My first full week in London was eventful, to say the least! I decided to take the tube from Heathrow airport to my flat in Shepherds Bush, and after navigating the “tricky switch” that I was warned about, I found myself at the Goldhawk Road tube station with no escalator and no lift. Just a few flights of stairs, my 50 pound suitcase, and a very exhausted version of myself. After lugging my suitcase down the stairs and across the street, I was feeling quite accomplished until I realized that I lived on the third floor of flats and I once again found myself in contention with the stairs and my suitcase. Note to self: going up stairs with a heavy object is much harder than going down.

My initial impression of Shepherds Bush is that it is much different than your quintessential British town. If the image in your mind is anything like mine was, you would picture a black cab driving down streets past all of the landmarks and museums with cute white houses clustered together while “There She Goes” is playing in the background. Maybe that’s just because I have seen Parent Trap too many times…

Shepherds Bush is definitely one of the neighborhoods in London that shows the city’s diversity and it is cool to experience somewhere that I probably would not have ventured to if I was living in a different area.

Our flat complex is really nice and everyone who lives here is friendly and excited to be in London. Despite one incident involving a fire alarm at 3am and our neighbors being just a tad angry with the loud noises, living here has been pretty smooth sailing.

Of course when I got here I was very excited to go to the touristy parts of London. I went to Westminster with my roommates on our first day here, and despite the rainy and dreary weather, it was still incredibly fun to be a tourist in the city that I am starting to call home. Walking along the South Bank is definitely something that you have to do in London because you get big attractions like the London Eye and Big Ben, but as you go along the bank you get to see Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Millennium Bridge that was featured in Harry Potter, and so many more historical and contemporary buildings that make London such a cool city.

I have been having the time of my life being a tourist, a student, and an intern in this amazing city. I cannot believe that it has already been one week! I know there is so much left to do and so many things to see. Look out for my next blog post when I tell you all about my internship at the London-based makeup retailer, Cult Beauty!

Cheers!

Erin