Roughin' It
01/06/2012
Hmm...noted.
I am now back in Canterbury! Spending those two weeks at home was much needed but I am actually kind of glad to be back in England and I can’t wait until everyone else arrives next weekend, just in time for term to start!
On Tuesday, I left from Dayton to Chicago and arrived in London Wednesday morning. I actually got to sleep on the plane this time which was a great surprise since I normally don’t sleep well at all when it comes to flying (and I didn’t even have to down any scotch!). But the main purpose of this blog is to describe to you my pitiful reunion with the English city I love so much (I’m assuming you remembered my first arrival and how fairytale it was from my first blog). From Heathrow I took two buses to get back to Canterbury and then had to take one more bus to actually make it back to my house and once I got there (with only 10 pounds in my bank account and 40 pounds in my pocket), no one was home and there was no heat. Now it is nowhere near as cold here as it is in Ohio, but at night it still gets pretty chilly especially with the hurricane-like winds that tend to rage after dark. So I was unpacking my bags in my winter coat, trying to get my Internet to work (we don’t get WiFi here and instead have to set up an Internet connection through a cable that has to be configured with your computer, and it is so painfully frustrating, let me tell you, especially since mine never sets up properly, or easily) and realizing that I got rid of all my food before I left for break. Therefore, to break it down for you, I had no heat, no money, no form of communication (besides my English phone which had barely enough money on it to text anyone), no one to help me and no food. Now one of my New Year’s resolutions is to not get so stressed out. Background on Kelsey-I am a perfectionist and a control freak, two of the most annoying qualities a person can have, which leads me to overly stress about everything (PS-I too am a drama queen and tend to transform all of my stress into a sort of Shakespearean tragedy…I, myself, consider it a talent). My friends can tell you (hopefully behind my back, at least ;) ) that I’m really picky about everything, expecting perfection, and when it comes to finals I never leave my room, I instead obsess about everything and stress myself out even more. So in this New Year I’ve decided that I’m not going to sweat the small stuff. I’ll instead go by the motto my Dad has continued to spout to me my whole life: “It’ll all work out.” With this in mind, I finished unpacking, put on some sweats, my winter coat (hood up) and UGG boots, popped the new Beyonce DVD into my computer and ate a Clif bar and some gummy bears I brought in my suitcase and shivered, curled up in a ball at my desk. I then layered every sheet and blanket I had onto my bed and slept like a baby! I woke up the next morning and finally got my Internet to work, in which I then proceeded to email anyone and everyone who would listen to me about my heating problem. In the end, I got my heat fixed, I got groceries (and was quite the bargain hunter, I’ll say), my Internet is working, my financial aid is being transferred to my English bank account and my housemate Damien is here with me! It really did all work out.
Even though I felt like Romeo had just died and wanted to throw myself on the floor with an overly dramatic whine when I arrived a couple of days ago, I was seriously fine and didn’t really stress. Weird, right? I instead made the most out of my situation by 1) eating gummy bears and watching Beyonce- my two favorite things and 2) telling myself that everything will work out and be fine. Me saying this may come as a shock to you, I mean, I’m shocked at myself for not crying and pouting at my sort of Into the Wild moment (which I totally saw myself as an American nomad that night, just with superb shelter HA!), but by coming here, without anyone, I am beginning to realize that I can do things on my own just fine; that things don’t always have to be as perfect and picturesque as I envisioned and that, like my Dad always says, “It’ll all work out.” 'Til next time-
Kels
How I was envisioning my semi-Into the Wild moment...*Another movie reference. Watch it!
