Go!

I’ve been here 24 hours, so my mind has almost caught up with my body, and I am now mostly conscious of where I physically am (although the reality of “I’m here for a whole year” probably won’t hit for a few more weeks).  There was a very long moment of confusion this morning when I awoke and saw this:

I thought for a moment that I’d fallen asleep in the wrong dorm room at MIT, or that I’d found some wood-panelled tower room at the city library.  And then some little locator conscience engaged and said “I’m in England” and everything made sense again.  The night was the perfect temperature for hiding under a nice duvet (polyfill, so you don’t have to worry about me sneezing, Mom!), and when it gets a little colder I’ll either close my window all the way, hope the heat gets turned up, or use a second duvet.
College is still quite empty, as most students arrive Saturday, so at 8:30 the view from my window was of a deserted quad and a few fallen leaves:

And if you’re wondering why the grass is so thick and beautiful (and yes, it is) it’s because people don’t walk on it.  Downing’s quad (the first three panels of grass in that view) is labelled “Please do not Walk on Grass,” which means only Fellows (professors and the like) are permitted to walk on it, and usually don’t anyway.  The fourth panel, with the soccer/football net, is called the Paddock, and is open to walking and running.  Good thing, too, since playing football without stepping on the turf is pretty tricky.

I got ten solid hours of sleep, and woke up a bit tired, but content with the idea that it was morning.  The jet-lag doesn’t seem to be a problem, but it’s going to take a few more long nights to re-energize.  I guess 2 hours of airplane nap doesn’t count as a full night’s sleep.

I’ll be posting again as soon as I have some more pictures to share!
[composed 2 Oct 2008]
[posted 4 Oct 2008, when the internet started working]