Catch Ya Later Colonies! On to London!

Hello again readers! So after much preparation, anxiety, scheduling, and obsessing, I am FINALLY in London! We flew out of Dulles International Airport yesterday at about 7PM, and landed at Heathrow at 7AM London-time. After some quick adjusting, we have started to settle down in our new digs in our new home for the next two months. After making our way to the coach that would bring us to our new flats, unpacking all of our things to fit in these teeny little apartments, making grocery store and pharmacy runs, and taking a walking tour, we finally did what I do best: eat. Before I elaborate on the fantastic dinner we had, here is a brief rundown of some cool things that I think are seriously worth mentioning: 

An example of a business that is proudly
displaying its affiliation with the
Olympic Games here in London

Since the Olympic Games are coming to London on the 27th of July, one week after we leave, the city and the Brits are gearing up for the international spotlight. Reminders of the games are everywhere, from signs all throughout customs urging families of Olympic athletes to make themselves known to staff to receive priority treatment, to special candy bars and food products hitting the shelves with the Olympic Games logo, to large public reminders on buildings. One of the characteristics of the British that we have discussed at length during the TWC program was their national pride- and the Olympic Games provide a way for the British to show, to an international audience, just how exceptional their beloved Britain is.

Although today was mostly a day of adjustment, it is always interesting to see the ways in which basic things differ from country to country. It should come as no surprise to the readers that know me as a foodie, that the number one thing I recognize is- you guessed it- food and the places it is sold! Grocery stores vary not just internationally, but all throughout the USA as well, and I think it is a really interesting way to look into the culture of an area to take a look at the way food is sold, packaged, prepared and consumed. Here in the UK, one of the most famous grocery stores is Marks and Spencer, along with a few other nationally recognized and popular chains. M&S is on the high end of grocery stores, and they also sell non-food items (such as clothing). Fun fact- when we visited the British Embassy while we were still in Washington, we met with a British woman who told us that "all upstanding British women buy their underwear at Marks and Spencer's." It certainly is odd to think that you could do a one-stop shopping trip for underwear as well as dry goods or produce! 

Cheers! Our very first meal in the UK!
Nothing beats good food with good
friends: pictured are (L to R) BD and
KK, and on the other side of the shot
are myself and JR. 

Now onto the good stuff: the food. We made a note to scout out a few local pubs during our walking tour today, as it has been recommended to us to find our "own" local pub near where we are living to try and get a sense of the people that live in the area. There were three that are very close to our flats- and I couldn't wait to start out this evening to determine which one would become "ours" for the next two months. Our journey turned out to be a modified Goldilocks story: one pub too fancy, one too scummy, and one just right! Three Famous Kings Pub was officially established as our neighborhood bar, and we had the quintessential English dinner of fish and chips with hard cider to celebrate our very first night on this new international adventure. The meal was amazing- the cod was fried lightly and wasn't too greasy, the chips were crisp, and the cider was cold. It was the perfect end to a very, very long day.