Meeting New People and Mastering the Tube

After arriving in Heathrow airport, I had to pass through immigration.  I don't know why but it was really scary.  The immigration officers were very strict and I kept rambling on about stupid things.  Luckily though, they let me through and I was officially in London.  I was super excited and the fact that my bag didn't get lost along the way was a bonus too.  One girl on my floor was not as fortunate and had to go shopping for clothes as she waited for it to arrive.  Then it was off to the Tube!

Since I booked my own airfare, I had to get to my dorm on my own.  I am living in Kensington, which is a really ritzy part of town.  My program gave us many options on how to get from the airport to campus.  They  warned us that a cab ride could get expensive, and recommended the Tube or bus.  It was cheaper and the stop was a ten minute walk from campus.  So obviously I chose to take the Tube because not only am I cheap, but hate buses.  Recently, I have been getting the hang of the subways in New York and figured it couldn't be worse than that.

Turns out, the Tube is much easier to figure out than the subway.  You can only get the Piccadilly line from Heathrow and from what I can gather there is no such thing as an express train.  Those are the ones that can really screw you up in New York.  Also I know that in the morning some of the trains don't start running until a certain time so you the express runs locally instead.  It's all very confusing, but I just hopped on and off the Underground.  It was also nice to take the train because part of it ran above ground and I got to see the outskirts of London.  I felt like an expert after only taking the train once.  

The only difficult part of this trip to campus was probably the walk there.  The street signs are a lot different than ones back home.  They are on the sides of buildings,so it was harder to navigate the streets.  Also, London is not set up like a grid so the streets aren't as easy to maneuver.  However, by some odd struck of luck I ended finding the place pretty quickly and didn't end up getting lost.  My street smarts are better than I thought.  I was super pumped and according to an advisor I talked to, I had a leg up on everyone else. 

I'm living in on the fourth floor of this resident hall nicknamed Atlantic House.  It's so weird living in a dorm room.  I've really been spoiled the past two years in Bouquet Gardens.  Not only did I have me own room, but I was basically living in an apartment complex.  Aside from my family, friends, and pizza, I really miss having a kitchen and shower curtains.  Yes, I said it shower curtains!  The communal bathrooms shower's have doors instead of curtains.  It wouldn't be so bad if the doors were less see through.  I hate it and plan on avoiding busy shower times.  Also, there are so many stairs here too and no elevator.  I lived on the first floor in my apartment, I'm not used to this many stairs.  Thankfully, I ran into this guy and he helped carry my  suitcase up the stairs.  

After getting settled in I met a bunch of cool people on my floor.  We got a big group and went to a one of the local pubs.  I was super excited that I didn't get carded, I'm glad some people think I look 18.  It was a pretty good time and then we walked down High Street.  High Street is kind of like 5th Ave in the city.  Tons of high end shopping and really posh people walking around.  I wish I brought more of my nicer shoes because I cannot keep up with these people.  I already love London, I cannot wait to spend the next three weeks here.  Super pumped!