This is my travel journal from my study abroad trip to the UK and France in 2011. This was originally written as part of our assignments, but it was also posted to a private blog for my parents to read. I wrote it out longhand and typed it up later. I've edited it to make it flow better, and changed the names of my teachers and classmates for privacy reasons.
DAY 1 - May 19, 1:00 pm- Starting City
I've been up since six this morning because Mom and Dad wanted to have an early lunch with me. Also, we told Dad we needed to leave an hour earlier than we actually had to, because it takes forever to get out of the house if Dad's involved.
We're starting our journey at the Airport/Bus Station. This is easily the smallest airport I've ever been in. There are only two gates, making it difficult to get lost in here, but it made finding a parking space so much easier. Once we arrived, we waited for the rest of the class to trickle in. This is when I remembered that I can't identify the faces of anyone in this class. During all of our pre-classes, I sat in the front row and never looked behind me. Okay, I know Jacklyn and Linda, but that's only because I see them in theatre all the time.
I've just been sitting here smiling at strangers, hoping one of them recognizes me and takes pity.
So I succeeded in making a fool of myself before we even started boarding. I noticed a lot of people lined up at the check-in and I went to ask our teacher if I needed to do that too. Then I managed to take two steps backwards and fall into the lap of some random army woman using her computer. She was very understanding about it, though.
The security check was mercifully short. I wish I'd worn some slip-on shoes, though. High-top Converse aren't made for quick removal. From there we went up an escalator and were right at our gate. Dr. Thompson, one of our teachers, passed out little laminated cards with the addresses of US embassies and bracelets with the school's phone number. On my bracelet, I added "If found unconscious, please return to-"
Before we got on the plane, some guy told us that there wasn't enough room for everyone's carry-on and he really wanted some peach cobbler, so we had to put a little red tag on our bags and have them checked so he could get to the break room faster. We were reluctant at first, but the man clearly wanted that cobbler, so we complied. As we boarded, I asked the other flight attendant if I should take my laptop out, which I ended up doing. I put it in the overhead compartment.
So I'm actually on the plane right now, and I've just met Cat, my alphabetical seatmate for the trip. She's nice. We made conversation.
Me: The skating rink in my hometown hasn't changed in years. They haven't even painted the walls!
Cat: ...you know I'm from there, right?
Me: No...
Cat: Oh. 'Cause you started talking and I thought you were some kind of creeper.
It's a bumpy ride. Oh, and that guy who wanted some cobbler was a liar. There was totally enough room in the overhead compartments for backpacks! It's a very small plane, too. It's only got two seats on each side. It's actually a bus with wings stapled on. I'm going to get back to reading the book for class.
5:15 pm- Dallas/Fort Worth Airport
Dear God am I thankful that I took my laptop out of my backpack before trusting it to the harsh realm of the checked luggage. Cat's computer didn't fare so well. If I'd known her before she sat down, I would have warned her. Never put anything remotely fragile in your checked luggage! That stuff gets tossed around like a ball in a bingo cage. They actually pay a guy to go around beating all the luggage with a crowbar just in case there isn't enough turbulence during the flight.
Anyway, the monitor is sufficiently cracked to render it unusable. At least she's still under warranty. I offered to let her use my computer while we're traveling.
After getting off the plane, we rode this bus...trolly...thing to our terminal. I kind of wished I'd chosen to sit, as I ended up clinging to the pole for dear life. After it stopped, I peeled myself off the glass, and we found where we needed to be.
Dr. Thompson has trusted us with her luggage while she goes and does something or other. Now I have abandonment issues. I went ahead and got an overpriced pretzel and a Pepsi to tide me over until dinner. I know they'll serve food on the plane. Well, I know now. On my very first flight, my best friend and I actually stocked up on snacks because we didn't know if we'd get to eat on the plane.
We also held hands in the terminal because it was crowded and we didn't want to get separated, and people glared at us because they thought we were lesbians. (We did this in the mall once, too. Same results.) What do these people have against public displays of affection?
