I'm a stranger in a strange, strange land

Well, here I am typing up my blog from Tez's couch in Luton, just outside of London.

I left my house yesterday for Detroit Metro where I said goodbye to my parents and headed to my gate. Really I didn't feel as badly as I thought I was going to, which was a relief for me. I got there rather early anticipating big crowds but the airport was quite quiet so I just read my book until my plane arrived.

Let me tell you, the plane I took to Toronto was such a joke. It was operated on two propellers(!) and since it was named Air Canada Jazz I kept thinking of the spinning propellers as jazz hands haha. So, the plane was so small we had to take the stairs out of the terminal and onto the tarmac to step into the plane because it couldn't connect to the terminal. There were only about ten of us on the plane and when it took off the propeller was so loud. I was pretty sleepy by this point but I couldn't sleep for the noise of the giant spinning blades just mere feet from my head. I kept thinking, "Oh, that could maim me something fierce if a chunk of the propeller came off." Add onto that a snotty flight attendant and the fact that the descent was terribly turbulent and we actually bounced on landing. Seriously, my legs flew up from the impact. Anyway, the flight could've been better but it was short so I was unconcerned.

I arrived in Toronto and walked off the plane onto a shuttle bus to take me to Terminal 1 and it was pretty chilly there. I had to go through customs even though I was only making a transfer but it wasn't too much of a hassle. I had a four hour layover so I found my gate and then wandered around. Pearson International was a pretty gorgeous place and they had a few shops around, most of which sold duty free maple syrup and maple syrup products and accessories haha. Stereotypical! I was pretty hungry so I was going to pick something up at the quintessential Canadian eatery Tim Horton's but I was so denied. They didn't accept anything but Canadian cash and I didn't have any on me. Everything else was heinously priced so I made due with some Munchies, white cheddar Smart Food popcorn and a bottle of water.

I boarded the plane at 8:20 and flew away from the setting sun. I got some dinner on the plane and I'll just say it didn't kill me haha. I was so mad though, we got the crappy plane, one that was not refurbished so I didn't get to watch tv and movies on demand. Whhhhy! Instead they played National Treasure and the news in English and the sports in French on the main screen. I just ignored it and read 300 pages of my book instead.

I sat next to an old Canadian guy who was apparently really into hiking and airplanes. He had some binoculars out and a little notebook to record all of the tail numbers. I was like, "Well, I'm just going to assume he's an airplane aficionado and not a terrorist" bwaha. He told me he was going to do this hike in England from Dover to some town past London. Dude loves his hiking.

For most of the flight it was dark but as we approached Ireland the sun started to rise but I didn't get to enjoy the view too long because England was hopelessly lost in a thick blanket of clouds (of course it was raining, it's London for gosh sakes). The flight was pretty uneventful, just a crying baby and the dry air causing my nose to bleed (my nostrils are all messed up now dang it). We arrived a half hour early and as soon we got off the plane we were hit with some pretty oppressive humidity. It wasn't hot at all but it was pretty dang moist. The terminal smelled pretty musty on account of that too, yuck.

Passport control and customs wasn't too busy. I got up there and got cleared to work through the BUNAC program pretty easily. But man, there was this girl next to me and she was being threatened with being sent back to the States. She had arrived without a place to stay tonight so she didn't have an address to provide them as to where she'd be staying. Apparently that is a big no-no. The immigration officer said that if she didn't have an itinerary or an address he had to make a judgement call as to whether or not she could be trusted to enter the UK and leave when she was supposed to. Yikes! She was stammering and trying to explain why she should be able to enter the country. I hope she made it. I was sweating like a mofo for her! I'm glad it wasn't me.

I went and claimed my giant bags and it was so hard trying to wrestle them on to the cart because it kept moving away on me haha. I'm sure I looked HILARIOUS! I got out of customs and met Tez and we drove to Luton where we've been all day. I had a nap and am hoping jet lag won't be too bad. It's kind of freaking me out because I've only been here in the winter when it gets dark at like 4 pm. It didn't get dark til 9 pm this time and my head was all confused!

