The Bus Ride to London...

started off horribly, with me lugging a completely extravagant amount of luggage back and forth between the train and bus station because the signs aren't clear, fighting my way through the masses when I did actually reach the terminal, only to cry in two different convenience shops because all I wanted to buy was water and I had to spend at least 5 pounds to use my credit card, which wouldn't scan. It was the first time my quivery-lipped, puppy-dog eyed tactics failed to work in winning male sympathy, and I think that's part of the reason I cried.

 Anyway, after finally managing to buy the water along with ridiculous amounts of gum, it was time to try to navigate the complete and utter chaos that is the London bus terminal. Words would fail to do it justice; it's something that must be experienced for oneself. But suffice

 to say I was taken under the wing of a kind French lady, who later passed me on to a New Guinean man who had my same bus letter: E. We ended up sitting next to each other, and once I could relax I was eager to dust off my French skills. Things started off shakily, but before we were out of London my friend and I were heatedly discussing the positive and negative aspects of the Sarkozy government. 

"It's impressive!!" He exclaimed while we were taking a breather. "I can understand almost everything you're saying!" 

To which, from two seats away, an impertinent head pops up and chimes in, 

"Me too! But you have a horrible accent!" 

And that was how I met Tanguy. 

Ten minutes later, the four of us across the row were having a great time-- the baseball-hatted guy between Tanguy and I had removed his headphones, and now both of them were making me read passing street signs aloud to work on my R's. We all swapped passports after going through customs, and Tanguy told us his story about being detained at the U.S./Canadian border because he looked like a terrorist. 

"I don't blame them!" I chirped. We already had that sort of relationship. 

Things got even more fun once we entered the Chunnel- the bus actually drives into a compartment of a train... a train filled with buses! Once the doors close and the train begins moving, you're free to get off the bus and run around.. which is just what my friends and I did. We were by far the most enthusiastic people on the bus-train.