Weekend one is already over. Classes start tomorrow!

I've already been here for 3 days! It's gone fast and so much has happened. Saturday day I met Heather and Erynn who I went into Grantham with! The town is so cute and we only got to see a TINY portion of it. There is still so much to explore in it. While we were there we got a few essentials at some convenience-type stores. We also went to a cute little coffee shop where I got my first English latte. It was in a super sweet cup :) Saturday night we had a reception and Principal's dinner with a fancy meal. It was fun to get dressed up and be in a different atmosphere with people. After the dinner Heather, Erynn and I checked out the Bistro, which is a hangout/bar area in the basement of the manor. We decided to be super wild and played a board game called Touring London. Haha.

Today, Sunday, a group of us went to an English church which was built in 1170! It was a nice service and the church was beautiful. We walked back to the manor to see the town of Harlaxton. The houses are adorable and I want to live there (or some place like it) someday! Also on our trek back we were invited into a very special apartment which is located inside of the archway that is located on the long driveway to the manor. I was not aware of such a place existing. A couple who were on sabbatical from a school in the states was staying there and gave us a quick tour. It is beautiful. I'm finding everyday that there are hidden and unknown things in and related to the manor. I'm sure the day I leave this manor I will still be discovering new things! The rest of the day was more orientation and business stuff to take care of. I did, however, sign up for things to get myself involved at the school: Yearbook committee, the volleyball team (we actually play local leagues!), choir, and I applied to be a Harlaxton Ambassador. The position requires that you give tours to guests of the manor. I am a bit nervous about it but I thought it would be a great way to learn more in depth about the manor and to meet new people! So I shall for sure be updating on the process!

Classes already start tomorrow. I am more excited than anything because it will give me a chance to meet even more people and I am interested to see how the classes are taught!

Quick story: While in Grantham, I was at a store (very similar to Wal-Mart) and a guy bumped into me. I apologized and he said "I'm so very sorry, darling" (in an English accent, of course :) I absolutely did not mind that he bumped into me because he was so polite and had a wonderful accent! It was a happy moment! Haha

Next entry will be all about classes, I'm sure. Until next time lovlies :)

I have arrived!!

I am totally updating LIVE from England right now :) It's been kinda of a whirlwind since I've been here! Here's a brief of my trip here: My flight to Detroit was the most turbulent flight I have ever been on. But luckily it was only 1 hour and 12 minutes so that was the good news. My layover in Detroit was short and I met up with a group of kids who were also going to Harlaxton on my flight. I sat right next to a boy from my school, Ryan, on the flight and we watched movies and stuff on the flight. The 8 hour flight to London was super smooth and went much faster than I expected. Once we got to London we went through customs, which was a lot less intimidating than they made it out to be! Then we found our coach (bus) that took us to Harlaxton. The coach lift (ride) was 2 hours and I kept dozing off because I had slept MAYBE 2 hours on the plane. By the time I got to the manor I was EXHAUSTED. But arriving at the manor was AWESOME. Pictures do not do the place justice. It's just awe inspiring! I will post pictures soon ..when I get a converter for my laptop! Other than that I've been trying to meet lots of new people. I went into town today with two girls that I've met and we went to a cute little coffee shop and took lots of pictures. I still feel slightly discombobulated and that I haven't explained nearly 70% of the happenings that have occurred so far. But in time I will! I'm sure after the first week of classes (which start on Monday) and my first trip to London next weekend there will be MUCH to tell. Until next time :)

P.S.: Just comment or email me if you want to know anything specific!

Almost there!

It's still hard for me to believe that I leave for England on Thursday! This trip has seemed like such a long time coming and I'm so excited that it is finally almost starting! I will be leaving the Minneapolis airport around 2 pm on Thursday. I have a short layover in Detroit and then will aboard the flight to London which will arrive on Friday at 7:30 am (1:30 central time). Friday will be very busy with orientation and class (already!) so I will probably not be able to reach a computer until late Friday night ..which will be early evening for all of you! Yesterday I got a bunch of packing done but I still have a lot to go. I got some British pounds that I feel are much too pretty to spend! Everything is starting to sink in and the closer Thursday gets the more real it all feels.

A lot of people have been wondering about where I will be staying. Here's a link to the Harlaxton College website: http://web.harlaxton.ac.uk/harlaxton/index.cfm It shows the beautiful manor that will be my home for 4 months and explains a bit about the history of the manor and the school itself. Browse around if you'd like; it's very interesting!

I will update as much as possible because I will definitely want to share all the wonderful experiences that have yet to occur. Thanks for all the support and good wishes. My next update will be directly from England - COOL :) Cheers!