Day One

Well, I'm a year late, but I finally made it to England. And naturally, I've already had several adventures:

• Everything went smoothly--getting to the airport, checking in, the flight, customs, right up until I got off the tube. There was a "way out" sign so I followed it, not realizing that there were two exits--one with a lift, and one with three flights of stairs. Needless to say, I took my two 50 pound (23kg) suitcases, large carry-on, and computer bag and went the wrong way. It was a cool day (60 F, 16 C) but I was sweating hard when I got to the hotel.
• My cell phone doesn't work here--I can't call out--and the handset is "locked" so I can't switch to another provider. The phone system at the hotel is broken--I can get calls but I can't make them. And the phone centre down the street is closed because it's Sunday. I promised my mom I'd call as soon as I arrived -- 7 hours ago -- so she's probably quite upset by now.
• I think I'm suffering jet lag in reverse. I advanced 8 hours, so theoretically I should be up all night. On the contrary, it's 6pm and I can barely keep my eyes open.
• I thought "takeaway" was fast food, but when I tried to get something cheap that I could eat while walking, all I could find were a McDonald's, KFC, and Subway. I did find a Whole Foods, however, so I bought a loaf of bread and a chunk of cheese. (That's more French than British, but I was still happy.)
• My "room" is 8' x 5' (2.5 m x 1.5 m). The sign on the door says "BROOM CLOSET". Still, it holds a twin bed, a desk, and a bureau--what else could I ask for? Oh yeah, a bathroom.

Just kidding, there is a private bathroom, and it even has a window. (The bathroom, not the bedroom.)