Settling down in London

Both physically and mentally.

It's really nice that now I can say "am settled", since I didn't have a very good start here in this city.

One of the main reason is, I've chosen the wrong way to transport from the airport to my dorm - the subway. (I really should have chosen the coach.) London subway (or as how they call it here: the tube) is indeed convenient, but not when you have luggages in total exceeding 30 kgs. The tube is a very old system, which means it's not originally designed to be user-friendly as a whole, espeically for travellers with luggages changing between different lines for several times.

Anyways, after 2 hours of struggling, finally I successfully reached my dorm. The first sight of the place is really enjoyable... it's a little bit like the area I lived in Jordan - almost purely residential, peaceful, without skyscrapers or modern buildings. And I also like my room very much, which is a cozy place to live, perfect for studying.

(p.s. The picture is from my window. And after a weekend I just realized that the "black horse" is a bar, lol.)

However, the nice feelings don't sustain long since I caught a pretty bad cold the next day, and even now I still havn't got rid of the coughing completely. It was a little bit miserable situation to recall: knowing no one in the city, being sick on the bed, health insurance not yet registered, and without sources of cooked food. Well, it's not that bad situation (at least not the worst situation I've in), but what pushed me really down was the emotional weakness along with the sickness. I found myself extremely homesick, and even feeling like to give up (though definately not possible.)

What's hard for me to accept in the story is to find myself weaker than expected... though often to be said as gentle or sensitive, normally I know there's still a sort of persistent will inside. But not this time. However, I'm lucky there's no way to retreat this round, so the only solution will be: what doen't kill you, make you stronger.

Now sitting happily typing at my desk, I can say what's often told: it's just a process. However, it's indeed amazing 10 days. I thought the process would be much alike as what I've experienced in Jordan, but it proved that there's a lot of differeces between having AIESEC hosting and dealing everything alone in the city.

Now since we're around the city part...I guess the story about London just can't be ignored. =) Well, the biggest fast conclusion is: it's indeed international, while remaining the features of an European city. In the very beginning, I even couldn't get used to the fact that it's normal to be an Asian in this city, just like in my born town. No extra attention, no discrimination (maybe not felt yet =P), and there are just thousands of people with different colors of skin, eyes, and hair mixed up on the road.

Or just another small example: in a small grocery store next to my dorm, I can easily find Mexican Tortilla, Dates from Tunisia, ginger (normally used for Chinese cuisine), Indian Nam, plus a whole wall of alcohol (which provides extra shocking especially after Jordan. =P)

I believe there's much more to explore, after all, IT'S LONDON. As long as you're in the city, immediately you're just overwhelmed by history, history, and histoy, without knowing them in detail.

However, what makes me mostly satisfied now is that I can feel myself already establishing a good routine here. I know where to shop, how to get to my school, how much to wear to fit into the weather, and best of all - I can cook for myself. =P I've also started to study, with good steady progress (which is so hard while in Taiwan, well, my mom and I just love chatting with each other too much. =P)

Great thanks given to the people who helped me survive the settling period through the internet. Though mostly random chats, it would be really difficult to make it through without them.

My semester would start next week, and I guess it will become a totally different chapter of the story. Well, let's wait and see. =)