Arrival Day

 

  

Arrival Day

We left our house at 10 in the morning, heading to Chicago so we could be early for my flight that was supposedly leaving at 7:25pm. Well. That flight got canceled due to "mechanical errors" and I honestly don't want to know what all that entails. There were quite a few Harlaxton students who had booked that flight too. Some of us were lucky enough to be transferred to a different flight that left at 9:10pm instead, and while that was chaos to figure out, it's better than being told to wait until 9 in the morning. Yes, that's right, some students had to wait overnight to catch a plane the next morning. They won't be arriving at Harlaxton until 2am!! But Harlaxton had been so helpful and calm, and they already have a shuttle prepared for those students, and they're rearranging the schedules of tomorrow so we can all sleep in a bit.

The bus ride from the airport to the manor was eerily quiet. We were all so tired from the jet lag and from the stress of the canceled flight, most of us were zoning out to the British countryside for the trip. But once the manor came into view the bus came alive! Everyone was straining to get a good view of it, and when the bus finally stopped, we found a second burst of energy and our initial enthusiasm for the trip was back. 

Once our group arrived at the manor, we were guided inside for a short orientation meeting where they gave us our roommates, room keys, and most important; the wifi password. Most of the students are using their iphones abroad by turning off all of their cellular data, then turning on airplane mode and the wifi. Our smart phones are now restricted to wifi areas only, but that shouldn't be a problem because the manor is flowing with wifi.

After the orientation meeting, we were sent to our rooms to drop off our bags, and then it was dinner time. There was another short meeting after that, but then we were released for the evening. I immediately explored the carriage house, which is where my room was located. It's a short walk from the manor, and it looked ancient! But the rooms were up to date and super spacious! My roommate (electrical engineer major!) and I have a corner room, so we have two windows, a straight shot to the showers, and an exit nearby, and the most amazing view of the grounds. Soon I'll post a short tour of the carriage house, and maybe one of Harlaxton too-- if I can figure my way around the place without getting lost! But for now, I need to sleep!

Check back with me monday to hear about the weekend!

xoxo Annie