I Have Arrived!

I arrived in London at 1:00 pm on Friday, or 13:00 as the Europeans say. The flight was so long, and the plane was definitely not as nice as the one I was on to Dublin three years ago.  Customs was a breeze though, and the Customs officer was very intrigued by the fact that Library Science was a thing. I think that threw him for a loop and he didn't care to ask me any more questions, because I definitely had it much easier than some of the people in the program!

We got to the dorm at around 2:30 (14:30), and checked in to our itsy bitsy, teeny tiny dorm rooms. But at least we have our own bathrooms! Apparently in Europe, that is a luxury. I am on the 6th floor, though we have learned that the floors are counted different here than at home, so I am not sure if it would be what we consider the 7th, or actually the 6th, because our first floor is their "ground floor."  My view is of some neighboring buildings, so not very spectacular, and the bed sort of feels like the fold-out sofa beds from hotel rooms. I would post a picture but there isn't a good spot to stand in the room to get the whole thing, it's very small and very narrow.

After getting settled and unpacked, we met for class at 4:30 (16:30) for our neighborhood tours. We walked toward Gabriel's Wharf, then up to Waterloo Station, which was PACKED with people trying to get home. Not only was it Friday during rush hour, but there was some type of delay on one of the trains, so getting anywhere was a feat. We ended up cutting our tour short and headed back to the dorms for a welcome dinner/reception.

All in all, it was a good, albeit overwhelming, first day of this month-long adventure!