For as long as I can remember, going to college was the thing I looked forward to most. I wanted to go out into the world and experience new things, as far away from my family as possible. So I chose to move to London England. There wasn't much rhyme or reason in this decision but at the time, the price was right and I hadn't liked any of the schools I had applied to in the states. But hey, so what if there is no campus? So what if the student housing is horrible, I'll just get my own apartment.
I moved to London on September 21st and immediately freaked out. Everything overwhelmed me- the people, the cars, the roads, the food, god everything shocked me. I cried everyday. The day my mom left, a week and a half after we landed, I couldn't go to class. Anxiety was eating me up. I tried to vomit into a trashcan on Regents Street. Classy.
I didn't really eat or drink for my first two weeks in London, anxiety controlled everything.
I'm not saying that has changed- yet.
I was disappointed when I moved. I got sick mid-flight when landing at London Heathrow, went to the hospital on day 3, (but my treatment and meds were free!!!) my housing was worse than I thought, (student housing b/c covid safety?) and to just add the icing on the cake, my whole idea of attending university stemmed from the idea that I would be in Central London, not West London- Wembley, to be exact. A suburban wasteland, where as I am writing this, I have heard 11 gun shots. And no, definitely not fireworks.
London is intense. Everyone is so involved in their own lives and busy and there doesn't ever seem to be enough time in the day to get stuff done.
I haven't yet made friends. Or I sort of have, but not really, and it's throwing me because I've always pretty easily made friends. There's a very different social dynamic here, which is taking some getting used to. People seem pretty reserved, while back home you can get to know more about your New Leaf cashier than the kids that are in your classes.
But there are positives. I love taking the tube. It's a 30 minute ride from my flat to campus and every morning I take my book and read. It's peaceful and wonderful and a great way to save your phone charge. I also love walking in Central London. The history is so rich and the parks are massive and lush. On Sunday mornings in Regents Park there are peewee football (soccer) games and adult games too. I am also growing to appreciate my classes. My schedule is easy and my classes are interesting. I don't have class before 11am on any given day and I am done by 4pm or earlier. I also don't have classes on Fridays. It's actually really nice to have the time off to unwind. I also sort of like grocery shopping. I don't like making the list, or motivating myself to walk the 500 yards to Tesco, but once I am inside, I love spending money on food I will try and devour before it rots. My spinach lasted two days. The produce isn't that great.
College is not yet what I expected. But it is becoming an experience in which I am growing from, drastically. I am constantly learning about myself in a way that I never had to before. I guess it's the whole beauty of growing up.
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