Day 1

I arrived at Heathrow Airport at about 10:30 am on Tuesday morning and was able to find the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station as my dad had advised.  It felt strange being in a different country by myself.  I was extra cautious to ask before and after I got on the expressway to make sure it was headed to Paddington Station.  Once I arrived at Paddington Station, it was unlike any train station I had seen before.  The sunlight shown beautifully through the ironwork and there were vendors all around.  My first purchase was a small americano from a coffee place.  When I went outside I was unsure about how to hail a taxi because they all zoomed passed.  After walking around a while, I realized that there was a line of men and women in suits waiting for taxis that would line up, just like at Penn Station.

Paddington Station

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I rode in a taxi to my apartment where I would be staying, yet it took longer than expected.  Neither my taxi driver or I could figure out where it was.  Twenty pounds later and after calling the program director, we were able to find it.  Three of my four apartment mates had already arrived.  Once everyone arrived, we went for a walk in our area, which is right by the Marble Arch.  We live in a very ethnic part of London in which our street is lined with Lebanese, Moroccan, and Indian restaurants.  For dinner we went to a Malaysian restaurant.

The Marble Arch (Oxford Street)