Hey!

So I'm here. I'm just going to do a timeline so my thoughts will be coherent.  Right now its almost 6am in Vancouver, but it's almost 2pm here so my jet lag isn't so bad, I actually feel fine but I feel like I'm acting a bit strange...

Anyway, Saturday I spent the whole morning trying to pack my bags, it finally all came together about 10 minutes before I had to leave.
My family and my best friends came to meet me at the airport (except June, she's becoming a famous actress so I guess that's okay!) and they all gave me a hug and sent me off.
As soon as I walked through where I couldn't see them anymore my eyes started watering, I knew it was bound to happen but I just didn't think so soon!  So got through the metal detector/bag check but in 10 minutes, and then had to wait for an hour before I boarded my flight which really sucked because I just had to sit on the ground alone and wait.
So then came getting on the airplane and I was sitting by this lady who used to live in Canada and grew up there but visited London 30 years ago and never left. She was kind of strange with all her lotions and facial creams and she had 2 Caesars in the span of probably an hour, but she was sweet old lady, so thank goodness I wasn't stuck by the crying baby on the plane.  So just before take off I said a little prayer and watched the plane leave the runway... and immediately we hit turbulence which freaked the crap out of me.  Eventually it all calmed down and we had a chicken and rice supper with a DELICIOUS brownie.  It was so good.  I contemplated asking for another or stealing the one from the lady beside me since she had passed out from the little vodka bottles. So then I watched some en route entertainment and the 9 and a half hours did not pass quickly at all.  I tried to sleep but ended up not getting any so I just made sure to get a coffee when they served breakfast so I wasn't so disoriented when I had to embark on the next part of my journey.
We landed safe and sound and I got my luggage in about 25 minutes then headed to customs which took about 5 minutes and then found the Heathrow express and waited for probably 30 minutes because of the hoards of people that appeared out of nowhere. So took that train and got off at Paddington, got a nice woman to help me get to the tube and hopped on the train to take me one stop then I had to get off and cross the platform to take another train.  That was by far the worst bit of the trip so far because, as I found out at the airport, my big bag was 32kg and trying to hoist that up over a gap between the train and that platform was so painful on my sleepless body, and because I had to do it for just ONE STOP it made it worse (haha).  Anywho once I got to Kings Cross though, there was like my Aunt had warned me, no lift up 2 flights of stairs.  Thankfully a guy was trying to get his luggage up too and kindly carried mine for me up the stairs.  He was from Toronto and he was really friendly and polite which was great, and he was going to the train station too to get to Leeds which meant that we'd be lost trying to get to the same place.  We found the station and was it ever busy.  There were trains going everywhere every 5-10 minutes and the platform where  the Edinburgh train was leaving from was always changing which meant I really had to pay attention, though at this point I could barely keep my eyes open.  I had to sit with my luggage for the 4 hours while I waited for my train and I was so hungry. There was a foot court where the train waiting area was and all I did for 3 hours was smell food that I couldn't get because I was too exhausted to carry my backpack and pull my luggage any longer.  I had developed raw patches on both my hands where I was pulling my luggage bags and so I figured I'd just try and buy food on the train.  But at 4, just an hour before I was supposed to get on my train I couldn't be hungry any longer and I lugged all my crap over to the Burger King.  I got this XL Bacon Cheddar Burger that had two patties and I kid you not was about 2 times the size of a regular burger per patty. I ate it all! And immediately felt ill but that's okay, it passed quite soon after.
Then I hopped on the train to Edinburgh but there was nowhere to put my luggage AND I couldn't wheel it down the aisle because there wasn't enough room so I had to drag it.  This was the worst part of the entire trip.  Dragging luggage down a narrow aisle and it would catch on people's seats too. So embarrassing.  I also had to hoist it up onto the seat next to me because there was no room for it and I had to put the backpack where my legs would have gone.  I was huddled in a ball/dangling my legs over my luggage for the 4 and a half hour train ride.  My back and my thighs had cramps in them the entire trip but I finally fell asleep for 2 hours so that was good.  Then Erin and Kurtis met me and took my luggage from me and we started the half hour walk to their flat! They showed me everything I needed to know about the flat and we shared some popcorn and whiskey before heading to bed.  I went to sleep at about 12:45am (Vancouver time is 4:45pm) and I slept until 7am this morning so that's pretty good for being jet lagged.  I fell back asleep for 3 hours then Erin woke me up and we shared breakfast then headed out to see Leith Walk and the supermarkets where we'd buy groceries.  (Side note: Supermarkets, or anywhere where you'd buy food are by far the best part of any trip I go on because I'm strange like that and I love looking at food we don't get back home). OH ALSO, when I read the letters from my friends I was smiling like a dork and I didn't care - they were so amazing so thank you ladies!! I need everyone's address so I can mail you letters so if you could email me at ariasgray@gmail.com that would be wonderful!
OH MAN also we got a new flat to live in and it has 15 foot ceilings and it's warmer and I get bunk beds (haha).  I'm not actually too stoked about the bunk bed bit but I think it'll be fine. We move next Monday so that's really exciting.

I'm going to apply for my social security number late this week so they have the right address to send it to and then once I get my banking sorted out next week, I will start my job applications. I really need a job!

That's all for now, I hope everyone has a wonderful week. When I'm alone tomorrow since Erin and Kurtis are both busy, I'll take some pictures of my temporary room.

Love