Thursday, January 5, 2012

Flight to London

So... I arrived in London safe and sound! The flight went smoothly and was shorter than anticipated, which was nice. I traveled elite business class, which was awesome and my first time for an international flight! The seats were very comfortable (they could lie entirely flat to allow you to sleep like you would in a bed!) and the service was fantastic - I was seriously served countless food items. In the complimentary toiletry kit I even received socks, an eye mask, Korres lip balm and lotion, and travel toothbrush and toothpaste. I watched Crazy, Stupid, Love and "Top Chef: Just Desserts" while on the aircraft and slept for a few hours while listening to their music selection feature (they actually had one of my favorite Norah Jones collaboration albums, so I didn't even use my iPod on the flight). Here are some pictures of the meals we were served, amenities, and of the seating of the flight.

After first being seated, I was served warm mixed nuts and ginger ale
Toiletries bag! Very handy actually and Korres stuff was nice too
Appetizer. I didn't eat the first plate as I don't eat meat. The bread & bisque was nice!
Spinach and walnut salad w/ balsamic vinaigrette. LOVED this course!
Main course of fettucine with broccolini and hazelnuts
Dessert was a cup of black coffee and ice cream with chocolate sauce & nuts.
After I watched the movies/shows and after my rest, I tracked how far the plane was from London with a GPS-type system the flight has on the screens in front of each seat. This was really useful and handy, as you could tell what you were flying above at all times!

In the middle of the ocean approaching the UK!
For breakfast, we were served granola, fruit, yogurt and a choice of pastries/danishes.
I wasn't very hungry at breakfast and had a bit of granola w/ yogurt and pineapple.



Once I landed at the airport, we had to get to the correct terminal to meet up with representatives from the university and boarded a coach to campus. The ride was almost two hours due to traffic and everything but it was fun to scope out bits of central London. Saw many-a-Starbucks and double decker buses, in addition to random shops or restaurants named after American cities or that were "American-style," which was a bit funny but interesting to see. After I got moved into my flat, I met up with my friend's boyfriend who is also studying here with us as we waited for her to arrive on campus. He and I tried to find the coffeehouse that had free Wifi that the students on campus recommended. After bumbling around for a bit we found it and I was able to FINALLY message my friends and family and go on Twitter briefly. Unfortunately my Internet won't be set up until next week so I have to bum Wifi where I can or use someone else's login. Anyway, after getting my Internet fix, we stopped by a small marketplace that sells convenience items and even produce and frozen food. I picked up a Mars bar just for fun and took a few pictures of some interesting brands that were different from the American ones I'm used to back home in The States.
Generic brand of "American-Style" sodas
Looks like they might've been "inspired" by Lays potato chips, eh?
We don't have Mansize Kleenex in the USA to my knowledge! LOL
After browsing the surrounding area briefly, we came back to campus and I met two of my flatmates. They're both guys- one is from Ireland and the other is from just north of London. After dinner on campus of a rather interesting tasting quiche and chips, I came back to my flat and took a nap. I tried staying up as much as I could so as to get on schedule with the time difference but it was difficult and I caved in. After I awoke, I met my other flatmate who is a girl from Wales and her mum who was moving her back in for the semester. I chatted with my flatmates for a bit about the differences between the British and American education systems and universities and about music and places to eat and shop in London.

That's pretty much my trip so far - everything has been going very well so far! I only initially felt confused when I first got to campus and had to lug my luggage to my flat and figure out where my packages would be delivered, but aside from that I love London so far! Hope you're all well and thank you for reading my post here. I want to update this blog frequently so it will serve as a reminder of my time here once I move back home in June.

-Rita

10 comments:

  1. Lol@ the American Style Cola. Idk why people complain about Delta so much. You seemed pretty pleased. Yay, London!

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  2. We miss you already Re!
    I'm going to try to keep your mom busy while you're gone but we're so excited for your adventures and the knowledge and experiences we anticipate you bringing back with you. I'm personally interested in hearing about the fashions and how they differ from American clothing? What type of shoes are the girls wearing in London? Has the Lady GaGa phase caught on in London? Also, I can't wait to read about the ruins you've seen at the museums, the wild commercials that are so much more liberal than those in America and the sayings or colloquialisms they use there.
    I'm so proud of you Re!

    Have a joyful experience and I'll be reading your blog regularly!!

    Be safe,
    Love,
    Fredrica

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  3. @Torie- The cola was pretty funny to see haha. Has an American flag and everything too (how authentic!). My Delta flight was awesome; I thoroughly enjoyed it. Everything went smoothly and as planned thankfully. I'm loving it so far but am honestly very tired. It's rough with being 5 hours ahead. We had a meeting today at 9am which is like me getting up at 3am to be ready and fed to be there at 4am. Insane. Anyway, thanks for reading & commenting =))) When you make your blog email me the link.

    @Fredrica - Miss everyone too! I'm glad you're keeping up with my blog and keeping my mother busy haha. I think as far as fashions go, Londoners tend to be a bit more daring than typical Americans. Also a bit more punky/edgy from what I can tell. Of course, this doesn't apply to everyone but just as a general trend of comparison I'd say. I've only heard American music so far here as it's as popular here as it is at home. I don't have a TV/license for one so I might be missing out on the commercial advertisements! Have heard a bit more of slang but I was familiar with quite a bit before due to watching English YT'ers and online resources/media. Thanks again for reading!

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  4. Wow, you're already blogging!! Glad you made it safely and looking forward to reading more posts. It's like I'm living in London too along with you, so awesome! I'd like to see the fashion style there and hear more about the different types of cuisine. I've flown over England numerous times but need to stop one day and look around. Take care!!

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  5. Yum. That food does look good! And that GPS thing is really cool too. Glad you had a good flight and are situated! Post regularly. I like reading these :)

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  6. This is quite the adorable little voyage you had here. The food you had on the plane was ridiculously nice looking. I love the details and the sequence.

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  7. @ReginaO- Thanks for reading! I'm glad you're enjoying my posts so far. Once I've eaten out more I'll share my food experiences. Do come to England - it's really awesome so far!

    @Tylor- The food was solid! Thanks for reading Tylor, I you should blog your trips throughout Asia when you leave!

    @Ang- Thanks for reading Orangie! I want to try to be pretty thorough with my posts (which will probably dwindle as I'm here longer to be honest, but in the beginning at least!)

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  8. Hey, I'm french and follow your beauty channel for a long time (wich is actually a good way to learn english by having fun). Now I'm going to follow this blog because I would like to have a shool experience abroad too (but in my case certainly in america for improve my level of english) and it's still interesting to see how it happen for other :) (even in a plane, because just the plane is a experience!). I'm really in a hurry to read you shortly!

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  9. @Charlotte- Thanks for being a follower of my blog and my channel! I'm glad it helps you sharpen your English skills. Hopefully you get to study abroad one day as well - it's awesome so far!

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  10. I am sooooooooooooo glad you are able to study abroad! Enjoy every minute of it! Fun in the Lon! Aloha Regina.

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