Lost on Tubes

It's been almost a week since I've arrived in London and I've finally decided to make a blog to log what I've done over here. I haven't done too much things so this won't be hard to write down everything. Obviously, this is more for myself than for anyone to read since knowing me, I'll quickly forget what I've done and who I've done it with. Pictures will pop up later but not now.

August 23, 2011

After an uncomfortable ride on the plane for roughly 10 hours, I have arrived at my new home for the next 4 months. I brought with me, only a duffel bag and a normal purse/bag as carry-on for the plane. I followed the masses from my flight to claim my luggage. Confused as usual in these situations, I looked all around the room trying to figure out where my luggage would pop up. I saw what looked like my bag and tried to get a closer look but had to walk all the way around and drop my duffel just to drag my heavy luggage off the conveyor. After getting my bags sorted, I went through customs smoothly and was off to figure out how to take the Tube to get to school. Of course, I stood confused first, like before trying to figure out where I went for the customs line... silly me. Anyways, I remembered the e-mail from school telling me how to get to school from two different tube lines, so I decided... stupidly, to take the line that no longer stopped at the station I needed to get off on for school. I stood there lost in the tube entrance trying to figure out how to buy a ticket from the machine, only to ask someone who pointed to me the LINE for PAPER tickets. Thank god, or I would have been standing there, heaving with my heavy luggage and bag for hours, as a lost soul.

After pissing off the ticket seller at the window (because he could not understand my American accent and I could not understand him), I got my ticket with directions on how to get to school and was off to ride the tube. I got on the tube and took up two seats the entire ride until I saw that people needed to sit down and moved my heavy huge duffel bag onto of my huge luggage that was already blocking the aisle. After reading the tube map on the train for awhile, I decided to transfer to another line just because the walk was going to be too far to get to the school from and the heavy luggage was no fun to walk around with. Now here comes the fun stuff. After getting off the first train, I walked in teh wrong direction for about a few seconds, only to realize the exit was the other way. I blocked everyone's path with my luggage and tried to make my way up stairs to the next station to get onto the train I needed. From here, I climbed my first flight of stairs and second flight to get to my destination. After scurrying to get onto the next train, I rode it backtracking for only one stop and proceeded to exit. This was the killing part of my journey.

I was already tired and winded from the heavy luggage and the unexpected heat that met me since I arrived in London. By now, my arms were already tired of carrying all the weight. So, after seeing that I had to carry my luggage up... 5 flights of stairs was not a welcomed sight. Not only did I have to stop a lot, I also blocked a lot of people from getting up the stairs. After I emerged into the light of London, I wound up on the great street of Oxford (not that I knew where I was at all). I asked a group of elders in front of me where Tottenham was and they pointed me to, well, the street perpendicular to the street I was already on. Silly me.

So, I ventured on and made my way through dangerous traffic and hordes of people to reach the school. After arriving, I was greeted with a locked door and stood outside for about 30 seconds until another student in the program pulled up in a cab with his mother. Luckily, a lady who worked in teh office was coming back from lunch, I suppose, and let us in. I was giving my keys, along with the other boy and we made our way to the apartments of Bedford Place. I parted ways with the boy and his mother to my own flat, a couple "blocks" down, and was lost on how to get into my flat until a man from the office saw me. Funny, to enter my flat, I use a sensor key to open the door. Everything here is opened by card keys or sensor keys except our own flats. I should say the sensor key is for the entrance to the complex I live in

Long account I know, but really, I just want to document it all. Long story short, I got lost a lot in what to do and literally almost got lost in the city. Found my way to the school and flat eventually and met my flatmates and roommates. End of the first day. Really didn't do much after coming in except unpacking. I believe I ate ramen the first night as I did not go grocery shopping until later on. Didn't meet too many others in the program as everyone was busy unpacking, resting, or not even in town yet. FIRST DAY HERE DONE!