As you may or may not have read earlier in the week, I felt an immediate urge to pack up and go home. I was dealing with a strange medical emergency alongside extreme tinges of homesickness and I almost felt as if there was no other viable option for me. As I laid awake for three nights in a row, downing pain medication and sobbing uncontrollably all while pitying myself and practically thinking of any way I could book he next flight I seemed to forget about where I am, about what I am doing, and about how this experience is going to change my life-for the better. I forgot how much is invested in this trip and my need to see it through is crucial. I realized while speaking with my coordinator about my fear that I would not be able to continue that I sounded absurd. "I know that I'm living alone in one of the greatest cities in the world but I really think I need to go back to little ol' Tionesta. There are just so many more opportunities for me there." Okay, so I obviously didn't use those exact words, but I might as well have. Am I nuts to even think about leaving? The answer is absolutely. You know what, no, I have never traveled outside of the United States and no, I am not overwhelmingly independent. When I'm at college I call my grandparents at least four times a day. But I am not a quitter and I am not a coward. I choose to do this not only to gain independence, not only to challenge myself academically, and not only gain experience but also to prove to myself and everyone else that I can and will do whatever I put my mind to. So what would that say about me if after two weeks I left? That would be a disgrace.
Last night I had the first good night's sleep I've had (thanks to some splendid white zinfandel) for over a week and it gave me the clarity I needed. Yes, my face is still swollen and yes, I still look like a fool but the pain has almost completely subsided. My judgement was no longer clouded and I could finally take into account what the people I love most had said to me when I let them in on my doubts. My family and my friends told me that they support whatever decision I were to choose but they know that I can endure this. But endure is such a gaudy word. You don't "endure" living in London. You enjoy it and that's what I'm going to enjoy every minute I get here because I don't get long. When it's all said and done, I'm sure I'll look back and wish that I had more time. More time to become closer to the wonderful people I have already begun to meet, to explore the places that I only ever thought I could explore in a dream. I am living a dream. Most people only wish to have an experience like this and it is such a shame that I even thought about letting it slip through the cracks.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
It's all fun and games...
...until you develop an infection in your facial causing massive swelling and immense pain.
On Saturday a group of us visited Windsor Castle, one of Queen Elizabeth's homes. It was a completely breathtaking experience to walk through the areas where many kings and queens once inhabited. I was able to visit King Henry VIII's grave which is something I have dreamed about doing for many years. On the trip home from Windsor I started to have what appeared to be a terrible headache, I took some medicine and it went away. Throughout the rest of the night the headache became much worse and seemed to have developed into a toothache in the front of my mouth. The pain was so awful that I could not sleep or eat at all. After doing much research on Sunday evening I decided that the cause could very possibly have been my recent nose piercing which had grown to become infected, as I noticed due to a red inflamed area near the puncture hole. The pain was still growing worse and I continued to self-medicate with over the counter pain relievers although I grew weary of that method as I had noticed that I had taken quite a few in a short period of time. On Monday morning, my first day of classes, I awoke with severe swelling covering the entire right side of my face. Scared and still in pain, I visited the Doctor's office causing me to miss my very first class abroad and if you know me, I am not one to miss class for any reason. The doctor concluded it a facial infection and prescribed me the highest dosage of antibiotics in hopes to cure it. As it is now Tuesday afternoon, I have taken four of the twenty-one prescribed antibiotics with no sign of relief. My face is still as swollen as it was yesterday although very thankfully the pain has subsided for the most part.
This is easily one of the most terrifying experiences I have even undergone as not only have I never had something like this occur, but I am also alone in a foreign country when I am in dire need of my family and friends. I am sure once the infection clears up (hopefully sooner rather than later) I will go back to being cheerful and excited for the opportunity I have been blessed with but for now the "honeymoon phase" is over.
For anyone curious I did remove my nose piercing and rest assured, I will never ever get my nose pierced again.
-Tricia
On Saturday a group of us visited Windsor Castle, one of Queen Elizabeth's homes. It was a completely breathtaking experience to walk through the areas where many kings and queens once inhabited. I was able to visit King Henry VIII's grave which is something I have dreamed about doing for many years. On the trip home from Windsor I started to have what appeared to be a terrible headache, I took some medicine and it went away. Throughout the rest of the night the headache became much worse and seemed to have developed into a toothache in the front of my mouth. The pain was so awful that I could not sleep or eat at all. After doing much research on Sunday evening I decided that the cause could very possibly have been my recent nose piercing which had grown to become infected, as I noticed due to a red inflamed area near the puncture hole. The pain was still growing worse and I continued to self-medicate with over the counter pain relievers although I grew weary of that method as I had noticed that I had taken quite a few in a short period of time. On Monday morning, my first day of classes, I awoke with severe swelling covering the entire right side of my face. Scared and still in pain, I visited the Doctor's office causing me to miss my very first class abroad and if you know me, I am not one to miss class for any reason. The doctor concluded it a facial infection and prescribed me the highest dosage of antibiotics in hopes to cure it. As it is now Tuesday afternoon, I have taken four of the twenty-one prescribed antibiotics with no sign of relief. My face is still as swollen as it was yesterday although very thankfully the pain has subsided for the most part.
