Unlike the rest of the group, I have been in London for two days now, and am having the time of my life. I’ve been to places I’ve always wanted to go, and find it hard to believe that I’m actually here. On the first day, I walked around London near Trafalgar Square, and took a ride on The London Eye. As my pod was at the top of the Eye, I just thought to myself, I’m really here. Yesterday, I took a long trip up to Lyme Park to visit the house where the Colin Firth version of “Pride and Prejudice” was filmed. In the film, the house is known as “Pemberly,” or Mr. Darcy’s house. I took a tour of the vast mansion, which was quite maze-like, and strolled the grounds, which were stunningly beautiful, with fabulous views in all directions. By the time I got back to my hotel (after getting lost not once, but twice) I was exhausted but feeling blissful.

Today I spent the morning leaving the hotel, traveling to my host family’s house, and getting settled in. The host family is warm and gracious, and I couldn’t be any happier with my roommate, Mei, who is a doll. Oh, and on top of that, I’m still in London with three weeks of adventures ahead of me! Somebody pinch me.