Everyone is well aware that universities are not the most organised institutions, & unfortuantely this is true in the case of UEL. They are always willing to help, which is wonderful, & there are plenty of support systems in place for new students, but all of us internationals are only now, after a week, beginning to grasp basic things such as: where the laundries are, how to apply for an oyster card, finding our in-boxes of ninety seven unread e-mails, class timetables & moodles. (We are yet to understand why the ten pence coin is larger than the twenty...)
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| Some 'college' things don't change! Wispa = Areo Chocolate - it's pretty great. |
Navigating university websites is like reading a book in an unfamiliar language, a book that was written by a three year old. UEL does not disappoint! Before I left I only had to deal with the UEL main webpage & the UEL portal services, but little did I know, there is a separate UEL Direct for students, UEL webmail & the UEL Moodle where the details for your classes appear. We were not amused.
The first challenge we faced, before even thinking about study or moodles, was shopping. Some of the girls had lived in flats before & are reasonably accustomed to 'being an adult'. Myself on the other hand, really had no idea. My only comfort in our shopping disaster was that you can buy vegemite & two minute noodles. Apart from converting pounds to dollars & trying to remember that not only did we need chocolate, but practical things like milk & toilet paper, I found the most difficult challenge was not having my car. I didn't think I would miss my red, Mazda ute, Suzie, for a little while longer, after the novely of the Tube wore off, but it didn't occur to me that an entire laundry basket of groceries, a pack of toilet paper & my handbag would not be that easy to carry all the way back to the flats...
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Since our first visit to the local supermarket, ASDA, we have returned three times... in the past four days.
That first trip to ASDA, on our very first day in the country, seemed like the end of the earth. Kate, Alicia & I struggled back & found a small kebab shop where we collapsed, ordered hot chips (with salt & vinegar...?) & came to the realisation that we really don't know how to 'be adults'.
As I have previously mentioned there are a fair few of us who are both blogging & vlogging our study abroad adventures, so even though I haven't written about our tour of the City of London on Saturday, here is my first youtube vlog which features photos from Big Ben, The Gherkin, St. Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace & our afternoon visit to Greenich! Enjoy! :)
Currently listening to & loving: 5 Seconds of Summer - an Aussie boyband who are besties with One Direction. They are currently in London, playing shows in Soho during February & March. Unfortunately they're all sold out, but if there is a single ticket to be had, it will be mine! Today they announced the release of their first official single, "She Looks So Perfect". ♫
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