Summer Days at Last!

May and June have flown by and summer is finally here! It is a very hot 35 degrees today in London and a lot of people are sipping Pimms and eating strawberries and cream at Wimbledon while some of us (me!) have to work. Even though I am Canadian, no one at my work agreed that I should get the day off. How unfortunate that I can’t take advantage of the fantastic weather! Before I move on to what I’ve been up to lately, let me wish everyone a Happy Canada Day! Here is an amazing picture I found on the Canadian expats Facebook page. I just can’t get over how amazing it is:

So I have busy with fun random things lately, here’s a sampling and great examples of why living in London is so amazing – there is never a shortage of things to do!

In May I went to see a live taping of the Graham Norton Show where tickets are free! When you get tickets, you don’t know who the guests are going to be but I got very lucky and one of the guests was Simon Pegg who I absolutely love! Kylie Minogue, Michael McIntyre and Brandon Flowers were also on the show. It was a really fun experience and Graham Norton is hilarious both on and off the screen, I definitely recommend this if you find yourself in London, you can’t go wrong with free tickets anyway really! Try to spot me in the audience if you can:

In May I also let out my inner geek and went to the Legend of Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses concert and to the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular which were super fun. The Doctor Who one in particular had many of the show’s villains and monsters walking around on stage and in the aisles during the show which was really fun. To cap off May, I also met up with friends to watch the Eurovision song contest on television which is a bit of a big deal over here (depending who you ask). It is an extremely cheesy American Idol-type of show where each European country (and somewhat confusingly Australia this year) gets to send one performer and people from all over Europe vote for their favourites. Sweden was the winner this year replacing last year’s Austrian (bearded!) lady Conchita Wurst. It’s not for everyone but we did have fun, enjoyed some Pimms (my new favourite drink since moving to the UK) and sported furry moustaches in honour of Conchita:

In June I celebrated my 30^th birthday (cue hysterical tears) and went to a few nice places. First, we went to Escape Rooms where you essentially get locked in a room for an hour and you have to solve a series of puzzles, riddles and everything in between to escape the room. We succeeded with 6 minutes to spare! It was very challenging but also very fun. I’m a little bit hooked and can’t wait to go back and try to solve some of their other challenges. Here is Team Poutine’s victory picture that now hangs on the walls of Escape Rooms:

On my actual birthday I took the day off of work and was treated to a day at the London Zoo. Those who know me know that I love giraffes and I was very pleased to spend a part of my birthday with 3 lovely giraffes. The London Zoo is very nice. The animals look healthy and happy, the enclosures are clean and there is sufficient space for them to roam and even hide if they want to. Here are a few of my pictures from the zoo:

For dinner we went to Berner’s Tavern which is a fantastic restaurant. The vibe is casual yet classy and there is only one enormous room where the walls are lined with framed pictures and paintings from floor to ceiling. The food was fantastic (probably the best chicken I’ve ever had) and they gave me a nice little cake and birthday card when they found out it was my birthday. The cocktails are also very unique and fun. I had the “Cereal Killer” which is rum, Kahlua, white chocolate liqueur, coco pops milk (that’s right!) and chocolate bitters served in a very cute tiny milk bottle and candy stripe straw. It was a really great place for a special occasion.

I also had a chance to visit Borough Market, London’s oldest fruit & vegetable market (although there is so much more there now!) and it was amazing. Here is just a taste of what you can find there:

Lastly, after a year and a half of waiting, I finally went to see a movie at the Electric Cinema. This super old cinema is expensive but worth every penny. You can either sit on the 2 seater sofas at the back, on your very own armchair (with footstool) or on one of the 2 seater beds at the front and all seats have cashmere blankets! We opted for one of the beds at the front and it was fantastic! Not only are you super comfortable and cozy during the movie, the cinema offers snacks like nachos, burgers, chicken wings, candy, etc and drinks (champagne, beer, wine, etc.) that you can enjoy during the movie. I will definitely be back – especially considering that it’s less than 5 minutes away from my house!

I plan to now enjoy summer, try to spend as much time outside picnicking in London’s many parks and enjoying everything London has to offer in the summer, including the sometimes unbearable heat in a place where air conditioning is not always that common. Here’s a quote that summarises how I feel about summer here:

“Ah summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.”

