London, beginnings

---

---

So this is where the more exciting stuff begins

I got to London in early-mid January, and ever since then I feel as if I've been emptying my pockets. I'm spending so much money here--it's crazy! The first week I was here I spent it with Rachel. Because of Ghana, we arrived a week earlier than the program started, so we chilled in a hotel and hostel for the days before move in. Mostly, we decompressed from Ghana (it seemed to follow us around in London, there were so many Ghanaian things that kept on popping out of nowehre!), wrote our paper, slept, ate (we went to a pub called the Boot, and it was so awkward, because we walk in and it's filled with really old British men, and she made us stay and I had a beer), and were feeling pretty dodgy. However, things soon looked up as move in day came closer. The day before move in we went shopping in Knightsbrige (I went into Harrods, which was amazing) with Ana and her mom, and that evening we saw We Will Rock You.

And then move in happened. And I was stoked. Our room (mine, Andy, and Derrick's) is awesome.

Since move in, I've been exploring the city. I've checked out the Tate Modern, National Gallery, and British Museum; walked around the City, Soho, Covent Garden; did some shopping; seen Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus; passed by St. Paul's Cathedral; toured Westminster Abbey; passed the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the London Eye, saw the Horse Guards Parade; went to an Pakistani neighborhood for some Indian food; saw the Edward Scissorhands ballet; enjoyed grocery shopping at Budgens, Tesco, and Sainsbury's; walked down Oxford Street; went to Notting Hill (i've been staking the movie, for I also passed the Ritz and the Savoy); taken my fair share of buses, and a few double deckers; trekked out to Brixton for How Does it Feel to Be Loved club night, and subsequently hung out with Brits; and I took a day tour to Cambridge.

None of this list was in any particular order, but it does seem like I've done a lot. I'm also in 2 classes that enable me to see more of London. My Modern Drama class takes me out to plays every week. I've seen The History Boys at the Royal National Theatre, and this week I saw The Andersen Project at the Barbican Theatre. My Seeing London class takes me out to different parts of London every week. So far, we've toured the Tower of London (where I got to see the crown jewels!), and this week we explored around the Bank of London.

As for my other classes, they're all pretty good. Islam in the West is sooooo boring, but I'm doing it for a requirement, and I might take it pass/fail. British Cinema is fun. We watch British films every week. So far, we've seen Notting Hill, Yasmin, and 28 Days Later.

---

Photos

Part of the exterior of Westminster Abbey
I took this in the courtyard

Houses of Parliament
I forget which tower this is...Victoria(?)

The bedroom room in our flat
Not pictured is the full sized kitchen behind the camera and our 2 bathrooms for 3 people!