Today, it’s PROPERLY raining in London. The sky’s color is a blend of cozy and gloomy, and fat droplets of rain drop down steadily from the sky.

As people walk into and out of the Tube, they stumble briefly on slippery floors. The rain, however, did not cause any kind of delay in the system. It seemed that everything else that could possibly cause a delay had happened while I was travelling earlier this week. (“the wrong kind of” DUST on the tracks? http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23921092-wrong-dust-on-the-line-brings-another-day-of-chaos-on-the-tube.do)

Now that I have officially complained about Tube service, I believe I have begun my slow initiation into the non-tourist Londoner club.

I have also brushed up on my Football (note to Americans: soccer) knowledge, thanks to a friend. I went to a pub in Hendon earlier in the week to watch a match. I walked in, and the room was packed with men gripping beers and some sleepy-looking girlfriends typing out text messages on their smartphones. Everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats, absolutely absorbed by the game. Apparently, I am now a Liverpool fan. I mean, come on. They have the most spirit, don’t they? On the way out of the tube station the other day, I overheard two people chatting about Football. The conversation went as follows:

Woman: So who’s your team?

Man: Liverpool.

Woman: Really?!

Man: Yeah, I mean, they aren’t having the best of seasons, but…

Me (I turn around): But that was a great match on Monday, no?

So, yeah, I guess I’m an official Liverpool fan.

I’ve also started classes this week. My classes are Food and Power, Management of Welfare Organisations, Rights Social Justice and Diversity, and Theatre in London. All of my classes are mostly Brits and International students, with the exception of the Theatre class, which is only open to American study abroad students. The subject matter is incredibly interesting, and I am reading furiously about politics in Britain and the history of the Welfare state in the UK so that I am able to keep up with class discussion.

Sir William Beveridge, architect of the post-WWII Welfare State in Britain. In case you were wondering.

Another interesting thing is that my University is truly diverse. Not only are 50% of the students international students, but most, at least in my course of study, are people of color, from both the UK and from every other region imaginable. I am privileged to be in a situation where I have the opportunity to learn from so many different types of people and work on making connections across difference.

It’s wonderful here, and I am soaking up everything like my clothing is soaking up the buckets of rain that fall from the gray London sky.