Monday, August 4th, 2003
at 6:02 p.m.
Today I laid eyes on my University for the very first time. We drove to Chris's own university (where she is a professor) and took a Thames path to Richmond (it is the Thames that is the most direct link between all the London boroughs, as you've probably realized by now!)
The entrance off the river to this borough is the Royal Entrance that was used by all the best known ones from Henry the VIII and Elizabeth I, to Prince Charles today. The first buildings one sees were used by Elizabeth I, and were her favorite places to be. It was amazing to walk right where she walked, through the same narrow archways, adorned with the crest of the crown. What a first impression, eh??
It only got better, if you can believe that. We soon emerged onto the highstreet, where tons of scantily clad people buzzed in the sidewalks, going to all the big shops like H & M, TopShop, Marks and Spencer (Marks and Sparks!), Boots (where they seel Bourjois as a drug store makeup, yesss), and W.H. Smith. Everything is attractive and bustling, and the sunny weather, although hot, made my first impression even more striking. We made our way up the hill and back to the stunning waterfront, where there is a sloping lawn and steps to the river's edge, and flowers, statues and sunbathers abounded. On either side there were restaurants with many outside tables and decks jutting out over the water, and the historic cast iron Victorian Bridge was not far off. The scene looked familiar, and I soon realized it was from the Richond U. viewbook. Well no wonder! It was breathtakingly beautiful, and the sun sarkling off the water increased that even more. We went through a little arch in a wall next to a long flight of steps going up to the street, and found ourselves in a small veggie restaurant with delicious-looking food and even better prices. I thought of Mike. We'll all have to go there when we check out Richmond, if they want to. Once we received our food we emerged out the other end to a huge veranda above the water, under the shade of giant oaks. It was prettier than a postcard. After finishing up our delectable meal we started the hike up Richmond Hill, passing on the outside so that we went alond the city wall. This meant that as we walked farther up, the entire Thames Valley spread out before us. What a view. It was facing into the countryside (away from London) so we could see Hampton Court (Home of Henry VIII [and his many wives!] and King William. We're going there soon.) We could also see the giant rugby stadium not far off, because Richmond is home of the annual world chamionship! Lucky me, heheh. I also recognized one of the views at one point of the terrace where there were maps showing what you could see, and coin-operated telescopes. It was also from my viewbook! They really did pick the prettiest views, but really, everything I'd seen in the area was pretty!
We took a little break from the heat on a bench inscribed 'Dedicated to Marion Ranelagh, a long-time resident of San Francisco who loved Richmond more than any other place in the world.' Interesting coincidence, isn't it? We took the chance to consult the map then, and saw that my school was only a few blocks away! Kind of numb with excitement, I got up and we walked on. I already couldn't believe how lucky I was to go to school in this place, and I hadn't even seen said school yet!
Soon we turned left away from the city wall and walked down a quiet street until we reached a large brick wall with a huge and intricate sign for the university. My heart started to pound! I was here!!!
We weren't going through the main entrance, but I didn't care. I hurried in and came in through the side, where I saw a very large main building surrounded by smaller litte ones. crossed the lawn to stand in the center, facing the main building, and I am truly impressed. It is like the Platonic vision of what a college should look like! Made in pale gray slate and fashiond in the gothic style, it has tall narrow windows, a wide spacious lawn around it, dark ivy climbing across it, big evergreens, and. . .construction. Well of course! I mean, yes it's summer and they're fixing it up, but I had to laugh. It didn't really detract from my first view of the school, though. I could see how beautiful it is.
We went to the admissions office and got one of the students who was working in the office over the summer to give us the grand tour. Her name was Jacqui, and she's an American (from Wisconsin) who will start her second year next year. She was very helpful and answered tons of question while walking us around the campus. I became more and more impressed, from a combination of the really cool classrooms, dorms, libraries, and other peripheral buildings and resoures, and how well she answered our questions.
A word on the dorms: they are so cool! They are on the very top floor of the huge main building, which is 3rd UK and 4th American. And thank God they're air conditioned since heat rises, but hopefully this will be the only time that England will have a heatwave like this! The girls are on the left and the boys are on the right, and there's a big common room with a huge fireplace and smushy couches and game tables and a TV/DVD in between. It's hecksa Hogwarts! Heehee. Minus the TV/DVD. The dorms themselves are eally nice too. They have high ceilings and are spacious and airy. We'll see how spacious and airy they remain though, lol!
I am so, so thrilled to be here. I cannot believe how lucky I am. And I'm not just talking lucky because the staff cleans the dorms on requst and you get all your laundry done for you and all your trash emptied. (Hehehe, can you believe that?!) No, I mean lucky because I'm here in Richmond, London, and everyone's been so nice and charming and welcoming, and it's so different yet so fascinating, and beautiful, and new, and an adventure. And I love Richmond! And the school seem fabulous. I'm so gobsmacked (yes, that's a British word!), and even though I know I will miss people, I am so excited!
When we presently finished our grand tour, we thanked Jacqui and the rest of the really nice admissions staff we talked to, and headed back down the hill, Thid time we took the main road down instead of the terraced city wall, so we got to se the inner part of the borough, and even more shops and cafes and services. For example, we stopped inside the Tourist Bureau, which was great beacuse not only were we able to pick up a bunch of cool postcards and pamphlets on things to do in London, but it was air-conditioned. Oh that felt so good after dragging around in the 95 degree sun beating down on us for hours.
Among the pamphlets we picked up were some for The London Eye, an incredible Ferris Wheel, that is unlike any Ferris Wheel in the world. Each 'pod' is the size of a very large room, and there are about fifty of these pods! I can' even imagine how massive this things must be, but the pictures gave me an inkling of an idea. Unfortunately I heard that it's been closed recently from the hot weather, because the pods are made of all glass and steel and have magnified their inside temperature up to 115 degrees, which has been deemed unsafe. But there's another reason I hope this damned heatwave will end - I want to go on The Eye! We also picked up some for a company that has all these awesome walks about London. Some examples are 'Beatles London,' 'Haunted London,' 'The Strange and Unknown History of London,' and 'Jack the Ripper London.' Those are just a few of many - all which have really fascinating and provocative descriptions underneath. Reading through them while we were sorting amongst all our information over iced coffee made us want to go on all of them! I'll at least have to take a few.
Walking back to Chris's University, I was pretty silent. I had a lot to think about! But it was a happy and amazed silence. My parents and Godmother were talking their heads off in praise of the chool and area, but I just smiled. I have a long time to appreciate it. . .
What song is playing on my iTunes right now: What I'm reading: What I'm Wearing: Back to anecdotal journalism again! - Tuesday, May 1st, 2007
Plan? - Monday, Jun. 19, 2006
FINALLY things are going better!
(This month redefined my understanding of stress and 'hell') - Monday, April 24th, 2006
Just a few more days! - Monday, February 27th, 2006
Another one to chalk up to College Experiences - Sunday, February 12th, 2006