These past 2 days have been crazy! On Friday, MDX had what they call Freshers Fair which is where all the campus groups put together their displays in a huge hall and try to recruit people. It's similar to Sac State's Quad during the first 2 weeks of the semester, except here, it's only one day. I made a cameo appearance in the morning, got some more papers to add to my massive stash, and left. They had some cool stuff there, but I was super disappointed that they don't have a volleyball team!!!
I had the rest of the afternoon to myself, so I decided to do something daring. With my firearm (new local cell phone) burning in its holster (my pocket), my trustee bandana (scarf), my knapsack (purse), and my flask (water bottle), I headed out to conquer the terrain. Yes, I was going shopping - ALL BY MYSELF. Remember, this is a much bigger feat than it is at home. I have to navigate the bus routes AND carry everything I buy because, of course, I don't have my car to load everything into as I buy things around town. So, with an imaginary badge of bravery on my arm, I walked to the bus stop.
I made it to a place called Enfield Town where there are tons of shops, and I spent a couple hours there. At this point, I am having a hard time buying anything but food because I'm still figuring out my budget, and I want to see what my options are (there are a lot of shopping options in London!). Still, I ended up with a pair of very British boots and some more groceries. After successfully completing my quest and making it back to campus, I painstakingly climbed the stairs to the 3rd floor where my room is, and found my door boarded shut. The repairman was fixing it. Exhausted, I waited it out, and he eventually came and let me into my room where I stayed (and slept) until that evening when the international students got together to go on a riverboat down the Thames.
The view from the boat was fantastic! It was a clear night, so we could see everything, including Tower Bridge and the green lazer line that shoots through the sky from the Greenich Conservatory to represent the Prime Meridian. During the trip, a guy from Nigeria apparently chose me as his friend of choice for the evening. He bought be a drink and wanted to hang together the whole time. Interesting... I still can't decide if he is just being friendly or if he is hitting on me (cultural miscommunication, you know). He is studying at another campus that is about an hour journey to mine, so maybe that will settle things. After the riverboat cruise, we all headed back to campus on the coaches, and I went right to sleep (hence, no blog entry).
I slept in on Saturday (naturally) and just relaxed until about 3:30. Like I mentioned before, the campus here is absolutely beautiful, so I took a walk "over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go." Well, grandmother's house is in California, so that wasn't exactly possible, but I did walk through the woods and over a small creek to get to a lake behind campus. The waterfowl over hear sound like monkeys, I just have to say that. It's hilarious! People were out walking with their dogs, and it was a very picturesque adventure. After killing some more time relaxing, I put myself together to go to the city (again) with my Finnish friend for a comedy show (she got tickets for 2 pounds!). I grabbed my jacket with its newly sewed on button (thanks for the sewing kit, Mom!) and went ot the bus stop. Of course, the bus driver had to go on a break right when I got there, so I had to walk to the next bus stop all the way down a street called Snakes Lane. It's beautiful, but creepy because it's fenced in by mysterious shrubbery ("you must bring me... a shrubbery!!!" - Monty Python seemed appropriate here. Afterall, I AM in England) on either side. It was a workout!
The rest of the evening's journey on public transportation was a nightmare. An important portion of the Underground was closed so everyone was taking buses. I won't describe the cramped conditions in too much detail, but I will say this: You know the straw plexis they have on the hand-off counter at Starbucks? It felt like the mean barista of London public transportation was cramming us (the straws) all into a tiny plexi (the bus) because there wasn't enough room for us on the shelf (the Underground). After all was said and done, the comedy show wasn't really worth the effort, but we did find some very nice shops along Oxford Street. Because of the late hour, I had to take a taxi back to campus (=$$$). The driver talked about UFOs almost the whole time, but he was nice. When I got to my room, I had a few pieces of chocolate, checked Facebook (of course), and crashed.
Prayer Request of the Day: Simply, that I would make Jesus look good.
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