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August 2004—Ellie Arrives
Ellie Satter's Journal on Arrival
Honestly the biggest concern of mine was my bags. One felt like someone had a dead body of an obese man inside. I felt as if there was no way my weak arms could manage it! Let's be serious, I can't even do one pull up, well, maybe a half of one if I swear a lot. My plane touched down an hour late due to a crack in some sheet metal, so yes, I was upset about the delay but thankful for the safety. The plane was hot and I wanted to get off of there ASAP due to the man from Zimbabwe who did not believe in deodorant. It seemed as if the first class passengers could not move fast enough. I wanted to encounter my first taste of London life (like when you go to Florida you want to see palm trees). I don't know exactly what I wanted to see, maybe Prince William or Peter Pan who knows, I just wanted to assure myself that YES I was in London. This moment didn't exactly happen. Gatwick seemed empty at 10am and this worried me. I am always worried in new places.
Mostly the thought, "Am I in the wrong place?" fills my head. So I and my huge airplane (the people on the aircraft, not the plane itself) made it out. I somehow ended up on a bus to Customs going through the ghetto of Gatwick. Once again I thought, "Am I in the right place?" and now I thought, "Am I being kidnapped?" After the bus ride we were on our way to Customs, which also scarred the piss out of me. The line was longer than hell (and in this case hell is MIGHTY long) and, surprise surprise, I am at the end of the line. So while standing there, I am mostly people watching and I am also practicing my lines for the agent, at this time I knew two. "Here is my passport." and "I am a student." I waited the 35 minutes it took to get to an agent. So I get in the front of the line, and a nice agent man beckons me over. I think "PHEW he looks nice!" Then out of NOWHERE comes this kid looking for a purse, so the nice agent man is trying to help this kid and somehow I decide that looking for this purse from the child
I do not know is a good idea (it's my South Dakota upbringing...BLAST!) So while this chaos is happening another agent opens WAY at the end of the agent line, and I don't see her. And I realize I don't see her until I hear the screams and yells coming from behind me. SHEESH! Well, this new agent whom I now have to go to looks pissed. She looks like she has been there all day, she is on her period, she just broke up with her boyfriend, and her puppy died, ALL before I got there. She looked like she was going to kill me. So right off the bat I knew I was in trouble. And I forgot my two lines, I am a student and here is my passport! So the conversation was doomed from the start. It goes something like this,
"Why are you here?"
"As a student."
"Let me see your papers."
"Huh?"
"Your papers."
"Well we weren't given any papers."
"Umm ok?!"
"I have an ISIC card?" (At this point she looks at the card and throws is back in my face barely missing my eyeball.)
"What campus are you studying on?"
"There is no campus."
"What school are you with?"
"Millikin."
"What is Millikin?"
"My university."
"In London?"
"No."
"Where?"
"In Illinois."
"Ok, where are you studying IN LONDON?"
"On Fulham Road."
"Where on Fulham."
"In a trailer."
"A what?"
"Like this little trailer classroom thingy."
"A thingy?"
"Yes."
"Well, ok then. Where are your professors?"
"Um, in London."
"Where?"
"I don't know where right now, eventually they will be in flats."
"Where?"
"In London."
"Obviously!"
(Nervous laughter from me.)
"Where are you learning?"
"In the trailer."
"OH FINE MY GOD! HERE'S YOUR PASSPORT, DON'T WORK, WELCOME TO LONDON GO AWAY!"
I ran away from the desk as fast as I could! I then encounter a couple that was on my plane, I recognize them from the large teddy bear she is holding and I am pretty sure she is 25 years old. I learn they are from Georgia and they have been married for 2 years and this is their Honeymoon. Well they go to the currency exchange with me and proceed to ask the agent if "American Money" can be used anywhere in London. At that moment I was so embarrassed for my country! After the annoying Georgia couple I go to get my obese bags, and then attempt to find the Gatwick Express. Despite the fact that my arms were falling off, the train was easy to find. 30 minutes later I am at Victoria Station, and a nice little man offers to trolly my luggage to the cab for me. The cabbie asked if I was staying for 2 years and when I said three months he DIED laughing. While he was taking me to Fulham road, all I wanted to do was look around and take it all in. He wants to
talk about the Italian Opera stars. I tune him out. So we eventually make it to Macy House and I ring the office bell so hard I break it. Goran shows me everything in 5 minutes flat and I again get help with my obese bags. Goran (whom by now I love) shows me to me room. I NEED TO SHOWER! But I unpacked my bags first waiting for my roommates who are nowhere to be found. Eventually I did shower, scrubbing away the 9 hours of nasty that were now beginning to smell, and I did find my roommates. My things may all be set up and my clothes all hung up, little pieces of home are beginning to show, but my home is still an ocean away. I realize that in three months this small little place, with the trailer, on Fulham road will be my home, and once again I will have to pack up my obese bags and do this ALL OVER AGAIN!
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