I'm really tired...

I had a bit of trouble falling asleep last night, so I'm a bit tired, but I've had no jet lag (because I didn't really sleep for two days).

Anywho, I love it here! I've been extremely busy--almost no time to write in my journal or blog, or to take pictures. But being busy is good!

A quick overview:

Flight: a bit bumpy, my neck hurt, I watched the end of "The Beaver" (not as weird of a movie as I thought).

Airports: not bad. I was rather sick of the conveyor belts by the time I got to immigration in Heathrow. All of that went smoothly. After a rather long coach ride, I arrived in Harlaxton around 1:15 on Friday afternoon.

Accommodations: I'm in the Carriage House, which is about a 2 minute walk from the manor. It's a nice walk, though. I only have 1 roommate, which make me very happy. She's a business major from UE and is rather lovely. I was initially worried about getting a roommate that was too much of a party-er, but we seem to be a very good fit and get along fine. The room is small, but I don't mind. When I have a whole manor, why would I stay in here long?

Orientation: I'm nearly done with orientation. I've sat through many lectures on doing homework and not burning the building down. Convocation was nice. I played guitar with another student, my music history teacher, and a member of the British faculty who is a musicologist. Tonight I'm going to a lecture on the manor itself.

Grantham: I love the English people. They're quite lovely. After a lecture on honors British studies, I went into town to go shopping for shampoo. And... we missed the shuttle back. I wasn't happy, but I suppose I should just go with the flow. A combination of a friendly bus driver, walking, and a friendly local got us back tot he manor around 6:20... leaving me a half hour to shower and get ready for high table dinner. I made it... barely. I wished my hair would have looked better, but I didn't have time. Oops. I went to church in Harlaxton (small small town around the manor) and loved it! It was an Anglican service. Everyone was immensely friendly. The priest was gone because of a knee replacement (like Dad), so we had a "reader" leading the service. Everyone was very friendly and glad to see us. I met an older lady named Marjory and had a nice chat with her, over tea, of course.

Night life: Friday night was very exciting: I looked for bookends and tried to iron. Got about 9 hours of sleep. Last night I went to the Bistro (pub in the basement) and talked to people for awhile. Afterwards, I went back to the Carriage House and... talked to more people. Many students have already ventured into bars and clubs in town. I'll get there eventually. I'm kinda glad I haven't gone yet. If I wait a bit, everyone will have the "we're old enough to drink--let's get crazy!" out of their systems.

People: I'm quickly making new friends. I mainly befriended people I have been with on buses or in town, or people my friends know. I'm excited to meet more new people.

Today, I asked my friend Kayla if she would move here with me. There are some empty houses in Grantham, but unfortunately, the shuttle driver said one just sold for 400,000 pounds (~$700,000). I don't think I can afford that just yet.