ravi sekerWelcome to my collection of interesting tidbits and reflective blogs of my time here in London! These are all things that caught my attention which were a little bit, and sometimes a lot, different from life back in America. Archives
August 2018
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Crossing the river5/25/2018 Leaving for the airport in Cincinnati felt so surreal. I knew I was planning for this for the last few months and preparing myself every step of the way, but reality finally struck me when I step foot in CVG. I was going to London. A wave of excitement and terror flooded my system but there was no turning back.
Flying internationally had never been a big deal for me. I travelled a lot before college and flew back once a year to my home country of Sri Lanka. This was not going to be my first rodeo on a plane. The CVG to JFK flight was one I had taken numerous times in the past however the JFK to Gatwick flight was alien to me. The 11-hour flight wasn’t a bad experience considering I was fast asleep through most of it. Looking back, I can’t even quite remember specifics of the actual flight other the fact that the pasta they served was bland. However, the reality of where I was flying to didn’t hit me until I heard the captain of the flight announce the words “Welcome to England” over the PA system. I made it. The other passengers couldn’t quite see past my sleep deprived face and understand the excitement that was brewing inside of me. Collecting my luggage was hassle free and, luckily, I was to meet one of my family friends who was going to drive me to my housing set up. I would have loved to try out the infamous London tube but maneuvering a giant suitcase around the London underground with no prior knowledge of how it works while running on minimal sleep would have been too much of a beating. I would have also loved to see the drive into London from Gatwick but the fatigue conquered me and before I knew it I dozed off dreaming about crumpets and tea. I was woken up as we reached Chapter at Kings Cross, my new student dorm for the next few months. I was greeted by Sam, my program advisor and she gave me some quick London 101. Luckily for me, she could tell how tired I was and let me check in to my room without overwhelming me with information. The rest of the day was spent doing some much-needed R+R before I was finally ready to commence my London adventure. The idea of living in a foreign country didn’t scare me as much as it did some other people. I’ve basically been doing it for my entire time in college. Thus, all I felt was excitement to be living in one of the world’s most iconic cities. The first thing to naturally throw me off was the direction people drove. I know I should have prepared myself for it but getting into a car for the first time here threw me off instantly. I knew to expect locals to not be as outward and social as Americans tend to be so I mentally prepared myself to face those challenges if they appeared. I also knew that getting around wouldn’t be a problem because of London’s efficient public transport system and I was nervous for the initial challenge of becoming comfortable with such a large system as soon as possible. Apart from that, my initial observations showed London to be just like any major city; busy people, busy streets and a busy lifestyle.
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