day one

We arrived in Heathrow airport about an hour late.  By the time we passed through customs our bags were coming out onto the conveyor belt.  When we walked outside of the baggage claim area we saw a man holding a sign with our names on it so we said our goodbyes to Andrea and began our trek to Portsmouth.  The driver drove a mercedes and drove it very fast.  It was very sunny and a nice ride down to the coast although it was highway most of the way.  eventually as we got closer to Portsmouth we saw windmills in the hills and sheep walking in hilly pastures. the ride was about an hour and a half because of the traffic.  As we came into the city it didn't seem that big and the streets we went down weren't what i expected.  By the end of the day we began to find the really beautiful parts of the city.  when we got to the dorm we found out that rachel didn't have a room so they gave us an extra mattress and she stayed with me.  We decided to go exploring.  We went to a department store called Debenhams and bought gloves and a scarf because I forgot to bring them.  We found a small pub on a side street and got a cheese platter and a bottle of wine to share.  The woman selling the cheese seemed a little annoyed with us.   The wine may not have been the smartest choice since we hadn't really eaten lunch or a substantial breakfast.  We walked back to the dorm (Rees) after a few hours of people watching at the pub.  on our way back we came across an elementary school and the children were just getting out for the day.  They all wear uniforms and walk home from school.  in the morning I see them walk by my window in rows. Being here feels like I am watching BBC on a huge television screen.  When we got back to the room we went to sleep intending to get up for dinner and try to make some friends.  Unfortunately we slept through dinner and missed our chance.  there are not a lot of students here yet.  Most of them will be coming back on Sunday.  We went for a walk and found the Student union and then walked down to Gunwharf Quays which is on the water and has tons of shops, clubs, and restaurants.  We went back to our room and called it a night after that.