Touchdown in Londontown...

Hey hey from the other side of the pond! Yes, I arrived in the UK sans incident. The flights were not too bad, albeit long- 3 hours to Dallas, and 9 to London. I was able to sleep a decent amount on the red-eye, which is definitely a good thing as I think I'm mostly adjusted to UK time by now. It was so exciting to land in London!! I was so fascinated by the layout of the city as we were flying directly over about to land, the River Thames, all the neat bridges and buildings and gardens. The weather is lovely, high 60s/low 70s, and it's been drizzling on and off all day. After landing, I went through customs with nary a problem, got my luggage, and was again disappointed at the lack of wireless available in the airport (shame, Heathrow...)

I located the Heathrow Central Bus Station without too much difficulty, and boarded the one heading for Cambridge. It was a little under 3 hour drive, and it gave me a great chance to see more England sights outside of central London (which I'll get plenty to do later with Thea!). I was mesmerized by the city planning, which is entirely backwards for me, with the roads and drivers on opposite sides, not to mention to numerous roundabouts scattered all over the British streets. It seems dangerous to me, but I guess the experienced Brits can navigate them well. When we entered Cambridgeshire, I was awed at how beautiful and historic everything looked. It really is the idyllic university setting.

Having been dropped off in Cambridge, I had a map, but couldn't locate where the bus station was in relation to where my registration and lodging were taking place. Fortunately, I found two other similarly situated fellows. One of whom was also a girl from Sac(!), the other dude from Germany, and both are doing different programs than me so I don't know if I'll see them again. But we collaborated for a taxi and found our respective ways.

I registered a day early (most people in my program are arriving tomorrow) and got all the necessary college literature, before going to the Porter's Lodge for my residence hall, Selwyn College. It is absolutely gorgeous- see for yourself:

I received my keys and found the USC program director, Kimberly, there as well, so it was good to see one familiar face. Now I'm all situated in my AMAZINGLY large dorm room- which is also a single! And I have my first university dinner in an hour. No one seems to have much faith in my affinity for English food, but I am determined to prove them all wrong. Tomorrow: exploring Cambridge, hopefully meeting up with Khushboo (who is already here) and Lindsay (who should be arriving), buying books, and pics of my room and the view from it. I'll let you know, it is spectacularly beautiful...