7:50 am in London
As I hopped out the of the car to grab my luggage and hug/kiss my mom goodbye for the next 3 months, I cried! I had been so consumed with getting ready for my adventure it hadn't hit me that I was literally leaving everything and everyone I knew!
It wasn't until I was on that plane sending my farewell texts that the adrenalin and excitement of the 13 hour flight hit me. I took a small plane to Charlotte, NC where I transferred to the international plane and boy, it was HUGE. I had never been on a plane this big in my life. I got to watch all the free movies I wanted, and the in-flight meal was surprisingly quite tasty . . . or maybe I was just really hungry lol.
I arrived in London at 7:50am and man, it was a long day! I was too excited to slow down at all. My first day in London consisted of a lit Carnival celebration! I walked the parade so much and on top of running through the airport to catch my connecting flight, I was exhausted! My calves/feet literally seized up on me in ways I had never experienced. Charley Horse my ass, this was DEEP! I had to do a mind over matter talk with myself cus I could barely walk back home lol.
Notting Hill Carnival
The next night my roommate took me to my first Lebanese restaurant! She is Moroccan and lives in Italy so she knows how to speak Arabic, English, Italian and some French! She took me to my first Arabic club and let me tell you that was an experience! We had V.I.P everything because it just so happens the guy who invited us out was a Prince! Although I couldn't understand a thing that was happening in there, the vibes were great (though the dancing was questionable) and I enjoyed myself! I got to meet so many people from so many different places and gain new perspectives on things.
New Words/Phrases I've Learned:
Top Up - update balance or add to
Rubbish - Trash (I heard this but never knew it was the official term for trash in England lol)
The Lift - The Elevator
The Liu also referred to as Toilets - the Restrooms/bathrooms
Brilliant - Awesome! Amazing! Splendid!
Pudding - Desserts of all kinds! Every restaurant has a "pudding" menu lol
And don't even get me started on crossing the street. Thank God I was with my roommate who reminded me to look RIGHT when crossing. My stomach still drops when I see cars turning and it looks like everyone is turning into each other - but they know what they're doing! Glad I don't have to worry about the rules of the road while here. The London public transportation is amazing! Probably my favorite of any city I've been to. The buses and the Tubes/Underground (equivalent to an N.Y. subway but better in my opinion) are so clean and timely! And with majority of the buses being double deckers it's so rare to not have enough space.
After getting off the bus and walking one night let me tell you how scared I was the first time I saw a fox cross my path! Yes a FOX! I naturally went all scary “black girl” on my roommate, not knowing what kind of creature I had just seen! I thought those were dangerous but apparently they roam the streets of London. I say they're the squirrels of London lol. Makes sense now why in the Elizabethan era of fashion, Queen Elizabeth said the realm of the people who were not of the elite class were allowed to wear fox fur trim. It's just a regular street roaming animal!
I'm sure you're interested to know more about my purpose for being here and all about the fashion! Check back Monday and I'll give the scoop on the London College of Style and the differences between London Street Fashion and American Street Fashion!
