Note: this was originally posted in Fisch and Chips on September 8, 2013 under the title "From U.S.; To: U.K." My internal lawyer/law review editor has insisted on making a few changes here, especially the colon-heavy original title.
I’m finally here in England.
It’s been a topsy-turvy, wibbly-wobbly two days, but here I am, typing this from the London suburb of Eastcote. Specifically, I’m sitting on the cozy-looking bed given to me by my fantastic host mother while in the process of unpacking my suitcase. It’s hard to believe that it’s been over an entire day since I woke up and headed for the airport with only four hours of sleep in my system (I had stayed up late finishing The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on Game Boy Advance, because I apparently had been in the mood for an added handicap for a red-eye flight), but that’s how it is. After triple checking to make sure everything was accounted for and saying goodbye to my parents, I began my multi-hour journey within a journey.
The first flight was over quickly. I had a complimentary glass of ginger ale and went promptly to sleep for roughly five hours. Outside of one or two dreams featuring Francisco Scaramanga (he’s a James Bond villain; look him up), it was a fairly uneventful flight. Once in San Francisco, I purchased and summarily devoured a pound of sourdough bread and waited for nearly four hours in the international terminal, alternating between reading The London Hanged: Crime and Civil Society in the Eighteenth Century (a history book recommended by my advisor that discusses capital punishment in eighteenth century London in a socioeconomic context) and playing Mario and Luigi: Dream Team on my 3DS. I think the fact that I spent an equal amount of time doing both of these activities while waiting says a lot about me. Curiously enough, it was the ten-hour red-eye flight to London where I had more difficulty sleeping. I alternated between gaming and closing my eyes while trying to rest. Maybe it was just the sudden change in time, but the flight was over before I knew it.
Fast-forward a few hours, and I find myself in Eastcote preparing for the next few weeks in England. Classes start this week, so I’d better get used to traveling around and I’d better mentally prepare myself for all the usual components of academic work. One final thing before I go: I experienced what could be my first bout of culture shock while waiting for my baggage. Due to the slight raciness of what I saw, I will be using white text to disguise it from my more sensitive readers. While leaving the restroom, I noticed what appeared to be a vending machine close to the exit. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that it sold condoms.
I will repeat that.
There was a condom vending machine (that also sold lube and something called a “vibrator ring”) in the men’s restroom at Heathrow International Airport in London. I’ve already noticed plenty of differences between the U.S. and the U.K., such as slang (“loo,” “quid,” and “the States” have rapidly entered my vocabulary) and driving on the left side of the road, but so far, the airport bathroom condom machine takes the cake.
And with that weird note, let the Study Abroad adventure begin!
Reflections from Future Ben:
Oddly enough, my flight to England was fairly uneventful; I think I covered everything here. Even customs, processing my visa, and finding the arranged cab was less stressful than anticipated. Traveling between college in Oregon and home in Hawaii has made me good at sleeping on long flights. For the record, the dream with Francisco Scaramanga had us waterskiing together.
I recently completed another playthrough of A Link to the Past, this time on Nintendo Switch. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
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