Category: Travel

There we were safely on a train, still not one hundred percent sure this was the one we needed. I had expected to be able to get wifi at the airport so that I could iMessage my mother who was dreading the day I stepped foot on an airplane. Between the rush of getting our luggage and finding our train I had little luck in connecting to the wifi.

I sat there staring out at Manchester through the window. It was a strange little city. Old buildings sat there in harsh juxtaposition with newer buildings. I was anxious to get to the school because I knew my mom was at home, not sleeping, waiting to hear that I was safe. Also, I was half expecting to ride the train to the end of its tracks and realize we were on the wrong one.

We did in fact make it to Lancaster. Once we got off the train we figured the best way to get to the school was to get a cab. The two girls who were sitting in front of us on the train got off at the same spot. Turns out we were all headed to the same place. We caught a big cab and piled on in with all of our luggage. Once we got to the school the driver said, “that’ll be ten quid.” I just looked around in fear. What was quid? I thought this country used pounds? One of our new friends handed him the money and we all got our things to go to registration. Once he drove off I asked them what a quid was. Turns out it is just slang, the way we would say 10 bucks in America instead of dollars.

We dragged our luggage across the campus to go register and get keys to our room. After we were all set with those pesky school logistics we all made our way to our flats– once again dragging our luggage across the campus. Luckily we were all in the same building just different parts of it. At this point we all went our separate ways to our temporary homes.

I dragged my luggage all the way up three floors to an empty flat. Apparently the international students are welcomed a week early to have time to settle in and adjust. This was great but a bit tricky. I had no one to ask when I couldn’t figure out how to make the shower hot. The first week I was there I was taking ice cold showers. Anyhow, there I was all alone and incredibly anxious. The school gave us these nifty packages of the “essentials” so I needed to make my bed and unpack and figure out the internet situation so I could skype my mother. I couldn’t figure out the school’s wifi and I did not get any kind of international plan so my phone was useless.

I skyped my poor mother who looked as if I had been traveling for a week before she heard from me. I showed her my tiny little piece of England that I would be calling home for the next three and a half months. The room was quite small which was fine but it was the bed that was the bane of my existence. It felt as if I was receiving a hand-me-down from a sumo wrestler who had spent their days just sleeping on this bed. The springs were so close to the surface I often thought they would poke through. You could not lay in this bed without rolling back into the middle. As I unpacked I grew anxious for all the things that were to come. I was excited and wanted to make the most of every second that I was there.

 

 

This September it will have been 4 years since my semester abroad. The experience completely changed my perspective and set me in motion. I felt awakened. Having the ability to study in another country for a semester is such a unique experience. I had an incredible schedule with classes only three times a week. Being there as a student with no working visa, any time not in class or doing homework was available for exploring.

I need an outlet for reminiscing on some of my most memorable days so here I am.

On Septemer 11, 2013 I stepped foot onto an airplane for the first time. I was headed for Lancaster, England. The journey would consist of one pitstop in Chicago before heading over the Atlantic Ocean, then landing in Manchester where I would have to take my first train ride (ever) to Lancaster. I was traveling with another student from my college and neither one of us were quite sure what to expect.

I remember the early morning we landed, Manchester was hidden by thick clouds and fog. We could not tell if we had just landed or if we were experiencing light turbulence. Once we deplaned we got our luggage and bought our train tickets. We hurried to catch our train and we were hesitant once we got there. We were not convinced we were at the right train and it was getting too close to departure time for comfort. We had to make a decision: were we getting on this train? I banged on the door to get a girl’s attention and she pressed a button to let us on. I looked back to see my traveling buddy had fallen on the platform and she was picking herself up to get on. I held the door for her and we looked around the train for signs we were headed for our destination.

We asked a pair of girls that looked to be about our age if this train was going to Lancaster and they said, “gosh I hope so. That’s where we are going, too.” Those two girls ended up not only being classmates at our university but some of the closest friends that we made while we were there.