Nothing really prepares you for what you are supposed to do when it hits midnight and you find yourself closing down a karaoke bar.
For context, I started the day at Kensington Palace and spent most of my time looking at the swans, geese and ducks. I have a really weird fear of geese so this kind of felt like exposure therapy. With that being said, I did stop a few times in the middle of the road because a goose was looking at me funny.
Today was a girls day which was fitting since we are all spending our time in the hostel together. It was fun but I would be lying if I did not tell you that I was slightly nervous going into this week. I was a tad nervous that I would not fit into the group. The other girls hang out a bit more on the off days so I was afraid that I would not be explicitly welcome within this circle.
I am so happy to say that it was a really nice day.
We ended up at Notting Hill and shopped for a little bit. We did split up but that was only because we are aware that we are all interested in different things. I did not feel explicitly left out, which was great because even though I tend to do things on my own and am an inherently independent person, I get FOMO every once in a while.
Being in a class of 9 has always given me a bad vibe. When I saw that it is an odd number, I assumed that I was going to be the one left out since people tend to go off in pairs. This trip has become a lot of being comfortable with being by myself while also learning to speak up and putting myself out there to hang out with others in the group.
More often than not, it worked! But, I did find out my social battery is not what it used to be. I am not sure if it is because I am in a foreign country or something else but I have not been super into the late nights with the whole group.
It was super fun today though. We had a proper Sunday roast and started talking about karaoke. Every time I have hung out with this group, karaoke always makes its way into the conversation.
This time though, something actually happened. We ended up renting a room at a karaoke place and ended up singing for hours. It was a really cool way to get rid of the stress that has built up from the last few days and singing at the top of your lungs with every other person in the program made me feel a little closer to them as well.
Pro tip: when doing karaoke, always end the night with We Didn’t Start The Fire. I think it took my voice for a few days but it was so worth it.