Tuesday 7 July 1998

I had to get up early today - 9am - well it’s early for me - to go down to London. I traveled on the train with my Mum, Sarah and Jannie and left them at Euston to go on the underground. It was the first time I had been around London by myself. I reassured my Mother that if I couldn’t cope with London, how on earth would I survive Bucharest? I had no real problems with the underground. I had to get to Kensington Palace Gardens. I have never been to that area of London.

It only took a few minutes to feel quite confident. I only felt nervous because I thought maybe I should be. I soon decided that this was ridiculous and began to really enjoy myself. I love doing things on my own especially when I haven’t done them before. London became exciting and interesting and only a little bit intimidating.

The purpose of my visit was to get my visa from the Romanian Embassy. They had prepared it in 24 hours for me because John had only delivered it the day before - an emergency plan due to a mix up over letters and telephone calls to Beverly.

The Embassy was on a huge grand avenue lined with trees. The entrance was marked by huge iron gates and police, but I just slipped through felling that ridiculous sense of guilt that I always get when I think I could be doing something suspicious, even when I’m not.

With Diana’s Kensington Palace to my right and vast new luxurious apartments to my left, complete with meticulous gardeners and chauffeur driven Mercedes’, I walked towards the Embassy smiling inanely. I was thinking about how different this part of London was and how little of it, and the rest of the world, I had seen.

The Embassy was a huge old house with a burly security guard and enormous iron gates again that I had to open by a little handle. I didn’t look like I fitted in, in my jeans etc., and felt a bit silly and small.

The people at the embassy were very helpful especially when I smiled my sweetest. I got a bit confused about what the visa itself was, but was soon on my way out feeling very proud of myself and even more confident.

I had a Seattle coffee to celebrate having succeeded at such a small adventure and gazed around the shops a bit before getting back on the underground and back to Milton Keynes without any trouble at all.

Living at University has given me a bit of independence that I take for granted when I come home again. I love feeling independent and free.