Well, NOW I'm in London! Last night my host dad, Dennis, and my American housemate, Sarah, picked me up at the tube station. I was slightly frazzled from trying to use a payphone and not fully understanding how many digits were supposed to be in a British phone number, but I was relieved to finally meet them.
We drove home, where my host mom, Linda, was making vegetable soup. In the car, Dennis gave me probably a full guidebook's worth of info on Harrow-on-the-Hill, but I only caught about 20% of it because he spoke so fast and the radio was on so loud. My host parents both speak loudly, quickly, and enthusiastically, interrupting each other constantly and calling each other "loony." They made sure Sarah and I felt welcome, but have also made sure we know the house rules, especially regarding leaving the toilet seat cover down. Apparently there are often short term students who stay here on short notice, so the bathroom has to constantly be spotless so as to spare Linda from death by embarrassment. So far everything has been comfortable, but I think it will take me a little while to get the hang of everything. I didn't consider the awkwardness of planting yourself in someone's home. I will also have to get used to the posters by my bed - Will Smith and the cast of Friends watch me sleep. Oh, and my host family is Jewish! My tipoff was the "Shalom, Y'all" plaque by the front entry. The dinner conversation was largely about their Jewish community here, and they said they'd point me toward one of the local synagogues, if I want. There are multiple local synagogues! And apparently a Jewish district with good bagels.
Since last night it has been snowing, and our two days of orientation have been cancelled. Apparently London hasn't had weather like this in 18 years - there was almost nothing else on the news this morning. Sarah and I met up with our neighbors from the program, Jenny and Nicole, and we walked into town together. We passed our local park and a cemetery, where we had a morbid photo shoot, and we hung out at a mostly-deserted shopping center. Even out here in Harrow we are walking distance from a mall - there is just a lot going on, even in the far corners of London. We got lunch in the food court there, and the girl who took our orders was clearly laughing at us for ordering lattés... I guess that's an American stereotype I wasn't aware of. After our walk, Sarah and I spent the afternoon being vegetables and watching a movie. Nice day. Here are pictures!
