#ever-onwards

Sunday, July 5th, 2015 16:57 // 19 Bedford Place

It seems that I left you all with a bit of a cliffhanger. Between my social anxiety, jet lag, and the general stress of traveling, I was downward spiraling into a little puddle of homesick-ness quicker than you can say “peanut butter” (seriously, why is that so hard to find abroad!?).

Two days later I am pleased to report that: • the jet lag seems to have left my system (though the lack of air conditioning makes it tough to sleep on these stupidly hot nights) • I [think I] know how to get from my flat to LSE’s campus, which is seriously such a weight off my shoulders (though I’m still abso-bloody-lutely terrified to begin classes tomorrow, so #pray4leemah) • I made friends !!! So far everyone of on the trip, once removed from the cloudiness and exhaustion of jet lag, has been pretty nice. At the top of the list are two of my [four] roommates, Paige & Caroline. P&C are both Alpha Gams at Alabama (roll Tide!), and they are such a gift to have around. I can not stress enough, God bless their sweet, Southern hearts, as well as whatever powers made us roommates. Caroline and I are starting a list of things we agree on because for all intents and purposes, we seem to be the same people. It genuinely feels like a heaviness is slowly being removed from my chest as I get to know people and the central part of London a bit better. 

As far as the program goes, we’ve had different pieces of orientation every day since we arrived, and we’ve also done a fair share (read: an insane amount) of sight-seeing. I fully intend to write up a post about all of that ASAP, but - thanks to that very same touristing - I’m a little too worn out at the moment. (Warning: Reading that post may lead to jealousy and cause one to purchase impulsive tickets to London!)

Despite my fatigue, there’s one more thing I must mention. To all of my friends, family, and those good ol’ workplace proximity acquaintances (as the great Ron Swanson would say) who reached out to me with words of sympathy, empathy, and reassurance: thank you, I love you, and you’re making me miss you all and home even more. Lucky for me, I’ve embraced the realization that this is not a zero-sum experience. My desire to be home with my nearest (figuratively, of course) and dearest, and my positive sentiments towards this adventure can and probably will grow simultaneously. 

I’m going to eat dinner with my aunt and uncle soon, so I’d better wrap this much calmer and more content spiel up. I’ll throw some pictures in just for funziesz, so look for those at the bottom! 

Ever Onwards, A stubbornly optimistic and still quite homesick Leemah

p.s. AnnaJean Scarborough is my hero. More on that later. 

p.p.s. Please write me!  e-mail: [email protected] insta&twitter: leemahperu post: Leemah Nasrati (16D) / 19 Bedford Place / London, UK / WC1B 5JA + iMessage, What’sApp, and Facebook! 

I’ll happily respond as wifi access allows. :)