A walk in the park

I promise you I will not post every day- however in my last post, I forgot to leave my contact information. But before the boring stuff- I finally used the camera and walked around the park today. Avery Hill park is located directly next to our campus and is a great place to go for a jog, or just to walk and get some peace and quiet away from everyone. I think I will be spending much of my time here. Anyway here are some pictures from my walk.

Avery Hill Park is about a mile and a half around. It connects to other trails and paths which branch out beyond the park.

The Winter Garden.

View from the Winter Garden.

One of the trails that branch out from the park.

One of many horses spotted in the woods. There is a fence along the path.

My mailing address is:

Matthew Thomas
20E
Howard Court
263 Avery Hill Road
London SE9 2EQ

My email address: Simplynamedmatt@gmail.com
I pretty much use this email address for everything.

I am still on iMessage and Facebook.

I am also on Google Hangouts, Viber, and WhatsApp if you choose to message me through a different app.

If you want to text me the normal way, go for it- I have unlimited texts over here, but I don’t know what that would mean for your plan.

You can Facetime or Google Hangouts me if you want to call or talk face to face. I am also on skype but tend to use it less these days.

Or you can just come visit me- which is the preferred method.

Farewell!.

So can I get a window seat?

As I stepped onto the British Airways plane, pillow in hand, prepared to sit next to the window- my stomach dropped when finally discovering my seat. Not only was the seat directly in the center of the plane (a seat farthest from the windows), but I was also placed between what was supposed to be two people. However, on this particular night, there were three- the third being a screaming baby. And that is life- I can’t have everything I want- an awesome study abroad experience, great airplane food (judge me), a good selection of movies and TV shows to choose from (all my New Girl fans), a window seat, and peace & quiet. Something had to give. So as I took my seat next to the screaming devil, I was a little disappointed but tried to make the best out of this six and a half hour flight. Shortly after taking my seat, the infant, with snot all over her face her face and hands, started touching my arm… and at that point I truly had to say a little prayer because we still hadn’t taken off. Lord, give me strength to be patient with this baby. After departure, I learned that if I looked at the baby she would stop crying and begin an intense staring contest with me. This game didn’t last long though, because I kept losing. Consequently, the baby kept crying- so essentially I was between a rock and a hard place. About thirty minutes into the flight, the good Lord sent a ram in the bush! The flight attendant saw my misery and asked if I wanted to move two seats down/across the isle (out of arms reach from the baby). Of course I accepted the offer, and that is where I stayed for the rest of the flight. I ended up closer to the window, and my arms remained snot free. Although the screams did not cease completely, my headphones drowned the baby out enough for me to enjoy a movie. After movie ended, I noticed the baby had finally fallen asleep, so I used that opportunity to also get some rest. Two hours later, I was awakened by the shrill sound of more screams; the rest of the flight I kept my headphones on to block out the crying.

After landing, and dealing with border control, the two other students and I decided to take a cab from the airport to our campus. Even though this trip ended up being much, MUCH, MUCH more expensive than expected, we were fortunate to travel through the heart of London and get a makeshift tour by our driver. I did not have time to take out my camera so I took pictures on my phone. Nevertheless, it was nice to pass all of these spots on day one! After getting settled into my room, the other students and I decided to go to Eltham High Street (pronounced El-tum). We shopped for basic necessities and then went searching for a place to eat dinner. We seemed to draw attention in every restaurant we walked into and eventually settled at a bar with a decent dinner deal. I felt it was only right if I ordered fish & chips on my first day, and it turned out to be a great choice. It was interesting being the only people eating in a bar full of people, but everything turned out fine! After our meal we went back to our flat and called it a night.

If you have made it this far – welcome to my page yall. This is my first time keeping a personal blog- so please bear with me as I figure out my online voice. The idea of keeping a blog was inspired by my girlfriend Colleen- who kept a blog while spending the summer in the Philippines (check it out if you have time!). For those of you that don’t know, I am studying abroad in London for about five months as a part of my final year of graduate school! With this experience I will be taking classes at the University of Greenwich, Avery Hill campus (starting mid-September) and interning with The Children’s Society (starting August 3)- an experience that will primarily involve direct individual & group work with teens and young adults. The focus of much of the work in my particular office is child exploitation and human trafficking. Over the course of my stay here, I plan to update yall with pictures and things that are going on here. I hope you enjoy reading, and feel free to leave comments, ask questions, etc.

Cheers!

Things I have learned so far these past two days:

• £1.00 = $1.56
• Poundland = Dollar Tree/General
• Shoes seem to be more expensive here (Plain White Chucks were £50 = $78)
• I gotta be TIGHT with my money- that’s not really anything new
• Crosswalks remind you to look right (cars drive on the opposite side)
• Some national museums are free like in DC
• London is bigger than I assumed
• No free refills, sales tax, or tipping
• Costco is over an hour and 30 mins away ( two thumbs down)
• Drinking age is 18- alcohol is sold on campus in the convenient store
• Lunch meat doesn’t last as long
• I haven’t seen a 2L soda- just 1.25, 1.75, and 3L
• The health system here is truly superior
• It feels like Autumn already- some people where short sleeves, others were jackets
• McDonald’s, KFC, and Burger King are still being avoided. I am still debating on Subway.
• And finally- at our restaurant- the menu used the phrase American-styled Mac and Cheese. Being a foreigner, I didn’t know what that meant for the simple fact that- America has many styles. I wonder if foreigners feel that way when they come to America and see there culture represented/integrated in American culture?

• 

  Buckingham Palace was the first landmark we passed from the airport.

  

  Waiting in traffic. Palace of Westminster. The tower is known as the Elizabeth Tower; the Great Bell is known as Big Ben.

  

  More of the tower and palace.

  

  The London Eye. I will take a picture from the Eye at some point in the next five months.

  

  My room.