My boyfriend is Lee Min-ho

Chapter Twenty five - London, here I come

I flew into London in August. My new school term began in September. Honestly, I was very nervous yet excited. It turned out that it would be a one-year full time course. Everything was paid for, including accommodation and school fees. I was also given a weekly allowance to spend.

The King's College of London had six different campus locations depending on which faculty you were going to. I was to be in the home of school of arts and humanities which was on the Strand campus. It was located facing the Thames River. I was offered a room in the Lillian Pension Hall which was a couple of stations away from my campus. Since it was quite a distance away and I was afraid I had morning classes, I decided to request for private accommodation. The accommodation advisor was all friendly and helpful in helping me out. Firstly, they tried for the flat sharing option to see if any other students were looking for flatmates. Next, they searched for available lodgers who were looking for tenants. The final option would of course be, a private apartment for myself. But being in this prime area, it would not be a cheap option.

I received the confirmation from the advisor just one week before I arrive, that they had managed to find me a landlord who was an elderly couple living just two streets down. The rent was within what I had been allowed and I immediately firmed up the offer. My family was worried about my safety and were insisting that I stayed at the college accommodation. But after many rounds of argument, I won.

London was of course, completely different from Korea. Korea was after all, part of Asia and still close to home. London was far more distanced and the culture was totally different. Even though I had been educated in British English all through my entire schooling life, I found difficulty understanding the people. And the cost of living was scary. Everything was so expensive.

I had to work doubly hard to catch up on my work. Everybody was so smart and hardworking. I barely scraped through my tests. Eventually, I managed to graduate. Without the flying colours though. I invited my parents over for my graduation ceremony. Ashton came as well. Asher couldn't attend because his wife - my sister-in-law, was expecting. Ashwin was serving the army and couldn't come as well. My family was so proud when I stepped up on stage to receive my Masters roll. I thought I saw my mom cried.

I decided to stay behind in London after my graduation. During my year in college, I had worked with numerous theatrical groups and troupes. And one of them, which happened to be a musical troupe of the famous Sound of Music, offered me a contract to join them. It was a two year contract of which would be renewed after two years if mutually agreed. My family was sad to leave me behind but they were happy for me. And during this time, I continued to stay with my landlords. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were elders in their seventies. They had two sons who had moved out with their own families. Since they had no daughters, they spoilt me like I was theirs. Throughout my one year stay, I had developed a family bond with them. So when they heard that I was staying for at least another two years, they immediately offered me a renewal.

Even though I was a theatrical artiste, I was not a singer. But I had loved The Sound of Music since I was a child and I knew every song by heart. Of course, they had other productions. But this time, they decided to focus solely on The Sound of Music. I was to play Liesl, the eldest daughter of the Von Trapp family whom fell in love with Rolf who eventually aided the Nazis. I made new friends, especially with the actor who casted Rolf. His name was Shane. He was from Dublin but came to London when he was sixteen. He was also a junior on the troupe who joined just a few months before me.