Two Weeks after Arrival

Two weeks after arrival

My experience so far is that London, England is a lot like my home city of Olympia, Washington. Rainy!

I did some research beforehand and found that London has a consistent 2 inches on average of rain every single month of the year. In Olympia we have a few inches on average for 6 months of the year, almost no rain for two months in the summer, and an average of 5 inches of rain in October and 9 inches of rain in the month of November.

You read that right. Nine inches. I was going to be on a rain vacation! We don’t carry umbrellas in Washington state and if you do we’ll know you are a tourist. The first thing I’ve noticed about London is that EVERYONE has umbrellas! It was the first comment I made after arrival. However, the rain in London is harder and less frequent. I am guilty of ducking under an overhang and waiting out a downpour on days I didn’t have the umbrella I purchased at James Smith & Sons.

The rollercoaster of transitioning into life abroad is predictable. It was normal for me to feel nerves before leaving and it will be for you as well. You are in a new environment, a new country, and a new culture. Everything is different, difficult, and unfamiliar. While almost everyone will have an experience unique to themselves. There are five main stages that you may go through after arriving in your host country. These five stages are represented in the shape of a W. Three high points and two low. You start out nervous but excited and on top. The next stage is feeling home sickness for what you left behind. The third stage is a high because you feel familiar streets, routine, and comfort. The fourth stage is not wanting to return home because you have grown to love your host country, routine, and the excitement and experience. This is the second low part of the W. The final stage is another high and the last point. You remember what you love about home, reconnect with family, and appreciate things anew.

I have to admit that I do not recall feeling homesick at all but I witnessed it in my flat mates abroad. They had some difficulty with this stage. This fact also make sense when you fast forward to when we were getting ready to leave our host country. They seemed to skip over the reluctance to leave and they looked forward to going home. There was some tears and hugging. L So… not completely but as strongly as they wanted to go home, I wanted to stay forever. Everyone will experience these to varying degrees and for different lengths of time.

We tried to be there for each other. In my experience their hobbies and comfort items were the easiest ways for them to cope with their homesickness. Speaking to their loved ones helped initially but as the weeks wore on they seemed to make things worse. I encouraged them to write letters back and forth to expend some of their thoughts to relatives without the sad goodbyes that came with skype calls. It wasn’t a problem though… they felt homesickness and that was perfectly normal! I just wanted to help in any way that I could.

The Day Before Departure

The Day Before

Goodbyes. I am on an emotional roller coast today as I prepared to leave for London in a few hours. I have rushed around, checked and rechecked, and worked myself into a panic. Basically all the ear markers of serenity and success! Ha ha. I can’t wait to leave (in fact I wish I could just leave right now) but my stomach is a flurry of nervous butterflies. I’m still waiting for the funds from Gilman to be deposited into my account. It is supposed to deposit a few days after I arrive. I could be surrounded by people who are any more comforting, supportive, and loving. This never would have been possible without the incredible generosity of so many people. My emotions are running high and writing about this right now is humbling and overwhelming. I cannot believe that it is really happening. I did it. All that work, blood, sweat, and tears later and I am set and ready to go.

Hello from the future. I remember this departure day really well. I threw up SOOOO many times on the way to the airport. I had no idea why (turns out I had the flu then and for days after I arrived).

I’m adding this information in because the program thought that I was suffering from homesickness or panic. I never get sick (I hadn’t at the flu in years because I have an autoimmune disease that is super over active and prevents things like the common cold and the flu). I didn’t recognize the symptoms and I wasn’t throwing up food because I was too sick to shop.

I was emotionally wrecked. I doubted myself, maybe I wasn’t STRONG enough for this trip. Maybe I need to be sent home. I couldn’t stand it. Finally, they took me to the doctor and I was diagnosed with the flu and sent home.

My advice is to talk to people. Tell them exactly what is happening and that you need help. They can’t put themselves in your shoes unless you describe your shoes to them.

The Week Before Departure

The Week Before



In one weeks’ time I will begin my journey abroad studying in London, England. I have spent every possible moment since the New Year working towards this goal and it is finally here. Dreaming of Yorkshire pudding, views from the London eye, and afternoon tea are common pastimes of mine. I'm an avid fan of vloggers with a special place in my heart for those British vloggers most seem to know and love.



