Part 2:
The "Orientation" Period
Where am I? Where are you? And where are all the street signs???
Welcome back to the final installment of the story of my journey to London. When we left off I had just ended the most terrifying, exhausting, and overwhelming travel experience of my life and had made it to my new residence, Liberty Hall. Here's what happened next:
When I arrived at Liberty Hall it was nearing midnight, I fumbled my two heavy bags out of the cab and dragged them up to the door which was apparently locked. The man working at the desk buzzed me in and when I told him I would be living there and needed to get signed in he honestly laughed, not in a mean way at all more out of shock I think. I told him that I had had several travel issues and didn't mean to arrive so late and luckily he decided that he would open my room for me so I could sleep there for the night. Thank goodness because I really had no back up plan. Sleep on the bench in the lobby until morning?
So he lets me into my room which is actually rather nicely appointed, perhaps a bit smaller than those at DU but it has a huge desk unit and it's own bathroom and shower! I took a few of the essentials out of my suitcase and tried to plug in my computer and phone to charge so I could let everyone back home know I made it. I had bought a UK to US power converter before I left but it turned out to be the wrong kind some how and doesn't even kind of fit into the outlets in my room. With my phone almost dead and in desperation for contact I tried my power converter in the outlets above the sink in my bathroom labeled "shavers only". It sort of almost kind of fit and if I held it just right and put my laptop in the sink and plugged my phone into that it charged a little bit. I only got it to charge about a quarter of the way before I had to give up on that and try to get things a little bit organized so I could get to sleep, it didn't really work but I did get my bed put together. So with piles of stuff all around me and my only connection to home losing battery I plopped down and tried to get to sleep on my new, very firm mattress. Unfortunately, I'm feeling totally overwhelmed at this point and even though I'm dead tired from the traveling, the stress has gone to my head and I can't sleep. I tossed and turned for a while and finally fell asleep despite the noisy neighbors in the hallways. At least tomorrow I would have orientation and get to meet some people....
Wrong again!!!
I vaguely remember my alarm going off at 6:00 the next day. I didn't need to be at my orientation until 10:00 but I really wanted allow myself lots of time to get all checked in and find my way to the meeting place. I was actually sleeping fairly soundly so I decided to roll my alarm over for another hour, still plenty of time! I may have actually done this twice, I was way too groggy to remember much of anything (expect I do remember my door being open at some point because the cleaning staff didn't know anyone was in the room yet... there was a vacuum involved?) Either way apparently something went wrong in one of my bleary-eyed alarm adjustments because the next time I woke up it was 11 freaking 30, I was supposed to have been at my orientation and hour and a half ago!!! With my stomach in a knot at yet another problem to attend to I scrambled to get dressed and ran out the door. I decided that even if it meant being even more late to orientation I had to check into my room officially before I left, I was afraid that if I didn't they would have thrown all my stuff out by the time I got back that evening. I went up to the desk and tried to act like I wasn't a hysterical mess while the nice lady working that morning gave me some paperwork to fill out and went over a few room related basics. Luckily, it only took a second and the desk lady gave me a map and directions to my school.
Now, remember that when I arrived the previous night it was completely dark so I had no orientation to anything at all. What's more, I was looking for the street signs on posts on the corners rather than haphazardly affixed to sides of buildings and fences as is more common here. And that my friends is how I found myself spending my first waking hours in London wandering around lost, determined, and a little frantic. The block my dorm is on (no one calls them blocks here by the way, that's purely American) is sort of a funky little triangle shaped thing and the main intersection is about 6 streets all coming in and turning at unusual angles. This is where I got confused because instead of turning slightly right onto the road that was marked Moorgate (even though I never saw that sign) I barged straight ahead onto what I now know is Central street. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I got tragically turned around and had to consult 3 or 4 roadside neighborhood maps but eventually I saw a sign pointing to City University shortly followed by a large brick building with the City University crest. I was so happy! Now to find the door...
