Hello from LONDON!

I am in London and I FINALLY have the internet! After a crazy week of traveling, orientations, meeting new people, and seeing new places, I am settling into my new home in North London. During the past week I stayed in a hotel with other students studying with the Butler program. Not everyone is going to school at Westminster but we are all going to school somewhere in Central London. At the end of orientation on Saturday I was dropped off at Furnival House (my new home until June!) near Highgate. Out of all the friends I made throughout the week none of them were put in the same housing as me so I began making more friends again yesterday!

So far I have been having a really good time but the whole experience has been a lot different then what I expected. I really thought London would be similar to other US cities. I was so WRONG. Everything they do here is different. They eat different food, talk differently, act differently, dress differently, drive differently....and this list could go on and on. I am not saying this is a bad thing but I feel like many of these things can be overlooked by tourists but not by people who are trying to live like the locals. All in all, adjusting to the British culture and ways may be more of a challenge then I thought. I know over time I will become more familiar with all of the British ways but figuring everything out at one time seems to be a little overwhelming!

During orientation we had some time to do some exploring and saw many of the major tourist spots. A few of my favorites were Oxford Street, Hyde Park, and the views over the Thames. We made a quick stop into the National Gallery while at Trafalgar Square and stumbled upon VanGoughs Sunflowers. What an amazing surprise. The painting was totally different in real life.

Tomorrow I have orientation for the Univ. of Westminster but classes don't start until next Monday. I suppose we will just continue to explore London and everything about it!