Am I There Yet?

I sit here and the whole feeling I can muster is dazed. I am here in London but I have yet to feel like I am. Then again, I don't really feel anything except for the overwhelming desire to sleep and various aches and pains resulting from travel and very large suitcases. I must stay awake so that I fall asleep tonight but it is exceedingly difficult, especially as everyone else in the building, including my roommate, seems to be slumbering. I will try and clear my foggy brain to relay my story.

Well, I left on the 8 am train for Chicago yesterday. The ride was uneventful; I drank my last two Diet Dr Peppers and played the Sims 2 for the entire time. After another heinous battle with my luggage, I found Aunt Lori Sue, Iz, and Em with no trouble. We proceeded to have a wonderful afternoon dining at Giordano's, recalling past memories, and catching each other up on the latest gossip of our lives. I always have a great time with those girls and it was much better than sitting in the airport all day.

All of us on Arcadia's program basically made up the entirety of the airplane and we most definitely dominated the gate area. I, of course, had a difficult time talking to anyone but I haven't been a complete recluse. Not that it mattered because once we got on the plane I was seated next to old Indian lady whose sari scratched my skin on several occasions and who spilt apple juice on my pants. Better than vomit leaking from an air sick bag, but still not pleasant.

Ok, have any of you ever ridden Virgin Atlantic before? BECAUSE IT ROCKS! They have video games, several different TV and movie channels that play continuously through the flight, and food that is actually edible. It was actually not excruciatingly boring to be on an airplane and I enjoyed myself thoroughly playing Inflight Trivia Tournament and watching Yo Gabba Gabba. Of course, after the 13.5 hour United flight to Beijing, all other flights are a cakewalk, but this was really a superb flying experience.

We landed at Heathrow an hour ahead of time and were forced to wait in a hideously long line at Customs that I swear did not have air conditioning. Then the baggage carousel broke down, causing delay, and after almost having a coronary that my bag had been lost, I found both of them to my joy. We then found our Arcadia staffers and waited for our buses to arrive to take us to our housing.

I have to say I was slightly frightened when I stepped outside and the sky was gray. Terrible flashbacks to Beijing. They were only clouds here, not smog, and there is definitely blue sky out my window right now, thank the lord. I, naturally, managed to rip my right big toe's nail off as I got on the bus, and thus bled through our drive.

I live in room 12. The very top floor. Up five flights of stairs. With no air conditioning. Getting the bags up and unpacking was, as you can imagine, a great joy. I will be skinny as hell with toned legs after 8 weeks of climbing up and down the stairs every day. I only have one roommate, Lacey, which is unusual for Palace Court and my window looks out onto the backs of houses. My favorite part is the spikes on the roof right outside my open window to kill any birds who try and land there. The day when I look out the window and see impaled pigeon is going to be a savory one. The room is quite large and has its own sink. However, we must go down one flight of stairs for the nearest toilet and another half flight for the nearest shower.

I bathed after unpacking and it was comedy at the levels of Lucille Ball. The shower is very small, so that you have to strategize about which part of your body will be wet when because it is impossible to get completely out of the water. It has a rain shower head so there is no moving it out of your way. Shaving your legs is only possible if you are fine with most of your shaving cream washing away before you get a chance and if you can stand like a flamingo and not die. The water temperature is also tepid at best no matter how far you turn the handle towards hot.

All in all, the accommodations are much as I expected and I am happy. I have a mattress and the shower and toilet are separate so it is already much improved from China. We are all laying low until 4 when we have an arrival meeting, followed by dinner, followed by a tour of the neighborhood. I would go out and do some shopping as I need sheets and groceries but I haven't gotten to a currency exchange yet plus I am really and truly exhausted.

I am so tired that everything has this surreal quality to it. My brain cannot function enough to process that I am really here and these are the people I am going to be living with and this is going to be my life for the next two months. It just feels like some kind of dream or limbo. An 8 o'clock bedtime tonight will fix me up nice and allow me to truly soak everything in and give me the necessary energy to go out and do something notable. An hour of airplane sleep and an hour's nap just won't do. Tomorrow, tomorrow...