London Town Arrival

After much scrutiny from friends and family, and with my newly recent trans Atlantic move, I have decided to do my best with the whole blogging thing. Wish me luck, as I will need it.

Now let's get down to business. The last few weeks, ok, more like the last 3 1/2 months have been pretty stressful. Why? Well, because after a solo backpacking trip in Europe I decided that it would be a grand idea to move to London by the end of summer. And for some ungodly reason I have done just that. Let's just say that the mind and will of your inner being is a powerful thing and has reinforced the saying that anything is possible.

Yesterday, I arrived in London! It was a long journey. The night before my flight I probably got around 5 hours of sleep. My wonderful and loving Dad took me to the airport *tear* (goodbyes are not my forte). We arrived at about 9:30 am Pacific Standard Time. Good thing too because there was already a line to check bags, and I had to do some handy switching of items so my bags could get sent. My massive suitcase was exactly 70lbs and my carry-on trekking bag was exactly 17.6lbs. Keep in mind that I also had another bag weighing around 25lbs, my laptop, heavy purse stuffed to the max, a sweatshirt, hooded wool pea coat and a snowboarding jacket. All in all, I moved half way around the world with belongings weighing about at much as I do. Keep in mind that from Heathrow airport to my first home base in Primrose Hill, I had to carry / push all of that weight. Hahaha...boy, did I get some funny looks! Anyways, by the time I landed in London it was 4:20pm.

Time wise, my flight left at 1:05 pm August 29. It was a 9h 45m flight to Frankfurt, Germany. There I had a 7h layover. Not cool at all. From Frankfurt to London Heathrow was another 1h flight. 40m to get off the plane and go through the passport check. Another 40m to wait for luggage and go through customs (happily I did not get stopped). Then I ventured to the tube, which was a 1h 30m ride to the Chalk Farm stop. Luckily, there were some cute young blokes to help me carry my massive amount of luggage up many flights of stairs. It was a nice welcome when people actually offered to help! Plus, sometimes playing the damsel in distress is never bad thing. All I had to do was stop at the bottom of the stairs, look at my luggage, then at the stairs, then at my luggage again, and make a questioning face as to figure out how to drag it all up. By that point there was always numerous young blokes waiting to offer me some help. I will always remember their kindness and how entertaining it was to watch them joke around while caring everything up. When I finally emerged from the tube I had a short but grueling walk to Mr. Michael Arnold's flat. By the time I reached his place I was dripping in sweat. Some how a short walk takes eons when you have extra poundage weighing you down.

After calling my Dad to let him know I arrived safely, took a shower, sent a mass email saying I had hopped the pond successfully, I went over to Michael's friends / neighbors house for dinner. O.k. I had a loss of appetite, and at this moment, have yet to regain it, so I just had water, some chai tea and a delicious pastry with fresh berries. The raspberries were gigantic! The night was good, the people were incredibly friendly, and it was all around a good night. Just wish I didn't have jet lag this time around. I'm still not my spunky, sarcastic self, but I'm hoping my biological clock adjusts to the 8 hour time difference soon.

Anyways, I start grad school tomorrow morning at Sotheby's Institute of Art at 10am sharp. And for those of you hoping it will be an easy day, I've heard otherwise. They get right into the program. Oh boy, lucky me! Hahaha...I'm sure it will be fine. I just wish that I could have had more time to rest, play and adjust to London life. Thank goodness I will be getting a massage and acupuncture later tonight! Lord knows I need it.