:)

I must say it's been a good couple of days (MOTHER). Yesterday I had no class again so I went to Tesco's and did some shopping and then in the afternoon I went up to Strand area and went to Waterstone's to buy the books I need for the first real discussion week. I randomly ran into Flynn there, which was nice. That Waterstone's only had one of the three books I needed but the service guy called over to the closest store and they had them. Conveniently, they had a map of the area that I could take so he showed me the way and I walked through the rain (with an umbrella thank god) to the other Waterstone's, which happened to be located right by Trafalgar Square. I only glimpsed it and I wanted to make the quickest shuttle back so no gawking this time around. I got the books I needed and learned of the location of Topshop, where I must go! Then I booked it back to Waterloo but had JUST missed the shuttle so I went into the cafeteria area of one of the buildings and read for Brit Lit and Cinema. Then I caught the bus home, stopping at a tiny store for some stuff before making it back to my room. Dehydrated, I drank a bunch of water and I only had ten minutes to eat two pieces of bread with jam before booking it back to Guy's Campus, where I stood in the growing dusk and rainishness at the wrong spot. Luckily, there was a girl also going to Sexpression who happened to ask a passerby where the Spit was, so together we found the correct group! And then I took the tube for the first time! It was scary. Celia had to buy me a ticket cus she pulled out her card faster than I did, so I owe her money but I got a day card and was whisked along to the Jubilee line with a change to Circle in order to plant us in South Kensington. It was rush hour so we were a bit crammed and the thought of us travelling beneath London kind of blew my mind lol.
This Sexpression event was actually a "Lates" put on by the Science Museum, where they keep the museum open late for special exhibitions. Last night's feature was all about STIs and such. We sat in on a talk about approaches to VD in the 18th century and then a brief talk about living with HIV. Then we briefly watched some old sex ed videos but because I couldn't really hear it, I ended up chatting with this girl who was there with us. She's technically a first year, but because she took two years off after sixth form she's my age, and she's gotten all the partying stuff out of her system, so she and I seemed to click. We stuck together for the rest of the night and have made tentative plans for shopping and museums. And she's going to Kate Nash with me in just a few weeks! (Her name is Winnie, she's a nursing student. Lol that's relevant!)
So we stayed til the end of the night, with the museum closing at 10pm. Then, because the tube gates were closed nearest to us, we had to walk a ways to get to the other entrance and things were much less crowded. We got back to London Bridge station, which, after Borough, is closest to me. Now from there I know how to get home, but actually because there are like three exits, the one we came out of really confused me. Winnie knew how to get home from there (she lives in Wolfson house, which is roughly in the same area as gdsa) so I headed off with her, thinking I was going in the right direction. I ended up going the wrong way down St. Thomas Street (I think) and somehow I think I ended up on Tooley Street and it was nearly abandoned and I began to worry. So I doubled back as nothing looked familiar at all (and keep in mind it's like 11pm and raining and I'm walking alone). I remembered Weston Street as the street where the nightclubs were off of St Thomas but when I came out the other side I didn't recognize the street name, but at least there were more people around. I continued up the street and was still panicking so I walked alongside a couple (the man had just paused to light a cigarette. He was tall and was wearing a coat that went back his knees. Dark hair. A little older and with an attractive blonde. He was dashing and handsome and mmm but nice.) I asked what way to Borough High Street and apparently, as I discovered walking a bit further along the road, it was the next road coming up. In the dark it was hard to tell but I passed one of the entrances to London Bridge station I'm familiar with so I was happy. Then it was the issue of actually getting home safely. I walked briskly, trying not to freak out in my head so it wouldn't show. I thought angry things and balled my free fist up and looked pissed. Staring straight ahead, I stepped in a deep puddle and I was wearing tevas so my feet got all wet and my pants did too. But I finally made it home dead ass tired but hungry so I ate a little and watched one episode of peep show and then I feel like I didn't even sleep well cus I was so tired.

Today I signed up for a library card and got the creepy, super conversational guy that Shubha had. He kept asking me about American slang and it was awkward for the most part. Then I went to class. I had Irish Lit discussion first and the classroom was hard to find (see entry on confusing building layout). I feel like the reading for that class is going to be good, but I'm not sure if I'm going to like it overall cus the teacher is so serious (although granted the subject matter) and the people are really intelligent. I had written down two things that actually would have contributed to discussion but especially the first few meetings I get terrified of speaking so I was afraid to jump and afraid that I would say something stupid and irrelevant. But then both things ended up being brought up and of course I mentally kicked myself. I guess I'll just have to try harder for next week.
I then had a two-hour break but I went to the cafeteria and got a bad piece of pizza and continued reading Rebecca (for lit and cinema). Because it was so packed, two people asked to sit at my table and eat there while I read. I was absorbed in the book. It's very good so far. It makes me think that for Brit lit and cinema it's going to suck if I really like the books because then I have to watch the movie adaptation and it's not going to be as good. But then again, that's the point of the class--to work through the similarities and differences.
Then I went to sit outside the next classroom and at 3 had my class on Jacobean theatre. I like that teacher the best thus far. He's very Britishly witty. And outgoing. The structure of the class is pretty open and we have to do "presentations" which are more like facilitating discussion on two plays throughout the semester, much like leading discussion in Intro to Lit Studies with LaMont (:-D <3). So I feel like it'll be a relatively easy class, minus the amount of reading. OMG the reading! That's one thing I don't quite get here. There's the required reading list (which is already pretty intense) and then like three pages of suggested additional stuff and it's like, what are you supposed to do! It's intimidating as hell. That goes for all classes. My only complaint about my Jacobean theatre prof is that I feel he calls a little too much attention to the fact that I'm American--not really in negative ways, I just don't like being pointed out so frequently. It makes me feel like a brown-noser.
That brings me to another interesting observation I've made. University here is 3 years, but apparently even English majors don't really write essays in their first year, they take exams. I've just been noticing like the differences between them as second years and myself as a third year student. They have strengths that I don't have, like immediately jumping into a brief passage and dissecting it whereas I barely skim the surface. But on the other hand, I have two years of writing papers under my belt (and Jacobean prof pointed out that due to the American system, we are a bit better at essay structure than the British students would be because they didn't even write for a year!). Interesting.
I'm definitely happier than I've been. I'm extremely tired at the moment, but I had more long talks in the kitchen with my flatmates (I was in there for three hours!) and my oyster card came. :) :) I have met some people who seem like they will make my time here worthwhile and I am happy that I'm making seemingly important observations about my surroundings. Things are looking up. Although tomorrow it's supposed to rain. ;)