Well, I have officially lived in London for a week! I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my time here. I have been able to be “orientated” into the London life, the University of Westminster, interning and dorm life. I was also placed in an internship (find more under Monday)!!! This may be surprising to some, but this will be my first complete college experience. Yes, I have been going to college, or at least taking college courses, since Fall of 2012. But this semester will be my first semester where I will be living on campus, in a dorm with other students. I am enjoying my “complete” college experience so far.
And, so, without further ado…. Here is my first week:
Saturday
I arrived in London at the Heathrow International Airport on Saturday at around 10am. I stayed inside the airport for a majority of day waiting on other students in the program. I believe we officially left for campus at 3pm. I was able to ride in one of those iconic taxis of London! One of the CIS Abroad advisors, Anna, gave us suggestions of restaurants, malls, sightseeing attractions, etc. She even pointed out different areas of London while we rode to our destination.
When we finally arrived at our destination, I realized that I was living on Baker Street. THE Baker Street. There is a statue of the Sherlock Holmes and several stores and restaurants named after the iconic fictional detective. I took a picture of the statue for you… 🙂 I kinda fan-girled when I saw that there was a statue of one of my favorite fictional characters across the street from me!
Sherlock Holmes Statue
Sunday
As many of you may know, one of the most important parts of the preparation for this semester for me was finding a good church where I could go and worship with fellow believers. Well, I am so happy to say, that I found a great one! It is called Christ Church Mayfair. It takes me about twenty minutes for me to get to church, which in London time, is amazing! The church has two Sunday services, one in the morning and one in the evening. I went to the one in the evening because I had mandatory CIS Abroad orientation the first Sunday morning here (my first full day). I went to orientation and then mapped out the way to the church.
The church was such an amazing experience! I was welcomed so joyfully; you’d of thought that I was some important dignitary! A member of the Welcome Team sat with me through the service and explained the elements of the service. After the service, I was offered tea (of course!) and was given an introduction to the college/young adult minister, student leaders, and other leaders. I felt so at home even though I had never once met any of these people before. I ended up being invited to go a nearby pub after church with some other students and young adults.
This was my first experience in a British pub, well any pub for that matter. My new friends were all Christians. We spoke about the church service, what we learned and liked, and then our lives and miscellaneous topics. We stayed at the pub until fairly late (at about 10:45pm)- the manager had to ask us to leave because they were closing up. The time I spent making new friends at church and making lasting memories was so enjoyable.
Monday
On Monday, I arrived at orientation for the University of Westminster. Oh. My. Goodness. I do not think I have seen a lecture hall so large. If any of you are familiar with the large lecture hall in Heath-Hardwick Hall at LETU… HHH 104 was about 1/2 the size of the lecture hall I was in. It was massive! But not crowded; there was plenty of seating.
At orientation, I received catalogs, introductory pamphlets, and my student ID card. I listened to a couple of advisors speak to me and other US students about the university and how to survive the semester. 🙂
After orientation, I ate lunch with another student who came with CIS Abroad. Her name is Lucy. She had found a small Vietnamese restaurant a couple blocks away. We ate Pho and fried rice. The food was alright, but then again, I am spoiled in regards to Southeast Asian foods.
While at lunch, I received an email from my internship coordinator. The Conservative Party had contacted her about being interested in interviewing me for an interning position. I was interviewed over the phone that very evening. I enjoyed the interview – I know not many people say that, but the phone interview felt more like a casual conversation than a job interview. I was asked questions concerning my competency for the internship. The interviewer asked several questions and then he threw a surprising question, which I took my time answering. He asked: “What is your opinion on Donald Trump?” I paused and didn’t know how I should answer the question. He broke the silence with, “this is not a trick question.” So, I gave him my opinion on Donald Trump’s run for president: “I would not vote for him. I sincerely hope he does not become president. The United States needs a different kind of leadership. The nation needs a leader with a greater experience in foreign policy and diplomacy. I also believe that a leader needs to be respectful of different cultures and races.”
His last question caught me by surprise even more, but I can understand why he asked this. He asked: “If you could eat dinner with any two celebrities or politicians, alive or dead, who would it be?” I replied: Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. He was surprised and relieved by my quick answer. The whole interview went well. He ended the interview and said he would be contacting me again very shortly with an answer concerning the internship. My internship coordinator called thirty minutes later saying I officially have an internship with the Conservative Party of Great Britain! I am so very excited about this opportunity to work in a political office. I will be helping campaign, analyze material, and complete office work. I start on Wednesday (the 20th of January)!
Tuesday
Tuesday was a very tiring, frustrating, but awesome day! I had an appointment with my Education Abroad Advisor about confirming my courses at 9am. Due to how large the international student population is, I was only allowed one meeting at the designated time they told me. If I missed this time, they told me that I would not be able to confirm my classes with me. Getting to the small university building is simple right? Think again! This was the frustrating part of the day! I left my residential hall thirty minutes before I had to be there. I had planned out my trip to the building the night before. According to both Google Maps and CityMapper, it would take me 15 minutes to get from A to B.
Nope. Here is what happened. The bus I needed was late. When it finally arrived, I got on the bus, which was the correct bus, by the way. After a couple stops passed, I realized I was going the opposite way I needed to go. Then the bus emptied and stopped… for several minutes…. I went up to the bus driver and asked if he was going to be driving near such and such street. He reassured he was but that we would need to wait 3 to 5 more minutes since he had reached his destination and would start the bus route once again. Since I had no idea where I was, I decided to stay in the bus and wait for the bus to stop at the correct station.
