When I arrived on Monday the 17 of September I didn't meet any of my flatmates, it took me a day and a half to see someone in the kitchen. I didn't really mind because that day and a half gave me the opportunity to be a real tourist and explore my new campus and village. The first one I met was Ryan. He looked a bit dazzled when he suddenly saw me cooking in the kitchen and he thought I was french but it worked out eventually. He lives right across from me and he is from Scotland. I don't know about you guys but I secretly have a crush on Gerard Butler ever since P.S.: I love you came out and the main reason I have a crush on him is because of his super sexy scottish accent.
That night he asked me whether I wanted to come with him to this kitchen party and after that to whetherspoons. I immediately said yes. I had so much fun that night, I met so many people from different places in the UK. I mean there were girls and boys from Canterburry, Essex, Basildon,... The funny thing was that even though everyone came from different cities and even countries we all knew the game 'Never have I ever' (Ik heb nog nooit).
Since that first night I got to know people from Sweden, Finland, Spain, Germany, France, Brasil, you name a country and it will be represented at the University of Greenwich. There are almost 5,000 international student at the uni, pretty amazing isn't it? You know what's even more amazing, everyone gets along with each other, respects each other and is really hospitable. I mean I'm here for only two weeks now and I already got invited by Ryan's sister to have dinner at her home after seeing her once. 9 went wednesday and when I walked into their appartement She immediately gave me a hug and a kiss and showed me the entire flat because they just moved in. t really touched me because they really make you feel as if you are a part of something here.
When I got off the train at St. Pancrass station in London I didn't know where to go, so I decided to go with the flow. It was as if I had been dropped into an anthill where everyone knew what to do except for me. When I walked into the hall of the tube all I could see were men and women in black and blue suits walking around towards different directions. When the wirlpool of suits around me calmed down I went looking for the nearest ticket window to ask for directions. The lady behind the desk was really nice and she gave me a map on which she indicated which tubes I had to take. First line was the northern line to morden, get off at bank and then take the DLR to Lewisham and get off at cutty sark. It was like I had fallen into a rabbit hole like Alice not knowing where I was or where I was going. Thank God for me that in comparison to Alice I was able to simply follow the arrows on the wall. When I was sitting on the DLR towards cutty sark I was actually really proud of myself, everything had gone smoothly. Seeing that everyone else was listening to music I put mine on too and relaxed a little. When my stop came onto the screen I took off my headphones and when to one off the doors. I was almost there, yes! When suddenly a female voice announced that the escalators at cutty sark station were broken and I had to take the stairs. When I got off the DLR and got to the stairs I just stood there for five minutes desperately looking to the thousands of stairs. After that I said to myself; "Come on Astrid you can do that, one staircase at a time but you can do it!". I was in the middle of the second staircase when a man in a fluo vest came down and saw me struggling. He offered to carry my suitcase to the top. Now, that was the best welome present a stranger had ever given me!
