The English Life... So Far.

So, after a flight cancellation followed by a 7 hour layover and unexpected delay, I finally made it to England! I can't even believe the things I have already experienced in just 2 days. It's a whole different world over here, and it hasn't taken me long to figure that out. The first lesson I learned is that people walk EVERYWHERE, and I'd have to get used to it fast. After landing in London, I had to make my way from the airport to the hotel on my own. After a little help from an airport staffer, I caught the tube (London Underground) to King's Cross station, which was apparently near my hotel. Although I knew it wasn't far from the station, I figured I'd take a taxi from the station to my hotel so that 1) I didn't get lost in the middle of London, and 2) so I didn't have to drag all of my heavy luggage around London. When I went to get into a taxi, I told them where I wanted to go. Turns out that the hotel was "too close," so I had to walk. After looking at map after map and only getting somewhat lost once, I made it to the hotel all on my own. Proud moment! ;) I figured that it was about a 10-15 minute walk from King's Cross. There's no such thing as taking a 5-minute taxi ride just because your luggage is heavy. It's a good thing I like walking, because I've been doing it non-stop. ;) And I must say, it's not a hard walk when there's something beautiful everywhere you look.
Being able to see the sights that you've only seen in postcards and pictures and have dreamed of seeing your whole life is completely surreal. Walking around London yesterday was truly indescribable and I feel so blessed to have been able to see the things I did!
As amazing as it was though, I can honestly say I am pretty glad I didn't choose to spend my entire semester there. It would have been extremely overwhelming for this small town girl! Newcastle, on the other hand, is absolutely perfect. At about 277,000 there is plenty to see and do, but it is not overwhelming. I walked to the city center twice today and never felt uncomfortable, unsafe, or overwhelmed. I can definitely see myself living here for 3 months and loving every second. It is a beautiful city! Today we had our orientation and got to walk around campus. It is HUGE! I'm definitely not used to such a large, spread out campus. It's beautiful though, and at least I'll have plenty of scenery to look at while walking to classes every day. I also finished my registration, which means I can finalize my classes within the next week! Excited! :)
So, I'm definitely loving it here! Meeting great people and experiencing amazing things that I may only get to do once in my lifetime. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers!