Hi Tom, this is Laura. I tried to call you earlier today, no luck there, so I decided to leave you this voice message.

I have so much to tell you! My first week in London has been great. I am staying in a lovely shared flat in Shepherd's Bush – the one we found together online. The flat is small but cozy and my two flatmates are going to move in on Saturday. Shepherd’s Bush is such an interesting part of London with lots of shops, a few parks and many bars and restaurants. London’s biggest shopping mall, I think it is called Westfield London, is just 10 minutes away but I haven’t been there yet.

Oh that reminds me: a few days ago I went to the stationery shop to get some nice notebooks and folders before the lessons start. As I came into the shop there were a few people waiting in line to pay for their shopping, but I had to look around first before getting in queue. I got my notebooks, my folders and a few nice looking pens and then I saw that my friend Lena who is also an exchange student in London was next in line. We said hello and she offered me to pay together so we could get the shopping done quicker and then go for a coffee to catch up. As soon as placed my shopping on the counter, the people behind started complaining. When I turned around to leave the shop, the people in the queue gave me some mean looks – it was so embarrassing!

Oh yes, but there was another strange thing that happened – the shop assistant called me "love“. Well, actually, he said "There you go, love“, as he was handing me my shopping. I don’t know what to think about that, I mean, I see this boy every day, as the shop is close to my flat. Do you think he fancies me? Should I ask him about that in order to avoid an awkward situation in the future?

Another thing I wanted to ask you about is why do people say "sorry“ all the time? Whenever I am at the supermarket, people say sorry even just for passing by me. Am I being rude for not saying "sorry“ enough? On the other hand, if I haven’t bumped into them or knocked something over, I do not feel the need to say sorry. Oh, it is so confusing!

But what is even more confusing are the "meal deals“ here. My study buddy, Tanya, invited me for lunch on my first day. I was absolutely looking forward to a warm meal at a nice cheap restaurant close to the uni. But instead we just popped over to the local supermaket and she started listing all these weird sandwiches with an explanation that you can get a soft drink of choice, a bag of crisps and a sandwich for little money. You can imagine my surprise, all I wanted to say: "Is that what you call lunch“? I was taken by surprise and just grabbed the first thing: a tuna-cucumber combination that was actually quite delicious. However, the flavour of crisps was salt and vinegar…at least I know what not to get in the future.

By the way, I have already visited the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as the Tower Bridge… all I can say is that London has the best sights! I have to run now, my English lesson is starting in 15 minutes and I still need to catch the tube. How are you doing? Bye!