This is easily one of the most terrifying experiences I have even undergone as not only have I never had something like this occur, but I am also alone in a foreign country when I am in dire need of my family and friends. I am sure once the infection clears up (hopefully sooner rather than later) I will go back to being cheerful and excited for the opportunity I have been blessed with but for now the "honeymoon phase" is over.
For anyone curious I did remove my nose piercing and rest assured, I will never ever get my nose pierced again.
-Tricia
Friday, January 25, 2013
Only just one week.
I haven't blogged since my journey has begun because I have found myself in a whirlwind of vast culture and opportunity but I will try to catch you up on what has happened, how I have already been changed, and what I have been doing.
I somehow managed to navigate the Pittsburgh Airport as well as the JFK Airport by myself without much confusion. I felt quite proud. From JFK I went aboard British Airways and aside from the absolute beauty of New York City overhead at night, the flight here was treacherous. Although British Airways is quite a nice jet, I found myself miserable. The man next to me was wearing entirely too much cheap cologne and every time I fell asleep he somehow managed to elbow me in the ribs and wake me. Dinner was provided although it was like you would expect, cheap airplane food nuked only hot enough to suffice as not being cold. They did keep offering alcohol though and much to everyone's surprise I'm sure, I did not drink once while aboard the plane. Shocking, I know. When I landed I ran around Heathrow Airport like a chicken with my head cut off because the terminals are extremely confusing to navigate, especially as a foreigner. I met with others from the travel group that I partner with for my studying abroad. Most others had numerous suitcases and there I stood with just one. I was intimidated and felt highly under packed which is a usual feeling for me because I hate to leave any article of clothing I own behind.
We took vans to the hotel in the borough of Westminster in London, which became our home for the next three days. Here we did what was called a bridging cultures program. During these three days we toured various areas of London and ate quite exotic foods that I am not used to at all. We had Thai food, Lebanese food, and Indian food. If you know me at all, you would know that I normally wouldn't even get near these foods. Although I truly did despise them all, I'm happy that I gave them a chance. I want to break out of my comfort zone as much as I can while here. Our tours consisted of Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, the Saint Catherine Docks, a showing of the famous musical Billy Elliot, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace. Westminster Abbey was absolutely stunning. To stand where Prince William and Kate recently married and where many kings, queens, and others are buried was quite an experience. The Tower of London was as well. As I stood where Anne Boelyn was beheaded it finally set in that yes, I am in London, yes, I am reliving history, and yes, this is my new life. I am happy that my program gave us the experience of the bridging cultures program because it really did help to acclimate me to the new culture in which I now live as well as help me to make lifelong friends.
On Sunday the 20th of January I moved into my new home at my new school, Kingston University. I live in a building called Kingston Bridge House. The way that housing works here is like mini-apartments, which they call flats. I have my own bedroom and share a bathroom and a kitchen with my five flatmates which consist of two boys and four girls, including myself. They are some of the nicest people I have ever met and they immediately made me feel included which I couldn't be more thankful for. They are all younger than me as housing here is only guaranteed for first years because nearly 25,000 people attend Kingston. The rest of the people along my corridor are quite welcoming and lovely as well.
I have spent my past few days getting used to the area in which I now live. There is a shopping center within five minutes from me which contains countless shops, places to eat, pubs, and grocery stores, and most excitingly King Henry VIII's home. This has already proved itself to be tempting because my main love in life is shopping. The campus is ten-fifteen minute walk from my building which is nice because some others, like my American friend Sarah, need to take a bus in order to get to campus. I also have attended many international orientations intended to get us all used to the culture change and the new teaching styles. The Uni (University) here is much different from Westminster. Not only are there much more students but they sell alcohol right in the student union building, obviously very unlike Westminster because the campus and town are both technically alcohol free. I have found that drinking socially is part of the culture here. I know that it probably concerns my family to hear about me drinking while I'm here but it is not the same culture as in America. One of our orientations was held at a pub where we drank with our professors. Sometimes I enjoy it being this way and other times I fear that I will become distracted by it.
I am also finding that people judge me immediately based on me being American and either love me or hate me strictly for that, no in between. I have had people move away from me on The Tube (Subway) because of my accent and I have had people in a pub do a cheeky (sarcastic) attempt to speak and sound American in an attempt to offend me. Because of this I have found a sense of patriotism that I had not had while in America. Although there is much I do not agree about and am finding many different things here that I think would be beneficially for America to adopt, I do love my country and I will defend it to those who do not understand past our stereotypes.
I am definitely becoming cultured here already and I cannot wait to share my future experiences with you all!
