I’ve been a little slow to publish my first geoblog, and that’s because not one day after my arrival, I got pretty sick.  My first night consisted of my violently throwing up for a long time.  The woman who I am staying with and I talked, and decided it was probably the different water (of which I drank a lot the first day), but I think I’m adjusted to it now. 
     Anyway, on to what’s happening now.  I’ve been in Brighton for just short of a week, and I must say that it’s awesome.  It’s in southern England, so its right on the water.  In fact, I have a great view of the English Channel from my bedroom.  Though the city’s in a great location (on the water, under an hour outside London), the weather is pretty much what I imagined it would be.  It’s been foggy and raining on a regular basis.  I don’t mind this, but a little sun wouldn’t hurt, hence the title of this blog.  However, I’m having a great time so far.  I’ve met students from schools all over, including Michigan, Colorado, UCLA, and Miami.  I also joined the basketball team, despite the fact that I have a recently broken wrist, which is a testament to the fact that basketball just doesn’t have the type of following that it does in the States. 
     Other things that have been interesting include the food and the nightlife.  The food here is, in a word, terrible.  I find myself eating the things that are familiar to me like McDonald’s and Pizza Hut, because everything else is just so new, and I don’t have the most extensive appetite anyway. Oh, and God forbid they don’t put mayonnaise on everything they make.  Is it too hard to get a burger with bacon that’s actually cooked and ketchup on top?  Just kidding, but not really.  The culture shock was clearly intense, but I’m catching on.  I think I’ll talk some more in my next blog, but until then I’ll leave the readers with this; the family who I’m staying with took me ice skating at the Brighton Pavilion, which is an old castle built by King George IV.  They temporarily set up a rink in the yard next to the castle, and it’s a pretty good example of the beautiful city that Brighton is.

Location: Brighton, UK