Oberlin

I spent this afternoon reading in the British Museum. I plan on doing this again tomorrow. Because I can walk 5 minutes down the street from class and be on the steps of the British Museum.

Whattt. That's pretty cool.

I haven't been in London a week yet but the mental list of restaurants, pubs, museums, alleyways and bookshops that I want to explore is quickly growing to be a little overwhelming. I started a list the other day to try to organize what I want to do, but lists are one of those things I make to make myself feel better and I know I will never actually get all the way through. If I told myself that I would actually get through all the things on my list in my time here, I would have a panic attack every time I looked at it.

My first week here has been mainly settling in: work charts, groceries, some exploring, orientation activities. I've gone to a swanky law firm to meet Oberlin-in-London trustees, gone to the farmer's market, walked along the Thames and have just begun classes. Sometimes I really don't feel like I'm on the other side of the ocean, but then I'll walk past a beautiful church from the 17th century, or realize I can't ask someone where the nearest CVS is, or almost get run over by a car (there's that pesky left-side-of-the-road thing AND pedestrians don't have the right of way). That being said, there's definitely a different feel to London than to the major American cities I've been to. The Tube stations seem a bit brighter, the alleys more frequent, and the architecture more... European, for lack of a better word.

Right now I'm going through some of the more touristy things on my list, but I'm excited to explore the different areas of London more and get to the point where I no longer feel like a total tourist.