The Journey

Six days ago I sat in my den watching a Jon Oliver stand up special. His jokes about the differences between American and British culture made reality finally sink in: I was leaving for London and I wouldn’t be back for five months.

My parents accompanied me on the six-hour flight. My dad: strolling though his monthly JFK to Heathrow routine. My mom: quizzing me for items I may have forgotten to pack. My dad healed an office in London and my mom took the trip half out of concern for my safe passage and half out of an excuse for a weekend getaway.

I waited for the plane with a surreal feeling over me, trying to picture what life in London would be like.

I could hardly sleep on the plane. Movies and music occupied my time instead of the uncomfortable in-flight-nap the other passengers were taking. I’ve never been able to sleep on planes, something about sleeping in a room full of strangers 30,000 plus feet above an ocean never sat right with me.

After landing and customs I said goodbye to my parents and found my Middlesex University welcoming party, which consisted of a small collection of students from the international office who were supposed to get us from the airport to the dorms.

I was the first to arrive and consequently the one who had to wait around the longest. From 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. I waited by my bags, introducing myself to the other study abroad students as they trickled in from around the airport. I met kids from Africa, India, the mid western U.S., and some from other parts of Europe all in just over two hours.

After another 20 minutes of standing around, our eager multicultural group boarded a coach bus and headed for our individual halls of residence. The bus trip took two hours and got stuck in some hefty traffic jams, but I didn’t mind. I was getting my first glimpse at the English countryside.

Beautiful rolling green hills dotted with grazing livestock scrolled past my window as we inched towards our destination. The scenes were set to music as I overheard the elaborate Bollywood songs coming from one of the Indian student’s ear buds. It felt like a movie.

When I arrived at my building I had one thing on my mind: sleep. I filled out the necessary paperwork, got my keys, tossed my bags aside, and passed out. I was finally there.