It's Official...

At long last I have finally arrived in Nottingham. A solid twenty four hours of travel brought nine Luther students together in London to begin the year abroad. To put it simply, these past few days have been surreal. As I finish putting my carefully selected things, I am beginning to realize the enormity of what is to come. To be honest, I am quite jet lagged, having little or no sleep (I'm not sure which) for the last forty hours, and am about to drift off to sleep. However, before I cut this entry short, I cover the most important points. The trip here was smooth and much more enjoyable after a wonderful send-off from friends at Luther and family at home. Once in London, our advisors for the year (Mark and Carol - Luther English Profs) met us and we took a private coach to Nottingham. We were surprised beyond all expectations when we arrived. We had seen pictures of the flat, but clearly they had not done this place justice. After hours and hours of remodeling and decorating, Mark and Carol have turned an already nice flat into a phenomenal living space for the nine Notters. There are five bedrooms of varying size and theme, two baths, a sewing room, a kitchen with full pantry off to the side, and a large open room with two levels; the upper being the dining area, the lower being the living room (complete with fireplace). On the lower level, there is a computer room, a library and a rec room at our disposal. We have a quiet little courtyard to keep our bicycles and whatever dandelions that may be growing in the pots. The rooms are encompassed by large windows which allow the sunlight to pour in and the breeze to flow smoothly through the flat. After our advisors so generously prepared a comforting meal, the group began to settle in and accustom ourselves to the idea of living with the surrounding eight people. As I finish winding down and preparing for bed, it seems a little more real with every minute that this year has really begun.

Tomorrow, we will attempt to learn our way around the transportation of Nottingham and our neighborhood. The next will start the series of group trips, the first to York and Alnwick. However, each sentence I type takes a little longer to write, I still feel the occasional burst of adrenaline as I think of each new challenge or task that will be faced in the next few days, the next month, and for the duration of the trip. Goodnight.

-Hil

67 Homefield Rd
Nottingham NG8 5GH
England


0115.929.3353

Almost there...

With less than two weeks to go, I can honestly say I am ready to go. Although I may not be packed or completely organized, I am ready to move onto something new. It has been nice talking to my fellow flatmates on the phone or IM, but I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are tired of waiting and are ready to be in Nottingham. Now.

What little information that our professors have been sending back to us from England, has been eagerly lapped up and made us anxious for more. Just now we are learning of the multiple group trips that we will be taking to Wales, Northern Ireland, London, and all other sorts of places.

What's left? A to-do list that grows continually shorter and a few days. Soon we will be boarding a plane and will be whisked off across the ocean...

Until then...