I left Daytona Beach, FL, on Tuesday, flew to Atlanta and had to sprint from concourse A to concourse E, which was oodles of fun thanks to the always helpful spirits of the folks at Delta who refused to wait for anyone, even if their previous flight was 30 minutes late due to flight maintenance issues. When I got off the plane, I went up to a lady with the Delta outfit on and asked it she could call ahead to tell them I was on my way. She looked at me with that bitchy look girls gave eachother in highschool and said she didn't have any way of doing that. I looked at her, smiled, and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, my bad, I thought you looked like a Delta represented that was here to help me. My mistake." Turn and sprint!I slept through the flight and woke up in London at around 7:30 the next morning. Getting through immigration took a while, but once I reached the train, a few guys from the States bought me a little bottle of champagne, which I proceeded to finish off as the clock struck 8:30 in the morning (you know its going to be a good day after that, no?). I manage to get from there to the hotel and walked around the city afterward. For dinner, I went to Yo! Sushi, which was alright, especially because I had a funny waiter that was at my beck and call. By the way, free wifi is non-existant here. Later that night, I was walking by a pub called Redan, and decided to pop in for a drink and the first pub experience since arriving in London. A nice older man started talking to me while I was thinking of what to get, and he insisted he buy me a drink as a local welcoming me to London. We sat with him and his friend and discussed the in's and out's of what to do and what not to do so as to not stand out as the American. I know my mother is going to read this and think I was crazy and foolish to take a strange man up on a drink in a strange place, but he spoke to me in a very fatherly tone and told me about his nephews that were a little younger than me, I watched the barman pour the drink and give it straight to me, and hell, it was free! And you know what? After that first day, I felt so capable, so independent. I'm really proud of myself, actually, I managed to stay safe, to have fun, and to feel confident in a strange place. I know, I shouldn't feel too comfortable too soon, and I still know that this city is not without its sketchy people and parts. I'm still quite pleased with myself :)
Its amazing how nice people are in London. I went to lunch after checking into the Study Centre and forgot my wallet in my room. I told the guy behind the counter and told him I could leave him my cell phone or something and he said, "It's called trust! Just come right back!" I, of course, ran back to my room and got money, and then went back and paid. I was just surprised by the act of kindness. I'm learning a lot about myself here. I'm a capable individual, moreso than I realized. I've never had great self confidence, but being here, having to mind myself in strange place, I feel like... I don't know, it just feels really good :)
No comments:
Post a Comment