So I am finally here after my journey from good ole’ Raleigh, NC to London, UK. It’s hard to imagine that I was in the USA less than 24 hours ago…and now here I am in a completely different culture! As I woke up this morning to pack up all my belongings to last me a full 3 months, I was slightly nervous I wouldn’t finish everything, but thankfully my parents were there to help me out every step of the way. Once I arrived at the airport around 3:30pm, it was time to say goodbye to the parents and walk alone to my gate and wait for my flight. While at the gate, I began talking with a girl that looked my age…come to find out she went to State and was studying abroad in Wales this semester-what a blessing to find someone who knew exactly what I was feeling!
It was finally time to board my flight…needless to say I was in the very very back of the flight where all of the lovely flight attendants cook the food and make a whoollle lot of noise in the process. BUT it’s okay…I was able to squeeze in 1-2 hours of sleep. Unfortunately I slept right through breakfast, but atleast I was able to sleep a little bit. We arrived at Heathrow an hour before expected arrival…so here was the scary part. I had to somehow get myself from there to my flats. Thankfully, Sarah (the girl mentioned previously) was there with me to go through customs and baggage claim and we wished eachother safe journeys and went on our way. I successfully boarded the Heathrow Connect (quite interesting to try handling 2 huge pieces of luggage as well as a hiking backpack that collectively weigh more than I do). Once arriving there, it was time to hale a Taxi. I was a bit apprehensive at first but the next thing I knew a cute little British man pulled over to help me out! We pulled up to the flat and all I could think of was how exciting it would be to call this my home.
I finally rallied up my luggage, found my way in and reunited with my lovely roomies. With an hour left before our orientation, I was able to unpack all of my belongings then head off with the group to the Anglo-American School. This was quite the adventure but we found ourselves there about 30 minutes later! Orientation went well…sometimes a drag because I was extremely tired, but nonetheless exciting because I am in LONDON! We were able to grab a quick lunch break (Subway…yes I know it was American) and look around for some cheap cell phones to potentially use while here. We finished out the day talking about our internships with our coordinator then headed back to the flat around 5pm. The rest of the day has been great to just hang out with the girls in the flat…there are 7 of us in all! We figured out internet connection (obviously) and fixed some dinner. I am about to call it a night so I can catch up on some sleep and get ready for tomorrow! We get to take a walking tour of our neighborhood as well as the city I believe! The rest of the week is full of day trips to various places and some free time to do what we want. Next week we begin internships and classes…so excited! Although I do miss home and Elon, I am so PUMPED for this semester to see the places I will go and the people I will encounter. I already LOVE rainy London and am so excited to be here! Stay tuned for upcoming pictures and maybe even a video of my flat!
yeah I am glad you made it safely to London! Miss you :-)
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