Blunt

Sunday, January 29, 2012,10:03 AM

Pilate Post

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” – John Steinbeck

I arrived in London 10 days ago, but due to the rush of highs and few lows, I thought it would be best to find an emotional equilibrium before highlighting and showcasing my first few days.

People always made London sound like a dismal, gloomy city where it does nothing but rain. I knew better than to hold preconceived notions or experiences in mind, but landing in Heathrow and seeing grey skies and feeling tiny cold sprinkles made me think otherwise. The drive from Heathrow to Byron and Guilford was rather depressing, as the 45-minute cab ride took us through small towns with dilapidated houses. It was at that point that I realized I had to put whatever everyone else told me aside. I chose to go abroad to make unique experiences and make the most of the opportunities ahead of me.

After taking my luggage out of the cab and parting with my best friend, I stood outside on the street thinking to myself, “This is it. I’m actually on my own.”

To my surprise, my dorm exceeded my expectations: a huge single that that was bigger than my room in Gramercy, painted walls and modern décor. The energy saving lights are a bit of a nuisance when coming into the room after a while.

With about five days to get acquainted with the city and adjust to GMT, I decided to be adventurous and explore London, not as a tourist, but as a resident. What better way to get to know a city and fall in love with it than explore its nooks and crannies? NYUL lays out many opportunities and events for the first few days, such as social gatherings and trips to various sites. After taking the bus tour with a few of my friends, I decided to explore some noted sites and walk around Westminister.

Big Ben

London Eye

Thames

London Bridge

As for nightlife, we wasted no time in discovering what lay ahead. The legal age is 18 in London, so entering pubs and clubs is hardly an issue. Leicester Square is a great hub at night. Fun places to check out are One, Storm, Penthouse, and for Dubstep lovers Fabric located on Charter Street.

The rest of my first few days were spent trying to get my mobile network running, unfortunately. Having unlocked my Blackberry from Verizon and looked up what we thought were good deals, I, along with others, chose the network 3. I would not recommend it. I spent over 5 hours my first three days in their store trying to get my network to run. It hardly worked, and if it did, it took forever to work properly - especially for Blackberry users. Warning: on top of paying for a package with data, Blackberry users have to buy an additional package. As a result, my friends and I switched to Virgin Mobile, which for the most part is running much smoother.

The first week of classes was enjoyable. Due to my evolving interests however, I’d rather wait to talk about my classes until after I switch my schedule.

On an ending note to my first post, I want to touch upon the quote I mentioned earlier. Regardless of the hours I spent wondering whether I would be able to adjust to a new continent, culture, and society, after wandering the streets and cites by myself, exploring the lights at night, and spending my time in a mobile network shop, I can safely say that I am already attached to London. Why? I gave myself no expectations. When an opportunity arose to do something on the spur of a moment, I said yes. I didn’t think twice. Instead of controlling what is or is not in my hands, I chose to accept and enjoy the journey ahead of me. Rather than getting irritated at missing my stop, like I would in an NYC subway, I enjoyed getting lost in the Tube. I got to excavate and discover more of London, my limits, and myself.

Despite landing on a rather gloomy day, the weather for most of the days has been pleasant, like my stay here thus far: not too windy and not too cold, mostly sunny with some clouds, and unexpected shifts in the breezes, making me go wherever it takes me.