Welcoming Weekend

New place, new currency, new stores, new accent... Taking your first few breaths in another country, let alone another continent, can be disorienting. Follow along with the intrepid author as he begins his first week at Kingston University, and all of the uniquely British things along the way.

Flying over a small city in the Greater London area.

I made it! Over an 8 hour flight and a little touch-and-go immigration, I stepped my foot over the UK border and entered into London, England. 

Shortly after collecting luggage and going through customs, I was greeted by a collection of lime green shirted Kingston officials, all with smiling faces. I eagerly made my way to them, and shortly thereafter was carted away with my fellow Study Abroad students via cab to meet up at Seething Wells Hall of Residence in a little town called Surbiton.

Upon arrival, I noticed our class size to be much larger than expected: nearly 120! But nonetheless, a cheery receptionist greeted us new arrivals all the same (again, with a powerful British accent, which never gets old), and we were off to lunch.

 Wispa Gold, a sort of Twix bar. Walkers (Lays) potato crips, with Cheese & Onion being as common as BBQ or cheddar back in the States.

Once we had finished up lunch, we were allotted a few minutes to unpack and get acquainted to our flats, which like everything outside the United States, is very much smaller. There a number of "blocks, or buildings, at Seething Wells, and within each are six flats. Each flat consists of five individual rooms (with individual locks) and a shared kitchen. Each room has a study space, a bed, and its own bath and toilet. I would hesitate to call it a "room", as so much as a closet... See below for a brief tour of where I'm staying.

At the conclusion of our unpacking, we were led into the city of Surbiton to explore and to begin to understand the city. We were shown shops and buses, pubs and parks, and the most important, the trains and grocers. Every student pecked their way through the grocer, (the ohh so British sounding Sainsbury's) , discovering their favorite foods were no were to be found, cereal and peanut butter topping the list. I contented myself with eggs, bagels, and fruit.

What's more 'uniquely British' than the classic red, double decker?

To cap off the day, we all went to the The Duke pub to try a little local cuisine. A simple order of fish and chips satisfied me, with a tea for a drink. Being a pub, the waitress was taken aback by my ordering of tea, which was rather amusing.

Fish and chips (no 'katsup' to be found, only true malt vinegar), with a side of mashed peas and tea.

After the meal, we made our way back home, to catch up on sleep. 

***

For those unaware, England has really long days. On account of being so far north, they enjoy 4am sunrises, and 9pm sunsets, making for a really long, and productive day. 

As such, I was greeted by the warmth of the sun as I awoke extremely well rested the very next day at a somewhat ridiculous 5am. I got up and made my way through a typical morning routine, taking extra care not to suffocate in the small showers, and proceeded to the kitchen.

Tea, scrambled eggs and a bagel? Not too shabby for a last-minute trip to the grocers.

The meal, although simple, was more than enough to carry me through orientation, where we did a number of logistical things, but most importantly received our TravelCard. The TravelCard, the most important document any Londoner could possibly have, allows us free access to (almost) any bus, train, or Tube in the London or Greater London area.

What constitutes "London" and "Greater London"? During my trip into Kingston, I quickly discovered the answer to that from our tour guide. London can refer to any of the cities or burroughs of London, but it typically is used to describe the city, which is encompassed by a large circle comprised of roads. Outside that circle is "Greater London, which are the sprawling suburbs and smaller cities, like Kingston and Surbiton.

Kingston is unique for a number of reasons. The oldest of the four Royal Boroughs in England, Kingston is the resting place of the Coronation Stone, the Ancient Market, and the Queen's Promenade alongside the river Thames. Kingston was once the home of the Queen as well, and as such has gained a lot of attention as of late.

A part of the Queen's Promenade, or riverwalk. An excellent spot for relaxation and shopping, with little stores all along it.

Along the tour, I glimpsed a number of great things:

A bit of British history.

The Ancient Market, unique to The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames as it is officially called, is open everyday until 5pm, except on Thursdays on which a number of live street performers can be watched and listened to until sunset. The market has fresh foods and unique items for sale at bargain prices.

A dab of English heritage.

The world famous falling telephone boxes, found in Kingston, England. Also below is an original bridge of London, dating back hundreds of years. After the blitz in WWII, these structures became highly prized. Also, they tend to encourage swans to linger. Swans are, as I have been told, under the protection of the Queen and belong to her.

 And a heap of United Kingdom culture!

One more night down, and tomorrow is the official start of classes. Before leaving the city, however, the staff at Kingston invited us to the Coronation Pub for a "Meet-A-Mate" night. After dinner, I went with my new mates (British for friends) to their flat for a game of Mini-Uno and Ellen DeGeneres' Heads-Up.

Not a band hand either, yeah?

That's a two day wrap-up! First day of classes and exploring the City of London is just around the corner. Stay tuned!!

- The Intrepid Tyler