I’m approaching a week since I landed in London, and I’m afraid I’m already learning things about myself. It feels as though I’ve gotten a jump start on affirming all that I was told about living in another country. To punctuate this, I must begin with a warning: what people say is true: jet lag is real, and it is excruciating. My first few nights were plagued by action-packed, fun-filled shenanigans with my new friends, followed by what I can only describe as the worst sleeping experience of my young life. Tossing and turning on a twin mattress(?) in suffocating heat before squeaking out an insufficient 3-4 hour slumber, all to prepare for another demanding day of cultural integration activities. I’m still getting adjusted to walking everywhere, as well as the public transportation, but there’s a joy that comes with the frustration of not knowing whether or not your train is taking you to your desired location that is difficult to describe, but still so palpable. So far I can attest to my Underground statistics being: 3 flawless trips, 4 incorrect train changes, 1 completely wrong destination, and 1 train delay; numbers I will not continue to track, but I hope will steadily improve the longer I’m here.

It’s been a jam-packed week, so this first blog will not be as comprehensive as I’d initially hoped, but I will look to cover more of my endeavors in further journals. Here’s a quick run-down of some of the things I did but might not elaborate further on: I tried Gregg’s and Nando’s for the first time, took a 4-hour tour of London, watched ‘The Brutalist’ in IMAX, made my first ‘TikTok’ in years, went on a boat ride over The River Thames, shopped entirely too much, explored the history of The Black Panthers and Civil Rights in London, experienced ‘Notting Hill’ and ‘Paddington’, enjoyed Matcha at Blank Street, and slept both entirely too much and not nearly enough at the same time.

 Thanks for tuning in!

• Kaelen (1/31/25)