Jolly Good, Then

I arrived in London yesterday around 1500. 

By 1830, I was at the pub.

After touching down at London Heathrow Airport and chatting it up with the customs guy for a good ten minutes about Las Vegas and which bars/casinos I recommend, I finally made it to the underground tube. I purchased a one-time ticket, hopped on the Piccadilly Line, and made my way to Russell Square. I was off to a good start. However, being on the tube during rush hour with a bag bigger than my body was a challenge. I thought I was through with the crowd when I stepped off the train. I was wrong. After hauling my bag up a flight of stairs (no - there was no escalator) I thought I had reached the top. I was wrong again. I now stood face to face with a closed elevator and front to back with what seemed like 100 people pushing me forward once the doors opened to let us in. Eventually, I made my way out of the elevator as well as the sea of people and into the daylight. Directly in front of me was a sign reading "University of London" with an arrow pointing left. I figured the University of London dorms were the same direction. Wrong, wrong again. Thank god I ran into my friend Liz and other members of the group right as I was finishing my left turn. She was quick to correct me. She led me to the right and saved me a lot of time and confusion.

The view from my dorm window.

My room. There is also a sink on the left and a desk on the right.

Trees forming an arch at a park across from my dorm.

After signing in at the front desk (no ID required...), I dropped my bag at my room and headed straight for the dining hall. Typical cafeteria food. Just tasty enough to be edible. I met a few people from the group while eating dinner. We decided we'd all rest for a bit then go off and explore our surroundings and stop at some pubs. While walking back to our rooms, we ran into the rest of the gang. They were leaving for the pubs in five minutes time. Change of plans. I quickly ran up to my room, tore apart my suitcase, put on some mascara and I was good to go. A group of about 18 of us set off into the city. Our first stop was the London Pub, just a few blocks from our dorm. What an original name, right? I suppose it was appropriate for our first of the trip. The pub was already fairly crowded and it was 6:30 on a Sunday evening. We ordered some beers and ciders, grabbed a large booth, and began getting to know each other. Two drinks later, we set off for the next pub. It wasn't as great. After one drink at "Not So Great Pub" we decided to return to the London Pub where we spent a few more hours enjoying the city, the fresh air, and each others' company.

I slept like a rock - and not just because that's how hard our mattresses are. Getting only two hours of sleep on the plane had finally caught up to me. We ate breakfast as a group and departed for the AHA International building by 0915. There, we met Mary, Maggie, and Martin, our program directors and coordinators. They spent a few hours briefing us on the program and London in general. By 1200, we had two British police officers in front of us lecturing about safety. It was hardly a lecture. Not only did the two officers spend a great part of their presentation flirting, but London's crime consists merely of theft. The police officers do not even carry guns and people are prohibited from carrying mace. 

My classroom for the next 5 weeks at AHA International.

We ate lunch, spent some free time wandering around, and returned to AHA to become academically orientated by Christopher Cook, one of our tutors for the program. After a few torturous hours fighting the need to sleep, we walked down to the British Museum. I couldn't help but laugh recalling the first time I visited this museum two years ago. Our elevator had broken and we ended up in the basement, a restricted zone, and got caught by police who questioned us about our intentions down there. Luckily, that didn't happen this time! After meandering through Egyptian coffins, Chinese pottery, and African textiles, we headed home for dinner and the inevitable sleep.

The British Museum

Naturally mummified human.

Happy Buddha