So here I am in the UK, and I must say that my Oliver Twist fantasy took on some reality as I checked into my student accommodation, though Oliver Twist probably would have eaten the burnt toast in the hallway rather than leaving it as rubbish. So after many hours of a long journey, including wrestling heavy bags up and down the trolley-less train platforms of England ( me to man at help desk--do you have trolleys? Man at help desk--No, love, but the escalator is right there, so you do not need a trolley....me, looking dismally at escalator some 500 meters in the distance....oh. right. thanks. Here and there some helpful British chap would emerge from the fog and help me wrestle the bags in and out of trains, up and down steps, in and out of lifts--where they exist....

me checking into student housing--might I leave these bags in reception and take them one at a time to the room ( which was many yards and a long lift ride away, and by this time, my arms were numb and aching...person at reception--well I cannot be responsible for them...me, no, right, of course not, but it would be my dream to have them stolen!!! then I would not have to wrestle them across the courtyard and up the lift...)

so, luggage wrestling completed, I realize there is no bedding on my bed. Not even a pillow. Back to reception. Me--there is no bedding. Reception--oh. Me--well....can some arrangements be made? Reception--no. You can walk to the department store and buy some.

So off I trekked, raving from jet lag and no sleep in 24 hours, to the local department store, which, after a few false turns, I did in the end find, its name shining in the distance as a welcome beacon to me. Then, arms aching and shaking, I staggered back down the road with bedding and pillows.

I am now tired, sore and malnourished, and must find McDonalds so I can eat something and go sleep...but at least I have bedding....

Welcome! There are some jolly nice British chaps here honest! You just have to look hard for them...

Welcome to England! You made me fondly remember moving into student halls for the 1st time (and not so fondly remember the train journeys every time I wanted to spend a weekend at home)!

Where are you in London? I did my first degree at UCL - back in the 80s though. I think this kind of living is harder when you get older. Everything about London is expensive and cramped I'm afraid. But hopefully you'll get to see the fun side. It doesn't help arriving in winter.

hey olivia, hope you are doing ok now!
your story made me think back to my own first few days/weeks. i think that to an extent what you are describing is "culture shock". little things that are different, which have always been so obvious to you that you never even realized you were taking them for granted... until they are not there anymore (or different). combined with the stress of travelling and the emotional stress of relocating...

try to make friends of your flatmates. that's what saved me, in the beginning. can be very valuable!

Welcome...and I'm sorry that your university did not bother to send someone to meet you and drive you to your hall. Not a great welcome.

You'll have made friends with your hallmates before you know it, and you already have all your Forum friends, of course.

Hi all and thanks for the great messages. I AM glad to be here, I had a great meeting with my supervisor yesterday, and am ready to get to work. This morning I met a flatmate, very nice woman who lent me her hairdryer! Turns out the one I brought works in Australia but not in the UK--so that was very nice.

I feel as if I have been on an intensive fitness course--every muscle aches. Even my toes hurt! In particular my typing muscles are sore, because those are the ones that got used in luggage wrestling!

And yes, there are some nice British chaps--when someone back home was asking how I would manage my bags, I said, well, you can nearly always count on some nice British chap emerging from the fog to help you with heavy bags in your dark moment of despair.

On behalf of all the nice British chaps who still beleive in being chivalrous to the ladies, welcome to England. I will endevour to assist your luggage lugging should I ever see you hauling them about!

Welcome Olivia. You took me right back to the time when I started my undergrad and had to move into the halls of residence years back! wishing you well with your settling in.

There is NO heating in my room in the student housing!!!! Its like living in an igloo. Actually an igloo is probably warmer. There is a heating unit thing on the wall and a thermostat, but having spun the dials, pressed on buttons, banged on them and cursed, to no avail, I have concluded that they are placebos designed to fool people into thinking that there is heating when there is none.

But the placebo effect does not work...

Oddly, there is a generous amount of heat in the long hallway in the student flat...but WHY??? is it meant to leak into the sleeping rooms? The hallway is so hot its like stepping into a sauna.

I will make a complaint to the student housing office on Monday and ask for heat.

But in the meantime, is there something I am missing on how to make the heating unit thing in the room work? Should I give up and get a space heater?

You should definitely complain - the heating unit should work. Indeed, maybe it does - can anyone else in the flat/house that has one help? I think I usually had a fan heater in my room - they heat a small room up really well - but you have to turn them off when you go to sleep so maybe something else would be better. The housing office really should sor this out though. Doesn't sound like the best accommodation so far! What part of London are you in?

I should rename myself Olivia Twist...

I will make a journey to Argos and get a small heater, I saw some on sale for not very much £ and even if the unit in the room starts to work, I will have it to keep me toasty warm. I also want to buy some scrubby things and cleaner for the kitchen, its very filthy, with grease everywhere...

Such is the life of a student!!! I am coping OK though...a nice large Starbucks has fortified me, and I think this evening I will see if the one flatmate I met wants to go to get something to eat!