7:05 pm- Trans-Atlantic Flight
I hate not sitting by the window. I'm stuck in the middle of the middle. Even worse, this plane has five seats in the middle. So there are two people on either side of me, which means I can't get up and stretch very often. At least they're part of the group. I made some new friends! And naturally, as soon as I got used to the seating arrangements, the gentleman in front of me reclined his seat, starting a domino effect of reclining. I'm incredibly thankful I'm not claustrophobic, otherwise this would be hell.
At least there's stuff to do. We each get a little TV screen that plays a selection of movies and TV shows, but only three of them are things I actually like. Joan's TV appeared to be broken, but it turned out the volume button on her remote was stuck. So I fixed it for her. The TVs also have an option for you to look at the flight plan and see the path the plane has just taken.
I hope I get better at identifying members of our class. The only way I was able to stay with our group in the airport was because Linda is so tall and has a very distinctive hair color.
11:14 pm- Trans-Atlantic Flight
The food was surprisingly edible and I ate as much as I could. For this trip, I've sworn myself to stop being a picky eater. Okay, it's not like I'm particularly fussy anyway, (Okay, when I was a kid the only things I'd eat at restaurants were chicken and fries, but I've gotten better!) but I'm going to make a serious effort to try new things and develop a wider palate. Also, I realize that the scenario is most likely going to be "eat it or go hungry". Just like Mom used to make! And I just don't want to be rude by being fussy in public.
May 20, 1:00- London, Heathrow
It bothers me when the pilot makes sudden sharp turns. It makes me wonder if he really knows what he's doing. I noticed we seemed to be turning a lot over London, so I checked the flight path. It spelled out “Stacy, will you marry me?”
So we finally got off the plane, walked a few miles in the airport, and tried to figure out airport security. First, we went to customs and pretended to stand in line. After we fooled a sufficient amount of strangers, we found out we were in the wrong place. We needed to go to the connecting flights department, so we abandoned Linda in the loo and went to look for it. We took a nice, speedy bus across the place. This time I was sitting down, so G-forces be damned! We found the right place and had to show our passports to a woman in order to get through.
Her- I see you've been to London before. Holiday?
Me- Another class trip.
Her- So the same sort of thing?
Me- Yes, only this time we get scholarships.
Her- Ah, so you're the brains? Smart kids?
Me- Well, we figured out how to apply for the scholarships.
Her- Good for you. *winks*
Me- *Promptly tries to exit the way I just came.*
Her- Other way.
Me- ...It was a long flight, don't judge me!
So after more walking, I figure our plane's got to be somewhere around here. Either that, or we're just going to walk to Edinburgh. We went through another huge maze of security. I had my bags x-rayed, got felt up by a friendly female agent, and was given a small cube of cheese as a reward.
My new friends and I (Cat, Clara, and Joan) visited the weird restrooms and went to find a drink and a place to sit. I'm glad I brought the currency I had left over from my last trip. We weren't supposed to exchange anything until we got to Scotland. I think. I wasn't listening. Cue another hour of sitting around staring at people. We were mostly waiting for the airport people to tell us which gate, because if they told us too early then it wouldn't come true. Personally, I can't wait to get on the plane. I'm so tired.
I talked with a nice older woman who had a granddaughter living in Houston. I like talking to strangers. There's a kind of technique for it, because it's very easy to come across as a creeper, but ultimately you meet some very interesting people. Like on my last trip to Europe and my friend and I met this woman on the Eurostar. Her name was Gladys, and she had many grandchildren and spoke several languages. She told us she liked Texans because they were so nice. (My friend and I sat up straighter and whipped out our best manners.) She also told us lots of places to visit in Paris, ans was insistent that I write down what she was saying.
3:55 pm- 'Nother Plane
Somehow we found our gate and boarded even though by this time I was so tired I could barely manage to follow simple instructions.
I'm sitting next to Dr. Thompson this time. We played a quick game of musical chairs with a Scottish woman who was sitting next to us. Nice lady. We had a lively conversation before she wanted to sleep. For what felt like a half-hour, we sat on the runway. They were waiting for clearance or fuel or for the pilot to Google directions or something like that.
