And So it Begins

Hey everyone,

so my family and I all arrived safely in London and we are settled in our hotel room! I think everything is even more amazing this time around! The family is interesting to be around as always and it seems my sleep patterns are perfect for this time zone. Yesterday, i went to bed at 11:30 and woke up at 7!! Crazy right?!?!?!?!

i went to my first casino yesterday as well!!! i lost 10 pounds : (
we went to the wax museum today and me and my dad stood over in a corner and didn't move and there were like 5 people that came over to see if we were wax or not! lol! it was really funny!
other than those interesting tidbits, not much amazingly exciting has happened so far. i'm already missing friends, but at least i'll be seeing some of them in a little over a week!!

i've only been here for two days, but i've already learned some important rules and lessons:

Rule 1: Stand (and walk slowly) on the right
PEOPLE WILL TRY TO RUN YOU OVER!!!!! there have been multiple occasions where i had to basically jump out of the way to avoid someone walking REALLY fast, so if you're not that person that's running everyone else over, just stay on the right.
Rule 2: Order TAP water (with ice if you can)
if you just ask for water, they bring you bottled water and charge out the wazoo for it! in one restaurant we went to it was 4 pounds and warm! so make sure you make it tap with ice (but they may charge you for the ice).
Rule3: Check and see if gratuity in added in your check already
a lot of restaurants (especially near touristy spots) do this and don't tell you, hoping you'll pay the server their tip twice. check in the menu or even ask just to make sure! and there's no sales tax in most places here, so if the amount on the bill is more than the food you ordered, i would say don't leave a separate tip.

Lesson 1: Don't display your American (or tourist) qualities in a crowded area
you are a better and more obvious target for pickpocketers, people stare and talk about you, and it just makes you stand out (most of the time, not in a good way).
Lesson 2: DON'T CROP DUST PEOPLE IN LINES!!!!!!
really, it's just rude and it makes people want to kill you. there was a guy that did it to us in a line AND on the underground and my sister was ready to take him down! so either just go find a bathroom or hold it till you're not in a crowded place.
Lesson 3: Ask for your check
some places don't bring you your check till you ask for it because they think it's rude to sort of try to force you out by giving you your bill. so if you want to get the check, just ask for it or you could wait around for 30 minutes in an uncomfortable seat in a restaurant that smells funny with people in the next booth that are being annoying and just in an all around uncomfortable and unhappy situation. not that i'm speaking from experience or anything...
Lesson 4: Make sure and check your electrical appliances before you plug them in!
My mom blew a fuse in the hotel room because she didn't get a converter, just a plug adapter. check the back of the power chord and make sure that you know if you need a converter or just an adapter...or you can just blow some fuses and appliances till you figure it out!

Well, that's all i got for right now!

Jojo