Settled in London

My morning started at around 9:00 A.M. and I was rushing frantically to finish packing enough to live off of for the next 2 months in the biggest suitcase I own. Even though it felt like I packed half of what I usually would, it still felt like I was running out of room. It definitely helped to know that I could save space by buying toiletries when I arrived, but it made me sad to leave my favourite products at home untouched for 8 whole weeks.

My Aunt and grandmother came over for a quick lunch and brought me one of our favourite dishes from Sang Kee, seafood pan fried noodles. Since I put off packing until the very last minute, I had to bid my aunt and Nai Nai a quick farewell and eat out of the takeout container in the car. We left at around 3 pm and was quite a short ride to the airport. We had anticipated that security and customs would take much longer than it did and I ended up waiting at the airport for a few more hours than expected. Unfortunately, a storm had hit the east coast and my flight was delayed for a while. I was anxious for this plane to arrive, terrified of missing my connecting flight.

I slept for most of the flight, so it seemed like a short one to me. It was at 10 in the evening, after all. When our plane arrived in Reykjavik, Iceland, I received a text saying that my connecting flight was delayed. To my relief, it was due to the plane coming from New York and also having a delay. At this airport, we had to exit the plane directly and take a shuttle to the terminal to transfer planes. However, we all scoffed in disbelief that we spent a good half an hour exiting the plane, getting to the terminal, and getting to our next plane to see that it was literally right next to the one we came in on.

Fortunately, this flight was only about 2 hours. I sat in the emergency by the plane entrance and did not like be required to put my backpack in the overhead compartment. My phone was dying and I was desperate for a USB outlet on the plane to work, but for some reason none of them did. I didn't have an outlet in front of me because of where I was sitting, but the nice man in front of me let me use his outlet. I found that I did actually have a hidden screen with a USB outlet, but it didn't work at all, so I timidly asked the man if I could use his again. Definitely do not recommend Icelandair for long flights since they do not provide free meals and none of their outlets worked. The little lightning bolt kept disappearing and reappearing, so it was no use trying anymore. Fortunately, I was able to charge my phone at the airport right before customs and then figure out how to get to the Princess Elizabeth House from there.

The commute was quite easy besides the part where I had to lug an almost 50 lb suitcase and overstuffed backpack up a lot of stairs switching from the Piccadilly Line to the Northern Line. I found a fellow student at the Highgate Underground station whose name is Tyler. He was so kind and funny, and also had more percentage on his phone than I did. We hiked up the 1.3 mile never ending hill to reach Princess Elizabeth House and almost passed out right then and there. We were told that dinner would be soon, but we could go with a later group. To my surprise, I entered a room expecting to say hi to another girl that must've been waiting for me. However, I was greeted by a single desk and chair with a bed against the wall to my right. I was put in a single! Starving and eager to meet other students, I quickly put my things down and headed to the lobby where everyone else was.

I had the chance to meet some of my flatmates and met some really cool people. I soon discovered that I was one of the youngest, if not the youngest in the entire program. I learned that Temple students all take the same class and everyone else had other class placements such as Photography or Politics. I was a bit jealous, but I was excited for my class because it was taught by one of my favourite teachers at Temple. She's the reason why I knew about the program in the first place and a good teacher always makes for a wonderful study abroad experience. We had delicious dough balls before our pizza came and we all devoured them. I ordered a lemonade and was surprised when a San Pellegrino was brought out, forgetting that America is one of the only places that serves lemonade as a flat drink and not a fizzy one.

After eating, I returned to my room to grab my wallet and head down to Aldi to buy groceries since meals weren't provided for us. The walk there was much farther than I thought. It was a nice walk though, especially since it was downhill. However, going up wasn't as pleasant. I had trouble finding toiletries though and found myself wandering around looking for a drugstore, but the best I could find was a coop around the corner from Aldi that I kept missing. I just needed shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel so that I could really relax and feel refreshed after my full day of traveling. Everything is so cheap here, but it also expires very quickly. I'm excited to cook my very first meal here in London!

Once I got back, I was able to settle in and unpack while FaceTiming my boyfriend. It only took me about 10 minutes since my stuff was already organized, but it was nice getting to talk to someone and relax after such an exhausting day. The drawers in my bed frame are quite large and deep, so it makes it look like I don't have any clothing! The desk is a bit small, but the closet has some spare space that I can use. There are also four outlets and 2 USB ports, which is more than enough for me. I'm really happy with getting a single even though I had really gotten used to having a roommate. I'm in a wing with only 5 people, all in singles, which is really nice. The kitchen is a good size and the showers in the bathrooms are quite nice. I'm really excited to spend the next two months staying here!

After a long day of flying, taking the Underground, having a pizza with flatmates, and getting to unpack, I'm finally able to sit down and type this. The hardest part about travelling is definitely the waiting with anticipation, but it's finally over! I'm excited to say that I've made it safely to my housing in London!