Settling in...and more pictures!

I'm not sure exactly how much "settling" can be accomplished in a few days, but after taking care of the necessary power adapter purchases and unpacking our bags, it's easy to feel a little more grounded here. In fact, it's almost too easy - I was a little disappointed in how quickly my bags emptied and went into our amazing double closet/dresser. After lugging all that stuff through airports, bus stations, and train vestibules, I was really expecting it to yield more, well, STUFF. On the upside, this has been the easiest moving in to a place ever, simply because it's already furnished and stocked with essentials (spices, dishes, internet/cable, etc.).



We've also been settling in by doing a LOT of sleeping. When we arrived, we hadn't slept for about 36 hours or so and I grabbed a little clock off our fireplace before falling into bed. When I woke up the next morning, I saw the clock read 10:50 but didn't feel too guilty for falling back asleep for another hour or so. Unfortunately, upon waking the second time, I noticed the clock still read 10:50 and I started to worry (since Matt had to meet his new advisor at 2 pm). Once we were out of bed we realized that, out of the three clocks in our flat, not a single one was set to the correct time. Yes, people - we slept over 12 hours that first night, and spent the next two days in a haze of never knowing exactly what time it was unless we happened to be near one of the two clock towers in town. So, we may not be doing the best job of adjusting to the jet lag, but I'm pretty sure neither of us has ever been more well-rested. Yesterday, we purchased a clock and tomorrow we'll start using the alarm function.

It's a little disconcerting how many American students there are, which was really emphasized after our first venture out into the town for some coffee and scones. We followed the recommendation of our friend Colleen to North Point Cafe, where I tried to be casual and order "two scones and two coffees." The girl taking our order immediately responded with, "You mean teas?" and because I was trying really hard not to be awkward, I said "sure." After about five questions about how we wanted our teas (with/without sugar, how much sugar, how much milk, bags in or out, etc., etc.) I must have started to look overwhelmed because she asked where we were from. The usual description of Bellingham followed ("it's by Seattle"), but surprisingly, our tea girl already knew where it was. Why? Oh, because she was FROM Seattle. That's right, our first interaction outside of our flat and traveling, and it's with a fellow Washingtonian. So much for that cultural experience...



But aside from that, can we talk about the food for a minute? The aforementioned scone, filled with chunks of apricot and bursting with jam and butter (even Joe couldn't keep up with the butter usage here), was definitely the best scone I have ever eaten, hands down. And we finally got our hands on some fish and chips yesterday, rumored to be "the best in town" and conveniently sold less than a block down our street (at a glorious place called "Pizza Connection" that I will probably mention a million more times on here). And yes, I'm going to go ahead and speak for both of us that they were everything fish and chips should be: greasy, crispy, fishy, salty, and topped with the perfect amount of vinegar. Yum. And accompanied by a Scottish specialty, IRN BRU, which is basically like chemical death in a can. This stuff has quinine AND caffeine and is a shade of glowing orange that doesn't exactly scream "healthy." Of course, Matt loved it.



And last night, we went out for the first time with our new friend Scott (hi Scott, see how I'm updating?) and had a really great time checking out the different bars and endlessly mocking the extremely young and extremely intoxicated freshmen. I can't quite wrap my head around being at bars with people younger than my students, but it seems like they use certain bars more than others so we shouldn't have to mingle quite so closely every time we go out. And I won't complain that they serve wine in either a 175 mL or 250 mL glass, although I will note that I was served a tiny bottle of tonic water with a giant glass of vodka when I ordered a vodka tonic. (Yes, Ashley: I said, "Can I have a vodka tonic?"). Matt tried a bunch of different beers, and seemed really pleased with all of them - so at least we won't go thirsty over here (like that was going to be an issue).

OK, that's about all the blogging I have in me right now. I'll end with a few more pictures of our bedroom, kitchen, and the view from our window. At some point we'll try to get better pictures of the town, since our window for blending in with the tourists/parents dropping off their kids is quickly closing.