Greetings From London!

As I sit here and munch on what is quite possibly the best baguette I have ever eaten in my entire life, let me tell you a little story:

Once there was a young lass of the tender age of 21. She was preparing to study abroad in the great city of London. As people would ask her, "Are you excited to go to London?", she would often reply: "Oh yes. And I don't plan on coming back." People would smile and laugh at her little joke, not taking her words seriously.
Well, today this young lass finally arrived in London. And guess what? She was right.


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I guess the intro to my very first blog post would be a little better (funnier? wittier?) if I was more creative. But, alas, this is a true story. I did tell everyone that I wouldn't come back to the States. And after my first (half) day here, I can say with full confidence that I would be happy as a clam if I never had to go home. So, thank you, dad, for only buying me a one-way ticket.

The city is beautiful and busy, but in such a different way than Chicago. I guess due to my preference of being alone, I'm more inclined to enjoy the closed off personality of Brits than the genuine openness that (most) Chicagoans possess. I like being in a big crowd, but I prefer not to have to talk to most people. That sounds terrible and selfishly rude, but its true: anyone who knows me is aware that I do not enjoy talking to people whom I do not know (it makes me nervous).

Enough self-indulgent rambling. Let's get to the good stuff!

Yesterday (Friday) I left Chicago for Boston. The flight was nice and I met a lovely 4th year medical student who studies at Northwestern (where I just so happened to have been previously employed).

My flight from Boston to London was a whole nother ball game: the plane was small and cramped and someone near me smelled funny. I couldn't sleep and they played a movie I had already seen (Mirror, Mirror, if you were wondering. Superb!). Six hours and almost no sleep later, I arrived at Heathrow. Immigration and customs was a breeze and I got through with no problems.

When I was brought to my dorm room via taxi (riding on the opposite side of the road is as awesome as it sounds!) I was a bit surprised to see how small it is. My bedroom at my parent's house is bigger than my dorm here, including the bathroom. Speaking of bathrooms, mine is strangely resemblant to one that is situated within an airplane. . . but with a shower. It's weird. But I like it.

I'm on the 17th floor, with a good view of the city and a nice park (not Regent's Park, but just as lovely).

I would also include pictures of the room itself, but as of yet it is a mess. I don't have any hangers and the sheets the University provides are not something I would allow my Yorkshire Terrier to sleep on (yes, he may be a spoiled little thing, but not even dogs deserve a chaffed behind). So expect some pictures once I clean up the place. (P.S. Mom, please send cotton sheets!)

We did a little tour and my new friend Lauren (who is ironically from Holland, Michigan!) and I did a bit of looking around and shopping on Oxford Street. Let's just say, on any given day I can probably be found meandering the aisles of Selfridges and John Lewis. I found some delicious goodies to eat from Marks and Spencer, which is like Target on steroids. Seriously one of my favorite places for food. My pickings include, but are not limited to: mashed potatoes, assorted crackers, mini brownie bites, chocolate covered corn flakes, a cheese stick (Lo, aren't you proud of me?!), 4 mini apple pies, a Twix bar, and 3 bottles of lemonade (2 raspberry and one yellow).

The sun was shining and it just the perfect temperature to be outside all day, evident in the fact that everyone and their mothers were outside this afternoon. The streets are quaint and have a very personal vibe to them- which I absolutely adore. Unlike the busier areas of Chicago, in London one minute you can be on a quiet tree lined street dotted with cute little houses and cafes and at the turn of the next corner, you are on one of, if not THE, biggest shopping streets in the country.

Now I must be taking off, dears. We have an early orientation tomorrow morning and my half-eaten baguette is crying due to lack of attention. That, and my computer charger won't fit into the converter I have and is thus almost out of juice.

Until next time.