With love from London-
Tricia
I somehow managed to navigate the Pittsburgh Airport as well as the JFK Airport by myself without much confusion. I felt quite proud. From JFK I went aboard British Airways and aside from the absolute beauty of New York City overhead at night, the flight here was treacherous. Although British Airways is quite a nice jet, I found myself miserable. The man next to me was wearing entirely too much cheap cologne and every time I fell asleep he somehow managed to elbow me in the ribs and wake me. Dinner was provided although it was like you would expect, cheap airplane food nuked only hot enough to suffice as not being cold. They did keep offering alcohol though and much to everyone's surprise I'm sure, I did not drink once while aboard the plane. Shocking, I know. When I landed I ran around Heathrow Airport like a chicken with my head cut off because the terminals are extremely confusing to navigate, especially as a foreigner. I met with others from the travel group that I partner with for my studying abroad. Most others had numerous suitcases and there I stood with just one. I was intimidated and felt highly under packed which is a usual feeling for me because I hate to leave any article of clothing I own behind.
We took vans to the hotel in the borough of Westminster in London, which became our home for the next three days. Here we did what was called a bridging cultures program. During these three days we toured various areas of London and ate quite exotic foods that I am not used to at all. We had Thai food, Lebanese food, and Indian food. If you know me at all, you would know that I normally wouldn't even get near these foods. Although I truly did despise them all, I'm happy that I gave them a chance. I want to break out of my comfort zone as much as I can while here. Our tours consisted of Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, the Saint Catherine Docks, a showing of the famous musical Billy Elliot, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace. Westminster Abbey was absolutely stunning. To stand where Prince William and Kate recently married and where many kings, queens, and others are buried was quite an experience. The Tower of London was as well. As I stood where Anne Boelyn was beheaded it finally set in that yes, I am in London, yes, I am reliving history, and yes, this is my new life. I am happy that my program gave us the experience of the bridging cultures program because it really did help to acclimate me to the new culture in which I now live as well as help me to make lifelong friends.
On Sunday the 20th of January I moved into my new home at my new school, Kingston University. I live in a building called Kingston Bridge House. The way that housing works here is like mini-apartments, which they call flats. I have my own bedroom and share a bathroom and a kitchen with my five flatmates which consist of two boys and four girls, including myself. They are some of the nicest people I have ever met and they immediately made me feel included which I couldn't be more thankful for. They are all younger than me as housing here is only guaranteed for first years because nearly 25,000 people attend Kingston. The rest of the people along my corridor are quite welcoming and lovely as well.
I have spent my past few days getting used to the area in which I now live. There is a shopping center within five minutes from me which contains countless shops, places to eat, pubs, and grocery stores, and most excitingly King Henry VIII's home. This has already proved itself to be tempting because my main love in life is shopping. The campus is ten-fifteen minute walk from my building which is nice because some others, like my American friend Sarah, need to take a bus in order to get to campus. I also have attended many international orientations intended to get us all used to the culture change and the new teaching styles. The Uni (University) here is much different from Westminster. Not only are there much more students but they sell alcohol right in the student union building, obviously very unlike Westminster because the campus and town are both technically alcohol free. I have found that drinking socially is part of the culture here. I know that it probably concerns my family to hear about me drinking while I'm here but it is not the same culture as in America. One of our orientations was held at a pub where we drank with our professors. Sometimes I enjoy it being this way and other times I fear that I will become distracted by it.
I am also finding that people judge me immediately based on me being American and either love me or hate me strictly for that, no in between. I have had people move away from me on The Tube (Subway) because of my accent and I have had people in a pub do a cheeky (sarcastic) attempt to speak and sound American in an attempt to offend me. Because of this I have found a sense of patriotism that I had not had while in America. Although there is much I do not agree about and am finding many different things here that I think would be beneficially for America to adopt, I do love my country and I will defend it to those who do not understand past our stereotypes.
I am definitely becoming cultured here already and I cannot wait to share my future experiences with you all!
With love from London-
Tricia
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
From being months away and nothing but a glimmer in my mind the trip of a lifetime is just a day away. I will be stuffing my suitcase (undoubtedly with mostly shoes) to the brim and moving across the pond. From a small town of less than 500 people and from a graduating class of 27 most people that I grew up with or around would never have the chance to do something so great which helps to make this experience that much more special for me. I will be studying at Kingston University in Great Britain which is only 25 miles south of London for nearly 6 months. I can hardly believe it. I am the type of person that calls my grandparents about four times a day even though Westminster is just over an hour away and I get homesick after a few weeks without seeing them but I am about to move thousands of miles away for half a year? Hardly sounds like something I’ll be able to adjust to. But I will. I cannot limit myself to this town, this state, and even this country because of fear. Do I fear change? Yes, I most certainly do and from what I have read about living abroad for a substantial amount of time, I will not be the same after this experience but I must accept that it will only make me a better person. I invite you to come with me on my journey not only in travel but in personal growth as well. For now I must prepare myself, London calls.
Cheerio!
Cheerio!
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