I have to admit that I am almost sick with nerves as the departure date approaches. I am not even sure exactly which aspect scares me so much. Perhaps it is just the entire trip itself and therefore difficult to pinpoint.



I did everything I was supposed to, I have lists, and everything has been packed and weighed. I feel more ready than I could ever be. I have one empty full size luggage to check, a carryon luggage to put above my seat, and a backpack as my seat bag. All my electronics (laptop and camera) are in the carry on. I have nothing but paperwork, bottle of water, and travel items (like ibuprofen, pillow, ear plugs, journal and headphones).



Hello from the future! I am updating this with a comment on what I said in this post. I said that I had a journal with me on the plane. I feel as though that bullet journal (an emerald Leuchtturm 1917 bulleted journal) was the single best item I took on the trip with me. I realized when I returned from this trip that the most valuable thing I did while away was write down what I was doing each week and a sentence (or ten depending on the day and events) about what happened. I couldn’t take pictures inside everywhere, every second of every day I was there. A photo may be worth a thousand words but a sentence is the key to a trillion memories.



It’s the small things. I remember all the big events…. I didn’t need to capture every second of that. Even with my terrible memory all it takes is a sentence with keywords to job my memory. With very little effort I remember scents, feelings, actions… a million little things that photos skip over.



Remember to document more than just the fantastical things. Write down the color of your keychain, the angel scratched into the elevator door, and that weird dip in the sidewalk on the way to your classes. THOSE things are the things I wrote down and never would have considered taking a photo of.



So make sure you take just a few seconds each day to write down some key words and it will serve you well. Songs you heard, phrases you learned, names and features, smells, and random feelings.

The Flight

The Flight

Your carryon should hold your fragile items, electronics, and valuables. Important paperwork, ID, cash, and other items that you will need immediately should be at hand.

At your seat you should bring support items. I had a pillow that was compact and I could fill with air at my seat and lean my face on and put my arms in. Magical! I will link to one like it HERE. My flight was 5hrs with a 2hr layover in Texas and then another 5hrs to London.

Unless you wear a watch regularly, don’t bring one. It isn’t that important just for two flights. Instead prepare yourself to have a dead phone battery. Bring portable batteries! I brought three of them and I could have used an extra (because of all the time I kept having to waste making sure they were all plugged in because I used them up so quickly). Make sure they are as compact and large capacity as possible. You won’t want to carry bulk around every day. Slim charger in your pocket is nothing however!

 Apps. For London I recommend WhatsApp or Kik (if you want to hide your real number) to talk over Wi-Fi for free. To travel City Mapper is perfection, you can search for walking, bus, tube, or Uber routes and times. I would recommend using widgets on your screen to keep track of your HOME time. It is easier than counting every time you want to know; you can check in the same time it would take to check your foreign time. This will also save you during your flight to calculate travel times while crossing time zones.

Don’t bring things specifically for your flight. You will have to drag these items all over your foreign country and unless you will be travelling extensively for your entire trip, don’t coddle yourself. You can survive a flight with your ear buds instead of heavy duty noise cancelling headphones that will be cumbersome and added weight on your way home. Your ear buds may get annoying but you can handle it, I promise.

Tissues. Virtually weightless and for some reason, I swear, everyone’s noses run on planes. These can double as toilet paper as well!

Comfortable clothing (be aware of weather)

Charge everything before you leave!

Bring an empty water bottle (TSA will stop you for carrying liquids but there are loads of places to fill this passed security). Keep hydrated and eat a balanced meal before travelling. It is tempting to eat taco bell as a quick option but it will come back to haunt you mid-flight. You don’t want to be in and out of the toilet with embarrassing issues. Be prepared with Beano, heartburn, or diarrhea medication!

Get up and stretch during flight. Blood clots are a worry even for those of us without circulation problems. I personally wore restriction socks (like diabetics wear) to ward against them because I had a window seat). Sitting for long periods of time can be dangerous, because you risk of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) rises. It isn’t going to hurt anything or anyone for you to do a couple laps around. If you are worried about bothering staff, ask them for a route and best time to accomplish this during flight.

The woman sitting across from me during my flight clearly had circulation problems because she would constantly stand up next to me and stomp her feet… she was in pain! It was horrid.

My flight to the UK and back (and flights while I was there) weren’t bad. I watched movies, tv shows, and such on the flight over.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask any questions in the comments below.

