Wow! What a whirlwind the last week has been. Let me just lay it out for you.
Monday: Had a final from the J-school until 4 pm. Drove all the way back to MN that night and got home at 11:30 pm
Tuesday: Finished packing and left for MSP at 7:30 pm. Took off around 11. Booked my train and hostel to see Eleanor and Andrea in Paris!
Wednesday: Landed in London at 1 pm BST
I learned that Heathrow Airport is nothing like I thought it was going to be. I expected it to feel like Minneapolis, and this felt… ratchet? I had no idea how to order an Uber; it probably took me 30 minutes to get to the right place. Sat in an Uber for over an hour to get to my hotel and learned very quickly why everyone takes public transportation.
Got to the hotel, met up with Kyla (my roommate), and it is genuinely terrifying how similar we are. Every time I learn something new about her, we increasingly become more alike. We went to dinner at this hole-in-the-wall Fafal place, and it was FIRE.
Thursday
We moved into our apartment, which is amazing. Each of us has our own room with a beautiful view of Vauxhall. Seriously, I couldn’t have asked for anything better.
Prestyn, our third roommate, flew in, and we all went grocery shopping, walked around the neighborhood, found some pubs, and hopped around to different restaurants for dinner. I love the area that we live in; it is the perfect neighborhood vibe while still being close to the city.
Friday
Orientation! We navigated the tube for the first time and got Blank Street, which was so fire. Jet lag really started to hit as we were running through presentations that felt like they were dragging on and on. We met this group of girls from Florida who live in our building, and we went shopping in Sloane Square with them. Reminded me a lot of Santana Row in San Jose, CA. I could have dropped a BAG in Subdued, but it’ll be a purchase for later on in the trip. The shopping in London is insane, but the conversion rate is KILLER. Like, I mean killer. But money comes back…
We got ready and went out to some pubs close to our apartment with more girls from our building. Everyone was so nice and welcoming, and I felt like these were my people. During orientation, I was feeling very weary about some of the girls in the program, but the friends we have made are truly the best! We pub crawled and found the cutest place called Cavendish Arms. Awesome cocktail menu and a great vibe. If Hunt and Gather in Edina were a little less creepy and a bar, it would have similar vibes. We had a great night and came back early (since everything closes at 11).
Saturday
Notting Hill.
Just like the movie! The Portobello market is just like you see it on TikTok, if not better. I would’ve done some insane damage if I hadn’t already spent like $400. I will be back.
Went home, and went out to SoHo to Waxey O’Connor’s and O’Neills. Learned why my family loves Irish pubs so much, and I definitely inherited that gene. I had the time of my life.
Sunday
After a 3 am bedtime, we had a super slow morning and ended up at Borough Market for a little Linner action. The chocolate-covered strawberries were everything I could have dreamed of. I am so glad that I am here for a long period of time so I can go to the market on different days to try different things, because there were so many good options I couldn’t have stomached it all in one day.
Went home and bed rotted for 4 hours. I needed a reset after last week.
I can’t lie tho, today (Sunday) has been harder for me. I knew I would experience a little bit of culture shock, but it is a little bit different from what I expected it to be. I never thought there would be a language barrier between two English speakers. I would go and order a coffee, and it kind of felt like a different language depending on who you are talking to, which I guess I didn’t expect.
It is also starting to hit me that I am working/going to school from 9-6 Monday through Thursday every week. My schedule back in Kansas was super hectic, so it’s nothing new to me. The newness of London is starting to wear off, and it is sinking in that I am not just traveling for 8 weeks, but taking classes and working an internship. I am so grateful to be here, and I am having an awesome time, but boy, do I miss Minnesota! It was so hard to have a glimpse of being home, just to turn around and leave again. I am already having FOMO from Melanie’s 21st birthday in June.
Traveling without my dad is also weird. We have always been travel buddies. I cried in the airport when saying bye to him because it is just so weird to not have him here with me. I felt his absence today while I was at the Borough Market because everything reminded me of him!
I am super excited to see Andrea and Eleanor in a few weeks and I think that will be the perfect thing for me to help reset. Looking forward to starting work and school this week and I’m sure I will have another update soon enough. Love and miss you all if you read all of this!!!!!