Today is Saturday and I've been in Bath for almost a week. So far I love it! It's certainly different from what I'm used to and it's been a challenge adapting to this new way of life, but overall I think I'm doing a pretty good job.
On Monday, I traveled from my hotel in London to Paddington Station to Bath! It was quite a journey and you guys would've laughed to see me wandering alone with two huge suitcases and a hiking backpack...I wish I had a photo of that. When I finally made it to my house, I got to meet four of my roommates! They are all so friendly and I really like them! I live in this beautiful 18th century building on a massive hill (great exercise) and our house is really narrow but four stories high. It's a place with a lot of character and it's kind of quirky which I really like.
The rest of the week my new friends and I explored the city and had our orientation week at our school-The Nelson House. I live 20 minutes from school, and I don't mind the walk because it's through all of the shops and cafes in the town center. Also, I live right near the park called the Royal Crescent which is so beautiful and the other night me and some housemates went there to just sit and talk and it was so pretty. Although we live far from town, we have a Co-op which is great to buy beer, cheese, eggs...basically all the essentials and that's just a two minute walk away. At school, we've just been learning about our classes and meeting everyone which was difficult because people kept showing up at random times because of all the delays Irene caused. We also went to see University of Bath and that was really cool and made me want to join the gym so I can take classes like yoga and Zumba.
And the food is amazing! Everyone says the food here is awful, but it's really not! I eat a lot of baguettes with cheese or these things called pastys which are like a pot pie inside a hot pocket. The broccoli and cheese one was delicious and I also had a leek, bacon and cheese that was so yummy. We haven't gone out yet to big restaurants, we've just made it to the local pubs which are fairly good. The supermarket is where we've been getting fruits, veggies, and everything. So it is different because there are a lot more takeout places that aren't fast food like you could get a sandwich on any street corner. The best drink is the hard cider they have! It's a little like apple juice but better and not always as sweet. So I'm certainly surviving with all these foods and it's just strange to cook all for myself everyday. I've been eating a lot of eggs...
Overall, I'm having a great experience so far. I love the city and it's so easy to walk around and meet people. Of course I miss home, but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. Many people ask about culture or transition shock and the only thing that's hard for me is to look the opposite way while crossing the street, the @ symbol on the key board is different and the British slang still sounds really funny. But other than that I'm adjusting well! The supermarket today was perhaps the most overwhelmed I've felt because everything was just organized differently and I felt so out of place. That will get easier as I learn what foods are where and how to get around. If I could sum up everything so far in one sentence it would be...I LOVE BATH :)
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