Leaving for London was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do in my life. Not only did I have to leave my friends and family behind, but I had to venture out on my own.
I felt all alone when my dad left me at the airport. To tell you the truth I didnt know really anyone in my program of 41 people. I only recognized a few faces. A lot of people dont really know this about me, or they tend to forget as soon as they get to know me, but I am a very shy person. SHOCKER right? I would rather be approached then approach someone so learning to branch out was quite difficult for me. But, in the end I did make friends with the people on the plane.
The plane ride itself was miserable for me. I dont sleep on planes/cars/ busses/ well u get the picture, and as a result I had to suffer through the 10 hour plane ride in the middle of the night no less without sleep.
The plane landed (finally) in London, England at 11:23AM (London time) or about 2:23 AM (American time). Mind you I had been up for 18 hours at this point and I was excited. Getting off the plane was ridiculous! WE had to stand in a long line at customs, then get our baggage.
Now, I have always been a heavy packer. I need 3 suitcases just for a 5 day vacation, so you can imagine how much crap I was convinced I needed to bring to London. Basically I packed the DAY BEFORE I left. I packed my suitcases full just the way I wanted them. Appearently airplanes have a weight limit (who knew? Just Kidding). So I tried comparing my luggage to my nephew. My bag was WAY to heavy. Finally, I got a scale aand as it turns out one of my bags was nearly 80 pounds (AFTER I had already taken out a lot of things!). So I pretty much had to repack everything. I guess what I am trying to say is that, have you ever pulled 100 pounds, a laptop, a purse, and yourself through a crowded airport following 40 people with being awake for 20 hours straight. Let me tell you, Its VERY hard!
We got on the coach out of the airport and I immediately was terrified that the cars were driving by on the Opposite side of the road! and for that hour coach ride I pretty much freaked out everytime a car passed.
The rooms were assigned when we got to the house and I got put in a room with 5 other people. I love people so it wasn't that difficult for me to adjust. I absolutely LOVE it! our room is HUGE and everyone of my roommates is super nice!
As program directors, it is their job to help us settle in and more importantly get over Jet lag. That is why they kept us super busy so a nap was out of the question! o BOY! Now I had been up for 24 hours straight. Geez...
We were kept busy with oreintation stuff ALL day and into the night. Money is another thing I encountered the first day. A pound here is $1.70 American dollars. So, if I buy food for 5 pounds it is actually 7 or 8 bucks back home. GREAT....
So finally, at the end of day 1 I went to bed at midnight (London) or 4 PM (California). With a grand total of being up for 32 hours straight. AMAZING
I felt all alone when my dad left me at the airport. To tell you the truth I didnt know really anyone in my program of 41 people. I only recognized a few faces. A lot of people dont really know this about me, or they tend to forget as soon as they get to know me, but I am a very shy person. SHOCKER right? I would rather be approached then approach someone so learning to branch out was quite difficult for me. But, in the end I did make friends with the people on the plane.
The plane ride itself was miserable for me. I dont sleep on planes/cars/ busses/ well u get the picture, and as a result I had to suffer through the 10 hour plane ride in the middle of the night no less without sleep.
The plane landed (finally) in London, England at 11:23AM (London time) or about 2:23 AM (American time). Mind you I had been up for 18 hours at this point and I was excited. Getting off the plane was ridiculous! WE had to stand in a long line at customs, then get our baggage.
Now, I have always been a heavy packer. I need 3 suitcases just for a 5 day vacation, so you can imagine how much crap I was convinced I needed to bring to London. Basically I packed the DAY BEFORE I left. I packed my suitcases full just the way I wanted them. Appearently airplanes have a weight limit (who knew? Just Kidding). So I tried comparing my luggage to my nephew. My bag was WAY to heavy. Finally, I got a scale aand as it turns out one of my bags was nearly 80 pounds (AFTER I had already taken out a lot of things!). So I pretty much had to repack everything. I guess what I am trying to say is that, have you ever pulled 100 pounds, a laptop, a purse, and yourself through a crowded airport following 40 people with being awake for 20 hours straight. Let me tell you, Its VERY hard!
We got on the coach out of the airport and I immediately was terrified that the cars were driving by on the Opposite side of the road! and for that hour coach ride I pretty much freaked out everytime a car passed.
The rooms were assigned when we got to the house and I got put in a room with 5 other people. I love people so it wasn't that difficult for me to adjust. I absolutely LOVE it! our room is HUGE and everyone of my roommates is super nice!
As program directors, it is their job to help us settle in and more importantly get over Jet lag. That is why they kept us super busy so a nap was out of the question! o BOY! Now I had been up for 24 hours straight. Geez...
We were kept busy with oreintation stuff ALL day and into the night. Money is another thing I encountered the first day. A pound here is $1.70 American dollars. So, if I buy food for 5 pounds it is actually 7 or 8 bucks back home. GREAT....
So finally, at the end of day 1 I went to bed at midnight (London) or 4 PM (California). With a grand total of being up for 32 hours straight. AMAZING
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