The first day of exchange

On Wednesday the 14th of January I took the train from Victoria Station in London to Brighton. Dragging two suitcases, 3 tickets (why do they give you three for one train trip?) and a tote bag, it wasn't my most elegant of ventures but after some tears at the train station when saying goodbye to mum and Rachel, I managed to get on the train and away. I was expecting to be quite sad and nervous on the way down - what was coming? What would my new friends be like? Would I make any friends? What would I do once I got off at the other end (I hadn't researched how to get to the university from Brighton station - oops)? What were the next six months of my life going to be like? However I was really excited and not at all upset - I'll see everyone in a few months anyway! It was more excited anticipation that had me jumping around in my seat for the ride down - it only took an hour or so which was good. The train arrived two minutes late and they apologised for the delay which was funny because in Perth it seems like everything's always late and you're expected to just deal with it.

When I arrived at Brighton and managed to pull my bags off (helped by a charming English gentleman), I pulled them to the ticket machine and got a ticket from Brighton to Falmer station, a train that was leaving in a few minutes. Another girl with a few suitcases (although they weren't as big as mine..."did I pack too much?!") was standing nearby and we sort of eyed each other off for a while before the train came. When it was time to hop on, we ended up in the same carriage and when we both got off at the train station with another girl, I asked them if they were also exchange students at Sussex. Of course they were, and we were all shepherded onto the mini bus that took us to our accommodation.

The first girl I met turned out to be Erika from Colorado (but she goes to school at USC) and because we were in similar accommodation, we were put in the reception area of my building while we waited to be shown where to stay. I also bumped into Winnie from NYC, who turned out to be absolutely awesome and also my next door neighbour. There were a few of us standing around talking (mostly Americans) and it was nice to hear that everyone had a similar mix of excitement/ nerves/ what am I doing with my life.

I won't go into too much detail about my accommodation on here just because anyone can read it, but my room was a lot bigger than I was expecting. I have a bed, a beautiful view, a wardrobe, a desk and a sink - the sink is such a highlight even though it's a bit of a pigsty at the moment...

I promise it's looking much more homely now!

After unpacking (and whining to Winnie that I had packed too much) a few of us ventured out to get lunch - toasted sandwiches at the cafe - after sorting out our visas and before getting our student cards. The ladies at the international centre were so helpful and it was lovely to have friendly faces (and welcome bags with mugs and tea) after we'd met so many people in such a short spaces of time.

After unpacking a bit more (*Note - I've been here for a week and I'm still not being particularly tidy. It looks like I'm in a constant state of moving in) we headed over for our fish & chip welcome night. We were originally sat on our "school" tables (e.g. school of English) but we were shepherded around a bit during the night as we got into groups depending on our birth dates and so on. It was great to meet so many people although remember names was a challenge - I did find that I remembered where people went to university and where they were from though!

The food was incredible - I'm such a sucker for fish and chips and when it comes with a massive serving of both and mushy peas on the side, I'm in love. It was quite funny watching the Americans try vinegar - I didn't realise it wasn't a huge thing there.

I also met India when someone introduced me to the "other Australian" - she's from Melbourne - and we went to find each other again when the guides announced they would show a group of us where the student pub was. "Of course the Australians would want to go to the pub!" I met so many fantastic people that evening and it felt amazing to settle in so fast and get on so well with people who I'd only known for a few hours.

Although it was quite intimidating meeting so many people in such a short space of time, everyone was so friendly and outgoing - I guess you only go on exchange if you're interested in meeting people.

The first day was absolutely wonderful and the last week I've been here has been so much fun as well. Expect lots more blog posts of my Europe trip before, as well as plenty of exchange updates! I hope you're all well - I'm not homesick (sorry) but I do miss my friends and family. So, to everyone at home - I'm having so much fun, I'm eating (pretty) well and I've so many good friends. Much love!

The last few days in London

After saying goodbye to the boys in Paris, I headed to London with mum and Rachel for four nights at the beautiful Lime Tree Bed & Breakfast in Chelsea.

We arrived in London and walked to the hotel. After settling in, we took the train to Leicester Square and bought tickets to a musical later that evening - "Made in Dagenham". The tickets are so much cheaper in the UK compared to what we pay for musicals at home and so we wanted to see as many as we could while we had the opportunity. We went to dinner at a steakhouse which was so amazing - it was almost like a home cooked meal. After making our way to the theatre, we enjoyed a wonderful show - I was a bit skeptical at first but it turned out to be equal parts feminism and music - a big tick from me!

The next morning we had a cooked breakfast at the hotel - absolutely amazing. The best porridge I have ever had! We then walked to Buckingham palace and did the tourist thing, and then trained to Big Ben and did the tourist thing again. We bumped into a friend from home right near Big Ben - strange coincidence! After taking the train to Oxford Street, we had some nachos and looked around at the shops including Libertys. Mum and Rachel thought it was appropriate to speak to a lady working in Libertys who they recognised from a documentary they had seen on the department store. I had a bit of a look around the shops and purchased a beautiful, heavily discounted peacoat from Banana Republic. Nailed it! We then went to Sloan Square to meet with my cousins and one of their boyfriend's which was lovely. It was at a Lebanese restaurant called Comptoir and I had a mango cheesecake - absolutely fantastic! After going home and relaxing for a little, we walked down to the local pub for fish and chips - probably the best meal ever.

On the 12th of January we had a cooked breakfast and took the bus to Harrods. It was such a massive store, absolutely incredible and completely out of my price range. Oh well, we can dream! We had morning tea at Harrods then took the train to Leicester Square again to buy tickets for the matinee for Jersey Boys the next day. We had a quick look around Oxford Street and then went to Madame Toussauds. I got to hang out with my future husband Prince Harry, BFF Emma Watson and the One Direction boys. Not a bad day.

We went back to Comptoir for dinner after gazing with jealousy at other patron's lamb dishes when we went last time - absolutely incredible.

We then took the bus to go to see Les Miserables. I have to say, this was an absolute life highlight. It was the most incredible show, I cried pretty much the whole time, and it was just so beautiful. We got to meet Carrie, who plays Eponine, at the stage door afterwards and she was so friendly.

I woke up with a bit of post musical depression the next day but soldiered on. We had another look around Oxford Street and then went to Buckingham Palace so mum could buy some gifts from the gift shop. We then went to a nice Thai place for lunch and then to see Jersey Boys. It wasn't my favourite musical in the world but it was still great to see a show. We then had about an hour to go to Matilda - it was absolutely incredibly! On our way home we met a lady who lived across the road from our hotel and we all walked home together.

The final day was quite sad - I was leaving at 10:37 in the morning on the train down to Brighton. After some teary goodbyes, it was time to close chapter one of my adventure and embark on my most exciting journey so far - exchange!