Our first look of London was amazing!! We got off the plane and the first thing we walked past were two Airport staff with accents!!!!! I couldn’t stop grinning!! 😀 It was Brilliant! We then walked a winding path that had to have been a mile long to get to Immigration; Angela ‘bravely’ lead the way and we were thankfully let through we then picked up our luggage which went surprisingly quickly and easy and through customs.

Now we wait…for more passengers who were from a different school but in our Program, there were six of us from WOU and then about fifteen from different schools. During the wait we enjoyed listening to accents and using the ‘Toilet’ not the Restrooms, as they say ‘why would anyone want to rest in the Toilet?’ (imagine that with an accent!!!) Boy oh Boy are they different too!!!

These are some new friends on the right and my WOU Roommate on the Left, we are outside waiting on the Coach…or bus.             

While we waited we got a glimpse of London, or at least a preview, such as cars….

And Speed limit signs

And cars on the road!!

And some things that NEVER remind you of Home….False Hope!!!!

These pictures were all taken from the bus on the ride over, for a first look it was thrilling!! All my jet lag dissapeared I was so excited!!!

We arrived in North London at the Hampstead dorm location of King’s college just in time for Breakfast, and the rain….

Traditional fish and chips!!! Not really sure what’s up with the pea’s though, I guess they aren’t famous for their pea’s…however they did serve Tomatoes…totally stole that from us!!!! In case you didn’t know Tomatoes are indigenous to the U.S.

Anyone want to make a phone call?

 After lunch we joined a tour that one of the teacher’s lead showing us around the campus area…we learned where the ATM is and how to find the local shops, we were introduced to the metro system…which is not what they call it here apparently….and the public transit, also the wrong name…

So far things are going great, made some friends and enjoying the area, soon we get to go on a tour with the CCSA program…So Excited!!!

~ Arieal

As far as arrivals go, our arrival in London was fairly smooth, I thought.  I’ve not had much experience with entering other countries, but the first line moved fairly quickly and I don’t think any of the people in our group were stopped in customs.  I had gotten four hours of sleep on our flight from Philadelphia to London, which is more than most got, I think.  Due to that, and partially adrenaline, I was feeling pretty good once we got out of customs.

That being said, it was all a bit of a blur, so maybe I wasn’t as awake as I think I was.  I think I was alert, just not processing.  I will do my best to describe the scene:  I remember that there were a lot of people with signs, but it was fairly easy to find the CCSA sign.  Our little group was the first out of customs so we stood off to the side by a coffee shop while waiting for the rest of the group – from Cincinnati, I think – to get through baggage claim and customs.  They were only a few minutes behind us.

I remember debating with myself over whether or not to get a bottle of water or not.  The guide had told us that it could take up to an hour to get to the Hampstead campus, and I was sure that if I were to get a water bottle I would have to go to the bathroom.  However, I was pretty sure that I was a bit dehydrated, so I decided to get a water bottle.  Then I saw a vending machine.  I thought that it would probably be cheaper and easier to buy water from the vending machine, as the coffee shop seemed to be very busy.  Then I decided that my first experience attempting to buy something with British money should probably not be with a machine, so I finally made the decision to forgo on the water bottle.

I think the whole experience would have been much more difficult if I had been on my own.  However, I was not.  By the end of our long trip, there were six of us from Western, and we pretty much stuck together.  We went through all the lines together, we navigated our way through the airports together, we waited for our flights together, etc..  Speaking as someone from a small town, it was very helpful to have peers to go through the large airports with.

In the Philadelphia airport, my mother called to let me know that I had forgotten my camera.  We had gone to the coast for the 4^th of July and I had taken my camera out of my carry-on bag to take pictures of the parade and apparently had not put it back in my bag.  Of all the things to forget…  Anyway, so I did not get many pictures at our arrival.  I had my iphone with me, and I took one picture on the bus ride to campus.

It’s a little blurry because the bus was moving, so I’ll tell you what it is (or, at least, what I think it is).  It is a lovely brick building with a McDonald’s sign on it.  I’m assuming that makes it a McDonald’s, although I am a bit skeptical.  I have yet to be convinced that that beautiful brick building near Heathrow airport was a McDonald’s.  Unfortunately, I have no idea how to get back to it.

I had no Aha, I am in London moment.  Not when I stepped off the plane, not when I made it through customs, not when I first stepped outside.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s all been fantastic and beautiful and wonderful.  There just hasn’t been that struck-by-a-bolt-of-lightening feeling that I guess I was expecting (which is probably a good thing).  Being here just feels natural.  I think that’s the simplest way to explain it.

Final note:  I have not yet bought another camera (although my parents did give me permission to), but I did take a lot of pictures on our city tour with my iphone.  I think as long as I keep it charged, I can manage with it, as it does take really great pictures when the pictures are not being taken from a moving vehicle.

Emily W.

When the plane landed we were all encouraged to make it to immigration as soon as possible, we were all expecting a horrible line in front of us! However, when we got there the line was practically empty!!! We got through with basically no hitch in under an hour (baggage claim and everything, we were on the bus in under an hour!). It was all pretty cool. At the time it did feel like running a gauntlet but everyone was nice and patient even while being hectic.

What surprised me the most was the influx of individuals present for the Olympics. While I had certainly considered the effects of their presence and I had absolutely considered the crowds what I hadn’t realized was the level of tolerance for none English speaking individuals and the mass of media for the Olympics themselves, for example this was taken outside of the airport!

It was all very scary and exciting; when we first landed I was practically vibrating with nerves. I am so thrilled with all of the cultural difference that I see, through the haze of the Olympic invasion. I am thrilled and overwhelmed and cannot wait to take on this city, I feel like there is so much going on here, I will never be able to even scratch the surface!!  Angela