I think I’m the youngest person to ever study abroad at Drexel. Who else gets to say that they started off their sophomore year in London? This girl does!
Most people in the program shared their excitement while they were at summer classes, but I was home impatiently waiting for the day to come when a plane would whisk me away across the ocean.
Finally that day came, and I spent seven hours squished into a very cramped airplane on my way to the UK. But it was worth every second.
My first two days here consisted of orientation-type things. I was surprised at how quickly I got to know the twenty-four Drexel students that are in my program. A lot of them made the comment that it felt like Freshman year all over again, because everyone was new and willing to make friends.
Faculty members keep telling us that we live in one of the nicest parts of London, and I definitely believe them. Our South Kensington flat is beautiful. The room I share with two other girls is spacious, and even has it’s own bathroom! We share a full sized kitchen (including appliances) and a TV room with the others.
Everyone was so jet-lagged yesterday, but I was too excited to sit still. While most people took naps, I went for a walk around the neighborhood. I didn’t get very far, considering all the buildings look the same. The street signs in London are nothing like back home. They’re big white signs on the sides of buildings that are pretty hard to spot. And more than a few are named after the Queen- talk about confusing! I did manage to get to Hyde Park though, I’ll probably explore more of it another day.
I rented a phone from PicCell, the company that FIE set us up with. But I’m kind of regretting my decision now. I felt very rushed talking to the representative, and I don’t think I got enough information about it. I signed up for one because it was only twenty US dollars and I figured it was my best option. But my roommates went to the Car Phone Warehouse and bought phones with unlimited texting and whatnot for only a little more than I paid.
A group of us finally went to buy groceries today. Finding cheap places to eat out is a real hassle, so I’m glad I have food to cook in the flat now. We went to Sainsbury’s, which was recommended to us as one of the less expensive grocery stores. We had to make sure we didn’t get too much. This was difficult for me. I’m used to having groceries for my entire six-person family. One gallon of milk doesn’t even last us a week back home. But here, there are no preservatives in the food, so milk goes bad in just a few days. I bought a small litre for my cereal, and I think that’ll be enough.
I made a deal with a couple of the friends I have here; every night we go out, we’ll go someplace new. I really want to meet some native Londoners. Tonight we’re taking the tube into Covent Garden to see what the clubs there are like, so we’ll see.
The fact that I'm here hasn't really sunk in yet. All I know is that I have three fantastic months ahead of me.
