The Journey Begins

And we're off! Before I knew what exactly was happening, I sat teary-eyed on a bus watching my precious boyfriend drive away in my beloved Taquita Maria. My suitcases were packed--I had to leave many items at Liz's house in order to meet the two bags, one carry-on limit, but surprisingly enough, I succeeded.

After three hours on a bus to DFW spent chatting with my new friend Becca, the waiting truly began. Our flight was delayed an hour and a half, so we had A LOT of time to get to know Terminal D, but as always, time passes and soon we fastened our seat belts and flew off into the wild blue yonder.

I slept most of the way which was very nice. We landed at London Heathrow around 10:30 local time. Customs was crazed, so we had to wait quite a while to continue through the airport and on to Oxford which was about 45 minutes away by coach (bus). The drive to Oxford was absolutely magical! Snow covered the fields and blanketed the tops of trees and houses. With the infamous London fog, I felt as though I was going through a fluffy cotton tunnel the whole journey because the sky and the ground were both white.

Oxford, with its history, architecture, and overall atmosphere, is enchanting. I absolutely am ecstatic to walk the streets and parks exploring the unique beauty of the city. We arrived to our houses slightly before 2 in the afternoon and lugged our baggage up the stairs. Claire and I are bunking together in house 10, and I really love our room! Everyone ate a light lunch then walked into the city together to find banks, grocery stores, and other important places. After splitting from the group, Claire and I browsed a few stores then went to the 9-to-9 on our way home to pick up something for dinner. Both of us selected canned Minestrone soup, and my sweet tooth chose Digestives (cookies dipped in chocolate). I even found a Dr. Pepper! We heated the soup on our precious little stove in our precious little kitchen then went downstairs to eat in the classroom area. After a cold day, soup definitely warms the cockles of your heart. Exhausted, we cleaned our dishes then finished organizing our room.

Though it's early, my eyes are beginning to feel heavy, and my freshly made bed is incessantly calling my name. It cannot be ignored. Nighty Night!