My First Full Day In London

I made it to London! And I am slowly adjusting to this new lifestyle. But let me tell you, the start of this trip was a little bit rocky. I got  SUPER sick on the plane ride….like SIIIIICKKKKK. I don’t think I’ve ever felt sick like that before, it felt like I was dying and I’m not exaggerating. I posted it on my Instagram and I think everyone thought I was just having a panic attack but I actually fell ill.

After eating the plane food (instant regret), I fell asleep and then woke up completely nauseous and sweating profusely. I ran to the bathroom and could barely stand, all I could see was white and that’s when the panic set in. What the F do you do if you’re super sick on a plane heading to a foreign country? At this point it’s about 2 or 3 am and everyone including the flight attendants are sleeping on the plane. It was in this moment, while feeling like I could literally pass out at any moment I prayed. I PRAYED guys….so hard. I didn’t want my trip to end before it started, I knew I was called to be in London so why would I fall so ill right now??? I don’t think I ever prayed so hard in my life and after a little while I felt better enough to get up and head back to my seat. When I tell you I thought I would be out for the count for hours and it probably only lasted about 45 minutes before I could stand again.

It also was the time of the month so that didn’t help as shortly after I started to get excruciating cramps. I drugged myself with 800 mg of ibuprofen, sat with my foot up on the seat resting my head on my knee, and powered through the rest of the plane ride. When the drugs kicked in I feel asleep for about a half hour and then we landed. I couldn’t believe I made it through…thank you LORD!

I waited at the airport for a couple hours since I couldn’t meet the property manager of my apartment, or should I say “flat,” until noon. I took an Uber to my apartment and was overjoyed to lay down in a real bed! (I think I’m all set with red eyes flights for a while!)  I go to pay for my place and my card is declined. I put a travel notice on my account so I couldn’t understand why and with the time difference Bank of America was closed for another hour! (Why on Earth they don’t have 24 hour customer service for emergencies of fraud is beyond me!) So I waited to call the bank and was put on hold multiple times while they figured it out. 3 failed attempts later my payments finally went through and the property manger finally left me alone to be in my place.

My apartment is a tiny studio in North London  but it’s the cutest little neighborhood and a 3 minute walk to the train and a bunch of food places and grocery stores. I love that I can just walk outside my door and find mostly anything I would need in the moment.

It’s been 10 years since I’ve been to London so it’s like a whole new visit for me. I have to get used to a more European lifestyle. Upon arrival I needed things for the apartment like soap, and detergent, a heavy blanket, towels a mirror etc and it’s very hard to find a one stop shop nearby.

I’m definitely spoiled with my American convenience of having everything at your fingertips and plenty of one stop shops. I’m definitely not finding and super Walmarts out here or Target. So even finding something as minor as a sponge has been a task.

But I have to put it in my head that I’m not in America and it’s a whole new experience. That’s why I came here after all. Though I did find an Ikea nearby and am thinking about taking the plunge.

I headed to Oxford Street today which was very convenient to get to from my place and did a little shopping en route to Primark (which is the closet to a one stop shop I could find). I forgot how good the shopping is in London, I seriously wanted to cry guys. Even though some of the stores are stores we have in the states, the styles they have are different and WAYYY better. As I past all the store fronts I was giddy like a child. I haven’t felt like that about shopping in years. It’s already sparking my love for fashion again. Real tears guys.

Anyway, I’m feeling much better after sleeping for over 10 hours and exploring a little. Tomorrow Sunita comes to visit and I can’t wait to venture around the city with her!

Stay tuned as I plan to share my adventures throughout my stay. I’m so excited I chose to start this chapter. I can’t wait to see what London has in store!

Cheers!

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