Day 1 - Arrival

Wow, there's a lot to write on the first day!

It was a very long day of traveling, and I've been tired ever since the day began. But around noon I finally arrived in Reading. My first big surprises were 1) how easy it was to get from LGW to Reading (I really like the idea of riding trains instead of driving) 2) how nice the Reading train station and Town Centre is (i don't think I'd seen either of them very well on my last trip, and I was quite impressed this time), and 3) how Reading feels like a very big city and yet it's only a little bigger than Norman. It's a lot like a miniature London.



When I arrived at the University I found out that I did not get either of the dorms I requested, but I actually ended up getting a better one. I didn't know about it earlier because I wasn't able to find it on my last visit. It's down the slope of a hill and covered by trees, which made it hard to find -- which is why I like it so much! And I think it's in a relatively nice area compared to some of the others. The drive from the train station to my dorm is beautiful!

The room itself is not that great, but it's at least as good as I thought it would be. It's basically just a typical single dorm room, with a tiny bathroom. I'm quite happy with it. The only bad part is that I only get to keep it until the end of September. After that I'm supposed to move into another one that's closer to my classes but not quite as nice.

The international/housing people were extremly nice and helpful. They seem to take politeness very seriously here, which I like. After I got my room, I took a ~20 minute walk to the town centre. I was amazed at how many stores there are. Almost every street there is like walking through a mall. Some of the streets are for walking only which is neat. The city was definitely built for walking, at least more so than cities in the U.S.

This afternoon I knocked out the power to my dorm by plugging in my surge protector, which apparently only accepts up to 125V (the power here is 240V) oops! I also bought a keyboard that doesn't fit my laptop, which I need to fix somehow because I hate typing on this little keyboard.

As good as everything was today, there are a few negative points. So far, I have not been able to find a good place to eat around here. Hopefully that will change soon as I talk to more people who live here. Also, it's been kinda lonely. Most of the Reading students who I know are not yet in town because it's summer. Otherwise my nearest family and friends are thousands of miles away. But I remember feeling the same way when I first moved to Norman, and that didn't last long. I think a few days/weeks of not having many people to talk to will help me get closer to God (who's always there) and help me appreciate the friends I have back in the U.S. And I know I will be extremely happy to see my family in a week or two!

This won't be so long in the future, but today was an unusual day. Thanks for reading.

posted by Matt @ 10:05 PM