"Ladies and Gentlemen the doors of the airplane have closed, please place your mobile devices on airplane mode and pay attention as we begin our demonstration of the safety procedures for this flight."
With these words, my heart leapt for joy. For two reasons, really. The first, and more obvious reason being the journey I was about to embark upon; the second being the fact that the seat next to me was empty. That meant more room to stretch out for the nine hour flight to Heathrow. I thought I would spend a majority of the flight in peaceful slumber, but alas, British Airways has a very diverse selection of films and television shows that kept me distracted for a majority of the journey. An old childhood friend of mine was also on my flight and I spent a good half hour catching up. I hope the man sitting in 28C wasn't too bothered by our strange stories and inside jokes from the past...
Upon landing I proceeded through the UK Border with no difficulties, with the one exception of not having cell phone service to tweet about all the exciting (and mundane) thoughts I had on my flight. After having my visa approved I headed to the baggage carousel assigned to my flight and waited for my bag. I waited, and waited until the same two bags circled through the carousel over and over again. I maintained the hope that my bag would just magically appear the next time the two bags came out. I was forced to accept the fact that my bag was simply not there when the carousel stopped moving and airport maintenance workers began working on the carousel. As I was walking towards the British Airways office to report my missing baggage I noticed a large silver bag coming around carousel six that looked remarkably like my own. I walked closer to it and recognized the "HEAVY" sticker on it and my hopes had been confirmed. (Oh yeah, my bag ended up weighing about 31.4 kilos; just under the 32 kilo "do not fly" maximum. That's what I get for trying to cram my whole life in just one piece of baggage.) No need to report anything.
The car ride from the airport to my residence brought back memories of my trip to London four years ago and only added to my excitement for the coming semester.
My flat is located in a building owned by NYU in the Bloomsbury district in the borough of Camden. The flat has three rather spacious bedrooms for 7 students, a kitchen, and three bathrooms. It's definitely a comfortable living environment, though I can't say that much for the springy cot I am expected to sleep on. I'll probably have to buy a piece of foam or other soft barrier for the sake of my back and neck. From my bed, however, I can look out the window and see the quiet street below and a park called Coram's fields, which has the greenest grass I have ever seen in the month of January. My classes are all within walking distance and there is a small shopping center very close by with a grocery store, restaurants, and coffee shops - the two most notable shops being Nando's and Starbucks. So far I have really only had time to explore the neighbourhood around me as we have had many orientation events planned in the past couple days, and I have been meeting so many new people (whose names I constantly struggle to remember). I look forward to seeing more of London in the next few days, weeks, and months.
If you have made it all the way to the end of this blog post I would like to personally thank you for bearing with my many eccentricities, and allowing me a space to just share my story. Feel free to leave any comments below. Let me know if you would like my mailing address, and I will send that to you! My next post will (hopefully) have pictures - I am having a few technical difficulties at the moment. I will now allow you to get on with the rest of your day and get back to your very lives.
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