Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Well, I am in Oxford now, and I arrived here in one piece. When we arrived, they told us that we couldn't get on the internet yesterday, and we can't get wireless until Wednesday (some weird rule about only having wireless for two weeks. Anyway, this will be long as I try to update you on everything.

Friday
So, I left for the airport and found my way fairly easily, but in a bad omen for things to come, the lady at the desk said that my plane was having a "minor mechanical error." Come to find out, that "error" was a punctured tire, which isn't really "minor", but then again, the entire plane may have had a panic attack if they told us the truth. Anyway, we arrived in Chicago about 45 minutes later than expected, but luckily, I would have had a two-hour lay-over that was cut to one. Then in Chicago, we get on the plane this time before they say "We are experiencing a minor mechanical error, but we should be leaving shortly." Apparently in American Airlines speak, that means we have a punctured tire, and the plane will leave in about 45 minutes. Therefore, both of my flights were due to problems with the tires, but fortunately, we landed safely both times. So, I guess I'll sacrifice the hour and a half for my life, but I want to complain anyway. On the plane, the entertainment was free, so I watched two movies (The Other Bolelyn Girl and Spiderwick Chronicles, both of which were good but not mind-boggling good) and played about a half hour of Tetris before reading and falling asleep for about an hour. Surprisingly, I was in a five person row with only two other people, so we spread out. However, the flight was still uncomfortable. I feigned needing to use the bathroom a few times just to stand up and walk around. All in all though, it was a pretty good flight, and it did not feel like 7 hours on a plane (I told you that I like trips).

Saturday
We arrived at 7:30 AM (1:30 EST). They took us to a bus, and we rode around the airport until we arrived at the main terminal. In customs, the line was really long, and it took about an hour to get through. Then, I was interrogated by the customs agent (not really interrogated, but he asked a lot of random questions). After that, I found an ATM (Bureau de Change here) and withdrew some money. Looking lost and as a tourist, a cop came over and explained how to get on the London Underground (nice man), so I bought a day pass for £7 (normally £14 on weekdays). I continued on by getting off and changing at about 5 stations (a really bad idea on my part considering the luggage problem and all the stairs), but I arrived at Borough (the station close to my lodging) without a problem. I never got lost (so there Adam and Sean). However, then I got lost (stop laughing you two). The maps were a little confusing, so I walked past the lodging (which didn't have a sign of any kind). Another nice lady told me where the hotel was, so I walked back the three blocks to the Great Dover Street Apartments. Unfortunately, I couldn't check in until 2, so I left my bags there and went to Starbucks (yes they have them, too) in order to get my bearings and figure out what I was going to do for four hours. I tried to see if they had the internet, but everywhere with internet wants you to pay, so I decided not to pay the £10. After consulting a map and the travel books, I decided on the Imperial War Museum. It is a really cool museum with tons of things, but you can get lost in there. All of the exhibits in the basement (the main part of the museum) twist and turn, and eventually, you're lost between 1984 and 1945 not knowing where you've been or how to get out (I have learned that the English apparently assume you know where you're going without signs, and you know what assuming does). As some of the attractions, you can find out what it was like to be in the midst of bombing London while being in a shelter and how it felt to be in a trench during WWII. Neither of which gave you the real feeling, but they were informative nonetheless. While walking through the museum, the jet lag finally hit, so I had to it down a few times and rest (but I did it strategically to make it seem as though I was watching a movie; I don't want them to think I'm weak). By the time two hours had passed, I had seen enough, so I headed back to the hotel (it's not really a hotel but for simplicity's sake I'll use "hotel" when referring to it). I grabbed lunch at Morley's Chicken and Burgers for £1.90, and it was pretty good. It was located near the hotel, so I found a park also near the hotel in which to eat lunch. The weather has been great so far, about 70 degrees with a breeze. Around 2:30, I checked in and went up to my room. At this point, I had not seen any of the other people with which I came to Oxford, so I went to my room to rest. I ended up taking a nap for about an hour and half, and it really helped. When I woke up, I heard a noise out in the hall, and I realized when I opened the door that John Fultz was out in the hall. We waited for about an hour until John James and Jill Abney arrived. John F and I headed over the pub across the street to let John Jay (anybody get it? I'm a nerd) and Jill get settled. We drank a beer when they showed up, and then we went to dinner. When we came back, we were all pretty tired, so we went to bed.

