First day of classes

Well classes finally started today. Although I've been having a blast, I can't deny I was somewhat ready to get into more of a routine. So I can now say that summer is officially over for me. I only had one class today. It was Psychology: Cognition, Learning, and Behavior. Luckily, Kara is in the same class. So I stayed over with her last night so we could figure out where our classroom was together. I also stayed over to do laundry at her dorm(mine does not have a laundromat). So our initial plan was to wake up two hours before class so we could have time for me to run back by my flat then make our way to central London where all of both mine and Kara's classes are located. Considering the tube took much longer than it normally does, we both slightly panicked thinking we were going to be late for our first day. No worries though, we hauled butt and even managed to arrive five minutes early for class: )Afterwards we went on a search for the branch of the Barclays bank where Kara had opened her account. It had been almost two weeks and she still had not received her debit card. Speaking of debit cards, mine arrived in the mail as soon as I got done blogging you guys. So no more of me having to mooch off Claire, Kara, and random people that felt bad for me in my dorm!But yes, Kara finally got her card situation straightened out. Turns out they hadn't even mailed it yet. Kara had another class at 4 today so I decided to stay with her in central London until it started. Last Monday we randomly came across this cheesy restaurant in Soho called "Vodka Food Revolution"....yes, I know. What a terrible name. We would have simply walked past like most, but the grumbles from our stomachs and the sign that said, "50% off all food every Monday" convinced us otherwise. Anyways, the food ended up being AMAZING. So we thought it only smart to go back there again today considering it is indeed Monday!We split the Winter Mezze Platter??Anyways, it had hummus, sun dried tomatoes, chorizo, grilled chicken, flat bread, and spicy sauce. Kara also got the sweet potato corn soup that Elton ordered last time. It was also quite delicious. Our bill ended coming to 7 pounds which is pretty good for two people in the UK!
So I'm trying to think of everything I need to catch you guys up on. So far since my last blog, I have gone to the Camden markets twice. I've never seen so many different types of ethnic cuisine in one place at one time. The first time I went, I got an assortment of different indian curries for only four pounds. I liked what I got so much that I went back to the exact same stand and got the same thing. Yea and the stores were almost as great as the food ha. The most recent trip I took to the markets was actually with my new friend Miraya. She's from Santa Cruz, California. She's a business major at Berkeley. We just met her Friday night and she's been with us ever since: )I'm sure you will be hearing a lot about her in my upcoming blogs.

The view from Claire's room

My lovely new friend Miraya

Before we found out the tickets to see Princess Kate's wedding dress were all sold at Buckingham Palace

Typical Saturday at Oxford Circus, only five minutes from where all my classes are located 

Protestors

Brent about to get his dead skin eaten away by fish....one of the many things you can do at the Camden Markets

A little bit of a closer look for you

Me in front of the GIANT pastry stand 

One of the numerous food stands

Aren't they cute?Alexa, Miraya, and Kara(left to right)

And more food...this IS my blog 

After our lovely dinner of wine and appetizers

Claire and Miraya in my room before our Saturday night on the town

Right now I am just sitting in my flat listening to Mum. Today was the first time I got my first feeling of homesickness. Even in a city as cool and amazing as London, the heart is always where the home is. The homesickness has definitely subsided in the past hour though. A girl from my CIEE group pleasantly surprised me at my door and we were both able to talk about coping with being so far away from home. Everyone warned me about getting out of the "honeymoon stage" of studying abroad, but didn't really think it would pertain to me. Regardless, the two of us have decided to go do some historical exploring tomorrow. I still haven't made my way to see the Tower of London yet. Perhaps that's where we shall end up. Well I'll let you know how tomorrow goes. I miss you guys dearly. Anyone who is reading this and wants to skype, just let me know on facebook. I'd love to see some familiar faces: )