Life as a Londoner

On September 2, 2009 I became an official resident of 27 Palace Court, and since then life has been amazing. Catherine and I were put in Dorm 3. It's perfect for us because it holds 14 girls, has a view of the street, and is just simply the best room. We're both on top bunks on opposite sides of the room. My bunkmate's name is Mandi and she is hilarious. From the first second we met I knew that we were going to have the best time together. Cath's bunkmate is LeAnn and she's beyond great too. The four of us clicked right away and by day 3 I felt like I'd known them for ten years. I love it. There are a ton of other cute girls too. All the girls in our room are so fun. Abby got put upstairs, but she's down here a lot so it's all working out. In the past week we've explored the streets, gone running in Hyde Park, figured out the tube, seen multiple museums, taken a night run to Big Ben, eaten cupcakes on Portobello road, celebrated a birthday, gone to church, eaten too much cake, stayed up late chatting and doing crunches, attempted doing homework, shopped, and laughed and laughed and laughed. I can't believe it has really only been 7 days. I already feel right at home and like I've lived here for years. It's fabulous! Some favorite rituals we're beginning to have are Treat Day Fridays, one pound grapes, DC runs, computer time, and quoting every Friends episode imaginable. LeAnn and I literally talk about a different one every day. The birthday we celebrated on Saturday was Mandi's. My bunkmate is 20! A group of us went to Wagamama's for dinner and had birthday cake afterwards. It was a ton of fun. At church on Sunday I found out I will be going to the Lee Valley ward. I don't know much about it, but I do know there is a large Primary and Young Women's so I will probably be serving in one of those areas. I am really excited about it! Classes started on Monday and they are going to require a lot of hard work. I think I forgot that coming to London included actual school. I'm in Humanities, Shakespeare, Biology, Religion, and Cultural Studies. Clearly the fact that we're in London does not mean school isn't just as hard as it would be at home. I better get ready to hit the books! But besides that all I can say is London is proving to be incredible so far! I wouldn't choose to be anywhere else right now! I just love it!