My Journey To Europe

My travels to Europe began on Tuesday around noon, and didn't end until Thursday around noon. It was a long trip. I was still pretty sick (I got sick in Illinois just two days before). Ashley dropped me off at the terminal, and I got through security at the Detroit Airport fairly quickly, so things were off to a good start, but then I learned that my flight got canceled. After roughly four hours of re-booking attempts (and missing a first class upgrade and direct flight to Heathrow) I headed to a hotel to get some sleep.

Wednesday- attempt number 2 to leave the country. I was successful this time, but my flight didn't depart until nearly 7 pm so it was a long wait. I appreciated an entertaining book which also sustained me on the red-eye. The good news was that I was feeling less and less sick.

Thursday- I got to London at 7:30 am and was in Kingston around 11:00. My bags were in New York so I was stuck in the same clothes I had worn for the last two days. I was finally completely better, which was great. Everything is very different here. The cars are tiny (I haven't seen a single SUV or Truck), the roads are smaller, the houses (at least in London) are all connected, like duplexes. The tube is a lot different than the subway in New York, and it would be nice if the streets were arranged orderly like in New York, but they're not at all. The weather is unusually hot and sunny here, so I'm hoping it cools off soon. It's really uncomfortable at night.

I headed to orientation a bit groggy. I caught up with my group for a walking tour of Kingston. Kingston is a great "town" just outside of London. It actually has its own downtown that is actually pretty large and great for shopping, etc. We had lunch at a pub, and then headed to London. We were sent on a quasi scavenger hunt looking for famous historical sites, etc. It was a little childish, but it was actually a great way to get us onto the tube (subway) and more familiar with navigating the city. It's not the metropolis I expected. There aren't the sky scrapers, etc. that you see in Manhattan, but its just as busy and built up, the buildings are just smaller. This is one of the first things I saw in the city and it was amazing.

After a day in London we headed back to Kingston. I relaxed in my flat with my flatmates for about an hours and then went to bed. It was a rough day and I needed sleep. Jet lag actually took a few days to get used to. I discovered my Internet doesn't work, but there is an Apple Store in Kingston so I'm taking it in on Monday.

Friday-

Friday was the first day of classes and it was nearly impossible to get up. My International Business class was great- the professor is the most typical British man I've seen yet. He uses terms like "bloody" and "chap" all of the time. It's really funny. British Culture and Society is also really interesting but we haven't done much yet. We take a lot of field trips, which is going to be great. I'll be going on a beer tasting at a British Brewery, a Wine Tasting in the country, a day trip to Brighton (A city they refer to as London on the Sea) and Bath.

Friday night we went to a gas station and bought beer and just hung out in our flat for the night. One of my flatmates, Jeremy, is actually from Grand Valley. I am also rooming with a three girls. One is from the U.P., one is from Montana, and one is from New Jersey.