Walking Around London

I have finished my third day abroad and my second day in London. So far I love it. I awoke this morning around 10:30AM. I felt pretty good and after a shower I felt even better. For breakfast I grabbed a breakfast bar I had gotten the day before and chilled until it was time to head downstairs to meet everyone else to head over the Regent Campus of University of Westminster (UW). This is also where my class will meeting which not where I originally thought it was but it’s just as easy to get to and doesn’t take nearly as long so I can sleep in a little bit on days I don’t want to walk. Anyway, we were there for the ISA Orientation and will be back tomorrow for the UW Orientation.

After the orientation session a group of us went to find some lunch. We found a great little deli called Eat – which is a chain I believe – and got out food takeaway. This means that you don’t get charged for the service of serving it to you so it’s cheaper. This is different than “to go” which means you’ll eat it out on their little patio. I had a meat pie which I took a picture of and then took a picture of someone else taking a picture of their food to prove I wasn’t the only one doing it. We ate in this little park that didn’t have a name on the map. It was full of pigeons and people. The weather was great, though so none of us cared. It has been in the 70s since I got here yesterday which is my favorite temperature.
Once we were done with lunch we all met back at the building we had been in for orientation and went for a very long walk around the city. We walked to Chinatown, Leicester Square (pronounced “Lester”), Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, a restaurant for dinner, and then Prince of Wales pub for a UW summer school student meet-up thing. I didn’t actually talk to any of the other students. The only reason I went was because they gave us one free drink. After that I came back here to Wigram House and sat down to upload pictures and write this note.

As far as the other participants go there are about 15 or so of us and out of that there are 2 boys. Cliques have definitely formed among the group. There’s the “popular kids” another group that doesn’t really fir any stereotype I can think of and then my group, the dorks. It’s an awesome group if I do say so myself. We’re sticking together and looking out for each other.

People have been pretty friendly, although one guy was a little creepy. he just started a conversation with us in the middle of one we were having but luckily Maria was there so we were good. Another guy actually touched my butt but I think he was drunk - or pissed as they over here. I wouldn’t have thought it was on purpose except afterward he and his friends were laughing were laughing about it like they had dared him to do it. If it had been anything more I would have done something about it. And when I say “do something about it” I mean hit the guy. I mean I would have had 10 + girls to back me up. ;)

Tomorrow is the first day of classes and the UW Orientation and Lunch. After class I am headed to High Tea at Harrods, so I will be sure to report back on that at the end of the day. Hope all is well in the States.