My First Day At Uni

Remember your first day of kindergarten? Your mom took a picture of you with your backpack just before she sent you off into the wild. I don't recall ever seeing one of me. So, I took this opportunity to take one. The above picture is me on my first day of Uni or University as the English like to call it. I have learned other words and facts the first week of being here. Let's go over some of them.
School= where small children go to learn
Secondary= junior high
High School= freshman and sophomore year
College= junior and senior year
Uni /University= University
I have learned other words that don't have to do with schooling. I will type the word and then under it use it in a sentence. Here they are:
Bit: piece or section
I am going to eat this bit of pie.
Knickers: underwear
The Queen wears polka dotted knickers
Knackered: tired
Prince Harry looks knackered after a night out on the town.
I'm a little unsure on that last word. I think I got it right though. I also learned that all the swans in the U.K. are property of the Queen. You cannot eat or kill them. She will cut off your head if you do. Ok, she wont cut off your head, but something bad will happen.

Susan "Off with your head!" B.

My Mail Box Is 113!!!!

Last night the school hosted a boat party that went down The River Thames. It was so beautiful. The night consisted of dancing and drinking. I took the opportunity to see some of London in a whole new way. The trip lasted about 3 hours. We got to mingle with students from the other campus. Everyone was dressed to the nines. Good times.
I am sorry, my mailbox number is 113! Don't send anything to 142. If you have already sent me something, let me know so I can intercept it. Please make a not of my box number for the future. Any package that are sent will be kept at the desk until I sign for them so no worries there.

On the left is The London Eye, the pointy building in the middle is Parliament and on the right is Big Ben himself.
I don't know what that building is. I thought this was a good shot from the boat.

Parliament of the left and Big Ben on the right behind the double decker bus

This is Alice. She is my first friend here at Richmond. On my second night of being here, she asked me to have dinner with her. I think that was the first words she spoke to me. I am very grateful she is so outgoing. Alice is British, although she has lived in more countries than I can pronounce. She speaks/reads/understands like 3 languages. She dresses like she is getting ready to walk down a runway. She is very sweet and very cultured. And she is 19.

Another boat party going on. Hey! Party over here! Party of there!

I don't know what this is, but I thought it was cool.

What's up Big Ben?

I know this is extremely out of focus, but it is the first and only shot I have of Westminster Abbey. Don't you fret, next Saturday I have a school trip here and I will get more (clear) shots.

I think this is call The English Bridge. It's really beautiful. The color is a pretty teal.

A little further back.
Susan "I'm on a boat!" B.

The Scoop On London

I made it to London. I flew out of LAX to Chicago. I had a real hard time saying good-bye to my mom first. I wasn't in Chicago for long. Well, I wasn't in the airport for long. We boarded the plane on time, but then we sat, not moving for about 2 and 1/2 hours. I did get to watch the movies 'Hanna' and 'Something Borrowed'. I liked them both. So, finally we leave the airport and begin our 7 hour flight to Heathrow. I was worried because I didn't know the woman who was picking me up. I kept freaking out because I had no way to contact her and tell her my plane was late. After we landed I breezed through customs and went to find this woman that I had never met. It actually didn't take very long to find her though. She was real sweet. Gave me a hug when we found each other. She didn't know my flight was late until I got there and she stayed and waited for me.

She drove me to school and pointed out some of London along the way. After I got there and checked in and put my stuff in my room, they took us on a walk down the hill to go shopping. Here is what I saw:

This is one of the views from the top of the hill. That is the River Thames (pronounced Tems)

London is very green with lots of trees and old buildings

The River Thames a little closer

This is near the river, the building is a very nice restaurant with a big green field that is part of a park


We walked past this building. I was told that Mick Jagger's ex-wife lives here

This is where we went shopping. It's a street of shops


A closer look

There were nice helpful returning students that carried my bags to my room. When we got to it, they both said that my room is one of the nicer ones.

Window and empty shelves


The side view of my closet where I hang my towel to dry


My dresser and sink

My desk, next to my dresser



The front of my closet


Door on the left: Bathroom Door on the Right: My room

Man, they saw me coming


That's my door




The hallway outside my door



The smallest bed ever!


Can you make out that square on the wall above my bed? It's a cork board. I need pictures. Here is your challenge, should you except it. I would like pictures of all kinds mailed to me so I can hang them on this board. It doesn't have to be of me or you. It can be things that I like. Such at:

Taylor Swift

Derek Jeter

The Simpsons

Cake

Twilight

Books

Team Edward

etc.

Need my address? Email me and I will send it to you. I gave most of you a forwarding address before I left. Let me know if I didn't.

Susan "I emerged in London rain" B.

Long Live the Queen

Ever since I moved home back in 2006, I've been trying to get back out on my own again. Nothing seemed to work out for me though. Every plan I made kept falling through. I decided I don't like being a working girl anymore. I want to go back to school. I want to study something that I love and not something that I'm just good at. One day, at work, I googled "study in Britain". I clicked on the first link, and navigated my way through. The first school that was listed was Richmond University. It is located in London, England. I looked around on the web site and thought it looked pretty cool. I liked that there is a gym on campus and the building looks like a castles. Last December, I applied. My application was complete at the end of February and on March 8th I received a phone call saying I had been accepted!

When I first told my parents about applying, they gave me this wary look and just raised their eyebrows at me. When I told my mom I was accepted, she got a little excited. My dad wasn't so quick to join the party though. But I pushed on and jumped through all the hoops the school kept throwing at me. Before too long, both of my parents were offering to pack my bags and pay for my plane ticket! Bless their hearts.

I was relentless for 4 months, trying to keep my "big news" off of facebook. I didn't want to tell my work prematurely. For all four months, I dreaded telling my boss. I was so scared he was going to be mad at me! I set my tell-all date for August 1st and last Monday, I got to work early and with bile and breakfast slowly rising from my stomach and settling in my throat, I went into my boss' office and told him. He was thrilled! I couldn't believe how supportive he was.

This morning, I got an email confirming my Visa to enter the U.K. I am at the point of no return. My flight leaves out of LAX Monday, August 29th. This is it.

That's part of the reason I started this blog. I don't want to forget a thing while I'm over there. I want to be able to go back and remember every detail of this adventure. I am SUPER stoked. I would never have imagined I would live in London.

I need to add some photos. One of the women that I work(ed) with retired last week. They threw her a Twilight themed lunch party. She's a big fan. Robert Pattinson showed up dressed as Edward Cullen and he wouldn't stop bugging me to take a picture with him! So, I obliged.

Susan "you can't spell my name without USA" B.