First Impressions

I am sitting on one of the couches in the living room of my flat. Out the window, I have a view of St. Paul's Cathedral (we have the best view of all the units, if I do say so myself). So there's still a dome rising in the background, even if it doesn't have a giant gold-plated statue of Mary on it.

So the trip went fairly smoothly, except for the initial checking of baggage. I only brought one suitcase because I had to check my cello, and I knew it would probably be overweight but decided to just pay the fine. So we get to the Detroit airport (which is REALLY nice, even if Detroit isn't) and, yes indeed, my bag weighs 62 lbs, 12 lbs over the TSA-enforced limit. The man behind the counter, a middle-aged man with a slight middle Eastern accent, says it will cost $200. WHAT. Arghghg. My mom sighs and says we'll just pay it, but I am visibly upset. The United Air employee takes pity on me and tells me to open my suitcase and take out 12 lbs, surely I can fit that much in my backpack and if not, he'll give me a paper bag to carry it in (oh so classy). So I unzip my suitcase. "Oh, those shoes there, take them out. And jeans, those are always heavy, take them too. Trust me, I do this 10 times a day," says the man, tactfully ignoring the bag of tampons sitting on top of the pile of clothes. Oy. So I get the bag down to 50 pounds. The man shoots me a sideways glance and says quietly, "You can put another pair of shoes back in there, I don't mind." So, at a grand total of 51.5 lbs, my bag is on its way. I don't know if the United man's motives were plain old kindness or his blatant hatred for TSA officials, but I sincerely thank him all the same. 

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. A short flight to Chicago, a very long one to London. Met upon arrival by chill rain and an EXTREMELY chipper director of the study abroad program. Off to the flat, time for a quick shower, then a 45-minute walk to the London Centre (note the consciously British spelling), a beautiful building on Trafalgar Square where we will have class. Staying awake through orientation was a struggle, but somehow I made it. Walking back to the flat, it started raining, and none of the people I was walking with had umbrellas so we got soaked. A rookie's mistake. I crashed around 8:30 London time and woke up in the morning feeling much more like a human being than I had during the previous day.

London. There is just so much of it. I know that's about as general a statement as has ever been written, but it's true. I am intrigued, intimidated, dazzled. I will elaborate-- after I've seen more. And gotten a bit more sleep. Goodnight... 


P.S. Did you know the title to this post was the original manuscript title of "Pride and Prejudice?" Aren't I clever??? (Or maybe just a HUGE NERD.)