I can’t travel anymore. It’s just not allowed. There are nice people, pretty places, and fun things to do everywhere I go. So when I go from point A to point B, I miss the nice, pretty, and fun parts of point A, but I also adore the nice, pretty, and fun parts of point B. Then I’m just frustrated because everything is too awesome, and I want all of it in one place. I want the excitement of a European lifestyle with the weather of Columbia and the familiarity of Chicago, and with all of this, I want all of the amazing people I’ve met to be there with me. Can someone get on this? I need it like stat. If you couldn’t tell, I’m really enjoying London.
At first, I just felt completely inept and out of place. I didn’t realize that a place that spoke the same language (and birthed our nation in a way) could be so noticeably different. I didn’t have the right money or look the right way when I crossed the streets. I couldn’t maneuver around the huge throngs of people in minuscule places, and I just kept apologizing like a moron, hearing the crassness of my own accent magnified against the backdrop of the smooth European accents around me. I was beginning to think I had not prepared enough. I have this horrible tendency to misjudge my own personality and to not realize how scary, new, difficult, or involved some things I want to do are actually going to be. For example, when my parents and uncle left USC after moving me in my freshman year, I barely said good-bye to them. I was just so excited to be at COLLEGE, which was this thing everyone had been talking about for years. But no one told us that starting a new life in a completely unknown place is rather frightening, and I quickly found myself regretting my decision to go to school so far away and wishing every day that I could see my family again. Thankfully, though, these seemingly unfortunate tendencies are actually a blessing. If I knew how terrified I would be of these adventures, I would never plan them. My ignorance of my own anxiety constantly throws me into new experiences that turn out to be the best moments of my life. I can’t imagine my life without USC. I was the right choice, and I wouldn’t change my decision for anything. This trip has been the same way: When I got on that first train with Nikki, I couldn’t believe what I had gotten myself into. I had shipped myself off to another country without even really a second thought. A different country. A different continent. I was a moron. But I’m already glad I did it.
Let’s start the tale in Columbia. After Paul dropped me off, I passed through security quite easily, per usual in Columbia Metropolitan Airport. There are about six TSA people all centered around the airport’s one body scanner/metal detector, so you are the sole focus of all six of these men and women. It’s like being a bride on her wedding day: people are pulling you, prodding you, pointing you, basically taking off your shoes for you...It’s incredible....and unnecessary. The airport’s about four square feet, so I found my terminal within a minute and hunkered down for ninety minute wait to board. I call it setting up base camp. I pulled out my laptop, opened my homework, and heard my phone ring. It was the airline telling me my flight was delayed. I was convinced, based on my previous flight experiences, that this would just be the first of many delays, and I would miss my connection and have to figure something out in Charlotte. I was mortified already. Eventually, though, I got on every plane as expected and actually got into Gatwick quite a bit early. Gatwick, by the way, looks just like and IKEA, and customs is about as much fun as an IKEA warehouse. After about an hour in line, stressing about the fact that I didn’t know the address I’d be staying at and figuring out how I would explain it to the customs man, I finally made it to baggage claim, picked up my bag and headed out. As I got to the front of the airport, though, I realized Nikki and I had never agreed where to meet, and I no longer had a working cell phone. I stepped to the side and pulled out my computer to check facebook. There was nothing form Nikki, so I just waited a while (since my flight was very early). Eventually I headed back towards where I had come in and found her.
We hopped on a train and stood awkwardly in the doorway of one of the cars, catching up on everything we could think of for about an hour. It was really great. I felt super out of place and scared, but I was so happy to see Nikki. We arrived at the St. Pancras station, then after we wove our way out, the first thing Nikki points out is King’s Cross just across the way. BAM! If I hadn’t realized where I was before, I sure did at this point. We walked to Commonwealth Hall and dropped off my stuff, then we headed down the street to pick up some food at this neat little pasta-y place called Fastoche. It was delicious. Then we came home and started working on our respective papers. Colleen couldn’t sleep, so we Skyped with her for a while, then went back to the papers: mine was due by about 5:00pm (12:00pm eastern). I met some of Nikki’s friends that night, and they’re really great. We went out that night, and Nikki and I ended up eating a pizza from a vending machine in the lobby of her hall (Yes, there is a pizza vending machine downstairs that makes a pizza for you!).
Saturday, we got up and went shopping for the day. Nikki gave me an Oyster card to borrow for the Tube, and I’m getting really comfortable with using it now (Yay!). We headed to Oxford Sreet, and our first stop was Primark. Primark is like a combination of Wal-Mart and Forever 21: cute clothes, low prices, mislabeled hangers...etc. I did some serious shopping there. Unfortunately, I didn’t know my European sizes, so I had about a bajillion things to try on, but the limit for the dressing room was 8. Which isn’t so bad if you can swap out items you don’t want for other things to try, but you can’t there. You have to go to the end of the line.....which is insanely hunormous! We’re talking Macy’s on Christmas Eve crazy. After some more shopping fun, we headed over to Ben’s Cookies for a midday snack, then we continued on to Carnaby St./Soho. It was a really neat place, and we had some more shopping fun. After that we headed over to Neal St. for some more browsing, then we walked home. We met up with her friends again and hung out and watch PIneapple Express.
Sunday was really neat. Our whole group headed to Brick Lane for the day, which is a marketplace of sorts (It is wonderful!). Our original purpose in going there was the get Bagels, because Nikki has been craving a bagel since she got here. She couldn’t find a bagel place, though, because the few ones here are actually called “Biegel” places. A bagel with cream cheese for a pound= a great start to the day. It got frigid and started pouring, so we stopped in this homemade ice cream place and got coffee/hot chocolate and ate our bagels. The we ventured out into the rain. We stopped in all these amazing vintage stores and incredible food markets and bakeries. Towards the end of the trip, we went to a record store I had been dying to visit, and I bought Abbey Road on vinyl. We decided to grab some food at the market and bring it home for dinner. We changed into warm comfy clothes, gathered blankets, and piled in a friend’s room to watch Gavin and Stacey. To end the night, we went to a quiz night of sorts that her hall holds every Sunday night, and I was adopted by Team Shoe. We were at a great disadvantage, but it was a really good time.
Today is Monday, but I’ve been trying to sum up these past few days for a while now, so I won’t start in on today’s adventures just yet. I’ll probably have a pretty chill day tomorrow, so I’ll post about it then (with pictures, hopefully). That’s when all the touristy stuff starts :) I love you guys, and I miss you a ton! I’m glad I can share all of this with you.
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