So after 3 flight changes, 2 days in the Syracuse Airport, 1 night in a hotel, and 0 changes of clothes, I finally made it to London. It seemed that the travel gods were finally on my side, as I discovered that I was able to take a single tube line from Heathrow all the way up to Bounds Green, the station closest to my host family's given address. Since it was a Sunday morning, it was far from crowded, and I not only got a very unique, blurry view of London, but was able to do so without panicking about being crammed into a metal tube like sardines and having to maneuver two bags of luggage.
My first tube experience was a breeze and passed delightfully without incident. My host mother, Sarah, met me at the station. As we loaded my bags into the car, she informed me that the first part of my orientation was beginning within the hour. After she patiently repeated directions multiple times, facilitating it sinking into my brain and being taken up by the few synapses that were still firing, I got back on the tube to make my way to the director's flat, where all the students were meeting and having refreshments.
Despite this tube journey being slightly more complicated, what with switching trains and making sure that I got on one headed in the right direction, I made it. As I walked down the streets of London, alone, I couldn't help but be amazed at the beautiful architecture, and simply how clean the city is. Truly a breath of fresh air.
And with that, orientation had begun. We would spend the next 2 days navigating the various forms of public transportation to St. Lawrence's London classroom on Gower St., a good hour commute for myself and my roomate, Carolyn.. Bus troubles were common. From getting on the wrong bus, to going the opposite way, to missing stops, we have jsut about done it all in the past couple of days. Luckily, the English have always been there to help us out. The system is also so well laid out, it is amazing that we have made any mistakes in the first place. Typical Americans. And they are cutting geography out of curriculums why? Everyone's map-reading skills could clearly use some major work!
Tonight saw the end of our orientation. A beautiful, clear, evening, and our last one without any classes or assignments, a small group of us sojourned to see Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. We figured that we only had a few weeks to be super-tourists in the city we would be residing in for the next four months, so we were taking advantage of that while we could. The views were incredible - the lights over the Thames, the London Eye. Everything was so much more magical against the inky backdrop of the night sky. Being able to see a national landmark in every direction made every one of us truly grateful to be in London, beginning this amazing journey. To cap off the evening, we got dinner at an Italian restaurant operated by real Italians. Unfortunately, I could not understand a word they were saying. Clearly, spending a semester poring and agonizing over Italian verb conjugations was an invaluable addition to my education. Probably a good thing I decided against studying in Italy.
