London Calling

I can't believe my flight is less than four days away. It seems like I've spent my whole life fantasizing about studying abroad in London and after countless amounts of effort and a great deal of saved paychecks, it's finally (almost) here. In just three days and seventeen hours I'll be on a flight from Los Angeles to London, where I'll be spending the next four months of my life. While yes, I do actually know the difference between a chip, a crisp, and a crumpet, there is so much about London (and the rest of Europe, for that matter) that I'm excited to discover. Nearly everything I know about England I've learned from Harry Potter, British TV shows like Skins and The InBetweeners, and obviously classic films like Spice World. And while I'm certain that Spice World portrayed an extremely accurate representation of the city, I'm waiting on pins and needles to explore it all for myself.

Fun fact about me: I've never really been out of the country. Most people say that the three hours I spent in Canada when I was eight definitely don't count as traveling in/to another country, and it's been argued as to whether the few hours here and there spent in a village in Mexico just twenty minutes south of Yuma, Arizona are valid either. And if those times do in fact "count," I still have never been off this continent. And in LESS THAN FOUR DAYS I'll be getting ready to spend four whole months 5,437 miles away from home. Although I wasn't born or raised in Los Angeles (you're lookin' at a San Diego kid!), I pretty much consider this place my home now. My dad thought that I needed to clarify that I'm not actually from South Central LA, but since I go to the University of Southern California, which is located in South Central, I'm allowed to say that I'm coming from South Central. For those of you unfamiliar with USC, LA, or the US of A (maybe I have Londoners reading this?!?), South Central LA is not the best area... at all. It's reputation is pretty awful, actually. In London I'll be living in what's known as the South Bank. For all you non-London-savvy Americans, the South Bank is just south of the Thames river. Here's a super cute art print of my new living area:

Needless to say, I'm over the moon about the location of my flat. (click here for a bigger version)

I'm going to do my very best to blog as much as possible while I'm in London. I'm the type of person who will get really excited to start something like writing in a journal or running on a treadmill, and then after like three or four times I'll just stop doing whatever I was excited about. (The treadmill is a true story by the way; it's still sitting in my dad's living room.) Regardless of my past failures, I have high hopes for this endeavor. I think my excitement to share my experiences and adventures with you all will propel me to write. I'm also planning on taking both my DSLR camera and my video camera nearly everywhere with me. I absolutely love taking pictures and I really want to start making fun travel videos! I know you're probably thinking: Damn Hannah, if you're worried about something as simple as keeping your blog updated, how on earth do you think you'll be able to write, take pictures, AND videos?!? And to that I say: Well I really have no idea but I'm going to do my very best!!1!

Cheers to the first post of many, many more.
let's get wandering.
-h