London... At last

London, London, London.

Well, I arrived Thursday morning after a reasonable 6.5 hr flight from Chicago. I did get a little sleep and fortunately missed the woman in front of me vomiting all over her row-mates. I took the tube into central London and walked for the first time in the hustle and bustle of London’s main street. The first thing I noticed about England was the wonderful smell. The country air here smells like heaven (this is in the countryside before the tube reached the down town underground). I made it to my hotel after some struggle with my luggage vs. ancient English sidewalks. The hotel was perfect. It was very old and had stained glass in the rooms. My bathroom was the same size as my sleeping room which was spacious. I checked into my Flat the next morning which was only a two or three minute walk from the hotel. My flat is amazing. It was built before America was a country. There are 14ft. ceilings and floor to ceiling windows with balconies. I share my room and a bathroom with my friend from WMU, Kacie. I have three other roommates from Philadelphia who study interior design. I live right beneath Russel Square and another park. There is also a garden in my backyard. The British Museum is my next door neighbor. I have been doing a lot of walking and think London is the most beautiful city I have ever been too. The buildings are so romantic and stylish. The people are all nicely dressed and polite but also frank about how they feel about what you are saying or doing. As I am walking down the street and I overhear conversation and think they are faking their accents. It’s all I can do not to swing around and laugh in their faces. The food in the grocery is all fresh and delicious. The tube is so efficient but terribly expensive (8$ per round trip!). I have been to both of my classes; they are everything I hoped they would be. Women’s wear class requires a lot of research but I am able to totally design and develop my own collection around a theme picked by the instructor (This semester is Travel). Fashion sketching class is structured like a studio art class with live models and experimentation with all kinds of medias. So I am very excited about my experience here. I hope it will be all I am expecting it to be. If ya’ll want to send me anything my mailing address is 110 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 4RY, UK.