all right, i'm gonna try to not make this an extremely long blog, but a lot has happened....

got back from paris, started orientation in the city with all the arcadia people. met a lot of fun people (my roommate at the hotel is from northwestern. anyone know meredith polley?), went to meetings, saw "jerry springer- the opera." my favorite souvenir now is a pin from the show that says, "crack whore."

homestay was in portland, dorset, which was peaceful and a nice break from the city. but the homestay itself was a bit weird. but that's a story for another time. anyway, we went on walking tours along the rocky coast, took a three-hour boat tour, and played skittles (a form of bowling where the players throw themselves on the ground when they throw the ball) every night in the local pub. very quaint and fun.

now we've moved into queen mary, which is great, mostly because of the sink in my room. i love it, and it makes life so much easier. it's funny, the things that make me happy... we're exploring the area a bit, buying cooking utensils at asda, trying out the restaurants, and planning what we're going to do on our five-day break that starts on wednesday. we were thinking of going to amsterdam, but most likely we're going to try and see as many landmarks in london as we can in the span of five days. so it's crazy here, but i'm having such a good time. i just don't want classes to start. hope you all are doing well at school and things aren't too stressful yet! love you, cheers!