I'm here!

I've been in London for a week, and I'm feeling much better than when I stepped off the airplane. For those of you who haven't heard the story, I was coming down with a cold when I left the airport in Michigan, and it only got worse during the eight-hour plane ride. By the time we landed, I was nauseous, sniffling, running a fever, and half-deaf from the pressure in my ears. After dragging myself through customs (luckily, I had no problems), I got a cab, where I proceeded to throw up. When I finally made it to my dorm, I got the keys to my room, dragged my bags up the stairs, and collapsed on my glorious bed for the remainder of the day. Even grocery shopping was to wait until the morrow.

One week later, I have thankfully recovered from that lovely ordeal. I have spent most of my time here simply wandering the area accompanied by my maps, getting lost several times, and eventually progressing to the point where I can give Brits directions to locations within my district. My legs are continually tired, but I am rewarded by the friendly familiarity I have already aquired for Lambeth Bridge and its surrounding neighborhood.

I finally registered for classes yesterday, and they are as follows:

Subjects of Desire in Medieval Religious Writings
Elizabethan Shakespeare
Irish Literature and Culture
A Language of Peculiar Grace: A Modern History of English

Classes begin Monday, 24 September.

Today, I rode on the London Eye (the gigantic "ferris wheel" about fifteen minutes from my dorm along the Thames river). I must confess, the sight from the top was not as impressive as I was expecting...but perhaps I was building myself up too much. I have heard from others that the lights are marvelous if you take a ride after nightfall, so perhaps I will do so in the future.

I found out that the Museum of Garden History, near Lambeth Bridge, holds live jazz concerts most nights, and I decided to go to one. It was highly sophisticated for such a small venue, and I was provided with a full vegetarian meal and access to the bar. Oddly, the opening band was much more entertaining to listen to (at least to my untrained ear) than the star performance later. I am usually not much of a fan for jazz, but as always, live music is much better. The first band was poignant with their songs and hilarious with their antics, and the final group was lovely, if not quite as remarkable.

It is colder here; it feels like October during the day and November during the nights, and the leaves have begun to fall in earnest. As far as my residence is concerned, most or all of my neighbors are British freshmen, which, while they are friendly and enthusiastic, has made it harder to form friendships with them, especially since I cannot share their enthusiasm for spending all night (every night) at nearby pubs.

Then again, it does often take me longer than most to warm up to people, and I am sure I will meet more like-minded individuals once classes begin.

I hope I haven't bored you too much! I hope to be able to write about more exciting things in the future, but for now, goodbye, and cheers.