385- London 2

(note : I found this copyright-free clipart to which I added text)

As I said, one long entry would've been far too long for you to read, hence I opted for several entries instead. 

If you recall, i explained that I suffer from GAD, travel anxiety included, and also experienced terrorism rauma. 


So, on the 5th of October, I took my anti anxiety medication, as I was very stressed about the flight, and had enough margin to suffer this med's side effects prior to departure. I told the flight attendant about my anxiety, just in case I'd need assitance, but you know what ? in the end, I was fine, and knew from my previous CBT session that I shouldn't have any kind of struggles with my emeto, as my therapist explained about that part. So, I went in and held it well, peering through the window at times, and reading during most of the flight. (book of choice: Tolkien's book of lost tales, 2. Great book, but not the best choice for a flight where you get interrupted a lot). 

I'd always imagined a dirty, dingy, rat-infested, drunk infested tube, like the metro in Paris. I found out that none of these is true in London's tube, and that the rides were a lot pleasenter, not only on the first evening of our arrival, but most of the other occasions. The most difficult was on the 15th, as we took an overground from New Cross gate back to Highbury & Islington, and since it was rush morning hour, where everyone goes to work, we needed almost half an hour just to get on it, and once in, I had to stand the entire duration - but managed, after 15 minutes of standing in sardine level, to move further in and half-sit on the window-ceiling kinda space, with my lugage between my legs, as the overground had emptied halfway to Highbury & Islington. 

Anxiety levels travelling in London were generally moderate ;  tube and overground experiences tended to be so much less stressful than their parisian counterparts, that I started to feel more at ease. Buses, even in rush hour, were the easiest to be in (once I found where they were), as their frequency is so high, they were never too full during our commutes.

Each of the companies running these fares think so much more about the clients : there are clear announcements for each stop ; the seats are spaced more evenly than in France ; for those who need, there are badges to pin on one's breast to show that we need a seat, and people will get up, as there is a lot more awareness about disabilities than here in France. Long corridors between tube stops are much less present than in Paris, and everything runs more smoothly, and more frequently, especially compared to our own city. 

Saturday 6th we unpacked our lugage, went to Sainsbury, the local supermarket ; I got acquainted with the flat and the mates, and relaxed, while preparing for the adventures to come. 

These were on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, one hella-busy week! You'll see more about them in the next few entries.