The Redhead Jumped Over the Pond (And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon): The New Flat!

Hello again!

So we made it down to the coach terminal and found our bus. Once we were loaded, we promptly retreated into our own musical worlds. The trip went quickly... It really threw me off driving on the opposite side of the road as North Americans I think mostly because I kept expecting collisions, etc. Lots of round abouts that naturally rotate in a clockwise rotation.. We arrived into Southampton at bout 12:45 am London time.. The man we're renting the flat (I'm working on my English lingo..)from met us there, took us for groceries, a little tour of the area, and got us into the flat (he was amazing!).

It was about 2:30 am when we were getting settled into the flat. I wasn't physically tired but I definitely was mentally. After do so much travelling and such, finally getting into the place we'd call home for a year was an odd feeling. I was excited for the adventure to come but couldn't stop crying. I felt very overwhelmed with everything that was new! In the end, I went to bed around 3 am and cuddled into my sweater, pjs and fuzzy socks.

As usual, things are better in the morning. I woke up at 12! I didn't wake up once during the night (which is unusual for me!). Liz had already unpacked her things and organized her area so I began doing that. But mostly, we ate breakfast and got ready to meet the guys from TimePlan. It felt so good to shower after being in airports, planes, and buses for so long. Our appointment was at 2, so we left around 1:30 to ensure we'd find the place walking. Everyone was really nice. We filled out paperwork, and figured out the nitty gritty details. As we left, I jokingly told Liz that I needed to sit down with my legs between my knees. While it wasn't that bad, I was feeling overwhelmed with all of the new information. We dropped off our folders at the flat, and then walked to the West Quay Mall. I keep mispronouncing it as "way" when actually it's more like "key." Just another learning curve. The mall was a really cool space. They've got an indoor part to it like I've seen in Canada but also back to back was an outdoor common area with shops on either side. It had a great feeling to it!

We stopped in at EE (a UK phone company) and Liz got a new SIM card for her iPhone and I got a new phone. In the end, I paid for 65£ for the phone and plan. Don't worry, Mom, I got one of the cheaper ones :) Didn't really get to play with it much as Liz and I went into "Poundland"-- our new friend the dollar store! Got the necessities and started walking home, a different route this time to explore the city... We ended up getting a little misplaced but thats alright we got to explore Southampton! The architecture is amazing, we've decided we're going to join a rowing club (there ya go, Beth!), and hopefully buy bikes to get around!

So, here I am... 8:30 at night, trying to set up this new phone, we had tacos for dinner, and I'm feeling content. While I felt like I was missing an arm without my phone, it was great to have my iPad to message Anne and Sarah last night when I needed a comforting voice/ message from home! I'm so lucky for the amazing people in my life!

Until next time,

Jenna