Here is a quick post to say how things are going since we got here. The flight and everything about getting here was fine. We discovered, however, that we needed to open a bank account to get our loan funds. To open a bank account, we needed an address (to rent a flat). To rent a flat we needed... you guessed it - a bank account with money in it that was from our account. We think we've finally got it sorted out. There was the catch-22.
The nice people? They were to be found in several forms: first and foremost, all the help with the house back in Midvale! Thank you, thank you, thank you - you know who you are. Then there was the lady who ran the hotel we stayed in. She held our luggage, let us stay at her hotel after our booking date, and was kind and helpful in general. The guy at the bank, once he realized what a mess we were in, made the account happen and gave us good ideas about getting to our money faster. He even stayed over 1 hour past closing time to help us. A banker in London staying an hour past closing to help students? Not typical. And last but not least our kindly soon-to-be ward members. They have referred us to a great neighborhood, put us up for a night, and given us lots of tips (and some lasagne!). It's reminded us how important it is to both give and receive service.
