Great day today although it was very long. Time change is screwing with my memory. Went for a run with Ellie to/in Regents park. More girls joining us tomorrow. Then went to orientation at NYU where we got id cards, timetables (schedules to us Americans), information about the NYU building and learned more about our internships. I am very excited about mine. I will be working at the Palestine Exploration Fund. It is a small museum in Marleybone (just west of the west end [which is where our flats are]) that focusses on the region of Palestine (not the current political borders but the whole land mass in that area). The working hours in general are 10-4, I will find out my specific hours after I meet with my supervisor next wednesday. My supervisor is the curator of the museum and I will be helping her curate (researching, cataloguing, designing exhibits etc.) All artefacts in the museum can be touched, so it should be a unique and exciting experience.

After that we went on a bus tour of the city. We got a lot of history along the way and got to get out of the coach for a while. Sites included St. James' Palace (where knightings, receiving of the queen by foreign diplomats, some coronations etc. occur. This is also where Prince William resides whilst in London.), Buckingham Palace (no queen at the moment. She returns in October after her summer holiday amongst her other residences), Big Ben, Parliament (building name=Westminster Palace), Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, Parks (St. James, Green, Hyde), London Eye, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, London and Westminster Bridges, National Gallery, Globe Theater and the Marble Arch (although I'm sure I forgot a site or two - check facebook for pictures from this tour [I will make an effort to take pictures and post some directly to this]). And no London tour is complete without a few pop-culture sites. Saw the roundabout where Chevy Chase got stuck in European Vacation (right before the Westminster Bridge) as well as two Harry Potter sites: Burrough Market (Diagon Alley) and Australia House (Gringotts Bank).

After the tour we had a splendid group dinner (with our director Andrea) at Pizza Express. A confusing name since it is a dine-in (sit-down) restaurant that serves salads, pastas and pizzas (which you eat with fork and knife). Service in the U.K. however, is rather slow and not as good ad what is seen and expected in America. Part of this is due to the fact that 1)people aren't as rushed here and 2)waitstaff have higher wages so they aren't working for tips.

Talked to Family and Stacy via skype, was great to hear from everyone.

Sleepy time for Ali.