I'M HERE

I traveled over 18 hours from Hattiesburg, MS to London by car and plan (and spent a pretty penny doing so) but the second that my plane dipped below the seemingly endless layers of England’s notorious cloud cover I knew it was extremely worth it. On my descent into Gatwick airport I was greeted by a picturesque view of the shrubbery partitioned fields and meadows of the English countryside. After passing threw immigration quit uneventfully, I found the driver that was sent to pick me up and bring me to my flat. He drove me past meadows, fields, cottages, manors and villages and then into central London. I got my key after he dropped me of on the street that will be my home for the next four months. It is a small peaceful, though well trafficked, street with all white painted apartments and hotels up and down it. The street, which is only like an 1/8 of a mile long, is flanked on either end by statues of a former duke of the area I am living in, Bedford, and a late statesmen of the Whig party. Just past both of these guardian like figures are beautiful little parks.
I got to the flat several hours before any of my flat mates arrived. This gave me time to wander around a bit and become even more taken by my amazing surroundings. Central London is like no place I have ever been. One street can be bustling, bright and loud enough to almost put Time Square to same and then the next street over can be as quaint and beautiful as the little villages I saw as I was being driven from the airport.
Finally my flat mates arrived. We got to know each other as we wandered around looking for a grocery store to buy some food and other essentials. They are very nice guys. One goes to school at Stonehill in Mass. and the other is from King’s College in PA. My third flat mate is from Clark but he has not arrived yet. He has been delayed in Amsterdam and should get in some time tonight.
We found a little grocery store several blocks down that was about twice the size of a regular bedroom but with very good and inexpensive products. After coming back from the store we all made ourselves something to eat. I made a sandwich with some cheese I bought at the store, which was perhaps the best cheese I have ever had. It was very sharp and very fresh.
As one could imagine I was very tired from my travels, so after eating I relaxed with a mini-bottle of French wine I had bought at the grocery store, that was very good and was only around a pound and a half, and planned what I would do the next day.
Despite my planning when I woke up today I decided I would just take a walk and see where I ended up. I ended up walking all over. I saw the Thames, the London eye, Big Ben, the changing of the guards and had a lovely late breakfast of sausage, eggs and tea at a café right in the middle of St. James park. I saw a lot more on my three and a half hour walk but I was not sure what a lot of it was but I intend to retrace my steps with a map and a guide book later on to find out.
I have my first meeting with my supervisor at the Citizen Foundation tomorrow where find out what I will be actually doing there.