After an hour, it was time to go. I headed towards the gate where I said goodbye for the last time. My mother cried and whimpered, "text me when you get there. I love you, my baby girl." She would not be shown on camera due to her distressed state.
Upon descending the stairs, I found the line to security. I waited until I got to the front and grabbed three separate trays for all my shit, then had to take off my honking boots. I stepped through the xray machine and low and behold, there was a problem. After two scans, they would not allow me to pass or to take my stuff. I was exasperated. Of course something was wrong with me, the goth girl....after a long wait, a woman finally came over and took me aside into a little room and explained that the "anomaly" was located in the groin area and I would have to be frisked. ("Enough with the anomaly horseshit!") Turns out it was the shiny stuff on my purple plaid skirt. I wore it cause it was one of the few (I thought) that didn't have any metal on it. Now I know not to wear that one home...
At last, I boarded the plane. It was bigger, yet smaller, than I expected all at the same time. Just as London is clean, yet decrepit looking all at the same time. I don't know. I had an isle seat with the closest window to my right. A girl on my left and I began talking. She was about my age and had a sister that was going to school somewhere in London as well. After getting situated and comfortable (as you can be on such a squashed plan while wearing platform combat boots!) a flight video queued up telling us all the necessary safety information. Each seat had its own personal tv inlaid in the seat in front of it. Very cool. (I did not watch any movies though, I tried to rest for most of the flight but to no avail.)
The plane began to drive around the tarmac while I in anticipation kept staring out the nearest window. As we neared closer to the take off point, I noticed I was sort of being watched by the girl on my left near the window who looked like she was not having fun. I accidentally met eyes with her and she said, "I don't like taking off much." She was British. So I told her this was my first flight ever. Her eyes lit up and she started talking to me about flying and how it was. Then she asked why I was headed over to London. I told her I was studying abroad and it was also my first time leaving the country. I think she enjoyed talking because it took her mind off of the take off. When we finally got up in the air, she asked me how take off was for me. I didn't mind it that much, it was such a strange experience though. Most of the flight, unfortunately, I suffered vertigo which is why I tried to rest most of the flight instead of taking in a movie or a game.
Not long after take off, I was filling out a landing slip when I needed my passport number which was in my laptop case above me. I had taken off my pinkie ring because it gets in the way when I write, so I sat it in my lap. When I stood up to access my carry on, poof, ring gone. I searched but with no luck. I resolved to look when we landed. We were then served some (sorry to say it) shitty plane food and then lights out for those who wanted to get some shut eye. After a long yet short six hour flight, we were over London and ready to land. On our way to the ground, I realized I hadn't introduced myself to the helpful lady next to me. I asked her her name, "Karen, and by the way, I wanted to give you this," she handed me a slip with all her contact info on it. "Don't hesitate to call me if you have any trouble at all, or have questions about anything." I was stunned. It was so nice, but I think after she realized I was traveling alone in a foreign land that I might need some looking after. I was touched.
Upon landing, I let everyone around me exit the plane so I could look for my missing ring. My planemates wished me luck in searching, and hoped I would have a great time in London. I amazingly found it before exiting. It was Sunday when I left, it was Monday when I arrived (time differences!!!) The line to UK border was long, yet (say it with me) not that long (see a pattern here?), and when I got to the front, of course I got the girl-in-training so it took longer than normal to get through. The guy training her had to go in the back to verify something, it must have taken ten minutes to come back. While waiting, I overheard the woman in the line next to me being questioned about why she was here in London. I heard this from the person checking passports: "You are here for three days, I wanna know what you are doing in that time. Do you know anything about London?" head shake "Then why did you come here?" This woman claimed she wanted to take her son to the park which the lady wasn't buying. It all sounded very dramatic and suspicious: "What does your husband do?" Blah, blah, blah. And the man returns and I get to go through!
After I collect my baggage which is sitting with others already pulled of the line, I make my way towards the exit and am met with several men holding signs with people's names on them. In the crowd I'm searching for mine, since our good friend of the family, Kim Windeatt, had paid for a cab for me (one from her work that picks them up.) I must have circled all these men 10 times before I saw the word "RAPP" being half held up by a tall African-American man in the back of the area. With glee, I rolled up to him and said "hi" with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. He took one of my bags and we were off. When we got the parking lot, I saw a car pull out with no driver and thought it was like automatic (like self parallel parking cars), maybe he was going to put our luggage in that way (bring the car to us kinda thing). But he kept walking past...and then I almost exclaimed: "THAT CAR IS DRIVING BY ITSELF!" When I realized I'm in Europe and the passengers side IS the drivers side. I felt very silly then.
We drove for over an hour, he said traffic was bad (but we were never at standstill so I guess European traffic isn't that bad....). We talked for a while and he suggested things to do and see while here, and I told him about how helpful Karen had been. I found myself gawking at all the scenery. European architecture is so different and unique compared to America. A lot of the homes we passed looked like patchwork quilts, bits and pieces put together to create old homes with character. I wished I had taken pictures, but I was really tired and too absorbed in staring. (Maybe on the way home.)
We finally arrived at Nido Student Living and said farewell to each other. Now the real adventure starts. I went to the front desk and checked in and received my card key and kitchen keys. The lobby area has these hardcore security doors, like the ones in a subway which have to open so you can pass. This isn't the actual lobby picture but here's one of what the doors look like:
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| Picture from the Nido website |
I called an elevator and headed up to the sixth floor and entered my room. I have to admit, it was smaller than I was expecting, and I was told to expect small. Here are some pictures of it, they don't do it justice:
I barely did anything. I got some food at the little concession stand in the lobby: ham, cheese and tomato pita, yummy. I unpacked a bit, but then I fell asleep since I hadn't slept in two days. I woke up at about 7-7:30 at night (it was dark out) but I needed toiletries and towels for the next day (boy, did I stink to high heaven). So at 8pm I ventured out into the London streets (maybe not the best idea I've had, since it was dark out...). I asked one of the girls in the lobby where the nearest store was and the directed me to Tesco. So I followed the directions, which either weren't quite accurate or I didn't follow them right (probably the latter...) but I eventually made it to Tesco. I meandered a while until I found the toiletries section. It's a lot like Weis, mostly food but some other essentials like soap. I bought hand soap as well since there was none in our bathroom. Four muffins for a pound! That was awesome since I would be hungry the next morning. I asked the lady at checkout where I could buy towels since I was new to the area. She looked at me blankly and said everything was closed. Two others validated this response. I was utterly annoyed, so everything may be closed at this current time, but no one bothered to inform me where I could purchase what I needed when things were OPEN. So I left.
I made it back in the dark, luckily. I then spent the rest of the evening watching Sailor Moon until bed at 10.
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