I’ve had a very hectic two days, and though I could just start at the beginning, I’m going to start here. I’m sitting on top of my desk, using my windowsill as a laptop rest, eating basmati rice with avocado out of a microwavable container, drinking green tea, and watching a field as the sky slowly grows darker. (Mind you, it’s already nine at night, but the sun has only barely started descending.) In order to get to this point, I sat for two hours waiting for my first flight to leave to Boston from JFK. After a quick thirty-minute flight, I hurried to my six and a half hour flight to London, which left around 6:45 PM and arrived at 6:25 AM. After getting about an hour of interrupted sleep on the plane, I then had to deal with customs (which was easy), and finding my travel arrangements (which was less easy). Eventually, after meeting some of my fellow students and taking an hour long ride in a van, I made it to the dormitories where I’ll be staying for the next month.
I spent the majority of today struggling with simple concepts while loathing the effects of staying up two days straight. In fact, I’m surprised I was able to get through it with as much laughter as I did. To begin with, though the suite I’m staying in is adorable, the four flights of stairs up to it are not when lugging a 37-pound bag. The proportions of everything are also smaller than my Manhattan apartment, so wrestling with the logistics of unpacking got to be a bit frustrating. Again, I love my suite, and frankly, this is the best dorm set-up I’ve been in. I have a desk, bed, end table, desk drawers, mounted wall shelf, wardrobe/closet thing, and my own bathroom! The bathroom, however, has a very temperamental shower that floods the floor if you aren’t careful. If you don’t know how to work the temperature and water pressure knob, as I didn’t when I tried to wash of my jetlag, you end up scalding yourself on really, really hot water! Outside the at times difficult bathroom, I also have a wonderful view of this field (where I just saw a fox) and the roof of a really quaint, traditionally British house. Unfortunately for me, I decided to go out to the benches in the middle of the field to enjoy the day just when they changed two of the three locks I encounter getting into my room. It was sorted out pretty quickly, and after that I got a free packed lunch, a mobile telephone (which I upgraded to make free calls to certain US numbers), and a tour of Surbiton, the town where I’ll be doing my shopping. Our tour guide lefts us to our own devices after bringing us to the supermarket, so I visited a 99 pence store for some really cheap food. If I wanted to, I could have gotten two pounds of spaghetti for 99 pence (which is only about $1.50), and I got other good quality foods for cheap as well. After that, I went to the supermarket and headed back to the dorms, but not without almost getting lost first. I ended up asking for help from one of the coordinators, who was conveniently heading the same way I was. After that, I spent a good hour trying to figure out how to work the internet, since I couldn’t remember the password I needed. Finally, I got everything in order and discovered how nice a writing spot the top of my desk makes.
Needless to say, it’s been a really long day, and I really need to get some sleep! I have to wake up early for orientation tomorrow and hope it’s less difficult than today was. All little hassles aside, I’m really looking forward to my time here. I was a bit nervous about it before arrival, but I’ve figured most of the weird stuff out already. I’ll add a separate blog entry about the cultural differences I’ve experienced in my brief time in the UK, but for now, I think it’s time for a well-deserved sleep.
The Journey and Arrival In Photographic Terms:
So long, New York!
Heading through the outer boroughs towards JFK.
Boston, with a miniature filter on!
Boston Airport is definitely nestled in one of the more beautiful areas of the East.
What do you do when the touch screen on the seat in front of you doesn’t work? Here’s your answer.
I’ve heard there’s some sports event going on in this arena in a couple weeks, but I can’t remember the name of it… Something with an “O”… Octopus?
An aerial shot of the Thames
The Shard (the pointy building) is apparently the tallest building in Europe.
The London Eye from above!
My first introduction to the London Tube happened before I left the airport… Interesting, no?
This is the bathroom connected to my room, which I think serves me just perfectly.
This is my window, as well as my field outside of it.
This is my wonderful, unpacked (and momentarily organized) room!
This is our adorable kitchen which, aside from a few quirks, has served me well.
Clay Hill Halls of Residence is really quite quaint in its buildings’ facades.
Reynard the Red paid me a visit my first night here; let’s hope he didn’t sneak away with any of my valuables!
