I Made It!

Hello from London!
I made it. No more false starts or leading you on. I am here. I have officially started my European Adventure. I am abroad. Gone. Out of the country. Across the pond. And therefore, have no internet, so I don’t know when this will actually get posted. Today is Saturday, Jan 6 (Happy Birthday Laura!) around 10:20 London time. My dad leaves to head back to the states tomorrow morning and then I will be officially alone.

Updates so far: Arrived at Heathrow London Airport around 10:30/11:00 at night (now I should say 22:30/23:00) on Thursday. We took an adorable black cab to the Ibis Greenwich Hotel near Goldsmiths. Here official cabs are all this one make of car unlike in the States where its just any car painted yellow. They have no trunks but tons of space in the back for luggage and up to 5 passengers. The driver was very friendly and has a son who has been in Ohio for 6 years now. He talked to my dad about the Bears winning the Superbowl this year (Go Bears!) And he pointed out all the big tourist sights we passed on the way: gigantic museums, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Harrods Department store (I don’t know if it is really popular here but it was completely outlined in Christmas lights and it was one of those big old buildings with lots to outline.) Then we went across the river and could see a lit up Goldsmiths sign peaking out between the buildings. It was at this point that I began to get scared. It finally hit me that my dad was actually going to leave me here, alone, for the nest 6-9 months. Ah! But I decided to not think about it and we continued on to the hotel where a very nice French guy showed us our room. (I remembered how to say Left and Right in French so we could get directions to the bus stop. He spoke English but forgot the words left and right.) The room was tiny! My dad says this is pretty standard European, but with my suitcases we had to keep jumping over things to move around. They also are not very big on free amenities either: only one teeny tiny bar of soap and very small towels. Its not like American hotels where you get face soap, body soap, conditioner, shampoo and lotion that could last a couple days. There were also two very small single beds pushed together in the room. Apparently all the rooms are like that, even if you wanted like a queen/double bed for a couple. I slept off and on that night between the bed being not very comfortable, being very close to my dad and it being about 5:00pm Chicago time.

Day 1: The next morning we had a traditional English breakfast at the Café Rouge attached to the hotel which consists of coffee or tea (I had orange juice) eggs (fried or scrambled) sausage, “bacon” (semi crispy ham), a large mushroom, toast, and a tomato. Then we took the bus over to Goldsmiths for my foreign orientation. There are mostly girls studying abroad here and only one girl not from the states: she’s from Denmark. By now most people had been here a day or two and all the Americans are starting to get a little testy about the lack of internet. It was the number one asked question in every meeting I went to including the one about my painting class. We’re all like addicts going through withdrawal, everyone’s a little on edge when it comes to internet connections. If I weren’t going through the same thing it would be funny. But they gave us the lowdown on everything we needed to know (I forgot a pen so I can’t really tell you what was said) but all they could tell us about internet was that the library opened on Monday. I don’t think they really understood that everyone has their laptops sitting idly in their rooms waiting to be useful. We took a campus tour (I’m going to just be lost for a few days. It’s a small campus but all the paths in this city are old and tiny and windy and you know how much I love Chicago’s grid…) and then had a break for lunch. One of the speakers for the meeting didn’t show so we had gotten out early and I didn’t have a meeting until 3:15 (15:15). I tried to get my Goldmsiths ID (4th form of Identification I have here to carry [passport, drivers license, Lehigh ID, ISIC card]) but I’m not going to be in the system until Monday so I have to go back. So we went back to the hotel, got my stuff and brought it to my room and checked in. I got my bed pack, swipe card and key. I have to swipe to open a very heavy gate and then again to get into my block, then unlock the door to my flat and then unlock the door to my room. Oh, and there is a security guard right underneath my window (I’m right above the gate). I feel safe. I am also on the top floor. Suitcases get heavier the higher up you go. But all my stuff got up and I semi-unpacked. The room is nice but small. Once I figure all this internet out I’ll find a way to post pictures. The building is set up similar to Lower Cents at Lehigh in that there are 6-8 buildings around a central quad with one laundry room on the other end of the quad from me (grr). The difference is that they’re higher (I’m on the 4th or 5th floor), and there are 2 flats on each floor I am flat 8. Inside each flat there are 7 bedrooms each with their own bathroom (yeay!) and a common area/kitchen. I have room F. I have met one of my flat mates so far. She is a freshman here (and I met her boyfriend) and is semi friendly. There is one open room so far and there rest is a mix of boys and girls and they’ll come in tomorrow or Monday. My room itself is alright. There is very little storage, so I’m glad this is not my permanent room. I don’t know what I would do with all the crap I have at Lehigh in this room. All the furniture is built it, so there is no rearranging and there is no space for under the bed storage. I have a half of a closet since half of the wardrobe is shelves, a shelf-thing above the closet that I can’t reach, 3 drawers under the desk, a nice large desk the wraps around the corner and make a tiny/headboard shelf above the bed and some cubbies/shelves above the desk. Besides all the crap on my desk its pretty bare right now cause I forgot pushpins and tape and can’t hang up the few pictures I have. Oh well. I set up my plastic bag vase and goldfish. The bed is very hard and the bed pack includes only a fitted sheet (no flat sheet) a duvet, duvet cover and pillowcase. Not very comfortable, but so far it hasn’t been too cold. Having my own room and bathroom is nice, but I don’t know how to meet people and I’m kind of lonely. I wish I smoked so I had a reason to stand outside and make an excuse to talk to people. (But I won’t start just for that)
I went back to the main part of campus for my art meeting and found out that my two major classes don’t start until January 19th!!! Nyko, I think I’m coming to Paris for a week. I have acting on Wednesday (I have to wear moveable clothes. I feel like you Laura) but then nothing. Unfortunately my painting class will be on Fridays, which makes travel less fun, but I don’t think I have class Monday or Tuesday. (or Thursday at the moment…) Both of my art classes are on Friday at the same time with the same teacher (?!?) I don’t know how that will work, but they are all day. (10:00am until 5:00pm with an hour for lunch, and I complained that Lehigh’s 3 hour art classes were too long.) We did some shopping at a sort of Walmart like place but with less stuff and more food, to get basic foodstuffs, towels, pots, pans and dishes. (Tomas, you were so lucky to have Ari’s cheap ass pots. They may have sucked, but at least they were there. My flatmate gave the impression she didn’t want to share. So if you visit and want to eat in, bring your own plate, I only have one!) My dad and I went to a Mexican restaurant in Greenwich (by the hotel) for dinner. Despite being old enough here, I am too embarrassed to order alcohol, especially in front of my dad. That adventure will have to wait a few days. Back to the flat to sleep.