When I finally made it inside I was a solid 2 hours late. It's orientation week for all the incoming students at City so there were student volunteers on nearly every corner to help those of us who looked lost... like me! They very kindly helped me to find room A130 but, lo and behold, when I got there it was completely empty. According to my orientation schedule they were on the campus tour, something that a person of my navigational prowess really would have rather not missed. I decided that it would probably be best just to wait for them to come back because the schedule said they should return to that room in just about an hour and all of the info people I asked agreed. So I sat there and sent out a few facebook messages asking for pity from those back home. I found my way to a little university food stop and was able to get an orange juice and a bottle of water which tasted like the fountain of youth and would have to be my lunch since I missed the orientation lunch. By the time I got back the rest of the international orientees were heading back in and I found Dr. Julia McDonald, the study abroad adviser, at the front of the room. I introduced myself to her and apologized for being so late explaining that I had experienced just about every travel problem you could think of.
And this is where things finally start getting better; Julia was incredibly nice about the whole thing and made me feel better about missing orientation right away. I then settled in and listened to speeches from representatives from security, the library, sports, etc. After those, we broke into 3 groups and went on a mini walking tour in the area right around our school campus. We didn't see too much but one thing that stands out in my mind was a memorial for William Wallace near the place that he was apparently tortured to death but is now a cute little park. We got back to the Uni (as the Brits say) about 2 hours later and I mingled a little while they set up a nice wine and cheese reception for all of us. You know I was stoked to see cheese! And before you ask, no I didn't have any wine. I know that I don't have to be 21 to drink here (even though I'll be 21 in 2 days :) ) but having never even had a more than a sip of wine before I decided that now, with my nerves more frayed than a shoelace with the plastic tip cracked off, was not the best time to have a whole glass not knowing what it would do to me (Ha!). From there I was able to walk back to Liberty with some fellow orientees who helped me not get lost. I was still wiped out and didn't even consider going to the house party that a lot of other people were headed to in favor of getting some food, taking a shower, and hitting the sack. I was still feeling very stressed, homesick, and lonely and wishing that my first solo plane trip and first time out of the country had gone better at that point.
Though it is still a little hard to get to sleep some nights this trip is getting exponentially better every day. I am currently in the middle of a weekend of London adventure with my good friend Sarah who I had been looking forward to seeing ever since I crossed the boarder (and before). I'll report in on that part in the near future but for now I leave you with the knowledge that I am in fact still alive and I haven't gotten lost, mugged, or killed yet! And this:
Thanks for following my harrowing tale of survival all the way from Denver to London! Stay tuned for more stories of adventure!
When I arrived at Liberty Hall it was nearing midnight, I fumbled my two heavy bags out of the cab and dragged them up to the door which was apparently locked. The man working at the desk buzzed me in and when I told him I would be living there and needed to get signed in he honestly laughed, not in a mean way at all more out of shock I think. I told him that I had had several travel issues and didn't mean to arrive so late and luckily he decided that he would open my room for me so I could sleep there for the night. Thank goodness because I really had no back up plan. Sleep on the bench in the lobby until morning?
So he lets me into my room which is actually rather nicely appointed, perhaps a bit smaller than those at DU but it has a huge desk unit and it's own bathroom and shower! I took a few of the essentials out of my suitcase and tried to plug in my computer and phone to charge so I could let everyone back home know I made it. I had bought a UK to US power converter before I left but it turned out to be the wrong kind some how and doesn't even kind of fit into the outlets in my room. With my phone almost dead and in desperation for contact I tried my power converter in the outlets above the sink in my bathroom labeled "shavers only". It sort of almost kind of fit and if I held it just right and put my laptop in the sink and plugged my phone into that it charged a little bit. I only got it to charge about a quarter of the way before I had to give up on that and try to get things a little bit organized so I could get to sleep, it didn't really work but I did get my bed put together. So with piles of stuff all around me and my only connection to home losing battery I plopped down and tried to get to sleep on my new, very firm mattress. Unfortunately, I'm feeling totally overwhelmed at this point and even though I'm dead tired from the traveling, the stress has gone to my head and I can't sleep. I tossed and turned for a while and finally fell asleep despite the noisy neighbors in the hallways. At least tomorrow I would have orientation and get to meet some people....
Wrong again!!!
