I think I've spent the last few days dreaming up a blog post and wondering how I'd describe London thus far. The only things I've got so far are cliche phrases and gushy exclamations....which are exactly nothing and everything London is. Yesterday I went with the International Students Group on a free bus tour of the city and took about a billion photos, a smattering of which I've just uploaded to flickr. This afternoon we're going on a trip up the London Eye, and I'm sure I'll amass even more photos. The skyline is just superb, from any and every angle. The treat yesterday was getting to see the bridge of Tower Bridge open up to let some boats through at high tide. The river is something I could wax poetic about for ages, I think. Always drawn to water, I've been in love with the Thames from Day 1. My train journey from Kacey's involves going over London Bridge to Charing Cross and is the highlight of my day. It's just amazing how the whole city is wrapped around it and over it and near it.

I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row right now. Loan appropriation, UK bank account, student Oyster card for the tube, Birkbeck library card, class schedule, building locations, tube lines, student union membership card, Young Person's Railcard, term dates, council tax exemption forms, National Health Service registration, visa registration and enrollment....la la la. It goes on. There have been a few sessions for help with these things this week through the International Students Office. The administrative people have been super nice, but the other American so far that I've encountered have been just awful. I was telling Kacey about them last night and she thought I was making them up! I wasn't. They're obnoxious and loud and horrific and exactly the kind of people I'd hoped would never leave the States! I'm planning on staying far away from them after this afternoon's trip to the Eye and just making friends with the people who're doing my same program.

Optimism is my new motto. I still haven't found a place to live, although we've got a couple leads on places finally and are going to some house viewings this weekend. School starts next Tuesday, and since I finally have my new schedule, today is school planning day with me looking up what I need to have prepared for classes next week. Yikes, school again! It feels surreal. I only have class Tuesday and Thursday evenings, though, which leaves me loads of time to find part-time work or volunteer in museums around town, which I'm trying to do. I'll be taking 2 classes this semester, Museum Issues and Approaches and Archives Policy Practice and Debates. I'm SUPREMELY excited about the Archives class, which will be held at the London Metropolitan Archives! Teri, if you're reading this, just know that I have the ole' RCW to thank for inspiring my enthusiasm in everything Archives. I plan to wow the professor with my scanning experience. :) 

I've been in London since last Wednesday and I've been staying with Kacey and her puppy Winifred, who I'm to walk each morning after Kacey leaves. Getting into Blackheath's little dog park has been nice -- I haven't really had something to make me start my mornings calmly in a natural way, and walking the dog helps with that. Blackheath is an adorable little village, too. And not too far away from Greenwich, home to the National Maritime Museum and about a billion other awesome things, like the Prime Meridian (which shines like a green laser in the night sky, of all things, who knew??). I'll miss my little commute, but I have to say I hope my future commute is a bit shorter -- taking the 30 minute train into the city every day gets a little exhausting. But I guess its the price you pay for living outside the frenzy of the city and in a slightly cheaper place. 

I think the photos I took yesterday of the city need to speak for themselves, because I keep trying to find a way to describe everything without much luck. So, without ado, I will leave you with one beautiful photo to entice you to move along to my flickr (just click on the photo & it'll take you straight to flickr!).