Week One

Wow, it's so weird to think that week one is over. I've officially moved into the flat with four friends (Danny, Hannah, Denzel and Ariana), and we had our first flat-family photoshoot to christen the place. It feels so weird to live in this place, because it doesn't seem real. I feel like I shouldn't decorate or unpack because we're going to be moving and leaving shortly...which is completely untrue. But we finally have a place to call home, and I am so grateful. Now to get the internet set up, the stovetop fixed (doesn't work at all), and figure out some more necessities!
Yesterday was mostly focusing on grocery and household item shopping, but I'm going to hopefully finish that up this afternoon after class. Indeed, my first day of class! But it always frightens me to see my money going down the drain in the manner that it does. Yes, groceries are expensive. Yes, toiletries and such are expensive. But man, I have never felt more poor as I do in London. Not to mention that traveling by the Tube every day adds more expenses as well. It's exhausting to think about! People have said to try and think about the £ as an equivalent to the $ so you don't stress yourself out too much, but it's hard not to! When I spend £20 and it's really closer to $40, I feel like I've lost a lot of money. But I'm working on it. I don't want to psyche myself out for the next four months; that would be painful.
Meanwhile, I accessed a bit of American culture last night by joining Ned, Danny L, and Graham in one of the only sports bars that broadcasts American football. So we watched the Seahawks/Bears game (poor hawks didn't do so well; but they got a couple touchdowns, which is all I asked for), followed by the Jets/Patriots game. We left early because we were sleepy, but it was a fun time.
I've started saying "excuse me", "sorry", and "thank you" with a British accent, and I've started asking questions sometimes with British inflection...it's been a week...I'm not really intending to come back to the states with a British accent...but I don't know how to stop my "sponging", as I shall call it. Anywho, I'm looking forward to the first week of classes! Hopefully things will run smoothly. We see shows very frequently with the Interrelationships course, so our first show, The 39 Steps, is on Wednesday. Cheers!