Hello Everyone!
I’m officially here in London and have been for about 2
whole days. I am writing this
entry at 2 AM on Monday morning because I cannot sleep. Last night I went to sleep at 9:30 pm
after traveling and now today my body seems to be still experiencing symptoms
of jetlag. It has been very busy
since we landed so I am surprised I am not more tired.
After a LONG 8 ½ hour flight, which was made even longer by
the fact that the entertainment system was broken (meaning no little TVs at
all), we arrived at London Heathrow Airport on Saturday morning. Then we took the BritRail (like a train
or subway type deal) to Paddington Station near central London. At Paddington we took taxis to our
flat, which by the way looks exactly like the picture I posted! This all proved
to be extremely tiring because I was making all these changes in transportation
with a very large, full rolling suitcase, duffel bag, and backpack.
We arrived and were pleasantly surprised with the conditions
of our flat. It is a two-bedroom
and one-bathroom with a great sized kitchen and sitting area considering the
part of London we are in. I am
sleeping on the top of a bunk bed, but it brings back memories of freshman dorm
life! I’m very thankful to have a fridge, freezer, microwave, and stove. We went to the grocery store and
stocked up on fruit, granola bars, and cereal. I also got a British cell phone (or mobile if you wish to
use the proper English word). It
is taking some getting used to but is awesomely equipped with unlimited (or
“all you can eat”) data, meaning emails home, Facebook, GPS, and Internet is
always available!
The next day, Sunday, we had an orientation for the college
that is housing the SMU program.
It was lengthy, but useful.
The building where my classes are is only about a 10-minute walk down
the street! That’s very lucky. The
rest of the day we went on a coach tour of the entire city with a tour guide,
named Joel. He was incredible! He
shared so much information, history, advice, and was entertaining as well. I saw all the landmarks: Big Ben (which
isn’t really the clock tower, but the bell that is named Big Ben!), the Tower
of London, the Tower Bridge, the Gherkin, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace,
Westminster Abbey, the Parliament, and even places where Harry Potter was
filmed, like Gringotts Bank which is actually called the Australia House. When the tour ended we were in the
middle of the city and decided to keep exploring. We walked around Piccadilly Circus and found a pretty
inexpensive place to get some dinner with a very funny name- The Slug and
Lettuce. There was a large group
watching a football (soccer in American) match, and lots of younger Londoners
having a drink. After dinner, we
walked upon Covent Garden on accident and watched some street performers before
heading home on the Tube (subway).
It is much easier than the New York version and extremely reliable so
far. I have a little card that
lets me on and off anytime! Once home, I had to do lots of reading assignments
for the first day of classes tomorrow.
It is going to be hard to focus on schoolwork here! Hopefully it won’t
take up too much time and I’ll be out and about more than in my room studying. This was a long post, but like I said,
it’s been a busy first couple of days! Pictures will come soon; I just haven’t
had a chance to get good ones yet! I already think the city is fascinating and
I have a lot to do before I leave to make sure I get the full London
experience!
Cheers!
