Now let me tell you... the New Jersey airport is crap! Three terminals, attached by a tram system, and not a drop of wireless internet access anywhere! It was horrendous...The Virgin Atlantic ticket desk didn't open until 5, I found out that there was no place to store my bags while I walked around for 6 hours, and no way to get online. I dragged my bags around with me everywhere, ate some lunch in a TGI Fridays, and found a comfy spot on the floor to watch, movies. How could a airport not have wi-fi or chairs?!?! It was the most horrible time of the entire trip. Once the Virgin Atlantic desk finally opened, late at 5:30 as if my day wasn't horrible enough, I checked my bags and didn't have to pay extra for them. (Woohoo!!!)
I met Libby in the line. We had been chatting for months on the IFSA website and we finally got to meet each other! We made it through security and found a comfy place to sit for another 3 hours in the terminal. Had I known that there were seats near electrical outlets inside the terminal, I never would have left it that morning! We met this crazy smart guy in the terminal who kept talking about existentialism, what he would do if he won the lottery, and how we should visit him when we got to England. I got his email but I'm not sure if this is legit...he was a really cool guy though. His wife was hysterical! She kept talking bad about him and her accent was so soft and sweet. They really were awesome. :) We also had no idea that they put the Newark airport on lock down because we were already in the terminal. Virgin Atlantic just told us that the flight was delayed for some extra security measures...we all had no idea...I'm glad none of our parents called freaking out until the next day because then we would have lost it and not wanted to leave...thank god for small favors. :)
The plane we flew on was the largest plane I'd ever seen in my life. It had a lower level and stairs to get to an upper level. It was AWESOME!!! The plane was 12 rows wide with tvs in all the headsets...it looked so cool. I asked for a window seat when we signed in so I could see the view and take pictures...that was a mistake! Although I did some very good pictures when we finally got to England, not being able to get up and walk around a little was terrible. I've never been served food on an airplane before so that was a fun and new experience. Some beef with mashed potatoes on top accompanied with carrots and broccoli, served with bread, pasta salad, and dessert. It really wasn't great but it wasn't inedible either. Once everyone had been served, I tried to get some sleep. They supplied us with these little travel packs with an eye mask that saved my life! Next time, I'll definitely pay the extra $80 to upgrade to first class. You never know just how much space you need to be comfortable until you don't have any. The ride went faster because I could sleep through most of it and the view out of the window when the sun came up over the ocean made the whole trip worth it.
Once we got to Heathrow and disembarked (I was the last one off the plane, of course, and got to witness the flight attendants having a pillow fight...best flight attendants ever.) and had to get through customs and immigration before we could meet up with our IFSA people. Since I was the last one, the immigration officer already knew that there was a huge group of students coming through and she didn't even ask for my paper...whatever...they let me in!!! We met the group, loaded buses, and set off to our hotel.
The hotel was...quaint. That is probably the best way to describe it. It was here for the first time that I realized just how cramped the Londoners were for space. Everything is tall and skinny because they build up. Our hotel had 14 floors and 4 different towers. My roommate in the hotel is from Pennsylvania and goes to school where they filmed the Exorcist, Fordam in the Bronx. We got into the hotel and almost immediately took a nap. While most of us got some sleep on the plane, we had essentially lost an entire night. The hotel was small by American standards but out orientation leaders told us they were pretty spacious compared to others in the area. We were right near the Tottenham Court Road Tube Station near the Soho area of town. There was a walgreens-type store 100 feet away, two places to get cell phones, and a mcdonalds. We walked everywhere!!! The city is pretty small if you know where you're going...now when I look at a map, I can't believe we walked as far as we did!
The first night, we went to this restaurant down by Leichester square and had a traditional English dinner...some pot pie thing with "chips" (or french fries for the truly American) and some orange pudding with raisins. It was different but pretty good...the pudding looked like melted velveeta cheese but it was good nonetheless.
The next day was orientation...Caitlin and I were late (jet lag!!!) and were teased for it. Apparently in the UK, everyone is early or on time, never late. We did a basic overview of cultural differences between the US and the UK, which there are a lot more than I expected. Can you imagine living in an America where religion does not play into politics at all the the liberal party in the states was the conservative party of the UK?!? They are also in awe of our gun laws...there is hardly any gun crime in the UK. I've already been asked if I own a gun...I laughed...nope!
After a little lesson in culture, we met a Pearly Queen. I wasn't sure how this fit into the orientation, and I'm still not sure, but it was interesting. There is a group of people, called the Pearly Kings and Queens, who go around and donate their services to charitable organizations. They wear traditional Victorian clothes covered in pearly buttons so they are easily recognizable on the streets. They organize and attend different functions and are hired (all proceeds go to charity) to go to parties and luncheons. The Pearly Queen I met had met Michael Caine, Ringo Starr, and Queen Elizabeth. That's right, one degree of separation between me and the Queen of England!!!
Then we had a guy come in to talk to us about safety and security...and he basically just scared us half to death. Seriously, he made me never want to leave my dorm room! He talked to us about how to avoid being mugged, what to do during and after, and how the UK has the highest knife crime rates in Europe. We already knew that the UK has a national hobby of pickpocketing but the thought of being mugged was just too much for our poor American minds to absorb. It was horrendous!!! Even now...7 days later...I'm still scared to take my purse on the tube and refuse to leave my room unlocked for even 2 minutes. I guess I'll relax as I get more and more comfortable but he really scared most of us into being homebodies.
For dinner, we walked to a restaurant called Wagamama (because one of our leaders gave us coupons) and had Japanese noodles. It was delicious!!! I was a little caught off guard when the Japanese waitress started talking in a British accent but the restaurant was fun and delicious...
That gets us to the showing of Avenue Q last Tuesday night...sorry I can't just get this done...I'll really try to get completely caught up tomorrow...night all!!!
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