In England and getting settled in

Well I'm here, and while I'm just geting used to keyboards over here, be patient. Most of the keys are the same except now I can do a £ symbol much easier now! The @ is where the " should be, the £ is above the 3 where there should be a @ and the " is above the two....whats above that again...I can't even remeber!!!OMG I must really be settling in! Finally the ~ and # are on the same key....but are over beside the enter key, and `, ¬, ¦ are all on the same key in the top left!.....I don't even know what this ¬ is???
Other signs that I'm making myself at home here are as follows:
~I got over jetlag, and was getting really annoyed at the fact that I had to wait till 5 in the ~evening to call my mom, when for her it was only 9:00 in the morning!
~I've gotten used to people smoking EVERYWHERE....outside, inside, in the bathroom!
~I actually look the 'correct' way when crossing the road! (which is right btw!)
~I'm used to the cold, and jsut put a sweater on.
~I think really hard about going out to Witney for the day....4 miles away! (but OMG its a half hour bus trip!!!)

News about me is currently quite limited... I've been going out some nights and fully taking advantage of the fact that I'm legal here! On nights that I'm staying in Standlake I usually end up going to the local pub. You know your life is sad when you walk into the local and your drink is already sitting on the bar. Life is not even worth living when the bar tender says " See you tommorrow!" when you leave. I think I'm falling into a bit of a rut here....but I love it! At home I would watch TV almost every evening....now at least I'm getting out!
Never fear though...I do get out..and I do mean OUT out!
For example last weekend I went to Oxford for touristy things one day, and out to a club another day.
Last night we went to Witney, and really did get Witney night life at its FINEST!!...we were home by 12!...LOL
Tonight we're going out to Oxford to another club. it should be quite fun!...can't wait!

I would like to make a point though...going out to the local hasn't been all bad...far from it!
One of the first night we all (8 girls) went out to the local ( "The Black Horse" btw) we spotted a good looking guy behind the bar. At that point we were all DESPERATE for a guy! We all like the way he looked! I was however the only one who kept it up!
I decided I wanted him lol....crude...but true! Since I have no-one back home who offered to "pine" for me whilst I was away I went for it... I haven't got him yet...but damn close!
I wore low cut hirts...flirted...the works!! The only set-back so far is the ugly bartender is more confident and made the moves first...but I fairly skillfully shut that one down!

well I'll keep y'all posted on that one....right now I'm wrking on being away for 2 nights and then going back and seeing how that works...but he going to India for 5 months on October 25th, so if this doesn't work i'll jsut talk strait up!...Wish me luck!

The kids here are actually great...it's difficult to describe them....what thet do, how they act, and what they say to you....without making them sound absolutely INSANE!!! But they're not really! They can be sweet and kind, and hug you, and tell you your the best! The next minute they're on the floor screaming at you. Calling you a whore bitch without a mother! A litle later on in the your giving them a High-5 for a good goal in football! They're emotions change faster then the weather here, but in each of them, every once in a while you see an amazing glimmer of hope in their eyes. They have been through amsolutly horrible things in their lives, and most of them don't even know their parents. Just the fact taht they can get up in the mornings amazes me....let alone allow them selves to be so vunerable as to give you a hug, or let you help them with a math problem! They are sooo great, and I already anticipate it being difficult for me to leave next August.

Other notes:
~My roommate is awsome, and I should really clean up the room befroe she gets back from London ( she when this weekend and I made it a mess!)
~One of the other girls I live with is German and a clean freak...she's really nice soem days, and crying because the stairs have dust on the the next day....I'm working through that. She's absolutely adorable thoguh...I jsut wnat to pick her up and put on the top shelf so she doesn't get broken!
~The 3rd person I live with is from the Island and is pretty cool....she's sensible and cool, and has great taste in music and movies.


All the girls are great, and its terrific I have other people here who are going through the same thing as me...homesickness...dealing with the kids...living on our own for the first time! this year already makes me feel like I'm ahead of my friends in some aspects of life. I'm living on my own...working....cooking for myself....doing my own laundry...and dealing with people I just PUT with..and making it all work. Sure some people have gone to University, and they could e doing all that still, but they're not really working they at school ( lucky fools!) and moving out is hard, but another country is seeming impossible!

Well I wish the best of luck to all my friends who are changing their lives right now(hopefully for the best lol) and keep in touch!

Lots of Love
ANNA

P.S. I apoligise for the horribe typing. I was going to go through and proof read it, but I have to go to dinner. Sorry...Lots of love though!