getting to know the flatmates

I have been so seriously blown away by this weather! It’s gorgeous! Not a cloud in the sky and temps in the upper 60’s F. Sorry, still working on the metrics system. I got a mobile phone and calls to me from the U.S. are free. It’s listed on my facebook, or you can email me for it. Same goes for my mailing address.

So the past couple days have been ones of big expense unfortunately. But some things are just so essential you don’t have a choice: a hair dryer, basic cooking supplies, my phone, etc. I’ve come to know the Islington neighborhood quite well and I absolutely love it. The flats are all so quaint and the shoppes so dainty and cute. Yesterday was the welcome day for International Students (yes I am international), so we all crowded in to meet each other at the Vernon campus. I met a lot of lovely, interesting people from all over the world – from Japan to Denmark to Ireland to Niger. We then sat in on talks about how to get through Orientation Week, to register with the school and with classes, and all the stuff the school offers to assist lost and confused students.

After that I went back to the flat to make some dinner. Our flat is almost entirely international and I love it! There is myself, the oddball American, an awesome girl named Alicija from Poland, Alice from Belgium, a Korean guy who I don’t really know, and a lovely SOAS sophomore from Italy. And one last person I have yet to meet entirely. A few of us went to the International students welcome party last night at the main campus in Russell Square. They have a basement bar for students that reminded me a lot of the grind… if the grind actually served alcohol. So we stayed there for a while, met up with Maggie, another U.S. student from Wisconsin, and Marloes, a Dutch girl who had been living in the U.K. for a few years. We all fascinated each other with what we are studying, our interests, and our travels.

We walked back after 11 and I debated going back out again with Alice. But we stayed in and talked about our favorite movies and cooking. I watched a little U.S. tv, and went to bed. Today I am cooking Moroccan food – cous cous with chicken and vegetables. Should be interesting. We all are trying to do communal cooking. It’s cheaper and more social! Anyway, I’m off to get some breakfast and a shower.