Hey All!
I was supposed to write this a long time back but couldn't find time to do it while getting settled here. Yes! I am here! In UK! Finally! *Does a hoola hoop dance*
It's really hard for me to believe that I am here. Everyday that I walk to my Uni with my hands snug in pockets and my face down against the wind, I am amazed at how fast time went and brought me here. One month ago I was stressing about my exams by totally not thinking about it and now here I am writing about UK!
You know how when you are a kid and you want a toy and you keep asking your parents for it, like you beg and plead and grovel. And finally, one day your parents get you that toy. And you don't know what to do with it. You stare at it for a long time. Hold it in your hands and marvel at it. And you still don't know what to do with it. It's an almost similar scene here with me. I have been looking forward to my stay here with dread and excitement at the same time. Now that I am here, I don't know what to feel. There's an information overload happening.
Anyway, I'll spare you from my rants about what I feel. Let me rewind a few days and tell you about my days leading upto the trip.
I checked out of my tiny room in Pangkor Hall in the Malaysia campus 3 days before my flight. No, I didn't take to the streets. I stayed over at my friend Asiya's place. For three days I was pampered by my hostess and her friends as I packed, repacked and threw away the stuff I had to take. Packing was the toughest part. There;s just 30 kgs check in luggage allowed and in that limit I am supposed to carry stuff for 6 months there. How am I expected to do that?! Plus it's UK. And it's cold. I HAVE to carry as many clothes as possible!
My final packing got over a few hours before my flight and ended with me fighting with the zipper of my pregnant bag and Asiya sitting on it to make it a little less fat. My final luggage carried some warm cloths and survival food from my darling Zakira.
My flight was at 7.30 in the evening and I got a panic attack around 3. I seriously started freaking out. Thanks to my friends Uzma and Bushra and their threats to slap me I was brought back to reality.
At 4 I bade farewell to a bunch of girls who I had grown attached to over the last month. Most of them are final years and I won't be seeing them once I get back to Malaysia. Saddens me but I am happy for them that they are entering another exciting phase of life.
I flew with Emirates and had a stopover at Dubai for 4 hours. Both KL to Dubai and Dubai to Heathrow were 7 hours long flights. 14 hours. I would have gone crazy had it not been for my travel and mobility partner Farah.
We reached without much hassle and even cleared the immigrations without a random security check, And once we reached there our waiting began. For the airport pick up from Uni. And along with us waited another 300 students. We waited for so long that for a moment I imagine myself staying in the aiport till my return date. Okay, I am exaggerating but I seriously thought we might not reach the accommodation on the same day.
Finally the pick up did come and we ran to the bus and settled in as fast as possible so that we can start. But no they HAD to make us wait. And I was freezing here. My hands especially, used to being sweaty in Malaysia, were going numb. I finally had to pull out a pair of thick socks from my bag and had to use it as gloves.
The drive to Nottingham must have been wonderful but I wouldn't know as I was sleeping.
After two hours we got down at my residence for the next 6 months. It's a student housing colony and is really pretty with red brick appartments. Very..umm...English, I say!
After dumping our bags we rushed out to Tesco to buy some survival snacks for the night. It was just 4.30 when we got out and it seemed like it was already night! Shops were shutting down! Like seriously? 4.30 pm?
Anyway, we managed to get some stuff before the tesco closed. That night I slept on Chocolate digestive biscuits.
Hmm..this is turning out to be a long post...So an account of my first few days in UK will follow in another post.
Till then, Cheers, Love.
Okay that doesn't sound right.
Ta Ta!
I was supposed to write this a long time back but couldn't find time to do it while getting settled here. Yes! I am here! In UK! Finally! *Does a hoola hoop dance*
It's really hard for me to believe that I am here. Everyday that I walk to my Uni with my hands snug in pockets and my face down against the wind, I am amazed at how fast time went and brought me here. One month ago I was stressing about my exams by totally not thinking about it and now here I am writing about UK!
You know how when you are a kid and you want a toy and you keep asking your parents for it, like you beg and plead and grovel. And finally, one day your parents get you that toy. And you don't know what to do with it. You stare at it for a long time. Hold it in your hands and marvel at it. And you still don't know what to do with it. It's an almost similar scene here with me. I have been looking forward to my stay here with dread and excitement at the same time. Now that I am here, I don't know what to feel. There's an information overload happening.
Anyway, I'll spare you from my rants about what I feel. Let me rewind a few days and tell you about my days leading upto the trip.
I checked out of my tiny room in Pangkor Hall in the Malaysia campus 3 days before my flight. No, I didn't take to the streets. I stayed over at my friend Asiya's place. For three days I was pampered by my hostess and her friends as I packed, repacked and threw away the stuff I had to take. Packing was the toughest part. There;s just 30 kgs check in luggage allowed and in that limit I am supposed to carry stuff for 6 months there. How am I expected to do that?! Plus it's UK. And it's cold. I HAVE to carry as many clothes as possible!
My final packing got over a few hours before my flight and ended with me fighting with the zipper of my pregnant bag and Asiya sitting on it to make it a little less fat. My final luggage carried some warm cloths and survival food from my darling Zakira.
My flight was at 7.30 in the evening and I got a panic attack around 3. I seriously started freaking out. Thanks to my friends Uzma and Bushra and their threats to slap me I was brought back to reality.
At 4 I bade farewell to a bunch of girls who I had grown attached to over the last month. Most of them are final years and I won't be seeing them once I get back to Malaysia. Saddens me but I am happy for them that they are entering another exciting phase of life.
I flew with Emirates and had a stopover at Dubai for 4 hours. Both KL to Dubai and Dubai to Heathrow were 7 hours long flights. 14 hours. I would have gone crazy had it not been for my travel and mobility partner Farah.
We reached without much hassle and even cleared the immigrations without a random security check, And once we reached there our waiting began. For the airport pick up from Uni. And along with us waited another 300 students. We waited for so long that for a moment I imagine myself staying in the aiport till my return date. Okay, I am exaggerating but I seriously thought we might not reach the accommodation on the same day.
Finally the pick up did come and we ran to the bus and settled in as fast as possible so that we can start. But no they HAD to make us wait. And I was freezing here. My hands especially, used to being sweaty in Malaysia, were going numb. I finally had to pull out a pair of thick socks from my bag and had to use it as gloves.
The drive to Nottingham must have been wonderful but I wouldn't know as I was sleeping.
After two hours we got down at my residence for the next 6 months. It's a student housing colony and is really pretty with red brick appartments. Very..umm...English, I say!
After dumping our bags we rushed out to Tesco to buy some survival snacks for the night. It was just 4.30 when we got out and it seemed like it was already night! Shops were shutting down! Like seriously? 4.30 pm?
Anyway, we managed to get some stuff before the tesco closed. That night I slept on Chocolate digestive biscuits.
Hmm..this is turning out to be a long post...So an account of my first few days in UK will follow in another post.
Till then, Cheers, Love.
Okay that doesn't sound right.
Ta Ta!
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