Day 1*London

Friday started in StL, then an exciting race to my gate in Newark, followed by the most confusing and LARGE train station here in London.  After wandering around, taking my time to read all the signs(determined to not ask for help) I made it on the first train.  That was a short trip followed by two different trains. Let's just say I packed too much.  I stayed under 50lbs, but you still have to carry it, and the trains are not level with the platform "mind the gap".  On my last train, one stop away from my destination the train operator comes on the overhead to tell us that  Kings Cross Station (my station) was closed.  EEK!!!

So I ran off along with half the train and then had to carry, oh wait I mean drag, my bags up 3 different flights of stairs.  No lifts, so escalators.  Luckily there was a nice man who carried my bag on the last stairwell.  Once I got to the street I took a deep breath and just wanted to stop and take it all in.  But at this point I still had to find my final destination and had no idea where it was.

After numerous wrong turns and being unable to find what street I was on I finally found a cabby, Oliver.  At that point I didn't care how much it was (my bags were sooooooo heavy) and so he took me to my dorm.  The cab was a Mercedes, nicest cab I'd ever been in!
Oh and the dorm, was around the block...!! I will not type the expletives that came out of my mouth when I realized this.

So with calluses on my hands and aches in my shoulders and arms, I made it to my room and collapsed on the bed.  Not before I looked out my window and fell in love!

Shortly after that a small group met in the lobby where we bought essentials and then went to the pubs.
After the first pub me and two other men in our group (everyone else went back to go to sleep) went to a few different pubs drinking different beers along the way.
You can sleep when you're dead!!

Today we have another round of orientations and then more free time!