New and (Finally) On Campus

My first time being on University of Hull's campus is when I stepped out of the taxi. I had seen pictures online, I knew where my accommodations were, but that was about it. As soon as I arrived at The Courtyard (my new home away from home), I checked in with the reception desk and got my key and a temporary student tap-card. This let me into my block, my hallway, and is supposed to count my class attendance. (Side note: attendance isn't a part of your grade in the UK the same way it is in the US. They keep track of your attendance so they know if you need any outreach from mental health services).

Once I got into my hall, I was able to unpack my room. This included my suitcase and the things I ordered for my room from the university - bedding, a drying rack, a hamper, etc. This took my a couple of hours, and by 3 PM (15:00) I was able to finally get a shower and change clothes. The room here is decent sized. Not as big as the room I had to myself last year (understandable, because that was supposed to house two people), but bigger than I thought. My bed is 4 feet wide, my bathroom is just for me (small, but at least I don't have to share), and I have sooo many outlets!

After I finally felt clean, I decided to venture out and find something to eat. The accommodations are "self catered", and my cooking supplies isn't here yet, so I needed to find food from somewhere. Across from The Courtyard is the Student Union, which is similar to a student center. I stopped in there and took a look around and I found a marketplace, the help desk, and a pub. I knew you could drink at 18 in the UK. Seeing the alcohol sold on campus is still a bit of a shock. Having a bar in the Student Union was also a bit of a shock. I had southern style fried chicken strips with a spicy honey mustard-like sauce for dinner around 4:30 PM (16:30) and then headed back to my room.

I fell asleep around 5 PM (17:00) and slept until 8:30 (20:30) PM before I got up and called Cameron for an hour or so. After that, I was out until 10:45 AM. I had randomly woken up a couple of times throughout the night, but I had slept for a long time. Honestly, not the worst way to get over jet lag, because now, I feel completely adjusted to my new time zone.

I woke up, got ready for the day, scheduled a few things, and decided to explore campus. There was a sports festival going on, so a lot of people were out and about. I stopped into a cafe (called a kitchen) to grab a coffee and met another international student from Nigeria and then headed to find the library. I took a brief look around before I continued my walk. I ended up stumbling across the business school buildings where most of my classes will be and had some time to talk to my Dad.

After I got off the phone I kept going and ended up looping back around to the sports fair, where I stopped to talk to some people in a tent about student organizations, volunteer opportunities, and mental health services. I went to the store and grabbed something for breakfast for the next week and some school supplies and then I headed out to my room.

I had the chance to introduce myself to a couple of people who live on my hall before I decided to take some time to myself and read up on a couple of things going on around campus. I was able to book a trip to the Trinity Marketplace and Retro Shops tomorrow, registered for a networking event the business school is putting on, and set times to pick up my student ID and biometrics report. Now, I'm sitting and updating my blog and thinking about where I want to head for dinner.

Stay tuned as I start my studies and continue my journey throughout the United Kingdom! To read more about how my travels to the UK went, check out my previous blog!

A quick video I sent to my family of my room.