So far....

Well, this is my first post at Atlantic College. The past few days have been incredibly full of information, activities, and socializing. I feel like the days are just slipping by. I can barely remember the first few days just because so much has happened. I actually really love it.

On September 1st, I arrived to London Heathrow Airport. My flights were very comfortable, surprisingly. From Grand Rapids, I flew to Chicago, which took half an hour. Then, I had a four-hour layover until my flight to London from Chicago. I only slept for about an hour during the 8 hour flight. I was just too excited. Once it was about time for everyone else on the flight to wake up, I could see the ground. My heart was beating quickly, and I felt exhilarated.

Once we landed in London, I was just full on energy. I got through customs quickly. I had to stand in a really long line so they could make sure I wasn't going to kill everyone. Then, I went to get my bags. From there, I had to take all three of my bags to the other end of the airport in order to get to Terminal 3, where I was to meet up with the rest of the AC students.

I looked around for a bit, and then I saw Abby's hair. I knew that she has colorful dreadlocks, so I instantly knew I was in the right place. I felt like I was at home, and everything felt okay. I waited in the terminal for a bit, and met a few of my co-years, and my 2nd year room mate. There are a lot of Malaysians and Norwegians here. There are at least 20 Americans here, so it's nice to have bits of home here.

The bus ride to AC was very relaxing. I was able to speak with a few 2nd years and get to know more about the school. For most of the ride, though, I slept. Luckily, I woke up soon before we were to arrive at the college. I have a few pictures from the ride, and I think I have a fairly good one of my first look at the college in person.

As we were arriving to the college, there were 2nd years covered in face paint shouting and banging pans. As we were getting off of the bus, we had to state our name, country, and house. I had seen pictures of this "ceremony" before, but it was still quite a shock, and fun.

On Friday, we went to first year camp. That was quite a lot of fun. We were there for three days. The campgrounds are three hours away, on the western coast of Wales. We did surfing, coasteering, a hike, and a bunch of other activities.

When I think of surfing, I never think of Wales, or even the UK in general. The waves were actually pretty good, and I was able to surf moderately well. I was even able to stand up once for a few seconds. It was exhilarating. Additionally, we did coasteering. Basically, that is about jumping off of cliffs into the water. The biggest cliff I jumped off of was 4 or 5 meters, but it was still a lot of fun.

I had an amazing time at camp, and I made a few new friends, which is always good.

We chose our subjects earlier in the weeks, and here are the ones I've chosen:

Higher Level
Biology
Spanish B
West Asian History

Standard Level
English A1
Music - Flute
Maths Standard

We received our timetables today, as well, so that means that classes start soon. Monday, I think. I'm actually quite excited. I know I'm going to get lost; I already have several times, but I'm still looking forward to the first day. It will be nice to actually have things to do.

I miss you all at home, and I hope that the school year goes fantastically for everyone who has started, and try not to get too stressed out about APUSH and AP Lit.