Scratch that.

Okay, so sorry I took so long to post again, but I don't have internet in my flat yet. In fact, I can't even plug in my computer because the adapter we bought for it doesn't FIT. Fantastic.

So, we aren't living in that flat I mentioned earlier. Nope, when we were in the agent's office, ready to sign the lease and holding it in our hands, we figured it would be too expensive after one of my roommates had a brief fit of hysteria. So forget Warwick Gardens, everyone. Like Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, we're living in Notting Hill!

Okay, so not exactly, but we're a street away from the district and the park from the movie is nearby. We're also a few streets away from Portobello Market, supposedly one of the best areas for shopping in the entire city. Our flat is in the basement of a hotel, but it's nice and cozy, I think. Once I get an adapter for my computer I'll upload pictures so you all can see how nice it is. Even though it's fairly small.

We moved in on Saturday, or at least we moved all of our suitcases from the hotel we were staying at to the flat. We sent Rachel ahead in a taxi, which really put us to the test. Did I mention Rachel is the only member of our group that has any kind of sense of direction? Luckily, we got there without a hitch and Rachel had already brought our suitcases to the appropriate rooms. So we unpacked and headed back to the hotel for the night, because a) I didn't have sheets at that point in time and b) free breakfast.

The next day my friend/roommate Nicki and I decided to go straight to our flat from the hotel that morning, while Rachel, Kelly and Caitlin (the latter two are twins) walked around for a while waiting for the ICLC to open. When Nicki and I got off at our tube stop, some guy approached us and asked us if we were looking for a hostel. I thought that was weird, but I guess it was because we were carrying some luggage. But I didn't think people recruited for hostels like that. I still think of that dumb movie every time I hear the word--thank God I've never seen it.

Anyway, enough about the flat. That's not all I've been doing. For one thing, museums here are mostly free. So far I've checked out the Natural History Museum and the British Museum, where I saw dead people and got to hold a little man made of some kind of metal.

On Saturday, Bill Sheasgreen, the director of ICLC, took us on a walking tour of the city. We started in Westminster near Big Ben, and continued until we got to the Tower of London. Bill knows basically everything there is to know about England and English history, so it was really cool to hear him talk about all the buildings and sites and stuff. Unfortunately for you, my memory is not as good as his and I can't really remember any specifics. But at least I can say I've seen most of the tourist attractions in London, even if it was only from afar. We saw the Globe Theatre, some outdoor food market where I bought falafel for lunch, the London Eye, a lot of the political places, and various other things. Also unfortunately for you, I forgot to bring my camera.

Remember that time I had to go outside in the rain without a jacket because no one told me we were going outside for a tour of the neighborhood during orientation? Well, I blame that and ICLC for the cold I have now. Thanks, ICLC. At least the chemist (or as Americans would say, pharmacist) told me what I should take for my cough and cold. And they are working.

A side note: If you are going to go shopping in a grocery store far away from where you live, don't buy lots of really heavy things. Or a duvet. It's really hard to carry all that from tube to tube, station to station, street to street.

Anyway, thats all for now. Let me know if I've forgotten anything.