London's Calling...

January 3rd, 2010, 17:29:00

Day 2: Wroxton College, Wroxton, England, UK

I'm having technical difficulties. I suppose this is what happens when you pack hungover, New Years Day, two hours before you're scheduled to leave for the airport. The good news is, I packed my underwear. The bad news is I failed to pack: my toothpaste, soap, shampoo and a notebook (it's not like I'm here for school or anything!). I also spent $70 at Radio-shack for a plug adapter and converter, only to realize that my laptop plug has THREE prongs and my converter has TWO. You do the math. The converter has come in handy for exactly one thing: allowing me to use my five-dollar drug-store hair-dryer.

So now, I have no body cleansing supplies, no laptop, no workable phone and...oh, did I mention no money? I failed to call my bank until January 1st (read: the day I left), and they were closed for the holiday. Which means they probably think someone stole my card, hopped a flight to jolly old England and attempted to withdraw a hundred pounds from the airport ATM. Which, consequently is what I did. So I was unable to acquire money and have nary a cent or a pence to my name.

There's a happy ending to this story though. Thanks to lovely ladies at the reception desk, I was able to secure a three-pronged adapter, a friend has agreed to let me Skype my bank on her computer and another friend who rented a car may be down for a road-trip to Tesco (the English Walmart) for shampoo and supplies (read: beer).

Other than various travel mishaps, things have been stellar. It's beautiful here - like something out of a movie. A picturesque movie with lots of young, attractive American travelers who drink tea and beer and discuss Nabakov. Becky and I took a walk up the hill today between classes and found a farm and a little duck pond. Since we've arrived, I've also been in a constant state of finding new stairwells (often accidentally) in the castle. The Abbey is like a maze - a wonderful, old maze filled with pianos, intricately carved wood, gold leafing, suits of armor, tapestries and stained glass. Lots of dark, hidden alcoves for covert snogging sessions, if one was so inclined. (But of course, I miss my lovely American boy.)

Besides brief exploring expeditions, my schedule has pretty much been: catching up with old friends and meeting new ones, workshops, tea-time, lectures, tea-time, individual meetings with mentors, tea-time and well, you get the idea. Haven't had much time for touring anything other than the airport and the grounds of the Abbey, or even sleeping for that matter, but hopefully I'll get some free-time soon.

In the meantime, I'm trying to get together a fun piece for my reading this week. I'm thinking a Twilight fan-fiction with the department chair as Edward and various professors as the supporting cast, is in order.