We had dinner at Tez's parent's shop (I had chicken and chips). My appetite is all messed up from traveling though so I have a hard time figuring out when I want to eat. Oh well! It'll sort itself out soon. We also went to the grocery store, Sainsbury's to pick up some milk and whatnot. I have to go back Sunday to do my grocery shopping so I can get my lunches sorted for the week.

I have a lot to do to prepare for my internship Monday (Oh gaaaah. Nerves.) Tomorrow Tez and I are going to head down to London to flat hunt as well as get me a pay as you go phone and other such Londony things. Here's hoping we find him a flat, me a phone and I gather up some knowledge of the GD bus system.

Oh the apprehension

My bags are packed. I got them both in under 50 pounds but I think I'll have a problem getting them back under that weight for the ride home. Ah well, a worry for another day.

I'm pretty calm right now but I'm hoping that I don't throw up on the way to the airport from nerves. It's been known to happen!

From touch down in London I'll be on the go and maybe that's for the best. If I'm busy I can't miss home, right?

Well that's all for now. I'm off! Talk to you from the other side of the Atlantic.

Itinerary

I just wanted to post my flight itinerary so any one who is interested in where I'm at or paranoid that I'll die in a fiery air crash can check up on me.

I'll be leaving Detroit Metro on Tuesday, May 27 at 3:10 pm EST on Air Canada flight AC7994* and arriving at the Pearson International Airport in Toronto at 4:30 pm EST where I'll have a four hour layover (fun!).

From Pearson I'll board Air Canada Flight AC848 at 8:20 pm EST and I'll fly through the night over Canada, Greenland and Ireland and arrive at London Heathrow at 8:35 AM GMT (so that'd be 3:35 AM EST because EST is five hours behind GMT. So anytime you're thinking of what time it is in England for me, add five hours to EST. Yup.)

Here's a cool site where you can put in flight numbers and track the flight in real time. You just type in the left side bar "Air Canada" and then flight number 848 and it'll pull up a map and all the details you could ever want to know about what my plane is doing while crossing the Atlantic. I always track Tez's flights when he's coming and going, it's kind of fun. Really puts a different spin on keeping tabs on me, doesn't it? Haha! So, if you're into it, go for it.

Apparently Air Canada doesn't have the best reviews but the flight was cheap. Plus their Boeing 763 (767-300ER) just got a cabin makeover. Check it out here. Yeah! Powerpoints in every seat so I can use my laptop if I want (hopefully I can make it fit in my tiny bookbag carry on) and I have a touch screen on demand movies and television. I checked out what they have on demand and apparently the show Flight of the Conchords is included and if you know me well, you know I'm obsessed with Flight of the Conchords so this could be a rather tolerable international flight.

4 days and counting

I've got a about four days to go before I leave Michigan for the rest of the summer to intern at the Benjamin Franklin House in London. I'll be gone three whole months but don't worry, we'll keep in touch. To make it easier to keep in touch I thought I'd make this blog so all of my family and friends could keep up with my life across the pond. This will definitely be easier than sending out multiple emails to forward and it won't clog up your inbox! Plus, you can check whenever you want.

I'm really going to try to make an effort to keep this updated at least once a week. I'll be working four days at the Benjamin Franklin House as well as transcribing for the archive and of course, exploring London and all it has to offer me so I'll be busy but I'll make this a priority.

So here's the deal, I'll post stories and pictures of my adventures (I'm so bad at remembering to take pictures but I'll definitely make an effort this time around) and you comment when you can. It's no fun having a blog without anyone commenting back. I have my blog set on open comments so all you have to do is hit "# comments," and then write what you want in the box Don't forget to add your name so I know who you are. You can just click on "name/url" in the list under the box to leave your name without signing into to an account.

Alright, that's it for me now. I've got laundry to do and bags to pack!