Traveling to London

Hey everyone. Well, I made it to the big city. The flight was good. I flew British Airways from Dallas and was happy with the services. What I found very cool was that they offered me headphones, a travel kit that included socks, tooth brush and tooth paste, and a eye mask to all the passengers, along with a pillow and blanket. Also, on the back of every seat there is a little TV screen where you can pick a channel and watch a movie or a TV show. I watched "King Kong" and then surfed between other movies for awhile. My neighbors, the Yanoff sisters Rachel and Rebecca, were also part of AIFS study abroad program. They are both from Austin as well. Unlike me, they slept most of the time. I didn't sleep much, unfortunately. The man sitting in front of me had his seat lowered most of the flight and with my long legs it was uncomfortable for me. The times that I was almost able to catch some shut eye was when there was turbulence.

Also among the channels there was the map channel that showed a map of the USA, the Atlantic Ocean, and Europe and where our plane was located. It also listed how high, how fast, how far we still had to go till we reached our destination, and so on. Here below is something very similar to what was on the plane.



Once in London, going through customs and picking up my checked suitcase was very easy. I did need to answer several questions about what and where I was going to study before I could get my passport stamped. One note for anyone who is interested in studying abroad. Make sure you bring an acceptance letter from the foreign school. This might come in handy. The passport control woman we talked to asked to see such a letter, which none of us had, but we did however have other documents for her to see. Also, see if you can get a letter from your school that states that you will be studying abroad. It's always safe to be prepared.

In a minibus, which is like a van only slightly larger, a representative from AIFS drove us all the way from Gatwick airport to the Kensington campus of Richmond University where we are living and studying. Kensington is a very pretty place. In the residential areas it is quiet and there are flowers in private gardens that smell wonderful. There are three houses that the students are staying in. I'm in the Atlantic house, which is the main dorm. There is also the Ambassador House, and then there is the Albert Hotel, which is -- unfortunately for some -- a youth hostel.

You can see a satellite photo of the Atlantic House on Google Maps. Atlantic House is the large building just above the label for "Saint Alban's Grove". You can zoom in, turning on the road map, the satellite photo, or both. The High Street tube station is just to the west-by-northwest. Here is a photo of the front steps into Atlantic House:


The houses do not have air conditioning so it can get a bit stuffy at times. The only place in the house that is air conditioned is the computer labs in the basement. There are no elevators, which is OK unless you are really tired and you live on the fourth floor. Like me. It's eight flights of stairs all the way up. I'll count the steps next I come up and I'll let you know the total. My room is a narrow double room. My roommate, Michelle, is very nice. She has the bed near the window and the sink. I sleep by the door. There are little wardrobes, a single dresser that we share, two desks, and four electrical outlets that are placed in odd places in the room.

Currently, London is hot! In fact, it's in the 80s. It's like Texas -- on a good day. Supposedly during Session A the students were complaining that the weather was too cold. They jinxed us and now we have hot weather. Thankfully, it has been said that it will get down to the mid-70s later on this week, which is the type of weather that I packed for.

Another thing to make mention of is the price of living in London. Right now the exchange rate is almost $2.00 for ≈£1. So everything is doubled over here. I try to buy everything as cheaply as possible. However, the only time that I've felt that I have succeeded in being cheap is going to McDonald's and ordering a medium fry and a medium drink for £2 and some added pences. When I bought bathroom supplies, I bought the cheapest items I could get. I'll keep you posted on where you can save some money and where you can't.

Well, I must be off. The computer labs are not open 24 hours here and it closes at midnight, which is 6 pm Central Standard time in the US. I'll be back to report what has happened since I've arrived Saturday morning and how my first day of class goes.