My first week in London has been a whirlwind. I think I’ve experienced every emotion possible. I was definitely overwhelmed when I first arrived here; the taxi ride from the airport was an experience in itself (driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road and all!) I was fortunate enough to run into one of the other teachers from UVic who is living in the same building as me when I first arrived. That whole first day is a bit of a blur, but I can say that I was so happy to have found a familiar face amongst all the newness here. In general, I think I’m most thankful for the other Canadian teachers I’ve met here so far. It really is nice to find out that we’re all going through the same ups and downs with the big transition to London life.
Now I know this all makes it sound like my experience so far has been just a big overwhelming mess. Don’t get me wrong, life in London is great! There is so much to see and do here, I think I will be busy exploring forever! So far I’ve seen Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Hyde Park, Tower Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, been on the London Eye, and taken a day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. And there’s still a ton to see!
This week is the midterm break for the schools in London, so I haven’t started working yet. It has been nice to have this time to explore and settle into my flat. I am excited to get into the classroom, and I have three days of work lined up already for next week.
Speaking of my flat, I’m definitely making myself feel more at home here. I’ve finally got all my stuff unpacked and I’ve bought bedding and put up pictures. The room itself is a lot larger than I expected, with a bed, two chairs, a desk, two built in dressers and wardrobes, a sink, two cupboards, and room to spare. Sharing washrooms and showers hasn’t proven to be much of an inconvenience as I don’t often see anyone else on my floor. They claim that this building is always close to or at capacity, but you wouldn’t guess it by walking around. The only constant sign of life around my room is the renovation of the kitchen across the hall which starts noisily around 8am every weekday.
Now I know this all makes it sound like my experience so far has been just a big overwhelming mess. Don’t get me wrong, life in London is great! There is so much to see and do here, I think I will be busy exploring forever! So far I’ve seen Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Hyde Park, Tower Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, been on the London Eye, and taken a day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. And there’s still a ton to see!
This week is the midterm break for the schools in London, so I haven’t started working yet. It has been nice to have this time to explore and settle into my flat. I am excited to get into the classroom, and I have three days of work lined up already for next week.
Speaking of my flat, I’m definitely making myself feel more at home here. I’ve finally got all my stuff unpacked and I’ve bought bedding and put up pictures. The room itself is a lot larger than I expected, with a bed, two chairs, a desk, two built in dressers and wardrobes, a sink, two cupboards, and room to spare. Sharing washrooms and showers hasn’t proven to be much of an inconvenience as I don’t often see anyone else on my floor. They claim that this building is always close to or at capacity, but you wouldn’t guess it by walking around. The only constant sign of life around my room is the renovation of the kitchen across the hall which starts noisily around 8am every weekday.
Here are some pictures of my flat. Enjoy!
At this point I am really starting to enjoy my time in London, and I’m hoping that continues as I start teaching next week!
