07 September, 2015

2 WEEKS - by Mike Levine

2 WEEKS





Anxiety overwhelmed me on the ride to JFK airport in NY, as I prepared for my departure. However, the anxiety melted away when I saw some friendly Ithaca College faces sitting at the gate; all of us filled with the same emotions of fear and most importantly, excitement! I got a burger from Shake Shack with my friends Maddie and Taylor, strapped on my travel fanny pack with my passport and papers (thanks mom and dad), and got ready to board the plane. Two movies, two beers, a nap, and a muffin later we finally landed and my adventure began. Not even 4 hours in the UK and I was on my way to look for at a flat, and the rest is history.


It’s been two weeks here in London, and I already feel like I’ve aged 5 years. I pay bills for an incredible flat in Bayswater (with a rooftop deck!!!), I’ve mastered the underground rail system, I’ve planned trips to Bath, Dover, Budapest, Berlin, Dublin, Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Italy, and have downed 32 cups of proper tea since I landed in London, Heathrow, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. I’ve had a week of classes and secured a marketing internship at Love Home Swap on Oxford Street (the equivalent to 5th Ave in NYC), as well as a job here at ICLC, where I was given this blog assignment.
   







It’s only been two weeks, but in addition to becoming a full-fledged adult I’ve had some fun as well. I’ve gone sight seeing around Westminster, saw Richard II at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, experienced Notting Hill Carnival, and strolled around Portabello’s Market. I also rode a Santander bike through Kensington Garden, hit up some bars and pubs, threw a flat warming party for our friends at IC, and to top it all off, got stuck in the worlds smallest elevator for an hour with four of my flat mates while two British firemen worked to pry us out of the non-ventilated lift. Needless to say I wouldn’t change any of these experiences for the world! (Except maybe the elevator disaster). 

Two weeks in, and every morning I wake up and have a cup of tea (because it’s better than instant coffee from Tesco), sit out on my deck, and get ready for my commute to school and/or my internship; tasks I normally wouldn’t be able to do in Ithaca. In New York I would sleep until the last possible second, literally roll out of bed, put on my layers and head out into the tundra with my head down, making sure not to slip on sheets of ice. Here, even when it’s raining (and it rains, A LOT) I walk to the tube station with my head up, eyes wide, and I’m excited. Thank you I SEE ELSIE.




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