Settling in

Hi again. I'm currently sitting on my bed, making a bold attempt to stay awake! Actually, I'm doing okay, but I probably won't be up too late tonight. It occurs to me that you may want to know what I've been doing for the past two days...or maybe you don't care, but I'm going to tell you anyway.

Yesterday (Saturday) was the day that I was supposed to meet the people from ASE (Advanced Studies in England--the program I'm with) between the hours of 11 AM and 3 PM at the train station. Unfortunately, I got a horrible night's sleep on Friday night--first I couldn't fall asleep, despite my exhaustion, and then I woke up at 4:45 AM (although I did fall back asleep around 6:30 for a bit longer). Anyway, when I got up, I showered and went down to breakfast at the hotel before just killing time for a while in my room. Around 11 I checked out of the hotel and took a taxi with all my stuff back to the train station. It was really awkward though, because I really didn't know who I was looking for so I stood around for some time thinking "this is a problem!" and "what am I going to do?". Anyway, finally I was wandering around and the person I was supposed to meet, Claire, saw me with my luggage and I was rescued. Granted, she had the advantage of having our pictures with her. Another woman escorted a few of us to our houses by coach (I'm really enjoying this English thing).

I live on Pierrepont Place in Linley House. Apparently the house was built in the 1700s and the Linley family lived here. According to my sources (i.e. the woman who talked to us) the Linleys are fairly well known--Thomas Linely was a composer (I feel like I should have known that), and one of his daughters married the poet Sheridan I think. Basically, the place has history. So the house has a ton of floors! The front door leads onto the ground floor, as the English would say (we would say the first floor, but I told you, I'm really liking the English) that has two rooms where a total of four people are staying. If one proceeds down the hall and down the staircase, one is led to an EXTREMELY sketch looking kitchen, with the only oven in the house and a washer and dryer. Also on this basement floor, is a classroom that will be used this summer which leads out onto a little patio/garden. Oh, and there is a small bathroom (half bath I guess) down there. So, going up the stairs, past the ground floor, to the first floor (aka the second floor in our terms), one finds the drawing room (used to be a music room), dinning room, and slightly nicer, but still small, kitchen. If you keep walking up those endless stairs, you get to the floor with two more rooms (one is mine) of two people each and the two showers. Through a door just out side the showers, is a very narrow, winding staircase at the top of which is the other bathroom. Have you gotten the sense that there are a lot of stairs? Because there are! I would invite you to look at the pictures on my facebook page if you want pictures.

Anyway, we only had a short orientation meeting yesterday...the real orientation started today. There are 32 people on the trip who are spread out around the city of Bath in four different houses. Basically, today we did a lot of sitting while they talked to us, but, interestingly, it is much more interesting (even a somewhat dull subject like rules) when the person talking has a British accent. Plus, they tried to avoid just droning on which was greatly appreciated. But, really, it wasn't bad--I know the stuff is important, they're funny, and as I said, have really cool accents! In the afternoon, we learned about the trips we can (apparently some are optional, but I don't really know why you wouldn't go) go on and got a "shopping tour" of the city where they took us in a big circle and pointed out helpful shops.

You know, speaking of accents, some of the people I have met here (more in a minute) and I are actually finding it hard not to speak with an accent. It is really tempting to imitate--not to make fun or anything, but because it's cool and you're surrounded by it! Plus, as you may have noticed, I've already picked up some random phrases. For example, today, I actually said that I was going to "just nip in" and do something! That is definitely not a phrase I have EVER used before, but it seems so right here! :) I will probably come back and be made fun of endlessly for all of these types of things, but I don't care!

I have made a few friends which, honestly, is quite a relief! I live with 7 other girls and although most of them are nice, I really don't seem to be on the same wavelength with 5 of them. I mean, it's not that they're mean, but they seem to be interested in doing things that I don't want to or want to do sparingly (for example, although I would like to perhaps experience a bit of the night life as I am legal here, I don't see a need to do so right away). Also, whenever I talk, I get the sense that a few of the girls don't like me and wish I would go away. :( But that's okay because the other 2 and I get along well and are making plans for our free weekends together! The girls (that I am making friends with) are my roommate Christina and a housemate, Casey. We all seem to have similar ideas of what would be fun, what we want to do while here, and whatnot. We have a couple of free weekends and we are starting to make plans to spend one in Bath seeing the sights and perhaps take a day-trip to London on the other weekend.

So, that is my weekend in (an admittedly, rather large) nutshell. Tomorrow classes start! :/ I'm actually quite nervous about that because it occurs to me that I haven't taken an English class in two years and lots of the people I have talked to seem to be english majors! Plus, I'm concerned about writing the papers. Oh well, we'll see what happens! Thanks for reading and sticking with me through what I realize could have been a bit boring for you all! Love you!