'Home Sweet Home'

The beautiful view on the way into London

After about 20 long hours of traveling I can officially I have crossed the pond! I had a total of 3 flights yesterday to get here, leaving from Kalamazoo, to Chicago, to Tampa, and then to Gatwick here in England. I arrived at Gatwick at about 9am (which is really our 3am) and was greeted by a very welcoming Kingston student who helped me get a taxi to take me to the school. At the same time as I was leaving the airport, another Kingston student arrived from Holland! We shared a taxi to get to the school and got some good tips and suggestions from the driver.

As we were driving I couldn't help but feel as if I were in a dream because everything seemed so backwards! We were driving on the left side of the road, and the drivers seat was on the right side of the car! Once I got used to the different driving rules, I began to notice how beautiful everything was! We drove through a lot of small towns and even some country side. All rooftops and trees were covered with a couple inches of sparkling snow.

As we passed houses I became more and more anxious to finally meet my host family! We arrived at Kingston University where we were able to call home, and register and receive other information about the school and the surrounding area. We were given lots of good information and we were even transported to our accommodation for free. As I was heading to my accommodation I felt very nervous. I arrived to a beautiful home with a little black iron gate. As soon as I opened the gate my host family was there to meet me at the door. They were very welcoming, showed me around the house, and even took me for a drive around the surrounding areas!

Some chocolate I found in my bag as I was unpacking.
He knows me too well!

I unpacked my things and went to bed very early that night, and slept in late this morning, and I was so happy to wake up and not feel like a zombie anymore! The jet lag did not get to me too badly, but the time difference is still throwing me off a little bit. This morning I ventured out on my first walk around town and stopped at a local market for some groceries! All in all it was a very successful trip.

Tomorrow I have an orientation at the school and then a welcoming event. I am very excited to get my class schedule and meet more study abroad students!