My First Real Update

Hopefully everyone has been checking on my web album. I have updated that more timely than the blog. These first two weeks have been filled with so many different emotions I cannot begin to start. The first three days were highly emotional after not sleeping on the plane...at all, and then my communications to the US not working, and then getting sticker shock and thinking "how in the world can I even eat here, let alone live". After slowly coping with this I've learned to love London, England, and Europe as a whole. As I was telling one of my professors, I am already a little bias and protective of England.
I have noticed this especially through my classes, predominantly my comparative government class in which we debate and come to understand latest British political news. I try to watch the news every night along with my flat mate Christine and she also buys newspapers for her and I to read. We have already seen a scandal and resignation in Parliament, approval ratings of the prime minister drop, flooding crisis, a bailing-out of one of the biggest banks in the UK by the government, a split in the house of commons over an EU constitution, the lowest stock market numbers since the early 20th century, talks of recession, and many protests. Needless to say for a political science person...it has been exciting!
My other classes are also very enjoyable and have made me fall in love with the culture and history of England. Besides my comparative government class, I also take the British Empire and the Common Wealth, British Literature, and Introduction to Theater. My history class is taught by the London program director. She's from Liverpool and is great fun! My literature class is trying at times because of the extensive amount of poetry we are required to understand, but it is doable especially with Prof. Duckworth teaching. (If you haven't checked my web album, you'll see him in my "Hampstead" album). He is so typically English I could eat him up! He is like a grandpa to all of us and we love him as such. My theater class should be fun. We go to a play pretty much every week, although after the first one we saw-which I highly disliked- I'm a little apprehensive about the following plays. The class is taught by Prof. Mateer and she is a very petite older Irish women who is so animated you laugh every time.
Many of us in the program have been laughing at the new accents we already have and the new phrases we have already picked-up. (Brian has already commented on how funny I sound on the phone now). Although it has only been two weeks the nostalgia of the English accent has worn off and I don't even notice the difference in speech anymore.
One thing that I have noticed and LOVE about London and England as a whole is the lack of laws yet low crime. Keviny, my room mate, and I were noticing how civil and considerate the English are. Yes, they are like everyone else and will not always be nice, but as a whole there are many unsaid rules that people follow just because it's curtious. Their government doesn't even have a constitution, yet they are one of the longest standing democracies. London police officers (coppers) don't even have to carry guns because they don't need them. I have heard and seen so few crime stories compared to what you usually see on American news shocking. Yes, there is still crime but with these observations and more I've come to realize that London and the UK is really safe and I love this culture.
Speaking of the news...I was on it the other day! The BBC news was covering a protest in front of the Ministers quarters and my class was having a field trip at the time right near there. After it dispersed, we walked over to ask questions and take pictures of 10 Downing St. (PM's house). Little did we know they were still taping and there I am on screen talking, laughing, and carrying-on about being near the PM's house! Go figure I've made the news already!
As you can see, my life has been very eventful lately and can only get more exciting, well at least I hope. Please keep emailing and writing letters, they are always welcome!