I'm still alive!!!

Well, I shockingly made it here in one piece.  I have to admit that I felt really cool going through the British customs line.  Although I had to ask the customs officer if I had to declare my peanut butter, so I feel like that probably brought down my street cred a bit.  Let me start by saying that I forgot how adorable England is.  I spent a solid hour and a half on a bus because it kept getting stuck in traffic.  I loved every minute of it though.

Things I saw and loved on my way to my temporary home:

1.  "School of Motoring" on the side of a driving trainer's car.  How do they even make that sound better?
2.  The area known as Old Malden contained numerous elderly care homes.
3.  They had housing named Maple Court and Lime Court.
4.  A corner store I passed was named "Newsagents and Grocers".  Again, so classy.
5.  The electronic's store here is called Curry's.

Okay, so I arrived at my place.  I didn't get lost, which for me is a big deal.  It's not the best place in the world.  I get the loft, which is sweet, but it's definitely an old place, but it's right off the tram line and close to stuff.  Now I'll let you in on a little secret.  Croydon is awesome.

This picture doesn't do it justice, but the downtown area is everything you could hope for in a downtown.  Loads of shops, cobblestones, and a Chinese food vendor, which isn't in the photo, but I had to mention.

Today is a Wednesday and they had markets all over the place and there are a million shopping centres.  It was insanely convenient for me as I ran around trying to sort out getting a phone and I found the bank, but too late.  Turns out the Brits don't believe in having the bank open super late like in Canada.  They close at 5pm.  I assume this is because their pubs close at 11pm, so they need to get a head start on drinking.  Speaking of drinking, I'm in a pub right now.  I'm officially that weird chick who's eating alone and doing stuff on her computer while everyone else is playing pool and socializing.  Oh wait, there's another guy sitting alone.  I haven't slept or showered for over 24 hours, so I'm not really in a social mood, but I also don't want to just go and sit in a room.  Instead I'm writing this while guzzling down a pint.  I would be completely satisfied if this was the rest of my life.  Unfortunately, I'll have to find a job at some point.

This place is called The Green Dragon and it's pretty awesome.  I may come back here tomorrow for lunch.  Mainly because they have free wifi and they didn't ask for my ID when I ordered a beer.

On the agenda for tomorrow:  Open up my bank account, look at an apartment, maybe apply to some jobs, walk around the market, and probably try some Chinese street food.