The ten day mark

There are four things I’ve realized over the last ten days of living in London:

Time is flying by way too fast (and being constantly on the go isn’t helping).
I do not take nearly enough pictures.
I am not blogging like I said I would.
Do not underestimate the power of friends.

#1: I don’t think I can do anything to remedy this, as the whole situation is still pretty surreal to me. I’m living in one of the most exciting cities in the world and it just hasn’t sunk in yet. I will remain busy over the next year, but I’m also going to enjoy what I’m doing and do the whole “live in the moment” bit. Still working on that one.Upon arrival, I sat in my room (pictures coming in another post). I sat at the desk and didn’t know what to do with myself. I looked around and nearly cried. My room is SO SMALL compared to what I’m used to, but I’m told this is a typical student dorm. I wanted to go on the internet, so I promptly pulled out my router and connected myself. I felt a little better. Skyping with a friend made me feel a little less lonely, but I was sad to see him go. At this point, I really wanted a shower, but I was not provided with towels. All the stores had closed so I was forced to go down to the dining hall in my travel outfit. I sat and chatted with some people but went back to my room to decide if I really wanted to live here. Part of me wanted to run back to my parents and quit school before it even started, but I stuck out. There was a meet and greet at the bar in the basement of our hall (score!) and I found a friend with an extra towel!!!! I showered well that night. As did my floor:

Flooded!

The picture doesn’t do it justice, but I promise you there’s about one inch of water on that floor!! My shower curtain is far too short for the shower, so I’m constantly wiping that floor. This can’t be healthy.

I met RD the next day and we decided to go to Ikea together. This was a brilliant idea because I ended up buying so many things, I needed an extra pair of hands to help carry it all :) I spent the next few days “personalizing” my little room and settling in.

Over the first week, I felt very lonely. I didn’t think I would because I have a natural ability to make friends wherever I go, but I did. So when CX and SC (previous English friends) suggested I meet up with them one night, I immediately accepted. And what a saving grace they were. It was really refreshing to see familiar faces and I felt very liberated that I could be myself – no “best foot forward” attitude that everyone seems to do when meeting new people. We drank, ate, drank some more, went shopping for my new wardrobe, talked, and drank even more. Friends can make all the difference in the world.

In fact, CX and SC made me miss LB a lot, so I booked a trip up to Northampton to see her (and the other girls of course – SX, VI, SS, LD, you are not forgotten!!). LB helped me with some necessary shopping, we had a girls night, went out the next night, and recovered on the Sunday. Can I just say that these girls rocked my world? They really made me feel a little bit more “at home” and I am so unbelievably thankful to have them in my life!

#2: A few of us went out on Monday night (what’s a school night?) and only MD brought her camera (I’m still in need of a clutch… oh darn, I have to go shopping again). Looking at the pictures the next day made me realize how important “capturing the moment” really is. Memories fade, but pictures last! I’m vowing to take more pictures from now on, no matter how touristy I look.

#3: This long post is evidence enough. I’m not even adding as many details as I’d like.

#4: Again, I don’t think I need to reiterate how important my friends have been to me in the last couple weeks (HE and GM I’m looking at you too!), but I’ll leave you with this quote: “A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.” (Grace Pulpit)

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