Well, hello all!
I’ve decided that I would really like to keep track of my thoughts while overseas, so here I am, entering the 21st century with a blog. Apparently, I’m a little behind. I’ve been here for nearly two weeks now, so I’ll have to start with a bit of a recap. Hold onto your hats! It’s already been quite an adventure.
So here goes:
The week leading up to my flight was one of excitement, fear, and stress. I’d never traveled internationally before, and I was going to have to do it by myself. SCARY!! (I pretend to be all big and independent, but really, I’m not.) Well, stuff got packed. Bags were weighed as a precaution. Many e-mails were sent and phone calls were made – I guess a lot of people wanted to see me or talk to me before I left. Basically, I got everything in order and ready to go.
On the eve of January 24th, we loaded up the car and headed for Chicago. Mom, Dad, sister Sam, boyfriend Chad, and myself. It was a sad and silent car ride, but we made it without incident. Then we waited. And waited…and waited a little more. My flight didn’t leave until 9:55 pm, so we had some time to kill. Then my best friend, Amanda, showed up with her Dad. That was cool! She gave me a lovely box full of letters and neat stuff. Kind of a travel care package. To truly understand, you would have to know us fairly well. It’s a tradition we started a while back. Anyway, I said my goodbyes, and we all went our separate ways. There were a few tears, but all in all, I held it together fairly well.
Then there was the plane ride. Yeah, that was an experience. I’ve flown before, so I wasn’t afraid, but the turbulence on the plane brought back memories of childhood car sickness. As the flight neared an end, just over six hours after departure, I found myself gripping the walls of the onboard lavatory after having paid homage to the “porcelain” goddess. Yay, London!
Heathrow was busy. I was definitely afraid of losing my way, but God bless the English for clearly labeling everything! I found my way to the Underground without incident, and, due to my previous knowledge of the D.C. Metro, I was able to purchase a ticket and hop a ride on the train without any form of assistance. Off to Earl’s Court Station I flew at a rate that I thought would make me ill again, but I arrived safely and found my way to 270. Home for the next 2 months.
That’s it. I made to London. I moved my stuff in and got settled. I was ecstatic to discover that our home is equipped with wireless Internet access, and then I went to the grocery store. Exciting…I know. Much more has occurred since that exhausting day, but I’ll have to work on that later. I just can’t stand typing anymore at this point.
Stay tuned…
Good to see you’re publishing your thoughts
And I have to say I like the title
I knew you would appreciate that.
Yay! You are in London!