When I got to, hm I dunno what this place is even called, Mile end? A kind man helped me carrying my bags up the stairs. That was nice of him. I attempted to find my way to where I could pick up my key which was needlessly confusing and hard because I decided not to ask anyone for help. For some reason it is embarassing to talk to people and have them hear my American accent...strange. Anywho some other kind man saw me looking lost and asked if i was looking for something to which I said "yes I am looking for the France house" pronounced with a hard A. He looked at me and said "oh the France house" (pronounced with an ahhhh sound...embarrasing for me) He gave me directions and i went on my merry way. Seriously my bags were so heavy and I had been lugging them up and down and back around town at this point.
Welp on my way there I passed that guy who had helped me with my bags I laughed and he laughed and I said thanks again! How heartwarming. Found the place, got my key was led by a girl to my place and let me tell you I was making horrific faces behind her because guys this campus is the UGLIEST campus I have ever seen. Maybe it's just the time of year, but it looks like the ugly courtyard of corporate building and there is construction everywhere. Seriously abysmal. And the area around my dorm building smells like ketchup. I hate the smell of ketchup...But it's okay. I am just so not used to the city, like really I don't think I'm city girl and I question my decision to go to London but whatever. I guess this might be good for me or something idk.
I went to ikea to get stuff for my room becuase I had nothing and I was SOOO tired. Absurdly tired. I totally crashed out in Ikea, like I was losing my mind in there. It was so confusing and I made all the wrong decisions and I was holding back tears the entire time. So now I have to go BACK to ikea and exchange almost everything I bought. Too heavy of a duvet, too thin of a pillow, too ugly of a duvet cover. Seriously I don't know what I was thinking when I bought the craziest most maximalist duvet cover known to man. I totally sobbed about it when I got home. Luckily Ikea does exchanges for already opened stuff. Thank you Ikea!
Picture of insane duvet cover I got while sleep deprived. And it totally clashes with the insane paisley fitted sheet i got. Who knows why we do the things we do.
Anywho, turns out it is very hard to be on your own in an unfamiliar place. I got my stuff, got an Ikea hot dog which was good but very very different than American ones. It was like kinda pale and really sweet. Maybe that's just the Ikea dog though. I haven't had one since Kuwait so I wouldn't know.
Waiting for the bus I cried a bit then I took the bus and tube back to my dorm. Walked the wrong way again. I saw some cool people when I was walking back though. I hope they go to school here. I got back to my room and put my bed together and cried becuase I got the wrong pillow and I had a total meltdown over the outlets because WHY ARE THEY DIFFERENT LIKE EVEN THE OUTLETS NOTHING IS THE SAME this was extremely upsetting to me and made me hopelessly homesick. So I went right to sleep at 8pm.
I had many strange and some pleasant dreams. It was a fitful sleep at some point I had to take off my new duvet cover because it was too scratchy unwashed. I woke up at like 5am, brushed my teeth and washed my face. Went right back to bed. I woke up many different times and at 1:30pm I finally sat up and probably cried I don't remember. I ate half a bag of chex mix and sour gummy worms because I was super weak and shakey. The only thing I had eaten in like 12 hours was that small Ikea hot dog. Then I thought about this orientation thing at 3:30 and I decided to go back to sleep forever. My year of rest and relaxation style . So I slept until about 10 pm.
mmhmm very pitiful I know but you have to understand I was like sooooo alone and sad and totally out of it and catastrophizing. Jet lag will getcha and also being in another country!!!! Also I'm pretty sure my period is coming so there's that. Time to become a city girl and like make some friends...