As we landed in London at Gatwick, I looked out the window at the English countryside and was all “Huh, this kinda seems like home!”. & England sort of does feel like my home so far, but I’ll elaborate on this in another post. But let me just say that I am excited there is so much natural landscapes and wildlife here - I would have really missed that part of Canada!
Upon leaving the plane Hannah and I made our way to the UK Border Security - which was a BIG line up. We were in line with our heavy carry-on bags for about 45 minutes, because it was everyone being screened who didn’t have a UK/European passport - that line was MUCH shorter! I was so tired and hot that I ended up just shuffling my purse along with my foot, LOL. The border security agent was really nice though, and the questioning and stamping of my passport took all of about 3 minutes or so.
Then we made our way to get our luggage - and let me tell you, Gatwick Airport is pretty darn dead on Sundays. The luggage claim floor/hallway literally echoed. Hannah and I were the only ones there and an airport employee was lining up all our luggage for us. We then managed to find the airport shuttle for the University of Essex, and lucky for us, there were 2 spots left for the 3 PM shuttle. I felt bad because two girls who arrived behind us had to wait for the 5 PM one - which was like a 3+ hour wait, on top of the 2 hour drive to campus. But I certainly wasn’t giving up my spot at that point!
We left our bags with Kate, who was overseeing the shuttle to Essex, and rushed to grab some food and clean ourselves up. We were surprised at how little there was in Gatwick Airport (ummm… especially seating areas!), but we did manage to find a grocery store that sold some lovely pre-made salads. I gobbled down a spinach, basil pesto, and pine nut pasta salad and water. We laughed at how we were expecting a McDonalds or other fast food joint, but we were so excited to get some real food! Also - random side note: I loved the bathrooms at Gatwick Airport. They were so posh and were like your own mini-bathroom in a huge stall that was more like a room. Seriously awesome - I should have gotten a picture, haha.
When we finally got on the shuttle, I pretty much started dozing. But that didn’t mean that I didn’t experience in between quick naps the horror of British driving!! It’s like constant merging, with no turning, and swerving in and out of the proper lane. The bus hardly ever stopped, I swear! You think Peterborough or Toronto driving is bad? Come try and learn these rules or just sit in a car while someone drives - while I’m sure the bus driver knew what he was doing, it didn’t make it any less scary I tell ya.
Upon arriving at the University of Essex I was greeted by student ambassadors and myself and my luggage, along with a few other students, was shuffled onto another shuttle waiting to take me across campus to my residence. I signed in, and received my pass code and card (like ones used in hotels) and was escorted to my flat by one of the student ambassadors who, no lie, looked very similar to Daniel Radcliffe!
Once inside, I did have a bit of a cry as all the emotions finally hit me. But I was able to recover after a while and then I got to unpacking and opening up my student essentials kit I had bought with some bedding and kitchen supplies. You can see my room above. Right now it is looking very hospital/jail-ish with the white comforter, blue sheets and white shiny brick walls. I’m hoping to find a tapestry or poster or something to decorate with. But I have a beautiful view of the forest and there is a lake with ducks right outside my building.
Oh, and that top and bottom photo were taken within about 1 hour of each other. Yes, British weather really DOES change at the flip of a coin and then stay gray and gloomy for the rest of the day!
