I am sitting in my new dorm room right now barely able to keep my eyes open. Now is the perfect time to reflect on the last 30+ hours of how I got here. The trek began at 5:30am from Clackamas, Oregon on Thursday July 5th. After a few Italian parent speeches and lots of hugs & kisses, my lovely family waved to me goodbye as I approached airport security. My stomach was in knots and my arms were full of luggage, but got through just fine. I then proceeded to the gate that would put me in Philly. After a painless, sleep filled 5 hour plane ride I was all the way across the country. Soon to be, across the world. There was a 5 hour layover in Philly. I did some homework and listened to music as I laid in the cozy spot I set up for myself on the floor of the airport.
I was so jittery and needed some food. After I re-fueled I was SO ready to get on that plane. 4 hours later…..
“Now boarding section 5!” to London Heathrow! It was time. Time to embark on this journey I have wanted to take since I was little, finally… me, in Europe! By that time it was 10:00pm, and it was highly suggested to sleep on the plane. But come on, sleeping on a plane in a aisle seat is difficult enough, on top of being on my way to study abroad in one of the best cities in the world! I watched “Walk the Line” on the plane ride which is one of my favorite movies. I was hoping to have it take my mind off being so nervous so I could get some shut eye. After many failed sleeping position attempts, I finally just gave up and said to myself “You can sleep when you get home, this is London.”
Landing was a piece of cake! As was jumping through all the hoops after a flight abroad. Right away I started hearing accents and seeing a more diverse group of people. Then walking outside to the bus was a shocker because everything was backwards as far as driving goes. There was one familiar thing; The weather. It is just like Oregon, and hearing the east coast kids complain about the rain was quite amusing, I must say. They don’t even know what rain is like! It cleared up though this evening and has been very nice out.
London was weird (in an AWESOME way) at first, the roads are ALL over the place and people honk at each other a lot. There was quite a bit of litter on the side of the roads driving in, but as we got closer and closer to residential area it cleared up. Once arriving to Kings College I fell in love with the neighborhood. So quaint!!! Needless to say, this is going to be an amazing experience. I cannot WAIT to be all caught up on my sleep and take on the town tomorrow with my new friends 🙂 So thankful for this experience.
xo- Rachael
Yeah, sleeping in aisle seats is the worst.
You’ll have an advantage dealing with the weather! People who don’t live in rainy areas are going to have to adjust a lot. I think it’s funny talking to people who almost never see rain. It rained the night before I got to Barcelona, and it was pretty much the first thing anyone talked about.
It’s so funny! I was walking home from dinner last night with some friends and it started to sprinkle and everyone freaked out and started running while I took my hood off and enjoyed the not freezing cold rain! I guess us Oregonians are just used to eveeeery kind of weather. A bittersweet gift!
Just reading your post I could almost see your smile! I love the feeling of enthusiasm you write with and that everything has a silver lining!
As with many of these blogs, I can relate to the feelings you express! I too waved goodbye with my tummy in knots, re-fueled in Chicago and was super antsy to get on the plane to my next connection (in London!!!). I woke up from my not too restful and cramped “nap” that would be the only nights sleep I got for who knew how much longer. But like you, I’d waited forever and this was London!
I envy you beginning when you left the airport! I didn’t get to. But man was I thrilled to hear accents and buy a souvenir with pounds!
I hope you have a fantastic time in your backwards city and quaint neighborhood! 🙂
Emily
I’m so glad you like King’s College. It’s located in such a wonderful neighborhood. Whenever I’ve worked there, I’ve loved returning to the peace of the neighborhood after a busy day of excursions, etc. Once you settle in, take some time to explore Hampstead, West Hampstead, and Hampstead Heath. You’ll many gems. I look forward to learning about what you discover. Michele
Thank you Michele! I’m having an amazing time so far. I actually went to Oxford today which was breath taking. I look forward to exploring the neighborhood I’m in. I have a few places on my list to visit for tomorrow after class. I’ll keep you posted 🙂
-Rachael
Thank you so much Emily! It’s very encouraging to hear feedback on this adventure, especially from someone who is experiencing something similar! Good luck to you in your travels as well 🙂