So, I made it to California. I arrived about 3 weeks back, having had a rather tedious journey that included 24 hours stuck in San Francisco airport. Despite such difficulties however, I arrived safely, albeit a touch sleep deprived, and stepped off a plane at Eureka airport into a sunny Californian day. I met with a fellow new student, and we soon traveled to the university, where I was pleased to lay eyes upon the very picturesque accommodation in which I am currently staying. A charming, wooden structured apartment complex, surrounded by majestic redwoods, and with the admittedly very welcome promise of a bed for me to attempt to recover from some rather severe jet lag.
It’s been somewhat of a whirlwind since then, with a lot of first experiences. A particularly standout moment was getting to see the pacific ocean for the first time, and even attempting (and failing rather spectacularly), to surf upon it shortly after. Attending American history classes has also been a somewhat surreal experience. A personal favorite aspect of which is when a joke is made at the expense of the British empire, usually resulting in a few students heads whipping round to see my reaction, always a touch bemusing. The classes are admittedly somewhat unfamiliar, with a structure much more akin to GCSE style lessons, with a fair amount of question and answer. This format is very unlike what I am personally used to in Southampton, but I suppose it does make for a nice change of pace, although it does feel rather odd being set “Homework” again.
I still feel there is a lot I must acclimatize to, but I do feel I am settling in nicely. My roommates have all been very welcoming, the campus is gorgeous, and I haven’t yet been eaten by a bear, so overall, I think things are going to go pretty smoothly.
- David