whole Foods restaurant which features a world cafe. Amy and I split a 5.99 schwarma so it was pretty reasonable. For dinner we had traditional pub food at the gloucester arms and watched the pat's defeat on television there before heading back from some brie and crackers in one of the communal kitchens. I will upload some pictures of the night as soon as I can. Unfortunately, the key to my locked drawer and kitchen cabinet broke so I cannot get any of my electronics cords etc out. It also means I am locked out of my Kitchen cabinet where my cereal and to go tea cup are. Starbucks has the same numerical prices but in pounds so Kyle's usual mocha frappuchino skinny espresso latte is 4.60 pounds not dollars.

Monday:

Today I finally got to sleep in. I woke up around eleven and went for a long run through the park and through our neighborhood in Kensington. Afterwards, we had a boat trip up and down the Thames. It was nice to be able to get a perspective on where all the famous sites in London are. Afterwards, I did a real grocery shop at Sainsburys and picked up some pasta, cheeses, produce, and snacks. This isn't vacation after all and I am done eating out on a regular basis. I need to save my money for some bigger and better things. We went to dinner afterwards and I had my second round of fish and chips before heading to the local college, Imperial College, to check it out. I headed home earlyish and caught up on some pretty incredible PSA's and here I am now. Check this one out, it is pretty moving despite the fact that it is from the AARP:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA

Anyways, that is it for now on my adventures in London. I have been having a blast and can't wait to show you all my pictures. I will upload them as soon as my maintenance request for a new key goes through! Hope all is well across the pond!