Well ladies and gentlemen, it happened. I had my huge break down the night before I left and I will admit I did snuggle with my cat and panda pillow pet (no shame). I held it together most of the day until my dad dropped me off at the airport. Afterwards, I had to go through security with puffy eyes and still fresh tears showing (fantastic). I made it to Chicago after an hour delay and then had to book it to the international terminal (Boo Ohare airport and your slow international security). I made it through where I met up with two of the three girls from Concordia . We finally made it to London with probably 1 hour of sleep in us, and a huge day in front of us (huzzah).
Fast forward to later on in the day: we got our flat assignments and keys where i am rooming with Emily from Concordia and another girl named Erin from Massachusetts. We got to get a little bit unpacked before we were off to get a walking tour of our surroundings and the local cafes. It was a lot of walking and once we were done we were able to go out and look around for ourselves. More walkimg happened and some groceries were bought before it was time to go to bed (by this point, we had been up for almost 24 hours). I went to take a shower which became impossible since there was no hot water (coldest and fastest shower I have ever taken). We also found a mouse in our apartment which topped off the excitement for the day.
The next day:
It was sight seeing day. The 64 of us from API were split into 2 groups for the day. We saw all the major attractions in a short amount of time, so not a lot of pictures were able to be taken. We were then treated to a complimentary dinner from API ( that meal was probably my last decent meal i will have for awhile until my family comes and visits. Wink wink nudge nudge family). It was excellent and once everyone was finished, we had the rest of the night to do whatever we pleased. Kelsey, Adrienne, and I went out with some of the other API girls to a local pub and chatted for awhile. My bed was calling my name which meant that I soon left. The next day (9/15/14) we didn't have to be anywhere till 12:45. I'm just going to say this right now. I have not been able to sleep in this whole summer and last night, I went to bed at 11:30 and woke up at 11 this morning. It was glorious. My roommates and I got ready and then walked to a Starbucks which is so conveniently a block away from our flat. It was fantastic and reminded me of home. Then all of API went to go to the Westminster orientation meeting. We got another packet of stuff and had to sit through a 2 hour presentation. It was rather boring but luckily went by quickly. Again, we had the rest of the evening off which is why I was able to finish this blog post. I still get hit with the realization every now and then that I am in London and I am just so blessed that I was able to do this.
It was sight seeing day. The 64 of us from API were split into 2 groups for the day. We saw all the major attractions in a short amount of time, so not a lot of pictures were able to be taken. We were then treated to a complimentary dinner from API ( that meal was probably my last decent meal i will have for awhile until my family comes and visits. Wink wink nudge nudge family). It was excellent and once everyone was finished, we had the rest of the night to do whatever we pleased. Kelsey, Adrienne, and I went out with some of the other API girls to a local pub and chatted for awhile. My bed was calling my name which meant that I soon left. The next day (9/15/14) we didn't have to be anywhere till 12:45. I'm just going to say this right now. I have not been able to sleep in this whole summer and last night, I went to bed at 11:30 and woke up at 11 this morning. It was glorious. My roommates and I got ready and then walked to a Starbucks which is so conveniently a block away from our flat. It was fantastic and reminded me of home. Then all of API went to go to the Westminster orientation meeting. We got another packet of stuff and had to sit through a 2 hour presentation. It was rather boring but luckily went by quickly. Again, we had the rest of the evening off which is why I was able to finish this blog post. I still get hit with the realization every now and then that I am in London and I am just so blessed that I was able to do this.
Please keep praying for me as school starts the 22nd and I am super nervous about having to take the tube to get to my campus and about the classes that I am taking. I miss home and my family and friends, but I know that this experience will be a life changer and that I can't give up.
Off to bed!
Claire
Proud of you!
ReplyDeleteIn a few weeks you'll be laughing that you were nervous about the tube. I'm so excited for you - and super jealous about this wonderful experience and all the time you get to be in London. I have info about Harry Potter locations and a couple poison gardens to visit if you run out of things to do. And don't forget London Walks- their pub crawl walks are the best.
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