This post has been a long time in the coming--it details events from the 14--19 of January.

Leaving the U.S. for the Very First Time

In Which Friendship Is Tested

Having been best friends over eight years now, Megan and I have weathered the distance of living over an hour-and-a-half apart, going to universities ten hours apart, and even me living in a time zone six hours ahead for the better part of a year. Nothing has dampened the constant flow of emails and phonecalls, so when she and her boyfriend arrived on Wednesday morning it was as if I'd seen her only weeks before, not almost six months.

It was a bang-up job getting them into my flat and rushing out for the now-infamous interview at Queen Mary. My heart was lightened with the knowledge that Megan and Joel would be able to distract me from worrying about the interview. It worked. The entire weekend, from Wednesday on, was a constant rush of seeing London--and we all loved every minute of it. Not a tourist site was unturned, not a monument unseen. And we even had time for a nap one day. Now that's travelling!

In Which Culture Shock Is Experienced Through Sandwiches

Maybe it was because they'd never left the country before (well, Joel's been to bits of Canada north of Minnesota), but the level of culture shock was tangible at times. My other visitors--Esther, Alex, Stephan, my family--have all travelled more widely, and it showed in their ease with new situations. The weather was a source of distaste for Megan and Joel: it was too cold here. 'What?' I cried. 'You live in Minnesota. How can London be colder?' Once they explained I realised the truth: it's a damp cold here, and it seeps into the buildings and into your bones. I've become acclimatised and even consider it dry. Well, it is--compared to Wales.

The biggest bone of contention, the least favourite aspect of Britain, for Megan, was the food. Don't get me wrong--I can remember having some horrid encounters in Swansea with pickle-and-cheese sandwiches (not the kind of pickle you're thinking of!), but I at least tried out the various kinds of food until I knew what I like and don't like. And frankly, the sandwiches here are waaaaay better than in the U.S. Hamburgers and pizza, no, but boy do they do a good prawn sandwich. Mmmm, mmm, good! It surprised me that Joel and Megan didn't come to my way of thinking that the British food is at least as good as American, and in some cases even better.

In Which Confessions Are Made To Huddled Masses Yearning To Break Free

I must confess: I ate at McDonald's. AND at Burger King. And I drank Coke a lot, too. I know, I know--you're asking yourself 'Why? Why, Theresa? Why did you go against every grain in your body to not be one of those Americans walking down the street eating a Whopper and complaining about the food? Why?' Well, I'll tell ya. I was being a good hostess!

I must confess to something else, though: I felt superior. In fact, I do right now. Yes, you huddled masses reading this: I have broken free of the shackles that are the American Media Bubble and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. I have escaped outside the confines of Americentric North America and realised what a big, beautiful world there is out here. And that--are you ready for this?--it's better than the U.S. Castles, history, fashion...it's all right here.

I'm back to feeling the same angst I did when I was in Wales. Yes, all of my friends back home who tell me they want me back, and how cool it is I've been over here, are missing the one highly important point that I don't want to go home. This is one of my homes. Elizabeth put it well: 'If you have to leave,' she said, 'you'll be back. It's in your blood. This has been one of our homes, and always will be.'

So why Megan and Joel don't want to move over here, I don't know. It's hard for me to fathom people not loving this city, this country, in the same way or with the same amount of fervour that I do. But to each their own...I guess.

In Which London Is Conquered

We saw just about everything there is to see, and had a fantastic time in the doing. I won't go into mundane detail, but the highlights for me were the Jack the Ripper Tour, seeing Westminster Cathedral (both of which I'd never done), and taking them to the Reduced Shakespeare Company. As Megan was a theatre major she especially loved it, but even the groundlings like me and Joel appreciated the humour.

So Long, Farewell, No Need To Say Adieu

I feel pleased that I've singlehandedly been responsble for three Americans getting their passports (M, J and my brother). And I'm so pleased that they came, and had a wonderful time. I feel like a good hostess--I showed them all the main things, plus some out-of-the-way sights like Spitalfields Market. It's wonderful having been able to show my life, my flat, my flatmates--my city--to such a close friend. And I hope that they return to Europe one day, for I believe it gets into people's consciousness. Certainly is in mine!