I did it! I have persevered through lots of travel, little sleep, wearing the same clothes for two days, setting up a British phone number, the exhausting emotional implications of all of the above, and morrreeee. I have boots on the ground--I am in London!
My flight out of Rochester was delayed immediately, so I ended up getting sent to Chicago and then boomeranged out to London. I'll skip over the long layovers where I didn't do much, but I assure you there's nothing to miss. On the flight to London, I offered to switch seats so a family could sit together, which earned me tons of free drinks from the flight attendants as well as a $100 flight credit (score for being nice). I was sitting next to a gentleman from the Netherlands whose best friend happened to be from Rochester, NY. We discussed our mutual love for Wegmans (it's INTERNATIONAL!). Soon, I had landed.
Once I had gotten into my dorm, my plan was immediately to turn around and find a fan for the room. Nothing else mattered as much as that fan because the room was HOT, as well as pretty tight for space (where was I supposed to store my big suitcase, in the middle of the floor?). I ended up wandering around for a bit, exploring a few different stores and the nearby area.
My flight out of Rochester was delayed immediately, so I ended up getting sent to Chicago and then boomeranged out to London. I'll skip over the long layovers where I didn't do much, but I assure you there's nothing to miss. On the flight to London, I offered to switch seats so a family could sit together, which earned me tons of free drinks from the flight attendants as well as a $100 flight credit (score for being nice). I was sitting next to a gentleman from the Netherlands whose best friend happened to be from Rochester, NY. We discussed our mutual love for Wegmans (it's INTERNATIONAL!). Soon, I had landed.
Once I had gotten into my dorm, my plan was immediately to turn around and find a fan for the room. Nothing else mattered as much as that fan because the room was HOT, as well as pretty tight for space (where was I supposed to store my big suitcase, in the middle of the floor?). I ended up wandering around for a bit, exploring a few different stores and the nearby area.
London Discovery of the Day: Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way here. Even when they should, cars will not hesitate to drive directly at you. And yes, it is as weird as it seems that they drive on the other side of the road!
When I found a fan, I had to assemble it myself (with a makeshift screwdriver, suuuper fun, but actually a huge accomplishment that did wonders on helping me feel less overwhelmed) and then get back out there for the program orientation. I met a lot of interesting people and we got dinner together, where I experienced my very first British beer.
In the elevator back up to my room (fun fact, they have a different elevator for even and odd floors...I'm on floor 13, and my elevator is broken, of course) I struck up a conversation with one of the local students, who then let me in on a secret--the beds lift up and you can store your luggage under them. Another score for being nice, and absolutely going to make a huge difference in my room!
I got home to a beautiful sunset from my dorm's window which was a nice way to round everything out.
These are just the highlights of course. Overall, it's been a long day (or two? traveling makes days weird) of battling anxiety about being here and being overwhelmed. In the end, I absolutely won--I'm ready for a good month in London!
Comments
Post a Comment