The bus did stop at the correct stop… 5 minutes later. By this time, it was already 8:50. I still had hope that I would arrive at the meeting in time. I got off the bus and walked in what I thought was the right direction of the street due to the increasing numbers of addresses. I walked up and down New Cavendish Street so many times looking for this particular building. I asked a couple people who seemed to know where they were going to point me in the right direction. I was so frustrated… I wanted so bad to make this appointment. I had several questions to ask and one course to replace…
At 9:25, I found myself back at the bus stop. I looked past the bus stop in the direction I did not go because it was labeled as a different street. I walked across the street and there was the building… a mere 30 steps from the bus stop that I stepped into 30 minutes earlier. The irony kills me. I went into the building praying so hard under my breath. “Please allow me to see someone… even if I have to wait several hours.” I got to the right floor and was met by the receptionist. I explained my situation while she looked up my information. She then looked at me and smiled. “You do not need to worry. You are not the first one who has gotten lost on the way here, nor will you be last. Sit down and let me see if we can fit you in.” I was able to see my advisor very shortly due to two previous appointments ending earlier. I left the building praising God and thanking Him for providing me time to talk to my advisor.
So… All of that was to confirm four courses. I am so very excited about all of these courses!
- Diplomacy and International Relations
- Revolutions and Political Change
- Gender, Politics and the State
- Professional Experience in a Business Context (mandatory internship course)
All of these courses will teach me so much. I am excited to see what I will learn and how these will prepare me for my future!
Tuesday Afternoon
After my meeting with my advisor, I decided to return home to eat lunch and rest my feet for a little bit. I wore heeled boots that apparently do not have good arch support that morning. (Note: If you ever decide to travel London, make sure to wear good and comfortable shoes when walking great lengths.) So I came home, ate lunch, relaxed, and then put on tennis shoes (like a smart person.) I left my dorm with one intention: Get Lost.
And that, I did! I found the Tower Bridge and the River Thames. I have pictures of the Bridge. I have included my favorite.
The Tower Bridge
Tuesday Night
At church on Sunday, I was invited to attend the weekly college group on Tuesday nights. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening/night. I arrived at six and did not get home until eleven. There was a sermon to the whole group, a time for feedback and discussions, dinner, and then small group discussions on a different topic. I learned so much from that evening. I felt so alive dissecting Scripture and finding joy in God’s Word.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the Tuesday night meetings regularly, if at all. One of my courses occurs during the the exact time of the church service. After telling a couple of the leaders this, I was then invited to both of the adult church groups which are split up into two nights, Wednesday and Thursday. I decided I would go to the Thursday group since I already knew one of the adults that would be there.
Wednesday
On Wednesday, I was exhausted. I did not need to be anywhere until 1:30pm. I had my Internship Orientation. I slept until about 10:30. It was heavenly. My legs were very thankful since Tuesday was the most I had ever walked… that I know of, anyways. My phone’s health app told me that I had walked over 22,000 steps, which was equivalent to 10.5 miles. I felt it Wednesday morning.
I attended the internship orientation excitedly. The orientation took about 45 minutes to an hour. I returned to the dorm afterwards. I changed out of my heels and dress. I got into more comfortable clothes and explored more of London. I returned later that evening and ate dinner in the dorm.
Thursday
Thursday was the first day of the week where I had absolutely no obligations. I took advantage of this and was lazy all day. I basically slept in until very late and watched TV. I regretted being lazy at first and then realized that I had not stopped since I had arrived in London. I was happy to be lazy… for one day. 🙂
Friday
Friday was such a fun day! I had three objectives:
- Get school supplies
- Eat lunch out
- Get lost!
I completed all three things! Friday was by far the busiest day. I walked farther and more steps than I did on Tuesday. I ate lunch at Itsu, which is apparently a rather popular restaurant chain in London. It serves Japanese food for busy people. All of the food is pre-made every morning and refrigerated so that it is quick. I enjoyed the food!
I walked and walked and walked. I had no idea where I was going. And then I looked around and found myself in Trafalgar Square! I saw the famous statues of Britain’s political and military leaders, the iconic fountains, and of course the lions.
King George IV
Charles IV: Close Up
The Merman
I thought this was a pretty steeple. I found the white stone and blue clock face beautiful in particular.
Another one of my favorite parts of Trafalgar Square were the artists. There were performing artists in the Square: singers, living statues, levitating Yodas (they were kind of creepy to be honest…) I have pictures of the Square and my favorite artist – the Homeless Bard!
The Homeless Bard: Introduction
The Homeless Bard: Little Voice
The Homeless Bard: Please Stop!
The Homeless Bard: Love I Love
And finally, at the end of the day, I did get my school supplies! I returned home with everything I needed to start school on Monday.
Conclusions
My first week in London was amazing! It had its joys and frustrations but all of the good things overpowered the negative. I am so happy to be here! I cannot thank the people who helped me get here enough! Because of all of my friends and family who have prayed for me, supported me, and encouraged me, I am in the city of my dreams studying my major!
Thank you!
Emma
Emma's Travel Blog 