First Times

Humid rain dropped from a grey October sky onto the fiercely perspiring brow of a young man dragging a huge wheeled-suitcase into Glasgow Central Railway Station. Even on the smooth station floor his heavy luggage, his whole life in a bag, seemed to heave against him, pulling away from the life ahead, urging him to return to the familiar. But there was no turning back now. With barely a minute to spare – soaked in sweat – he threw himself, his luggage, his life, onto a train bound for London and found a seat. Arms and hands throbbing, shoulders tensed, unable to even sit back because of the warm moisture dripping down his back, this lonely traveller sped off… into the future.

Wonderfully glamorous. And if I thought getting to the train in Glasgow was hard then getting to my London house – navigating the underground whilst sufficiently laden so as to render me almost completely immobile, and eventually trying to get a taxi but with no credit on my phone – was almost outside the realms of possibility. Still, I made it, and seemingly with energy to spare as that same night I accompanied Jill and Amy, my two American flatmates, swing dancing (!) and then, briefly, to a house party where I met a couple of my soon-to-be classmates.

The next day was Sunday and I took the opportunity to attend All Souls, the church where Christianity Explored began, and hear Rico Tice preach. It’s a big church, with a major emphasis on Internationals, and as a visitor I felt extremely welcome and at home. Of course, vast quantities of the people that walk through the door every Sunday are probably visiting, there for the first time, and this is a very foreign concept to me and must be hugely challenging for a church. But All Souls is a good church; Bible-based, mission-focussed, and very friendly and welcoming. If I wasn’t so keen to experience some other churches in London I would just settle there now.

The next day was my 21st birthday, and I spent most of it cleaning and tidying my very dusty bedroom. Starting a new life can be very fun and satisfying; deciding how to arrange the bedroom, where to put everything, what system to use in the sock drawer; discovering the kitchen, the shower, whether the living room couch is comfy, fixing the broken drawers… It can also be exhausting; one thing I’m completely tired of already is spending money. I thought I brought a lot of stuff with me but there is so much still to get. Bedding, towels, food, tickets, stationary, clothes, food again- it just never stops. My funds are rapidly running out and I’m already living on borrowed money because my loan is taking its time to come through. It’s a good exercise in managing finances… and patience.

My first week in London was full of ‘first-time’ experiences: my first time meeting my three flatmates – Markoesa (from Holland) is the third and also a classmate; my first time meeting the rest of my class, which was somewhat daunting as most have tonnes of experience and have been working for years (I think I’m the youngest… yikes); my first time walking around Central as an official registered student; my first time in a London theatre – saw ‘No Naughty Bits’ about when Monty Python went to America, which was pretty rubbish and a cold reminder of what I’m up against in this industry, namely: mocking moral boundaries equals comedy; my first time visiting London Zoo, where I watched a pair of highly bored lions for a while; and of course my first time in a London cinema, where I saw The Lion King 3D which was awesome and where the lions were decidedly not bored.

So far it’s all been great but I’m rather impatient to get started on what I actually came for; my course! Even now it’s hard to believe that I’m actually here and this is actually happening. That God would open this door in the first place is truly amazing, and now that I’m actually walking through it I sense that He’s been ‘in the shadows’ all along, preparing me. How magnificent to be serving the King! But it’s going to be hard, that much is guaranteed. I’ve decided on a verse I’m going to hold onto throughout this year:

“‘They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 1:19