Sunday
We had to get up to check out by 10, so we left about 9:30. From there, we got onto the Underground to Paddington Station, and from there, we got onto a train to Oxford. The train left at 11:42 (on the dot in fact), and we arrived around 12:30-12:45. John J and I walked to Oxford, but the other two decided to take a cab. Oxford University is not far from the station, so we actually arrived around the same time. Once we arrived, they gave us our cards (my picture is horrid) and keys, so I went to settle in my room. It's not big, but it's plenty for one person. Around 4:30, we had an oreintation meeting followed by a group picture, followed by a reception (champagne is still gross), and that followed by dinner. Dinner was pretty good. They served us cream of mushroom soup (not bad), a ginger and pear sorbet (to clean the palate evidently), chicken with lemon pepper sauce (I didn't like the sauce much), and an orange trifle (delicious). Overall, a pretty good meal, but it was different. After dinner, a few of us went around the town a little bit. We stopped in a pub which had the Euro Cup game on, and when Spain won, the Spaniards in the bar roared and ran out into the streets. They were out there for a while. We came back a little later, and I went to bed.

(Note: I'll put up pictures when I can use my laptop to get on the internet)

Observations:
- Instead of Entrance/Exit, they have Way in/Way Out.
- They don't pronounce /w/ in the middle of the word (ie. Chiswick --> Chisick, Southwark --> Southark)
- They don't like signs, especially street signs.
- London's streets are not straight whatsoever, but they have really cool crosswalks with paint saying "Look Right" or "Look Left".
- I haven't heard "bloody" or "bullocks", so I am disappointed.


I'll hopefully write tomorrow and explain things here at Oxford, but I have to go to class shortly. Therefore, I can't do it now. Tune in next time to "American Wildcat in London" (booming voice fading out gradually).

Getting Ready

Packing

Before

After

Well, it's almost time to go. It's the night before I leave, and I have mostly everything packed ... I think ... I hope. What makes me feel better is that it's not as if I am headed to the middle of nowhere. I need to remember my passport and ID, and that will pretty much get me over there. If I forget toiletries or the like, I can most likely buy it over there.

So what am I thinking/feeling the night before I leave? Mainly, I am really excited. I have never been to a foreign country before, so this will be an incredible experience. On the other hand, never being in a foreign country makes me a little nervous because I don't know what to expect. Will I get there? Will my luggage get there? Can I find the hotel? Honestly, I know that I can, but I worry a lot (probably about too many things). All in all, I am much more excited than nervous.

Tomorrow (and actually Saturday as well considering it will feel like one giant day) should be an interesting day. I leave Louisville at 2:55 to go to O'Hare. From O'Hare, I fly to London at 5:00, and I arrive at 6:30 AM London time (Saturday morning). Therefore, it will be a really long day, but I am looking forward to it. I have never been on a long flight before, and although most people would hate that, I actually think I might like it. I'm one of those people who like the journey almost as much as the vacation itself. The main problem will be staying awake. I have been told by multiple people that I should sleep 2-4 hours on the plane and stay wake once I arrive in London. Once ten or eleven PM rolls around, then I should crash for 8-12 hours. I guess I should get up on Sunday considering I have to be at Oxford in between 12 and 4 (I'm just kidding; I'll be up in time thanks to my mom's alarm clock).

Well, I guess that's all for now. Hopefully, I will be back on some time on Saturday if I find the internet over there (I don't know if the apartment/hotel room has it or not).

Note: Posting times are in London time.