Crossing the Fish Pond

I'm here, in London, alive!! Gasp. I left for the JFK airport at 3PM on Saturday, boarded at 8:45, and we took off around 10. It was a jumbo jet, boeing 747 with two floors and it's name was Tinker Bell...I am not joking. The flight on Virgin Atlantic was one to beat, they had nice tv screens with remotes, they served us food: potatoes, beef, brocolii, salad, roll, crackers/cheese, oreo cheesecake, a bottle of water, then tea or coffee (I'm attempting to convert some of my caffeine addiction to English tea, stay tuned for success on that front). Finally they actually served me some very dry and good white wine. The movie offerings were extensive, but I found myself a little too tired and wired to pay attention to them. Sorry George (Ocean's 13). On the way to the airport I remarked to my mom that as long as there was not a crying baby on my flight I would be fine. Way to jinx myself...yes there was a crying baby although it did quiet down once we were in flight...horray!

So I landed, and then was hustled straight into the huge queue for immigration passport clearence only to find out a half hour later that students were permitted in the "group travel" line...go figure. I cleared with no issues and met some other LSE students there as well. One older student going to Cambridge for his PhD had somehow missed that he needed a Visa if he was there over a year, I think they may have actually made him return to the States. I don't know, but I hope not in a way, he almost cried and I felt so bad for him and even more grateful I somehow had picked up on that tidbit. Then after that I had to go get my two huge suitcases (grrrr), I found the LSE represenative who pointed me to the cheapest route to the dorms...the tube. Yes with two suitcases. So I went, stood in lines, bought my darn expensive ticket and then rode 50 minutes while chatting with another LSE student to my stop, wrestled those beasts up an escalator into and out of a tiny lift (or elevator) and then over to the taxi service. I paid three pounds for a minute and thirty seconds, but it was worth it because I didn't have to walk!!! Once in my dorm I had to get checked in, get up stairs and then unpack.

After that whole process I felt strongly about activating my mobile phone so I went searching for a store that would sell vouchers. I felt so accomplished after asking around and managed to buy one...then wonders of wonders, upon returning to my dorm, one of my very kind floor mates offered her phone so I could "top up" as they call it here, or load up my card with some el dinero. I then made my first call to a friend in London, very exciting. However around that time I realized that my adapters won't work with my three pronged laptop cord so that is why this entry and all email tonight are being done at a local internet cafe because my battery is dying.

I'm going to spend this evening getting settled in a little more, having something to eat, then there is a meeting for all recent arrivals downstairs followed by a party. Tomorrow morning, if I'm feeling ambitious enough, I'm going to get up, head straight down to LSE (which is by the Waterloo bridge) and stand in line to get tickets for a talk being hosted in the evening with Alan Greenspan! How fun is that? So if I get up, find the school, get in line and get a ticket, then sometime tomorrow evening I'll get another lesson in economics, although it may...wait wait...it will, be over my head. There are orientation meetings this week for all students, individual programs, within departments, a welcome boat party on Tuesday evening, and then next week we hit the ground running with classes. I feel like as soon as I open my bank account, do some shopping, buy an adapter that actually works I'll be mostly set. There is of course the matter of finding cheap lunch food, but there are a lot of little places in the wall around here and I am looking forward to some good fish and chips in the very near future.

I think that's today's update. God Willing, I can do this daily, as time goes on I may be less dedicated, but it's cool for me to look back on as well. Here's to weird sheets, a tiny room, cool accents and The motherland in general. Stay in touch!!!

New Email

I have a new email address!! It is: T.Dunlop@lse.ac.uk

I will still be checking my Middlebury email regularly and facebook as well. I also am going to have a UK cell phone, but am not going to post it here, if you don't end up receiving it for some reason and want or need it just email me and let me know. It's expensive because apparently our cell phone plans over here rock and Europe's style leaves something to be desired, on the other hand...I'll learn to talk less. Oh pah.

I just got another long welcome email today with the major information concerning my introduction to London in the first week, they take really good care of us. We have all the paperwork time scheduled in, an afternoon of traveling to all of London's famous sites to familiarize us with the city that will be our home for the next year and a welcome party complete with drinks and socializing on a boat in the River Thames. Jealous much? Yeah I know, I know...sorry for gushing, it's just I can hardly believe it either. I keep wondering when this is going to actually feel real. I know I'm going, but it doesn't feel real. Except for the packing, but that's a little more bad dream style. Last days of work coming up, seeing a few more family and friends. Then it's down the very last details...

Visa has arrived

So I am holding my very own UK visa. Passport is up to date and now the process is coming down to packing. Oh the horrors of packing. Those questions, of what to take and what to leave, what to spend money on there and what to drag over across the fish pond, with me on the airplane. I have less than two weeks before the departure, September 29th!!!!!! I had a great visit in Middlebury and saw so many friends and professors which is sad in a way, but I have senior year to look forward to. Back to the packing list for now