After 11 hours on a plane, surprisingly decent airplane food, and a 45 minute wait at the UK border I'm finally here in London! I've met some awesome people so far and saw some pretty cool sights. I've definitely fallen in love with London already and can't wait to spend the next few months learning about the culture and city. Here's a glimpse at some of the cool things I've seen so far!
My friends and I were fortunate enough to visit Paris before the recent attacks, and after the attacks occurred I was not sure whether I would make a post about the visit. But I am making one now, as a way of expressing the deep love I have for the city.
In approximately 24 hours, I will be in another country.
Though I've prepared for this day for months, it was not until yesterday that I've finally come to accept that. It's not that I'm not stoked; I don't believe Mr. Willis or Mr. Stallone could match how thrilled I am. But puns aside, it has been a process to get to where I am now, both mentally and emotionally.
毎日は日本について新しいことを色々習って、温泉をしてみたり、ほとんどの時間日本語ではなしたりしました。
There’s literally no space for homesickness to kick in when the first four nights in Japan were already spent moving around between two different cities. I was simply amazed and infatuated with the cohesive mixture of urban and rural aura that is Japan. At least I was able to observe that sort of atmosphere in both cities of Nagoya and Inuyama where IES Abroad held their orientation.
One Sunday, my friends and I decided to visit Valladolid to see a soccer game. Salamanca, unfortunately, no longer has a soccer team, but Valladolid was a fairly short bus ride away, so we thought we’d make the trip.
After three nights in London, I’m finally feeling somewhat adjusted to the time difference between New York and most of Europe. I spent some quality time with friends while there and did my best to go to bed about an hour earlier each night – I managed to fall asleep last night just before midnight UK time!
In a few hours I will be leaving home for the Kotoka International Airport, Accra, Ghana. As I have twice before, I will be hopping on a plane and flying off to some place far away from my family and childhood friends for school. Previously, the destination was the US, this time, it's Milan, Italy.
When I woke up this morning, there was a half-second – a tiny lingering moment – where I didn’t know where I was. It’s something that comes, I guess, with traveling. My body has been on both sides of the Atlantic this year, has slept in rooms in Dublin and Cork, Country Clare and Country Antrim, London and Edinburgh, Amsterdam and Vienna. Sometimes, it’s a little disorienting.
Landed in London.
And thus commenced the first week of my semester in England.