So Far So Good...

So I guess I should start this up again. I'll tell y'all about my adventures thus far.

Day of Arrival
My flights here could not have gone any smoother. I had 4 different airports to go through (Nashville -> Chicago -> Copenhagen -> London) and not one was late. In fact, the oversea one was an hour shorter than planned - the one I wanted to be long. That's the one I got to sleep on. It was only about a 7.5 hr trip and after meals and all I only got about 4 hours of sleep. But man, I slept hard those 4 hours. Didn't get to watch any of the movies they had though. And in Copenhagen I was really drowsy waiting in the airport, and when i got on the next plane I took a REALLY nice nap, one that I woke up from on my own. It was exactly what I needed, and I never really had jet lag. Woohoo!

The line at Immigration was really long, but luckily the lady I got was nice (doesn't happen too often). By the time I got to the desk, the line was winding all the way back to the end. I asked her if it was like that everyday. She sighed and nodded. That's a job I don't want!

My luggage was waiting for me on the moving track. No problems with them at all. I suppose Joseph Smith's advice to weary the Lord with your prayers until he gives it to you really works! :) Bc he sure heard a lot from me at every new step of the way.

I got on the tube with my 2 pieces of luggage and wearing my heavy backpack. I was planning to be at my hostel before everyone got off work and loaded the tube, but Immigration took longer than I expected. So I was right in the middle of rush hour. Wasn't too bad though.

Found my hostel and got settled in. It's actually really nice. It's more spacious than any hostel I've had so far. And it's got free wireless which is what I really need right now. And the free breakfast is a definite plus too.

At 7:30 was "Menrichment" - Enrichment with the men invited. I got there around 8:00 but was glad I went. I saw several familiar faces - good friends I had made over the summer. It felt just like going back to a place I already belonged - like when I go back to Tuscaloosa after visiting Huntsville for a Christmas break. And I met several new people as well, most of which were American. Hmm. That's London though. In fact, there's a new bishop here too who was a BYU professor who's here working on his doctorate. The activity was really clever. We filled out a questionnaire that gave us points based on our answers. Then we wrote down an act of service that we were willing to do on a piece of paper. The pieces of paper were collected and auctioned off using the points from our questionnaire. It's a great way to get to know each other and do acts of service. I was impressed with the idea. I'll be cleaning someone's bathroom, and I won a free dinner at a place where 7 ysa are rooming in one house. I already know all the people, but it'll give me a chance to shmooze a little more with them. Plus it's a free dinner. :)

I had no problem getting to sleep when I needed to and slept just fine. Problem was when I needed to go to the bathroom I had to climb off the top bunk, slip into my sandals, and walk past all the people in the hall and lobby still awake to get to the bathroom. No more drinking before I go to bed.

First Full Day
This morning I went to the BUNAC Orientation and learned all the details there about things I need to do, i.e. insurance, bank, taxes, cell phone, getting a job, etc. It was long and boring, and the chair was ridiculously uncomfortable and hot. But all the details they told us are in handouts for later reference.

Then I met up with Ashton who I made friends with over the summer. This girl is a blessing and a half!! She's from Texas and has been here a few years now. In fact, she started using BUNAC, so she's familiar with all the things to do. She helped me get my Oyster Card last night and a cell phone today. So for anyone who needs to call me the number to dial is 447503959586. It's 4 pence/min to call the US from here and only 2 pence/min for the rest of September. So that would be really nice, but I'm not sure if it costs on your end. If so, it wouldn't be worth it. She was going to help me open a bank account too, but I'm lacking a reference letter from my old bank that I didn't realize I needed. Other than that, we just walked around London all day. So she's been a great friend to have here.

(Mom/Tammy: It's really easy to get an Oyster Card and will most likely be worth getting one as soon as I meet up with you. Travel wihin the main zones 1 & 2 for one week cost about 25 pounds. And it may be worth getting a cell phone with Pay As You Go. Mine cost 10 pounds for the phone with 20 pounds worth of minutes purchased. That will probably last me a couple months, but there are cheaper starting costs. I'm not sure what, but we can figure that out later. Figure out how much it would cost if you just used your current phone and we can compare. And when you call me from your cell phones once you're actually in the UK, dial this number - 07503959586.)

I guess that's my update for now. No pictures to upload yet. Maybe I'll take some at some point. I don't know though... nothing's really new to me anymore. It's pretty neat how everything just came right back to me. I was walking down roads today that I used to walk everyday during the summer, and it felt like I was just here last week.