Getting Here

I've finally arrived!

The travel was relatively easy and uneventful, aside from the inevitable screaming baby/guy kicking the back of my seat combo on the plane. Running on almost no sleep and rocking a killer headache I somehow managed to navigate the quagmire that is Heathrow. The only setback came right after I got my bags when my headache turned into a fever and cold sweats- lovely, I know. And because I'm so smart, I had obviously packed too much and had to carry my ridiculously oversized and overweight bags across the entire airport to get from terminal 5 to terminal 3 where I was to meet the university shuttle.

When I finally got to the meeting point all I had to do was wait. Unfortunately I got there at 9 a.m. and had to wait for the shuttle that was supposed to leave at 2. I found ibuprofen for the fever and then staked out a spot. It was a surprisingly short 4 hour wait, in part because of a 22 year old security office worker, Asif. He came over to where I was and as he was helping a woman lift bags (apparently she was an overpacker too) he started chatting with me. And thus began our hour and a half conversation. To be honest, all I wanted was to sit in peace and quiet and wallow until my headache went away, but he was my first Brit so I tried to be nice. Too nice I guess because he just would not take a hint and leave. At the end he gave me his number and told me to give him a ring at some point while I'm here. He was nice, but I most likely will not be ringing his mobile (I'm overwhelmingly charmed by all the British phrases. My favorite hands down is "D'ya reckon?")

Around 1:00 the Goldsmith's representative showed up and started corralling us international students into one area. Then right as we were ready to head out to our bus the fire alarm went off. I thought when I moved out of the Penn dorms I was done with unnecessary fire alarms, but they've followed me here. First Heathrow, which was madness since my entire terminal had to evacuate. Then this morning the fire alarm went off in our building because the genius who designed the fire alarms made them so that steam sets them off too. So every time you shower you have to close the door and turn on the fan and then when you get out you have to immediately shut the door again so that the steam doesn't activate the fire alarm. Idiotic.

Anyway, from Heathrow the bus was long but I slept and then we arrived!!

Now after 2 days being here I finally have adapters, internet, a phone and bedding, none of which I arrived with, so I'm feeling much more settled. I realize this post was largely about the travel, not so much about being here, but that'll come. For now I have to go ease my sore throat (my immune system has decided to take a vacation) and enjoy my birthday. I rang in my birthday last night with another girl who is also turning 20 and I had my very first crumpet. All in all I'd call that a successful start to a birthday.