Its Giving…London

I have lived so many different lives since I left home and arrived to London. It was my first time ever flying, with separate flights and internationally by myself. It was a complicated process (to say the least). Then when I finally arrived in London, it turned out I landed in the wrong airport. Instead of landing at Heathrow where everyone else landed, I landed at the Gatwick Airport. The only reason I even figured it out, was because Louis arrived a few hours after I did. Which shout out to him! Anyway, I didn’t know what to do. How did I not realize this before? I had to stop myself from FREAKING out, and quickly calmed myself. I quickly googled the best way to get to Heathrow and found a bunch of bus sites. I looked at a bus coming in 30 mins and without thinking too much, I booked it. I was so nervous paying for the ticket online, I didn’t know how any of it worked (or if it was gonna be a scammed). I zoomed out of the airport, looked for the bus station, and got lost pretty quickly. I had to (for the first time) ask some locals for help, and I am so glad I did. They guided me to the right area, I found the bus station, and the correct pick-up location. I was so thankful all the signs were in English because that was the only way I figured out my way through. Although this whole process was very stressful, the actual bus ride to Heathrow was calming, and a nice way to see more of the countryside. I sat in the very front of the bus and could see everything. I found the flow of traffic and their transit system to be so interesting. It worked so smoothly, even with the amount of traffic coming in and out. It was also very GREEN everywhere. Which I loved because while it was super cloudy outside, the green of the trees and hills made it so comforting.

Once I arrived at Heathrow, everything moved so fast. I had to navigate the tube AT the airport, and go through a bunch of different elevators to get to the right terminal. That was my first taste of what the actual tube in London felt like. But we made it to the right terminal and reunited with everyone!

The actual tube in London was SO CONFUSING at first. I was nervous I wasn’t going to ever understand how to navigate it, but after our late-night adventures, I think I’m getting it now. I enjoyed the rush of trying to get a seat, and making sure everyone had boarded the tube. I might sound crazy for that, but it was exciting to rush in and get a spot! It was so funny to me when I had to stand and hold on to the bar because it reminded me of using the UARK buses. This was also the closest experience I had to using public transport on a daily occasion. Expect the tube is a much more complicated system, and connects to a whole city.

I also happened to find the hard way that the tube closes at midnight, which led some of us to walk 20 mins back to the hotel. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining at all. That walk home was an unforgettable experience. Everywhere you go, London is so beautiful in its architecture. But when the streets were completely empty, with no one in sight, it was incredible. We were in our own little world, and anything was possible in that moment.