Back Tracking (actually written on the 17th)

OK…so we’re here safe and sound! I’m actually writing this without any internet as of yet (which we’re hoping to resolve tomorrow). It’s been a crazy couple of days, starting with a 4 hour delay at Pearson. The plane ride itself wasn’t too bad – we somehow made up an hour in flight so it only took about 6 hours to get here. But a 2 hour bus ride later, we finally arrived in Leicester! Yesterday we struggled a bit mainly because of the long journey and the overwhelming feeling of it all. The city didn’t seem that great either – kind of empty and old. Our ‘flat’ is just perfect for Zainah and I though – small, but clean and cozy. Our landlord was kind enough to refurbish the kitchen and bathroom, as well as put in clean carpet, new mattresses, couches, a small tv and some new kitchenwares (this house was built in 1902). Some of what we packed was really unnecessary. We managed to find space for all of our stuff and feel more settled in today (I’ll post some pictures soon!). It’s actually very quiet on our street so at first we thought we were living in a ghost town! Yesterday I didn’t feel jet-lagged at all…I fell right asleep at 10 and slept in later than mom and Zainah…tonight however…well it’s 1 AM and even though I’m tired I’m not sleepy (if that makes any sense).

Today we took a trip into the city centre (about a 5 minute bus ride from us) and it was so lively! Business people, students, moms with their kids, all bustling from store to store. Mom, Zainah and I breathed a sigh of relief after seeing all the action (not to mention wicked cool shops!). I think my mom loved the food market the most. You can buy virtually any fruit or vegetable you want in bulk and for quite cheap…and all the salespeople shout out their deals amidst the shopping. We didn’t realize they closed at ‘half-four’ (4:30) so we ran from stall to stall with our bags trying to buy whatever last minute items we could!

We also went to Sainsbury’s today. They’re a popular grocery store here. Oh and that’s another thing…the organic selection here is INCREDIBLE!!! Most products are cheaper or the same price as the normal stuff – and we also got a flyer for free delivery of organic fruits & veggies (Carol you’d love it). We’ll definitely be using that on rainy days. After dropping off all our heavy bags we took a cab over to the ASDA’s, sister store to Wal-Mart. The selection of food there was just as good as any grocery store. It’s actually mainly food and lacking in a lot of basics you would find at Wal-Mart. So we’ve still got a number of things to collect on our list which we’re planning on finding at Poundland i.e. Dollarama. We did manage to cook our first meal for dinner – mashed potatoes, baked salmon and a salad – yummy! But there’s not much to do after dinner without cable, phone or internet. So I’m looking forward to resolving all of that tomorrow.

What’s left…well, we’ve also got to check out the campus and see what that’s all about, I’m hoping it’ll be similar to the city centre in terms of liveliness and excitement. To whomever asked me about this: yes, English muffins are just called muffins here…but they also sell normal muffins called muffins too! The accents take some getting used to – especially because it seems like everyone we meet has their own personal take on it…there’s no ‘universal’ Leicester accent to listen for really (which we think has something to do with the large immigrant population). I’ll write up some more later, mom’s fallen asleep right next to me! All in all though, we’re doing just fine, so don’t worry about us too much, alright?

Miss you all a lot (especially you Amm :p)