On my way...

By Louise Lauzon, Camosun Exchange student in Wales

From September 11, 2013

T-minus 12 hours until I leave for the flight to London!

I feel like Rapunzel in Tangled when she leaves home for the first time, and she's running around elated and screaming for joy and the next second she's curled in a ball crying . . . so many emotions! Mostly excitement, of course.
 

I worked 7am – 3:30pm today, because I'm totally crazy and needed the money. But the whole shift I remembered when I was around 7, and it was my friends birthday party, and the whole morning I was bouncing around asking, “Is it time yet? How about now? Now?”

Come to think of it, the coffee and tea while working probably wasn't the best idea.

Time to repack and reorganise and take half the stuff out of my suitcase!

September 12, 2013:

 

Current Location: Ottawa Airport

Local Time: 7:00pm

Victoria Time: 4:00pm

I have my watch set to Victoria time, my laptop on Ottawa's time, and my cell phone has a dual clock on it showing both.

I've been travelling for 9 hours now, 6 and a half of which were in the plane.

I didn't bother sleeping last night, because I figured if I got myself tired enough and slept on the plane enough, I'd be fine when I got to London at 10am. (It's not working. I'm totally exhausted.)

So we left my house at 4:30am – we being an entourage who are crazy enough to get up that early. My mom, sister, best friend and two close family friends came to see me off. There are scales that you can weigh your bag at before you check in, and the lovely scale said 51.4lbs. (the limit is 50). A lady walking by working for Air Canada said she wouldn't mind if it was one or two pounds over, but I'd have to get it weighted and hope that the guy behind the counter was okay with it. Oddly enough, the scale there said 49.8lbs. The man behind the counter said “I guess air is lighter over here,” and winked. Hooray Air Canada! Unfortunately it looks like I'll be paying to take a second bag home, but $70 isn't too bad. . . security was over with quick, and I was just stuck waiting until 6:45am for the flight.

The sun was rising as we were taking off, and it was really amazing to see the difference from BC to the Prairies to Toronto.

The sun is setting here now. It's beautiful with the rain and clouds. There was a storm earlier – the flight from Toronto to Ottawa was shaky the whole way (I didn't even get the pathetic pack of peanuts. Word of advice: Apparently you are allowed food on the plane as long as it's not fruit or vegetables. Wish I had known that before I got on the long food less flight . . .)

The next flight from Ottawa to London had some decent free food on it – and a pillow and blanket that I procured for my dorm room . . .

I was on my own from Heathrow airport to our Hostel, because Shintana (the other girl on this exchange, from Camosun as well) and I had agreed to meet in London before school started. The trip to the hostel was amazingly easy – the tube map looks complicated, but is very simple to figure out, and even kind of fun.


Our original room

We stayed in Acton town, about a fifteen minute ride away from central London. The hostel was known as the Backpack Shack, but had no signs advertising it – I only found it because I knew it was above the Talbot Pub. The owner was a kind Scottish man, and he upgraded our room to a much nicer one after two nights here.

Next time, however, I think I'll stay much closer to central London. I ended up spending 35 pounds on the tube – almost $70! The first day I walked everywhereand my legs ached for days after, but it was worth it to see all of the sights. There's a couple free (tips recommended) tours of London, which were well worth it to go to. I saw most of the big sights in one day, then shopped in Convent Garden for hours. There's so manypeople it's almost overwhelming! My favourite place was probably Big Ben (yes, I know, it's technically known as the Elizabeth Tower. . . ) I spent a good hour just listening to the chimes of it. Another neat place is The Monument to the Great Fire of Britain – it's only 3 quid to climb the 311 steps to the top of this tower. The stairs are very narrow and awkward, but the view at the top is incredibly rewarding. Also, Platform 9 3/4 is in Kings Cross!! They take your picture and there's a shop where you can buy things (I got a wand and a chocolate frog, plus my train ticket to Hogwarts. I was very misinformed as I realised that I was going to the University of Wales, and not Hogwarts, but this place is almost as good :) )