London (And more) Part 1

I realize that I haven't written in a little while, but I guess that's a good thing because I've been incredibly busy! I seriously don't know where the time goes. I swear that I wake up and next thing I know, it's time for bed. A lot has been happening in the past few weeks, so I have decided to break my London post into two parts to make it more manageable for myself. I'm also going to add in some details that have absolutely no relation to London. So bear with me. Here we go.

Kim and I in London near the Tower Bridge.

Last Thursday, I left for London directly after class. And I mean directly. I took the bus home, made a quick stop to pick up my travel bag, and just barely caught the bus in time to the airport with my juice box in hand. I arrived to the airport in plenty of time, but that was a good thing because some confusion ensued. I knew that I needed to get my visa checked, but I didn't know where. If there is one thing that I've learned about the Spanish people, it's the fact that they have a different sense of "lejos" (far). Many of the people who were directing me to the office where I needed to go were telling me that it was far away on the right. I guess by their standards it was, but I still think that they could have just easily pointed me to the office, which I thought was pretty close. So after taking several laps around the Alicante airport, I finally got my visa checked, and the trip continued as normal. However, I was still a little stressed about what would happen when I finally arrived in London. The airport was about an hour away from where I needed to be, so I was hoping to catch the right train to get to Kings Cross station (the same station that Harry Potter uses).

Anyway, talk about a mini-culture shock when I landed in London! Here I was, walking Spain pace-- which is quite a bit slower than even my normal pace-- and I was about to get trampled by the Brits! Seriously, they don't mess around. Everything is fast-paced. No one stands still. Somehow I managed to get on the right train, but everything happened so fast that I wasn't quite sure I'd done everything right. Thank goodness for no language barrier because I was able to confirm with those around me that I was headed in the right direction.

(Side note: I'm convinced that travelling is a combination of patience, humility, and luck. Often times, I feel like I'm just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to catch all of the planes, trains, and buses that I need with relative ease. When things seem more difficult, it's best to be patient with others and to ask. During this trip, there were times where I thought, "Oh, I can totally figure this out on my own." Well, long story short, I couldn't. I just needed to practice humility and to ask around. People are actually quite helpful. Especially when you are patient with them.)

So I made it to St. Pancras, which is right next to King's Cross station, and I had planned to meet Kimmy at a Starbucks near a McDonald's. (Funny, right?) Anyway, I found her! Best moment ever! After feeling eternally rushed, I finally had a minute to sit with one of my best friends and to enjoy a Grande Starbucks coffee. So tasty! I checked into my hostal with ease, and then I spent an enjoyable night with Kimmy and her friends exploring a few pubs in London. I even experienced the craziness known as the London Tube and the chaos that is the double-decker bus, which broke down on us a few times.

Big Ben!

The next day (Friday), Kim took me to many of the major sites in London: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, the Tower Bridge, etc. We had a great day, and we walked a ton! I loved the pace because we just took our time and didn't try to rush. I knew that I wasn't going to conquer London in this trip, but it was nice to see some of the major sites. We rode on the tube a lot, and of course, that provided us with some great people-watching as well. You just never know what you are going to see on public transportation. That night, we explored a few more bars/pubs. So much fun to be had! The only undesirable part- we met the most intense creeper. He was trying to convince us that he was from America, when in actuality he was probably from somewhere in Asia. He didn't talk much but his looks were long and uncomfortable. Oh well. We were safe, and it provided some great laughs later.

Now, I'm going to leave you in suspense here, but I promise that I'll write about the rest of my London trip soon! There's still a lot of adventure to be told. But now I want to fill you in on what's been happening in Alicante. I've had a great week! I'm feeling incredibly good about my Spanish skills, and I've been meeting lots of new Spanish-speaking friends. On Monday, I was sitting on a bench in the plaza near where I live when an old man and an old woman sat down next to me. We were both minding our own business. For a little while, at least. They saw that I was journalling in English, and so they asked me if I was a student. The rest is history. We talked for about an hour, and they were just so darn adorable. What jokesters! Apparently they are recent best friends since both of their spouses have passed away. They live with their kids, but they like to have company when they sit out in the Alicante sunshine. The lady was 89 and the man was 86, so their activity was pretty impressive to me. The man even gave me some Hershey's chocolate! They sit there frequently, so they invited me to join them again if I see them around. The caretaker of the woman has two daughters, who are also interested in practicing English and Spanish with me. So much conversation to be had, so little time.

So, as you can probably tell, I absolutely love Spain. I'm starting to feel at home here, and my language ability is reflecting my transformation. Sometimes it even freaks me out a little bit-- whoa, I can actually understand and respond (within limits) to what they are saying in a totally different language! I'm almost halfway through my time here, so I can only imagine what it will feel like at the end. Hopefully I won't become unbearably annoying as I compare everything back in the US to my time in Spain. Well that's all for now, but I'll be writing again soon. I'm going to Madrid this weekend, which will be a different taste of Spanish culture. Can't wait!