Blog #5

My Experience at Oxford (part 2)

June 9, 2022 By Ruth Misori

August the 2nd comes and my parents and I drive to the airport for me to depart for my flight. I then embrace and kiss my mother goodbye while dad takes my luggage for me to the security. As we approach the security line we embrace as dad reminds me to remain prayerful and to pay attention in class. I nod in agreement and head for the security line after I wave my final goodbye and walk to my terminal. Flying is a rare, but enjoyable hobby for me because oddly enough, I find it very peaceful and I love gazing at the clouds, which is why I always book a window seat because I need to see my surroundings. It’s the standard to arrive two hours before international flights in case plans change such as delays, terminal changes, or even cancellations. The crazy thing is that I experienced all three of those things on my trip. All of them.

I waited not too long after arriving to my terminal (2 hours isn’t that long) and before I knew it, my flight was ready to depart. I flew to Chicago O’Hare for my first layover, and then from there, I fly directly to London Heathrow Airport. All of my flights were with American Airlines, which is my favorite since I always have good experiences with them. The first flight to O’Hare only took an hour, so that’s what most people consider a baby flight. Once I arrived, I went to my terminal since I don’t have to go through customs until I actually arrive in London. As I was getting something to eat I decided to text my parents and let them know that I arrived in Chicago safely. That was a part of the agreement of letting me go, which was to contact them and inform them about everything concerning my flights, including when I land, depart, encounter delays or cancelations. That way they can figure out something else if these misfortunes do occur (which ended up happening anyway, ugh). Mostly, this was because I was a seventeen-year-old flying solo to another country that are miles and miles away. I don’t have close relatives who live in the UK, so I’m on my own for this entire trip. Therefore, I had to take all of these precautions in order to insure my parents and myself my own safety.

One of the desk attendants made an announcement that the flight to London was delayed for 30 minutes. I shrugged and proceeded to watch tv on my tablet with my earbuds on (I took them out occasionally for announcements). It was no big deal since I would depart for London in 30 minutes and delays are normal. In fact, delays often occur due to mechanical checks for any errors, so I’d rather be safe than sorry. So by all means, take all the time you need. 30 minutes pass and the desk attendant makes another announcement that the flight is delayed again for 45 minutes. My eyebrows raise in suspicion. ‘What’s taking them so long?’ I then text my parents about my flight delays as well as the institution, since they’re supposed to pick me and other students up from the airport.

An hour passes and the desk attendant makes another announcement that my flight is now ready for boarding. Finally! I made my way in the long line (thank God this was before Covid) but I began to feel slightly nervous. Anytime I do fly, I tend to get nervous right before I take off but once I’m in the air, I’m back to normal. Strange huh. I found my window seat in economy and became excited since they all had screens, so I wouldn’t have to worry about when I land since I could check on the device. I could also watch movies and tv shows to occupy my time on this 7-hour flight. What people fail to tell you is that despite these things, you’ll still become bored and restless after a matter of time (3 hours max). The pilot made the announcement of the flight takeoff as I begin to hear the roaring engines. My heart races fast as I tell myself to be calm and that everything will be ok. Once we’re in the air, I return to normal and decide to watch ‘Tangled’, which is a classic Disney movie.

My flight from Chicago to London was an overnight flight, like most European flights, so I was served dinner, and they have these cool, colorful lights in the cabins that turn on at night. Of course, I didn’t sleep because it’s very uncomfortable and I was too busy daydreaming about what I will experience at Oxford, anyway. I do manage to fall asleep for a few hours but every time I wake up, we’re still over the Atlantic Ocean! At that point, I was no longer impressed and just couldn’t wait to get to my dorm to freshen up and rest. We eventually landed around 8 or 8:30 in the morning. Once I left the plane, I went straight through customs which was a nightmare in and of itself. It’s long, confusing, and sometimes the airport officials give you a hard time.

Once it was my turn to approach the customs, I encountered a overweight woman whose nationality was undeniably Nigerian at the customs desk. She asked me what my purpose was for being in the UK, to which I responded that I was here for a program (They already gave me the invitation letter) and handed her the letter containing all of the information as well as my passport. She appeared unconvinced and slightly frowned. She then asked me to call the institution for clarification that I was indeed here for that program. As I mentioned earlier, I was tired and now I was becoming annoyed because who lies about this kind of stuff? I rolled my eyes as I dialed the institution’s number while she was glaring at me the entire time. Maybe she was having a bad day but that lady was definitely being rude and obnoxious. She then demanded that she speak to them on the phone. I was visibly annoyed with her and handed her my phone to talk to the institution. Once everything was confirmed, she handed me back my phone and finally let me go. “Idiot” I muttered as I shook my head and walked away.

I searched for a large sign that says Oxbridge Academic programs and turned to my right and there it was! I am finally here! I gleefully walk to the sign and they welcome me to the program. “Hi, Ruth, welcome to the UK! My name is Alex and this is Daniel and we’ll be responsible for getting you settled in! I hope you enjoy your time here and if you want, there’s a coffee shop over there in case you wanted to get yourself a cup.” “Thank you so much, and I’m really excited to be here” I responded as we shook hands. I noticed a group of people who are also standing by the Oxbridge sign. I walk towards them as they introduce themselves. “Hi, I’m Iro, and this is Nikos, Stelios, Emily, and Irene. We’re all from Greece.” “Oh cool! I’m Ruth and I’m from the United States.” “What are your majors?” Most of them replied business or political science. “And you?” “Psychology. I’m really interested in clinical psychology.” They nodded in fascination. “That’s great!” A couple minutes later Alex and Daniel informed us that it was time to leave and that we were going to ride the bus (no it wasn’t double-decker) to the university.

I look out and stare at everything in awe. I still can’t believe I’m finally here! I’ve been waiting the entire summer for this and now the opportunity has come! The bus ride from London to Oxford was an hour away since Oxford is an actual city apart from London. I took this time to take pictures of whatever caught my eye: landscapes, double-decker buses, churches, houses, landmarks. And yes, we did drive on the left side of the road! This means whenever you’re walking across the street in any part of the UK, you must look right then left before you cross instead of left then right because of the oncoming traffic approaching from the right side first. Also, walk on the right side to avoid any confusion.