I'm going to be a bit sore tomorrow...

   Today was a rather busy and labor-intensive day as we spent most of our time moving furniture and beds around from building to building and room to room in preparation for the arrival of the other 13 volunteers that we will be working with. Though it was a little overcast with a slight breeze, I was sweatin' up a storm as we were going up and down the stairs continuously.  Definitely got my workout for the day.

Looking out my bedroom window~you can hear cars from the M25 (big motorway that circles London) but it is still quite peaceful

     Amelia, the other YAGM girl from the U.S., and I both arrived yesterday(though on different flights, quite an interesting story I'll share later) but we are the only new volunteers here until next Wednesday, which is when everyone else will arrive and we will begin our 2 1/2 week "induction period" which just means we will be learning what we are doing for the year, exploring the site, etc. Then, as I understand it now, after those 2 1/2 weeks, the kids will be coming. It seems like a long ways away, but I'm sure the time will fly.
    Tomorrow afternoon, Hannah, one of the girls that is a full-time staff person here, is going to take Amelia and me into St. Albans, which is a city of about 60,000 and is not far from here...apparently it has great shopping.  So we're going to check that out and Sunday, Amelia and I are going into London!!! It's only about a half-hour away and we're hoping to meet up with another YAGM volunteer that is placed right in London so we can hang out for a bit. Should be a good time, and Hannah said she'll give us the low-down on trains and buses so we don't get lost.
I can't believe I'm finally in England!

My first cup of English tea

  So it's my first full day at the SPEC Centre in London Colney, England and besides meeting all the wonderful people and having an exciting day of settling in, I could not have been more thrilled when they offered me a cup of tea this morning, it was definitely the highlight of my day! =) Hannah, one of the girls that is on the full-time staff, was even more thrilled when I asked her the proper way to make the tea. I must say, I quite enjoyed the addition of milk (rather new to me from U.S. tea), though I held off on the sugar for now, I may be ready for some flavor variation after awhile. But it was so delicious!  And don't get me started on the chocolate eclairs that we had for dessert at lunch- they tasted like heaven! 
I can't wait to experience more English cuisine! =)