Okay so London was GREAT.

On Friday, I got up at 5:30 and walked up to Perugia center to get the 6am bus to the airport. Obviously, though, since this is Italy, the schedule had changed randomly and I realized that the bus was not until 9, so I went home and went to bed again. Got to Perugia airport very late, but no one cared, because the plane was late anyway. Talked to these old British ladies who "go on holiday together" all the time - usually I find that old people just ask you about yourself and don't talk about themselves, but these women were sooo cool that they just talked and talked about themselves.

So finally it was time to board the plane (I flew on Ryanair, this horrible budget airline), so the stewardesses checked the tickets and herded everyone out onto the tarmac. We all stood there, not knowing what to do. Then one of the airport workers came out and yelled "YOU CAN BOARD THE PLANE" and everyone took off running and screaming towards the airplane. Once we all shoved our way up the stairs (dangerous?), the stewardesses began screaming that unless we all sat down within five minutes, we would miss our landing window and be delayed two hours so "sit anywhere and you can switch later." Cue everyone on the plane screaming in different languages, pushing each other into seats and hysterically laughing. The safety speech was basically, "you've all been on a plane before, whatever, if you have to use your life vest, don't inflate it until after you go out the door, you'll get stuck."

When we landed, there was applause.

But that wasn't where the journey ended. I decided to wander London a bit and try to find my own way to Marisa, marveling in the fact that everyone spoke English and thatif I needed directions I could just ask. But after a bagel (MMMM I MISS BAGELS), a coffee, and two hours of walking down some side streets in what appeared to be some fishing wharf area of London, I decided I should probably ask. Londoners are ridiculously nice, so someone helped me find the underground. After a LOT of trial anderror, I finally found Marisa. We met up with Laura and went out to dinner at this amazing Morroccan food place where they recommended certain dishes and wines and a belly dancer came.

It was really nice to see them again ahh. We went out that night for a little with Marisa's roommates. The next day, we went on a walk around the Thames River. It was actually pretty funny because we came out of the subway and my hair was in front of my face, and then the wind blew my hair away, and there was Big Ben, right in front of me, huge. The parliament building was amazing - lots of tiny little details. Then we went and walked by the London Eye, which was huge, and Shakespeare's Globe Theater, which was closed for the day but still looked cool. We went to the Tate Modern, which is this completely great, free museum with all kinds of modern art. We watched some artsy films and looked at a lot of Andy-Warhol-type stuff, which was fun. Then we went to Borough Market, which is this gigantic food market, and we just walked around trying different kinds of bread and cheese and cider and ethnic food-type stuff. It was awesomeeeeee. Next we went to Notting Hill, this really cute shopping area, and looked in shops and took pictures of ourselves in front of amazing British houses until the owners started staring at us. Later on, we were totally exhausted, but we went to Buckingham Palace and peeked through the gates, trying to see the guards. We took these really goofy pictures of us jumping in front of the palace too, which was funny. Then we went out with Marisa's roommates again, to the "oldest licensed pub in London," which was a really cool place. Her roommates and the people in her program are all reallyyy smart and reallyyy fun.

Sunday we just shopped around. We had a big breakfast and went to Harrod's, which was definitely the MOST amazing store I have EVER been in. There are restaurants and bars and cafes inside, a grocery store, a tea/chocolate/biscuits store, a toy store, a makeup store decorated with all kinds of gold sphinxes like Egypt, and tonssssss of designer clothing rooms - Roberto Cavalli, Donna Karan, Burberry, all kinds of things. We just walked around and stared at these $10,000 designer gowns, then decided to get out of there and go somewhere we could actually contemplate buying things. So we went to Camden Market, which was ridiculously cool. It is basically miles and miles of vintage clothing stores, artists, record shops, cool old antique stuff, and ethnic food places. The people there were all punk-rock London type kids, but also tons of tourists and everything else, and we walked around allll day and barely got through half of it I bet. Londoners approached us out of the blue there, too - they gave us advice on where to go and what to see, which was really nice. Afterward, we headed back to the Thames River and ate fish and chips and cider at this restaurant that had outside tables overlooking the Thames. They even had giant fire heater things and gave you huge blankets so you wouldn't be cold. It was all cold and gray and cloudy and so British. While we were eating, Laura said something that sort of summed it up. "Guys…so we're in London eating fish and chips on the Thames." We looked at her, waiting for her to go on.

"Do you ever just look at your life and go…what the HELL?"

Yes.

So basically the next day was the worst day ever and I don't reallyyy want to think about it. Let's just say I went the wrong way to the airport, all the underground lines were closed or delayed, and I missed my flight and had to buy another expensive one and it was this whole giant fiasco. Let's just say that.

I was actually surprised though - I missed Italy a bit in London! It was awesome to be somewhere with everything in English and all kinds of stores and my friends (!), but I missed it a little. This woman tripped on the sidewalk in London when we were eating breakfast on Sunday, and the Londoners all rushed to help her, because they're so nice. I said, wow, if this was Italy, everyone would have just laughed at her…and then I was thinking, wow I miss Italy a little. When I finally got home and heard that street performer woman playing the stupid flute song to her dogs that she plays all day outside our apartment, I felt happy to be home again. Buttt maybe I was just delirious after traveling for 15 hours. That could have been it too.

But anyway, London was awesome, I can't believe I went. The only problem is that I am now completelyyy broke, and I'm trying to figure out a way that I can still go on fall break next week, but I'm not sure if it's going to happen. I decided to scrap all the going-a-thousand-places ideas like everyone else is doing and go to Ireland all week and learn about it and really see the country and visit everyone there, which I think is a great idea. But I sort of assumed that the flights were cheap when it turns out I was reading it wrong- but sitting in my scary little apartment alone for ten days while everyone I know goes to fabulous places would be the most seriously painful thing ever, so I really should figure it out.

But anyway enough of that worrying. Troy is coming this weekend (!!!!) for the Eurochocolate Festival, which they are already starting to set up tents and stages for, so that should be funnnnn. My classes all randomly got cancelled today, which is also fun, so maybe I'll go eat lunch and take a nap. We're all cooking a big dinner tonight to make ourselves feel better about the fact that our friend Mallary is moving out of her apartment with internet access so we have no more TV haha.

I met the guy who runs the "Bangladesh" grocery store next door the other day. He is from Bangladesh. Obviously. He asked me how he can get to America - he just came to Italy two months ago to move in with his family (his aunt is this giant scary amazing Indian woman who lives over the store) because he couldn't figure out how to go there. He's the second person who's asked me that, and I haven't known the answer. I feel like kind of a jerk not knowing the immigration laws of my own country. I also felt like kind of a jerk that I didn't really know why I decided to come to Italy, or how much the program even cost. People here ask you questions that sort of make you feel dumb sometimes haha. But anyway, my new mission is to find out how to get an American work visa, so that I know for next time.

That's all, I think. Sorry this entry is long and like, dumb, I'm kinda tired.