Today, I awoke, and after getting ready (finally shaving as well) I went down stairs and somewhat checked in, and finally was given a copy of the itinerary for this week. Seeing that I had about six or so hours free, I was somewhat unsure what to do with myself. So, I resolved to go back to my room and walk a bit more around London until people started showing up, then it happened, that all the Syracuse students finally arrived. It was somewhat crazy, because the lobby of our hotel was packed full of people, and more so luggage. I got my way past there and headed out towards Kensington Park again, this time resolved to see something more than just the park and the Round Pond. So, I walked further south than I had yesterday, and found myself looking, and very closely I may add, at the Albert Memorial Statue. This statue was immense I would guess at least thirty feet high from its base, it was really cool, because it had great pictures painted on it, as well as many other statues built into it. It had a tribute to the four corners of the earth, which I took pictures of, these included a statue to Europe, America, Africa and Asia. It also had a tribute to Engineering, Commerce, Manufacture, and Agriculture. I also got to see the Victoria and Albert Memorial, which was neat from the outside, though I did not get to see the interior. Afterward, I wandered back to my hotel room, where my roommate was at last, and he was a pretty interesting fellow, he was a theatre major named Jeremy, from Cincinnati who was fluent in Hebrew, and that was most of what I learned of him, save to say that most of his friends and he seemed to be somewhat tightly knit, which was kind of cool I suppose coming to London.
I went out again, this time to call Thomas and let him know the rough schedule of my week, and also to see Kensington Palace. After having done these things I returned to my room to discover a girl that Jeremy knew named Amanda who also went to CU. It was nice to meet someone from the same place as me and I was happy just to be talking to people again in real life, I did not know what kind of effect loneliness could have on someone when they are totally isolated in a new city. We went downstairs where I departed them and went out and bought a coke (500ml/£.99)So that sucked, but it was good to have something kind of big again for a change, and certainly a much better deal than Café Verde. I returned and found that I had forgotten my key so had to ask the main desk for another, after retrieving my key, I deposited the one I borrowed back, returned to my hotel room and found Jeremy there. I sat around and talked with him for a while and decided to go out around 4:15 to get ready for orientation and supper. After the group wandered off in what must have been a fairly impressive mob to the Paddington Hilton, we all sat down and I met a girl named Ariel, who I discussed classics and things like that with, she was fairly nice and it was fun to meet another new person. We then had the director of the program come on and talk to us a bit about living in London, and then we had a policeman come in and also talk to us about safety in London, and that was fun, we then watched a video that was pretty entertaining that the last year’s students made. Afterward a few more people spoke, and we then were set to eat, and the food was actually quite good, a potato soup of some sort was served first followed by a salmon dish, chicken and so on... I somewhat stuffed myself. After that, I waited around the table and walked back to the hotel where I met a guy named Rich who goes to George Washington, and I stupidly made a crack about all the theatre majors being homosexual leaving more girls for us, and he said he did not think there were so many, being gay himself... I felt embarrassed, but I tried not to let that get to me and kept talking about other things as if though I had not made a mistake.
When I did get back to the hotel, I was kind of bored so decided to walk about, I saw some more residential parts of the nearby city, and got kind of bored so decided to go out to the pubs, I was walking around and saw a group of girls I thought were from Syracuse so I talked to them, and hung out with them going to a pub (The Shakespear). They were all from Wake Forest, and were somewhat talkative but did not seem completely interested. After they decided to leave, I decided also to part company and began to walk back to the hotel when on the way, I saw another pub and decided to try that. I don’t recall the name off of the top of my head, but I do remember that it looked fairly neat and was established in the 18th century. When I got inside I ordered a Pedigree and saw a group of three girls I heard talking with American accents so I thought I would try to sit by them, after asking for permission to do so, they were very welcoming and talked to me for some length of time. They were all Photography majors, and were all finished with school, and only attending as graduate students here, meaning half the classes. We hit it off fairly well, and two of the girls Jessica and Erica (Erica was really hot) left and Jess (the one remaining) and I sat for a while. After some time, Jess said she was going to go to her friend’s hostel (Hyde Park Hostel) and hang out and that I should come.
After arriving there we could not find them, she said she was going to use the lavatory and I decided to do the same, not telling her. I was pleased to know that when I did, and she came back a little earlier she was a little concerned and said “Where are you Justin?” I just said I was in the WC too, and we on our way downstairs ran into her friend Judy and Tao. We then went up to their room and sat and chatted when this Chinese guy named George came in, he and I talked for a while and then another occupant of the room named Norbert came in (though I could not tell where he was from other than somewhere presumably in northern Europe). Finally two other guests came in one named Oliver who I think was German and his girlfriend who was American. After talking for sometime Judy escorted Jess and I back to our respective hotels (Jess was staying at the Royal Inn). And finally I came in to discover I had again lost my key, and had to take another on loan. I came in to discover my roommate sleeping and he awoke and asked me how my night was, I inquired the same of him, and finally got settled for bed, began this journal entry and at 00:55 finished.