Dilemma: I really need the bathroom, but don't want to wake up the nice lady. Well, seat belt light's on. Never mind.
So last week I had to help a vet pull a stillborn calf. It was like a partial-birth calf abortion, and I was proud of myself for helping out, but I have to keep reminding myself that that's not a good conversation starter.
4:30 pm- Glasgow, on the bus
Why didn't we take a potty break before we left the airport?! There's no toilet on this bus! (Unless it's one of those new-fangled sneaky ones.) Beautiful weather today. Sunny, sunny skies. As soon as we step outside: five-minute shower.
- Okay, there is a toilet, but it's broken. It doesn't have any chemicals or something... and it's going to be about an hour until we get to Edinburgh.
There's a nice rainbow outside! It's twice as thick as any rainbow I've seen, but I'm not taking pictures of the scenery while we're on a bus. The last time I did that, the pictures looked like crap. Besides, I can't reach the camera.
Right now, we're discussing two cop cars and a regular car that are pulled over.
“Did he give her candy? He gave her candy!”
“Get arrested, get candy.”
“No, the hood's popped. It's car trouble.”
“Speeders don't get candy.”
God, this place is green.
So the world's supposed to end on the 21st. Or it's the Rapture...something. A crazy guy on the news said so. In any case, if the second coming of Jesus occurs and the entire human race falls to chaos and disorder, I assume we don't need to bother with our homework. (Confirmed- I asked Dr. Thompson. If the collapse of civilization is limited to Abilene, however, we still have to do the work.)
...I'm gonna lose either a pair of pants or a kidney on this trip.
Later-
I wasn't the only person who's bladder was about to reach critical mass. The driver let us use the toilet at our own risk. It had no soap, paper, water, or seatbelts. And you know what? Trying to pee on the bus is much more difficult than trying to pee on the plane. At least on the plane you can get your pants down before you get thrown face-first into the door. And you don't get caught with your undies off when you eventually get thrown through the door because it didn't shut all the way.
9:00 pm- Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University
We arrived safely! It's freaking cold out and the locals already think we're wusses! The rooms are nice. They're actually bigger than the dorms I've lived in. The walls are much thinner, too. At first, I was worried about over-packing for this trip, but judging by the reactions of some of the other girls at the luggage carousel, I stopped worrying about it.
"How did you manage that?!"
"It's bigger on the inside."
A lot of them brought suitcases the size of smart cars. After realizing our rooms are all upstairs and there is no lift, I feel rather smug.
We decided to save the tour of the city for tomorrow in favor of food, shower and sleep. The teachers gave us a brief tour of the important bits of campus and turned us loose.
They have a pub on campus.
They have a pub on campus.
Students are allowed to purchase and consume alcohol...on campus.
If you're native to the UK, you may be wondering why this is a big deal. In the United States, most universities are dry. That is, there is no alcohol allowed anywhere on campus. Now imagine our reaction when we learned that now, not only can we buy beer from the pub and the student store, but we can also bring it to our rooms without having to hide it.
I had a pint of lager and a sandwich. This might not have been a good idea, as I don't drink. I started feeling dizzy and lightheaded, but I finished it anyway. It'd be rude to just leave it.
After that, I staggered off to get some water and find the rest of the class. They'd all disappeared, but I eventually found Liz and Rebecca. The regular students were having an end-of-term party. We tried to go mingle, but we all felt sweaty and gross, and just about as social as an awkward penguin. We didn't want to have to explain that we don't usually smell like this, so we just grabbed some food, showered, and hung out in our rooms.
I brought two adapters because British plugs are weird for some reason. We figured out that you have to practically force them into the outlets, but nothing was registering as 'plugged in'. We were about to resign ourselves to an electronics-free trip, but then Liz discovered the big on/off switch for the outlet.
Already, this country has made us feel like dumbasses. I'm going to bed.
