Landed in the City of Dreams

a.k.a London baby

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I'm here! I know I've been offline and seriously behind on the blogging so here I am trying to catch up and fill you in on what's been happening. Let me tell you, it's been beyond crazy - from landing and moving in to my student accommodation straight into orientation week and the start of classes. It's been a whole ride full of different emotions and trying to catch my breath. So let me start from the beginning...

1. Moving in to Goodenough College

Let's start with an easy one, moving in and living in London. From a quick search of accommodation in London and just asking around you'll find out it's extremely expensive to live anywhere near London, let alone the center itself. I was lucky enough to receive a recommendation from my Scholarship liaison who suggested Goodenough College - an award winning postgraduate living accommodation situated in Camden Borough. Whilst Goodenough definitely isn't cheap, as an international student it offers amazing benefits (like security, food options, laundry facilities, and wifi) and with the added bonus of being in the middle of London it's probably one of the best decisions I made to apply to live here. Just 20 mins away from Strand campus where I have my classes, it's not even 5 mins away from the Russel square tube which links you directly to the major stops (like Piccadilly circus, Covent Garden, the British museum, Trafalgar Square with the National Gallery, and Heathrow) and not to mention it's 2 mins away from Brunswick square where I do all my shopping. Located right next to the public Brunswick park, Goodenough also has it's own garden square available to all members and a tennis court. Lucky for me I have a perfect vie of this court where I have a little tennis match to watch every morning as I get ready.

Whilst it's pretty clear that I can't happier living here, the thing that has really been a saving grace is the fact that I've been able to connect with other students living here. Although I definitely thought about being lonely before moving here and tried to prepare, it really it so much more difficult to deal wit it once you're here - and it really sneaks up on you. The first few weeks are so busy and you're just trying to stay afloat that you don't even realize you haven't sat down with anyone and just had a conversation. Living in a place where the other 1000 people feel the same and has gone through the same shift really makes it easier. Goodenough really puts in so much effort in trying to link people with each other - there are so many social groups to join and dinner in the hall makes it easier to meet up and spend time together. I especially love my fellow South Africans who are staying here, and I've even connected with my neighbor who comes from Joburg. So while it's lonely and I really do miss my people with my whole heart, it's comforting to know I'm never really alone and there's someone to have my back and who I can have new experiences with.

2. Orientation week at King's

The first contact we had at King's was orientation week, a week of absolute chaos and some confusion. I wasn't able to receive my student card till about week 2 or 3, so for the time being they gave us King's wristbands which gave us access to all the buildings. A really fun thing is that I never have class at the same place but rather in different places around London - the National Gallery, the Virginia Wolf building, and also Strand main campus. This helps me to see different areas of London and also helps to cut down on money I spend on transport since I can walk to most of them. What I also really liked about the way orientation works here is that we had a session where the whole faculty personnel introduced themselves to the collective TRS (Theology & Religion Studies) group and we had a chance to mingle before splitting up into our different degrees and receiving induction from the course leaders. Here we just introduced ourselves, our interests, and our backgrounds whilst learning about the structure of the program and how everything works. It was much more personal than anything I've experienced in other degrees and it helped to understand the process and what to expect. We all also received a personal tutor - this is a member of staff who functions as your go-to person for all personal or academic related issues. I'm really lucky that my personal tutor is also my program head, which means I can form a really great relationship and talk about my future plans with someone who is in the same field and has read some of my work already. Being almost 5 weeks in I'm so grateful for this orientation week which introduced me to campus and my programs.

A definite tip that I have is to do your homework beforehand and follow all of the uni social media pages, download the apps they suggest and really utilize all the events and talks of the orientation week. It makes things so much easier and helps to make you feel at home and generally less confused

That's it for my little introductory session on my first week in London. If you'd like to see more on Goodenough College visit their website here (https://www.goodenough.ac.uk/) or just message me and I'd be happy to share some info! Here are some pics of my first week:

The main entrance to Goodenough with the original old gates

The view from my room <3

I arrived at Strand way too early and realised most of London isn't functioning before 9 - so I grabbed an Iced Mocha and pan au chocolate and waited for the uni gift store to open (where I obviously immediately bought myself a King's hoodie and fridge magnet)

The entrance to Bush House right across from the Strand Building. They are transforming the whole uni quad into a pedestrian centre which encompasses St Mary Le Strand church