The Final Hours and London

Hi guys! Sorry I’m a little behind on blogging! These past couple of days have been crazy due to travel, plus the wifi is really spotty here because I'm sharing it with  the 27 other people in my program and the other residents at the backpackers' lodge we're staying at. Here’s a quick recap of the past few days:

Monday January 28^th, 2013 – The panic sets in as at this point I have two full days left at home and I still haven’t finished reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, purchased gifts for my homestay families and miscellaneous supplies for my trip, or started packing. I made plans to meet Mom in Rutland to take care of all my shopping, only to walk out the back door a few hours later straight into a snowstorm. Not cool Mother Nature. I managed to make it safely to the hospital, though I narrowly avoided getting into an accident due to the poor road conditions. Mom and I raided the gift shop, Staples, Joann’s Fabrics, and Michael’s and the two of us were able to find some gifts for my families and children I may meet on the trip.

Tuesday January 29^th, 2013 – Last full day/night at home in the US until May!!! A huge thank you to my fabulous mother for spending a couple of hours after she got out of work in Walmart purchasing supplies for my trip and then helping me to assemble everything. I honestly wouldn’t have been able to get out the door on time the next day if it wasn’t for all her help!!! Love you Momma. I spent most of my day trying to finish Mandela, packing, and buying the last of my homestay gifts. After a delicious dinner of green beans and lobster tails (thanks Grandma for sharing your birthday gift!), I went upstairs to pack. Somehow, and I’m not quite sure how, I managed to pack everything on my packing list into both my rolling duffle and backpack with room to spare! After seeing my friends’ bags at the airport I’m very worried that I haven’t packed enough or forgot some things, but as Mom reminded me I really only need my passport/visa and money. Everything else I can buy if I need to.

Wednesday January 30^th, 2013 – Departure Day! Unfortunately I had to start my day off at the dentist’s office, one of my least favorite places, but at least I know I’m going to SA with clean, healthy teeth. Post-dentist appointment was spent finishing up packing, reviewing all the handouts I got from SIT and the study abroad office, and sending some emails. A big thanks again to my awesome mom for spending an hour+ on the phone with Microsoft trying to get Word 2007 to work on my computer so that I can complete assignments on my own laptop in SA. After double checking my bags on last time, Dad, Mom, Allison and I were out the door by 12:30pm. We did have to turn around once because I realized I forgot to pack my jean jacket, but in all fairness we were still in Fair Haven so it wasn’t a big deal (DAD). My flight was out of Newark so the four of us stopped in Newburgh, NY to meet my grandparents for a quick bit to eat. It was nice to see them and catch-up since I won’t be able to see them until sometime this summer. After our meal it was back in the car to finish the final leg of my journey in the US.

Everything went smoothly at the airport. We found a parking spot near the door and didn’t have to wait very long in line for to check my luggage and get my tickets. After my family walked me to security to say our goodbyes since they couldn’t come wait with me at the gate. It was tough saying goodbye to my parents and Allison, especially since I’ve been home pretty much every day for the last 6.5 weeks, and I definitely shed a few tears. Even though I won’t be able to see them or even communicate constantly over the next 15 weeks, I know that my parents and sisters are my biggest supporters and will be cheering me on from afar. After saying our “see ya laters!” I went through security and made my way to my departure gate. I had about an hour and a half to kill so I called Marci and was able to talk to her, Katie, and Alex. Even though I just saw them this past weekend (thanks again for letting me crash in Hodson ladies!), it was nice to hear their voices again and it definitely helped to calm me down before my flight. After hanging up I sent goodbye texts to the rest of my friends, parents, and sisters before turning off the cellular data on my phone and boarding my flight. Fortunately the flight was pretty empty so after dinner I was able to spread myself out across both my seat and the seat next to me so I could catch some zzz’s before landing in England. Even though there was a lot of turbulence, I was so exhausted after not getting much sleep the night before so I was able to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep for most of my flight.

Thursday January 31^st, 2013 – LONDON!!! My flight arrived in London early Thursday morning so I was able to make it through immigration/customs quickly. The immigration officer was really nice and complimented me on my quillow (a quilt that folds up into a pillow). I told her that my mom packed it for me and we agreed that moms are very smart. After I got my passport stamped (for the first time!), I made my way through the airport to the Underground. Since I had a 12 hour with some of the other girls in my program we made plans to meet up in South Kensington at the Starbucks across from the station and near Allie’s parents’ flat. I honestly was very impressed with myself because I was able to buy my own ticket and navigate the Underground by myself (and some very helpful and straight-forward directions from Allie). Things hadn’t gone exactly as planned that morning… my flight was 30 minutes early and I couldn’t get on WhatsApp to text Allie like we had planned. Instead of panicking however I took a deep breath and stuck to the plan. Yes I got to the Starbucks 45 minutes earlier than expected but it gave me time to grab a chai latte and a water bottle and read a little of Steve Biko’s I Write What I Like (I finished Mandela in the car on the way to the airport – woohoo!). Allie and Sarah arrived a little after 11am and Jessi followed shortly. After quick introductions and a stop at the flat to drop off our bags, it was off to the Underground to explore the city! Sarah had made a bucket list of things to see and I’m proud to say that in a little over five hours we saw every site on her list, aka every tourist site in London. My personal favorite was platform 9 and ¾ at King’s Cross (be jealous, Lizzy). The two guys working at the platform were hilarious and kept making fun of us because we were American.  Also funny coincidence – the guy in line behind us is from Cape Town!!! We told him we were on our way there to study abroad for the next 15 weeks and he told us some places to check out. On our way to a pub later in the day for some drinks before our flight we also ran into a girl studying abroad in London whose from North Carolina like Sarah and Jessi (J was wearing a North Carolina sweatshirt). It’s a small world, isn’t it?

the South African Consulate in London!

The Globe!

After a long day of walking, we finally headed back to Heathrow via the lift. The 45 minute ride was miserable. Our car was packed full of people so we were literally all on top of one another. To make matters worse I was stuck next to a 30+ year old couple who were making out to ENRIQUE INGLESIA’S “HERO”. I am not making this up, Pontigny 226 suities. It was horrible. I fell both in and out of love with the London Underground in one day. The flight to Johannesburg was a little rough, too. I got stuck in a middle seat with two people on either end so I was only able to get up once to go to the bathroom and stretch my legs on the 11 hour plane ride. On the plus side though, Pitch Perfect was on the movie channel and I was able to sleep the rest of the plane ride after dinner. Ya win some, ya lose some.

Coming soon… orientation in Johannesburg!