I vaguely remember my alarm going off at 6:00 the next day. I didn't need to be at my orientation until 10:00 but I really wanted allow myself lots of time to get all checked in and find my way to the meeting place. I was actually sleeping fairly soundly so I decided to roll my alarm over for another hour, still plenty of time! I may have actually done this twice, I was way too groggy to remember much of anything (expect I do remember my door being open at some point because the cleaning staff didn't know anyone was in the room yet... there was a vacuum involved?) Either way apparently something went wrong in one of my bleary-eyed alarm adjustments because the next time I woke up it was 11 freaking 30, I was supposed to have been at my orientation and hour and a half ago!!! With my stomach in a knot at yet another problem to attend to I scrambled to get dressed and ran out the door. I decided that even if it meant being even more late to orientation I had to check into my room officially before I left, I was afraid that if I didn't they would have thrown all my stuff out by the time I got back that evening. I went up to the desk and tried to act like I wasn't a hysterical mess while the nice lady working that morning gave me some paperwork to fill out and went over a few room related basics. Luckily, it only took a second and the desk lady gave me a map and directions to my school.
Now, remember that when I arrived the previous night it was completely dark so I had no orientation to anything at all. What's more, I was looking for the street signs on posts on the corners rather than haphazardly affixed to sides of buildings and fences as is more common here. And that my friends is how I found myself spending my first waking hours in London wandering around lost, determined, and a little frantic. The block my dorm is on (no one calls them blocks here by the way, that's purely American) is sort of a funky little triangle shaped thing and the main intersection is about 6 streets all coming in and turning at unusual angles. This is where I got confused because instead of turning slightly right onto the road that was marked Moorgate (even though I never saw that sign) I barged straight ahead onto what I now know is Central street. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I got tragically turned around and had to consult 3 or 4 roadside neighborhood maps but eventually I saw a sign pointing to City University shortly followed by a large brick building with the City University crest. I was so happy! Now to find the door...
When I finally made it inside I was a solid 2 hours late. It's orientation week for all the incoming students at City so there were student volunteers on nearly every corner to help those of us who looked lost... like me! They very kindly helped me to find room A130 but, lo and behold, when I got there it was completely empty. According to my orientation schedule they were on the campus tour, something that a person of my navigational prowess really would have rather not missed. I decided that it would probably be best just to wait for them to come back because the schedule said they should return to that room in just about an hour and all of the info people I asked agreed. So I sat there and sent out a few facebook messages asking for pity from those back home. I found my way to a little university food stop and was able to get an orange juice and a bottle of water which tasted like the fountain of youth and would have to be my lunch since I missed the orientation lunch. By the time I got back the rest of the international orientees were heading back in and I found Dr. Julia McDonald, the study abroad adviser, at the front of the room. I introduced myself to her and apologized for being so late explaining that I had experienced just about every travel problem you could think of.
And this is where things finally start getting better; Julia was incredibly nice about the whole thing and made me feel better about missing orientation right away. I then settled in and listened to speeches from representatives from security, the library, sports, etc. After those, we broke into 3 groups and went on a mini walking tour in the area right around our school campus. We didn't see too much but one thing that stands out in my mind was a memorial for William Wallace near the place that he was apparently tortured to death but is now a cute little park. We got back to the Uni (as the Brits say) about 2 hours later and I mingled a little while they set up a nice wine and cheese reception for all of us. You know I was stoked to see cheese! And before you ask, no I didn't have any wine. I know that I don't have to be 21 to drink here (even though I'll be 21 in 2 days :) ) but having never even had a more than a sip of wine before I decided that now, with my nerves more frayed than a shoelace with the plastic tip cracked off, was not the best time to have a whole glass not knowing what it would do to me (Ha!). From there I was able to walk back to Liberty with some fellow orientees who helped me not get lost. I was still wiped out and didn't even consider going to the house party that a lot of other people were headed to in favor of getting some food, taking a shower, and hitting the sack. I was still feeling very stressed, homesick, and lonely and wishing that my first solo plane trip and first time out of the country had gone better at that point.
Though it is still a little hard to get to sleep some nights this trip is getting exponentially better every day. I am currently in the middle of a weekend of London adventure with my good friend Sarah who I had been looking forward to seeing ever since I crossed the boarder (and before). I'll report in on that part in the near future but for now I leave you with the knowledge that I am in fact still alive and I haven't gotten lost, mugged, or killed yet! And this:
 |
| My first meal in London wasn't the traditional pub meal I had hoped for but shepherd's pie is very British... even if it is frozen.... right? |
Thanks for following my harrowing tale of survival all the way from Denver to London! Stay tuned for more stories of adventure!
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