Monday, January 09, 2006

Destination: London, UK

Wow...well..it's been a few days now. I left for London on Friday at 6:55 pm, and arrived at Heathrow in London at 11:30 am. The travel was taxing, although I think the effects are often overstated. After arriving at my dorm at Wesminster, I was immediately struck by how dilapidated the dorm was. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but my expectations were completely displaced and supplanted by a more concrete impression of the program. The lack of structure has also caught me off-balance, as there hasn't really been much of a infatuation stage due to the copious pragmatic considerations about the amenities needed. Obviously the nature of displacement often means sacrificing comforts that come from being established somewhere, but the extent and immediacy of these concerns has been surprising.

As for the city of London, it is of course, absolutely magnificent. I'm fairly certain that I'll struggle to even scratch the surface of the city's interminable attractions. I'm excited to explore the city in great depth, as I haven't even had the opportunity to take in more than a cursory glance. Still, if nothing else, the city will not disappoint.

As for the general University experience, it's been fairly mixed thus far. I've undergone a great deal of vacillation due to the extreme spectrum of emotions that characterize this type of experience. Personally, I've found myself to be extremely impressionable in the early stages, and the impact one person can have at this stage is truly remarkable. With that of course comes a plethora of feelings, ranging from exhileration to anxiety and even despondency. There have been moments where I've felt like I've made the best decision of my entire life, and other moments where there is a strong impulse to call home and completely abandon the entire experience. Perhaps my sentiments are prototypical of this type of experience, but the extremity of them is certainly unique to me.

I guess I should mention that this is my first livejournal post ever, and I'm looking forward to having this journal both for my friends and for myself at a later date. I've always had a desire to keep a journal of my activities in order to really get a concerete sense of my thoughts and feelings at a given time period, and this will certainly provide that for the duration of my London experience. Hopefully I'll be able to keep things interesting for my one or two devoted readers, who I'm sure will be constantly pining for new updates from here on out. Anyhow, I've rambled enough.

2 Comments:

Blogger Mac said...

hello jeff. if there was ever any doubt that you were an English major, it was dispelled with this post. here's my translation of your post:

I arrived in London and the dorm kind of sucks; I wasn't expecting it to be like this.
I won't be able to do everything in London, but what I will do, I'm sure I'll enjoy.
I've had my ups & downs so far, moreso than I had expected.
I started this blog both for my benefit and for people who want to know about my experience.

there it is, Jeff's latest blog post translated for non-English majors. I don't want you to interpret this as a derogatory putdown on your blog; I enjoy your expanded vocabulary very much. hope you continue to enjoy(?) London.

~maw

10:34 AM  
Blogger Jeffrey said...

Haha, Thanks for your diligent translation Mac. Maybe some day we'll publish an anthology of my livejournal works, complete with your translations...or maybe we won't..It..it was just a thought. Hope you finish out your break strong..

Jeff

1:22 PM  

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