Through the Wardrobe

Greetings from the UK!

It's hard to believe that I'm finally here, and even harder to believe that this will be my home for the next three and a half months.  It sounds like a long time, but the first few days have already flown by, and I don't want my time here to slip away.  Hopefully this blog will help me remember everything, however inconsequential, and keep my family posted on my whereabouts.

Extremely jet-lagged, the five of us from "just outside of Philly" arrived early Thursday morning.  We made it through customs (which is more challenging than one might think - we almost lost Ashley!) and took a bus from the airport to Oxford.  Needless to say, we were pretty loopy by this point:

Exhibit A: Torey and I discussing the difference between peace signs and deuces.

Finally, we arrived in the city and dragged our luggage across the cobblestones to the Porter's Lodge.  Walking was clearly the most time and cost-effective plan ... Everyone was really glad I suggested that instead of the taxi ... Just don't ever mention it to them again. Lol.  We then received our house keys and we set off to find our flats (how British, right!?).

As it happens, I live on Abingdon Road in a house with seven other OPUS students, both guys and girls, from three different colleges: CUA, Azusa Pacific, and George Mason.  Everyone seems extremely nice, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better as time goes on.  Right now, we're still at that awkward point where everyone is SUPER polite, trying not to get on each other's bad side or take up too much space in the refrigerator.  I suppose that's a good thing, but it's a bit like walking on egg shells, you know?

In addition to a dining room, kitchen, and three bathrooms that we share, we each have our own rooms, which is nice.  Next door are 8 other students from the same three schools, including Torey and Ashley from CUA.  I love that 16 of us live here - it's going to be blast and I'm looking forward to hanging out with everyone.

Exhibit B: The Abbingdon Flats

Directly to the left of the blue flat: 222 Abingdon (aka home!)

Directly to our left: 224 Abingdon (Torey and Ashley's flat)

Thus concludes day one.  Hope all is well back in the states.  Love and miss everyone <3