Lesson 1: Jet Lag Stinks

'Ello Puppets!

   Well, I survived my first day in the UK - what a crazy 24 hours!

     After boarding the plane at 9:15 PM January 8th, the Boston University students jetted off on a red-eye flight to the London Heathrow airport. We flew Virgin Atlantic, and although they nickeled and dimed you for luggage, the flight service was excellent. We received dinner, wine, coffee, breakfast, and were able to view movies that were still in theaters!

     Thankfully, I possess the God-given talent to fall asleep anywhere at anytime, so I was ready for a wee-bit of shut-eye. Upon finding my seat - 43 E on an enormous 747 - I was pleasantly surprised to find that the seats next to mine were conveniently vacant. However, just as I was ready to lift up the arm-rests and stretch out over the four seats, three young college males - two out of three had a decent level of attractiveness - occupied the seats. Hence, my plan to sleep the whole flight was demolished - as I have the tendency to sleep with my mouth open and create a hideous sleeping face. Nevertheless, I did manage to squeeze in about two hours of shut-eye.

      After arriving in Heathrow and going through customs, my sorority sister Lauren and I taxied it over to our new London home - The Crofton. On our way to the taxi we ran into a BU student who not only just had her credit card denied, but also arrived with zero pounds in her pocket - fail. Clearly, a traveler noob. Not wanting to leave her stranded, we shared a cab with her and taxied over.

       Upon arriving at the Crofton, I asked my cab driver if he had any recommendations for fun places to go in London. His response? "I'm 72 years old, and I've never sinned my whole life. I'm going to die on the cross." Before returning to his cab, he shouted out,"Don't drink too much of that midnight oil" - which I assume means don't party too hard.

        I live in the basement of the Crofton, which actually isn't as terrible as it sounds. The Crofton is a beautiful building located on Queen's Gate Road. Our room has four beds, an awkward sun roof, four wardrobes for clothes, and a bathroom (with a personal towel heater). We also have housekeepers that come once a week and tidy the room. They don't make our beds or do our laundry (I wish), but they do clean our bathroom and take out our trash (or rubbish as they call it here). A few local attractions near our dorm include the Natural History Museum, Hyde Park, several embassies, and tons and tons of pubs.

        My roommates are awesome!!! Their names are Mackenzie, Arielle, and Cathy. Arielle is a sophomore at Boston University, Mackenzie is a junior at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, and Cathy is a junior at Tufts University in Massachusetts. We all get along really well and have been having a great time!

       Our RA gave us a walking tour of Kensington and a brief showing of our campus. It's pretty spread out, so I'm a little worried about getting lost. Luckily, I have a roommate in both of my classes, so we can walk together.

      
         To kickoff our roommate bonding and our first night in London, the four of us went out to a pub for dinner. I had a latte, a Crosque Monsuier - which was basically a fancy ham and cheese sandwich with an interesting relish - and chips (aka fries). The bar was packed with local Brits, and the bar played "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock twice, which was funny to hear in an English bar. An ironic thing happened at the bar too. My roommate Mackenzie is 20 years old and she was dying to get a class of wine with dinner - since the legal drinking age is 18 in the UK. However, when she went up to the bar to order her drink, there was a sign that said "21+ only." It was hilarious because the joke is that students study abroad in the UK so they can drink legally at age 18 - not at this bar!
  
 Well, here's a brief summary of what I've learned so far in London:

1) The cars drive on the left side of the road AND cars have the right of way - not pedestrians. They zip down the streets so fast. I'm still fearful every time I cross.

2) People often say "cheers" for "thank you" or "good-bye." The proper response is "thank you" or "cheers."

3) One way the Brits can identify if you're an American is by how loudly you speak when walking down the street (or the pavement as they call it). Apparently, Americans speak at a louder volume than the Brits do.

Write more soon!
Cheers loves!