Although I haven’t updated the blog as I went, I kept a travel journal with me where I kept updates of all of my adventures (the good and bad). Here it is:
26 January 2020
My time here so far has been rough. I definitely want to stay and I don’t regret my decision in coming because I know the air will clear, but what they tell you in orientation and before you come is true! I didn’t think I would have doubts about being here, and I know deep down this is the right thing for me, but it has definitely been a challenge. Every day I have to constantly be problem solving, googling directions, searching up where I can buy the things I need, etc. It’s a bit exhausting that I can’t just know where I need to go! Everything is new and I always have to be super alert because if not I’ll get lost. I know this will go away soon, though. I just have to be patient! The best thing that has helped me is to remember why I came, and trust that things have a way of working themselves out.
It’s all about the little wins! Successfully making a trip home from work without missing your stop, cooking dinner and not poisoning yourself; all those small things made London feel like home more and more each day. I realized how much I learned when I got off the wrong stop, and how it would make me remember for the next time. It was almost a new way to discover a new part of the city.
In fact, one of my favorite things to do when there’s not much going on is to just go on a run. I started running last summer as a hobby, and so far in London I’ve just started running with no plan to see where I end up. With doing that I discovered so many quiet and nice places just with my own two feet! It made me feel more at home to know I could get around by foot and explore the neighborhoods around me.
Although right now is the difficult transition phase, I know I’ll start getting used to these things little by little, and soon I’ll feel comfortable with my surroundings.