Wowza...

I am safe and having a blast here in Canterbury. I can't believe I'm actually here. Sorry for not posting anything right away or sending out e-mails, but we don't have internet in our flat yet. I don't know when we will have it either. That's probably the worse thing that has happened so far, but other than that everything has been great.

We arrived at my flat around 11:30am (5:30am your time), and I was so tired. Our flats are AMAZING though. I'll be putting a youtube video up of it once I get the chance. In my next blog I'll place the link in it so you all can see. It was so funny because I didn't realize I had a roommate for like 2 hours. We were both in the flat hearing noises and unpacking and didn't realize it until we bumped into each other (that's how big this flat is).

The first night I was so tired, but I wanted to go out for the simple fact that it was my first night in a different country. The students here who are helping out freshers (freshman) and international students are incredibly nice. I met a ton of people right away. So the first night some of the helping students here took us to the Union on their campus. It's basically a bar RIGHT ON CAMPUS. I couldn't believe it. It's very different here, but everyone has been so nice and helpful thus far.

The next morning I woke up early because we had a lot to do that day with meetings etc. Sadly, I woke up and realized I didn't have a towel so I had to dry off with a sheet on my bed instead. Later that night we met at Union again, had a few drinks, and went to this club called Chill. It was incredible. This night club was packed beyond belief, and they seemed like they were never going to stop dancing. It was strange how much American music they played, but they still had many songs by British artists I have never heard of. I hope to go home with some sweet new artists to download. By 2am the club was still packed and my feet were killing me. We left around 2am from the club, but that was definitely a good time. Probably the best drink I've had so far is called a 'snakebite'. This guy I met, Dan, told me about it and said that the football players here usually drink it. I gave it a try and it's basically one of the best drinks I've ever had. It's half cider half beer and black curry (if I heard it right), and it's killer.

Today, I had my first class called British Literature. It wasn't too bad, but there is definitely going to be a lot of boring books that need to be read and papers to write. I hope my other classes will be a little less stressful than this one.

Some friends and I are trying to plan trips. There is a 3-day package trip to Paris that we are planning on booking today or tomorrow, and we are trying to figure out if we can do a 4-5 city tour in Italy. To be honest though, I'd be happy where I am right now. Canterbury is incredible and I haven't even seen half of it. If I'm not able to go to different places because it's too expensive I'll be fine because there is plenty to do right here.

I went to the grocery store called ASDA. It is like a wal-mart back home. I think money might be an issue while I'm here. Everything seems to be cheap, but when you transfer it back into dollars it isn't cheap at all. I'm starting to create a budget so I don't mess up my entire stay financially. I'm sure if I lived here and worked here that everything would seem decently priced, but the conversion back into American dollars is definitely eye opening.

I LOVE listening to everyone talk. It's so funny. I was talking with one of the helpers here, her name is Ellen, and I was trying to do a British accent (which she said was pretty close and could possibly pass for one) while she did an American accent (which sounded like she was from the south). I guess their idea of us is southern/cowboy-ish(?).

I know this is pretty long, but I feel like I might be missing some things! If I remember I'll write about them another time. Once I get internet I'll be able to call home a little bit more and keep better contact with more people. Hope all is well back in the states! I miss and love you all so much!

My address is:
Jeffrey Thomas Bania
Care of the International Office
Canterbury Christ Church University
North Holmes Road
Canterbury, Kent
CT1 1QU

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