The Weekend

Wotcher all,

So much to tell and yet I've no idea where to start; so I'll just give a short recap of everything that's happened.

It's been a long (but good) weekend , that's for sure.  The flight over was not too dreadful, although I slept very little.  Then, after alighting at Heathrow, we all moved into our dorms at Kings College in Hampstead.  We've also had orientations, meet and greets, and have taken several tours already--the first, just a walking tour around Hampstead to get better acquainted with the area, and the second, a bus tour around the city.  After the bus tour, I met up with two friends from back home and together we went to the Soho district in the West End of London--the capital of revelry.  Then, after a night of zero sleeps, I attended a church service at St. Paul's Cathedral, which had the most beautiful choir music I've ever heard.  Now, I'm back at the dorm, putting off working on a paper (go figure).

Phwew.  So obviously a lot has been going on.  However, I've at least had time to realize just how singular I feel in relation to my new environment.  And by that I mean to say that the culture shock feels much more like a culture pinch or a culture buzz--it's all very subtle.  It's kind of like A Sound of Thunder, a short story by Ray Bradbury.  In the story a man goes back in time to hunt dinosaurs, strays from the intended path, [Spoiler alert] steps on a butterfly (killing it), and upon returning to the present, finds all sort of nuances in his surroundings--such as words being spelled differently.  Well, that's how I feel here.  It's like I never really left the States, but while I was on the plane going to "London," someone put "Diversion" on street signs that used to say "Detour."  (I mean, this is kind of a joke, like I know I'm in London, but sometimes I like to see just how far I can convince myself of possible alternate realities.)  That's not to say I'm not enjoying the London, only that it doesn't feel entirely real yet.

 

from my dorm

 

I'm keeping a tally of how many times I get honked at/nearly killed by a car while in London.  So far I'm at three.  Thankfully, there are indications on the ground as to which direction you should expect traffic.

 

The Union Jack atop Buckingham Palace

 

A built in caption.

 

haha. This late night ice cream shop in Soho district made me giggle.

So I hope you've enjoyed the update, devoid of details as it may be (I'll be better next time!).  But as for now, I must be off.  Paper to write and food to eat.

Sincerely sleepy,

Kelsey