Oh yeah...

This is the lovely view from my room. There is a pretty quiet little neighborhood behind us, except for the birds who are very noisy in the morning.

Unofficial First Day

I made it to England! The whole time on the flight, I kept thinking "I'm going to England!" and kept smiling to myself because this is the first time in my life that I truly feel like an adult. Once we started boarding the plane at Dulles, a storm touched down. The pilot, Captain Zimmer, came on the intercom and said there was lightning on the runway we were supposed to use. So, we had to wait for the storm to pass, which took about 2 1/2 hours. We didn't end up leaving the airport until 9:00 PM, which was two hours later than expected. Once we got off the ground, the flight wasn't too bad. We hit some turbulnce in a few areas but nothing out of the ordinary.

We flew into the London area around 9:00 AM, and it wa so neat because we flew directly over the River Thames and got to see the sights like the London Eye, Tower Bridge, and the Houses of Parliament.

The line for immigration didn't take too long to get through, about 35 minutes or so. It isn't necessary for American students to get a visa if they are going to be here for less than a specified amount of time. It is just required that you have certain documents to prove that you really are going to be studying and that you are financially responsible. I was asked to show those documents and having satisfied the requirements, I was allowed to enter the country!

Kingston University arranged for all of the students to be met by a representative from the univ. after collecting luggage. So, I was able to meet up with a group and then wait for a charter bus to take us to our residence halls. We checked in upon arrival and were shown to our "flats". The rooms are typical dorm rooms, with the exception of the bathroom pods. They are very economical...in other words tiny.

Things are a lot more compact here in England. They definitely use every space available.

After eating a bagged lunch and "topping up" our cell phones, we went on a walking tour of Surbiton. On the way back to flat, we stopped at the 99p (99 pence) store. So many awesome things for less than a quid! (One pound sterling is called a "quid" for some reason unbeknownst to me) Definitely a good place to go when you need just basic supplies. And then we went to Sainsbury's for some groceries. I had read in multiple guidebooks that the British often go to the supermarket for just a few items at a time, but it was made obvious as we went into the store. The stores sell everything in smaller quantities, and the method of choice is to use shopping baskets. Carts are available for a fee, but hardly anyone was using them. And then toting the bags two or three blocks back to the flat was a new challenge in itself. We weren't able to just load everything into the trunk and haul it in after parking in the driveway. There are many difference, such as the grocery shopping that I was expecting but didn't realize how drastic they were. It will take some adjustment time to live like a Brit, but I think it is an exciting challenge that I am really looking forward to...

Today is the day!

I am currently sitting in Washington Dulles Int'l Airport waiting to board my flight to London Heathrow. When I first arrived at the airport, I couldn't find out from which gate my flight was leaving. So, I went to the Customer Service desk for United Airlines, and it turns out that there are just a lot of flights during the 5pm to 7pm time slot and my flight just hadn't made it on the board yet. No major crisis, thank goodness!

I can't describe how excited I am to begin this English excursion. This will be my second time across the pond, but I think four years is a long time to be away from somewhere. I wasn't in England for very long the first time, and this study abroad program will give me a better idea of what life is like. British culture and American culture have similarities because many of our ancestors hail from the British Isles, but it will be an adjustment trying to understand their vernacular and even the multiple dialects. For example, trash is "rubbish", the elevator is called the "lift", and the subway is referred to as the "Underground" or the "tube". I'm not sure what I expect to be different or to notice as being different while I am in England. I think I am pretty open-minded about just being of social norms (i.e. speaking softly while riding the tube) and hoping to soak up as much knowledge as possible.

There is a little over an hour before we board the plane, which means I should go find some snacks. Until next time...