Move Out Move In

May 7, 2010

Today was the day of transition. It was a very low-key day. I was actually grateful that it was. We’ve been on the go so much since we got here that it was nice to have a less-intense day. We slept in a bit this morning which was really needed. Janet made another lovely English breakfast of bacon, eggs, tomatoes and toast. After getting ready and packing all of our things we had a little errand to run. We wanted to get something for Janice and Albert. With the help of our mothers who also wanted something nice for Janice and Albert, we went to a little florists shop and got a really pretty arrangement of white lilies, pink snap dragons and some nice purple flowers too. We took them back with a note that Michelle wrote so beautifully. (I really am glad that she was along. My handwriting really looks like chicken scratches and hers is beautiful.) We were really a bit sad to say goodbye to Janice and Albert. They have been more than wonderful to us. Janice even did our laundry and had it ready for us before we left. They really are very dear people. It’s not really goodbye though. We have every intention of going by to visit them before we leave for home. Albert was so kind, he even gave us a ride to the tube station (which I was really grateful for because it’s about a 25 minute walk and would have been rather painful with my heavy pack on my back). We made our way on the tube and then walked to our flats where we were warmly greeted by Dr. Staheli and Sister Hall! We spent a while settling into our new home. I am rooming with Danny Gray and Chris Buttars. I’ve known both of them from a distance for some time but have become much better friends because of their close friendship with Michelle. I’m really excited to room with them and get to know them even better. After settling, Sister Wimmer, who has taken many study abroad programs to London and is accompanying us on ours, took several of us on a walk around Hyde Park so that we could become familiar with our immediate surroundings. For Michelle and I, this was a bit unnecessary since we’ve been getting around by ourselves just fine for some time. So, most of us sort of ditched out on the tour when we came to a grocery store and realized that we all needed groceries. Our hungry tummies also influenced this decision. I’m trying to live thrifty during my time here, so I mostly got rice and pasta with a few sauces to spice things up a bit. Breakfast will likely continue to consist of Weetabix, which are basically bricks of wheat that absorb milk like crazy and would likely dry the inside of your mouth out on a permanent basis if you put one in your mouth without milk. After the walk, we regrouped in the common area of our flat which is on the bottom floor of the building, drank some tea and then went out to the pubs. Although we left as a large group, we got split up into smaller groups because pubs just aren’t equipped to handle large groups that come in at once. Michelle and I splintered off with Danny and Chris and enjoyed an evening with the pubs before going to a YSA dance at the church building in Hyde Park. The YSA dance was pretty dead when we arrived, but we really got things going.

Well, I hope I haven’t bored you with my travel log today and yesterday. They don’t seem to have as much personality and pizzazz as most others. I’ll try to kick it up a notch. For now, I’m going to bed so I can wake up early and go for a nice run in Hyde Park.

Cheers!