By George, we've done it!

We have made it to England!!!
I apologize for the lack of a post from NYC/JFK. The airport didn't have wireless internet connection that was free (what a bummer!). But, I will start from the beginning in detailing my journey thus far....

I woke up at 4:30 AM on Thursday morning. I have never woken up that early in my life (though I have stayed up later...I am a college kid, after all). My lovely mom took me to the airport at the crack of dawn, and I met up with Molly and Laura at the gate. We were scheduled on a 7:15 AM flight, all flying standby on Delta, and we all got on!!! Victory #1.

Upon arriving in JFK, the three of us were absolute zombies. Also, for the record, JFK is a lot less than what I expected in an airport. I suppose I am completely spoiled by having Hartsfield-Jackson as a home base, but there were PIGEONS flying around inside! Completely unsanitary!
Anyway, we bummed around the airport for 6 hours, finding comfortable places to catch some Z's. Before we knew it, 6:40 PM rolled around, and we were all boarding the plane to Heathrow. (Victory #2 since we were all standby!!) Victory #3 for me was getting Business Class. By golly, I felt like royalty in the sky. There was a 5 course meal and other shenanigans. I am blushing because it was completely unnecessary and such a treat. Cannot believe how lucky I am to have such amenities. I think that as I experience such grandeur, it's God's way of reminding me how blessed I am, and thus pushes me to want to give back, constantly.

We arrived in Heathrow at 7 AM London time. Everytime I say London, it is with an accent. Accents are so fun, especially British ones. I feel like I am an extra in a movie or something and all the actors are cast from the UK. From the airport, we took a bus to Stansted Airport (about 2 hours) and then from there, we took a bus to the hostel we are currently staying at. Stansted is a city in London, but the layout is interesting...and different from what I expected. It's sprawling countryside just outside of an airport. Oh, I forgot to mention that the sun has been shining all day!! England is so beautiful in the sunlight, but I know I shouldn't get used to it ;)
The hostel we are staying at is called the Stansted Inn. We walked down a stone path to get here from the side of the road, where the bus dropped us off. Sheep were grazing in the pasture as we mosied on into the lobby, where a sweet young woman checked us in (she can't be much older than we are). We then showered, crashed, and went to The George, a pub right across the way. It was cozy and delightful and everything that is romantically British.
I ate a peppered steak and ordered a local beer...you know, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Haha! It was delicious.

Let me just say that the Brits have been so wonderfully hospitable so far. Every person we've asked for directions or guidance has been willing, witty, and gracious. So, Cheers to them.

Off to Porto in the morning. Wake up at 6:45 for our 9:15 departure. More tomorrow, loves. Here are some pics!

Sleep-deprived and backpack-clad before leaving home.

Stansted Inn!

First meal in England :)

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's off to Europe we go!

As usual, I am blogging while procrastinating....
So much to do, so little time! To all of you who will read this, thank you :) I promise to have an adventure filled three months to keep things interesting for you. (Not too interesting though).

Currently, I am sitting at my desk with a list of things to do:
1) finish packing my backpack
2) finish a summary paper for the research I did this summer (really need to do this)
3) organize and pack up toiletries
4) weatherproof all my shoes (#firstworldproblems)
5) print out and bind all necessary documents

Next post will be from NYC during an all-day layover.
THREE DAYS!!!!!!!!

P.S. Found this bit while perusing my blog posts. This is just 2 posts ago (but it's been 9 months since I wrote it!)

"I've decided to study abroad next fall. I talked it over with my advisor, and as long as I'm accepted into the program (it is pretty competitive), I will be at Oxford for Fall 2011. It is so long away, but so soon. And I cannot wait!!!!!!! I am so excited. I have no idea what to expect, and that excites me. I decided it was time to put myself in a new situation, make my life a little bit more exciting, and meet people that are from a different world. The best part is they all speak English (with a marvelous accent) and UGA at Oxford is pretty established, so transfers with credits, etc. are not going to be a pain in my neck."