Happy Travels,

Elle

Packing – Before You Leave

Packing

-          Clothing (Weather appropriate, backup shoes, items reusable for different outfits)

-          Electronics (Laptop, Kindle, Tablets, Phones, Chargers, hair dryers, voltage converters, and extra SD cards)

-          Carry on (meds, plugs, electronics, money, etc)

-          Security (locks for luggages, protection for cash/cards from electronic and physical threat)

-          Medication/Prescripton/OTC (ibuprofen/motion sickness meds/etc)

Keep important, fragile, expensive items in your carry on to stow in the overhead. With you in your seat keep your ID, ticket, ear plugs, face mask, sleeping pills, etc. Keep organized. If you can’t remember what is where, keep a list on your phone.

Speaking of your phone, you should keep important numbers, addresses, and information on your phone but also in a bag printed out just in case you have cellular issues abroad! Keep all important paperwork in a folder for easy access. You visa, insurance, etc should be kept together and safe!

Everyone told me to bringing good walking shoes. Don’t automatically run out and buy new shoes that you will have to break in while abroad.

In fact, don’t run out and buy a new wardrobe. You won’t be abroad walking runways. You will be studying and possibly spending time touring the city or areas. Take clothing you feel comfortable in. The tried and try pieces that won’t be itchy, ill fitting, or fail you. Clothing isn’t something you should have to worry about while there. I would avoid purchasing a whole new wardrobe while abroad as well. This would have to be done immediately, it would be immediately extremely expensive, take up a lot of space you will have to account for on your way home and you may not end up liking the clothing forcing you to return it. Keep in mind that you will have to launder this clothing while abroad. This could get expensive. You need space to keep this clothing, you’ll have to wash it weekly and that could be at a laundry mat. If you want to shop while abroad for clothing, bring the bare bones necessities. Jeans, white t-shirt, socks, etc. Then supplement it while you are abroad.

Tip: Weigh the items you bring that you will be returning with. Every time you make purchases I recommend monthly weigh- ins of those items. Airlines typically have weight restrictions on luggage.  You may end up needing to purchase and pay the fees for extra luggage. Or… you may end up having to donate items you can’t bring home before you leave. I’m still gutted that I had to leave my grey blanket. It was only 9 pounds in London but it was glorious.

If you plan on doing a lot of shopping check an empty luggage to use for items, you collect over the course of your trip. You could collect, souvenirs, gifts, clothing, and presents!

Don’t forget to pack electronically. Load music, books, and apps to prepare for travel. The best thing I did before leaving was download the free apps “Whatsapp” and “City Mapper” for London. Invaluable!

I want to push boundaries, be brace, and take chances during my trip but I don’t want the majority of those to be my asking for directions. I took the time to find out my location and map out around the dorm. I wanted to know key information like where I would catch the bus to school from the dorm. I don’t want to depend on wifi once I’m there to know this key detail. The nearest grocery store and the nearest home décor store as well went on my list. With the first couple of days I’m in London I will need to purchase things like sheets, blankets, necessities that weren’t essential to be packed. I want to travel as light as possible! There is also the added benefit of knowing the cities around central London so I know off the top of my head the general area I’ll be in at any given time. Central London is generally known as the west end for example.

I bought a handy recommended guide called London A-Z. This map guide book is spiral bound with an insane amount of detail. I plan to walk about out of curiosity and this little book will be my guide. Rather than rely on my phones GPS to get me the faster route to and from destinations I can take multiple routes without getting lost. Without signal I can look at this book and find the nearest bus station, tube station, or main thoroughfare! It also made an appearance in an episode of BBC’s newest version of Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch. If that doesn’t want to make you buy I don’t know what will.

If you can’t live without a specific face wash, bring it. I didn’t pack any toiletries and I regret this. It would have been empty space in my luggage on the way home. I was sick immediately after arriving and I didn’t have soap, shampoo, meds, body wash… nothing. I had to go out with the flu in an unfamiliar country to buy these things.

You must research what differences there are between what you normally purchase and what will be available. I had no idea the UK didn’t have plastic applicators for tampons. Sorry if this is TMI for you but… cardboard = not great. I got used to it but… those are something I could have brought with me because I had room.

Make sure you leave money to buy all these things when you return because you most likely won’t have space to bring what is left over!

Read on the next post about what to bring with you on the flight

Leave any questions you have for me in the comment section!

Happy Travels,

Elle