Russel Baker

Does June Exist in Europe?

I've been meaning to write since the peanut butter tragedy to update everyone on that situation but it seems that June just came and went in a flash! First things first, my mom has replenished my peanut butter supply so I have been saved - thank you Mom!

Now, on to the fun stuff! June was a terrific month, My friend Jen visited in the earlier part of the month and it was really nice to see a friendly, Canadian face. We hit the London shopping scene, went to see a show (Wicked) which I really enjoyed and I was treated to a very nice meal at Scott's. Here are a few pictures from that meal - it wouldn't be right if I didn't post a few food pictures on here:

 

Jen and I also travelled to Dublin (yay cheap Ryanair flights!) for what we called "O'Chan & McNewtown's Irish Adventure". I had always wanted to visit Dublin/Ireland I was very excited for this trip. The big highlight in Dublin, for me, was the Trinity College Library Long Room. The Book of Kells is housed thre and amazing in its own right but for me, seeing the Long Room was a dream come true. I have always had a fascination with libraries (I blame Beauty and the Beast - my favourite movie - for this) and this library was at the top of my list. Seeing it in person was everything I hoped it would be and it was truly breathtaking. Here is a picture of the library:

Fun fact: I had always wondered how you get between the bookcases on the upper level given that there are only staircases at each end of the library. A friendly security guard let us through the velvet rope where, from from within the alcoves, you can see that there are "secret" doors built within the bookcases that allow for people to make their way around the upper level.

Another thing not to miss in Dublin is the Guinness Storehouse. While I have never been a Guinness drinker (I like my beer liquid), I learned how to properly poor my very own pint of Guinness in the Guinness Academy and it tasted amazing! I learned that the Guinness Stout in Ireland is actually a different brew than the one you drink abroad and it is MUCH better and easier to drink! The Guinness storehouse is worth the visit and there are also several very good restaurants in there; we had delicious Guinness Irish stew! Here are a few pictures from that adventure:

While Dublin was a good destination for a short trip, the day trip we took through the Irish countryside was a big highlight and I will definitely return to Ireland to visit more small towns and mountains. Irish people are also extremely funny, friendly and very welcoming. Here are a few pictures from the day trip through the Wicklow Mountains:

For the later part of June, my mom came for a visit bringin loads of Canadian supplies with her, including the peanut butter mentionned above. I was excited for my mom to visit, especially since this was her first visit to London and to Paris, where we went for the weekend using the extremely conveninent Eurostar. In London we visited The Wolseley for dinner and went to see my favourite musical: Les Misérables. Here is a picture of the amazing cheese soufflé at The Wolseley:

For our weekend in Paris, we visited all the of the major landmarks and got a lot of shopping done on the Champs Élysées. We also ate VERY well, here are a few pictures bound to get your mouth watering:

          

This week was the first time I spent Canada Day outside of Canada. I met up with some fellow Canadians and we had some pitchers of Pimms (my new favourite British discovery) and then made our way to Maiden Lane where we found hundreds of Canadians celebrating our nation's birthday. It was really nice to hear the familiar Canadian accent, drink proper Canadian beer (Sleeman's and Moosehead were available) and to sing our national anthem with pride. If I couldn't be in Ottawa to watch the fireworks display, this was truly the place to be for Canada Day!

Now that everyone has gone back to Canada, I think July will be spent dieting (June was very much a culinary indulgence month!) and budgeting for future trips! I can't wait to see what else this summer holds for me! As usual, a quote to cap things off:

And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.
F. Scott Fitzgerals (The Great Gatsby)

Two Months Already!

Unbelievably, I have now been living in London for two months and it has flown by. Since I arrived, I have found a place to live with great flatmates (and a mouse visitor that we quickly evicted!), made new friends, cheered on Canada during the Olympics with 100 other Canadians at Leicester Square and found a permanent job with a great salary & perks. I can honestly say, even though it's only been two months, that this is the best thing I have ever done and I have absolutely no regrets. The only negative thing, in my view, is that I only have 22 months left here. I realize that I am probably still in the 'honeymoon phase' of this experience but I also know that it's up to me, and only me, to keep making it a good one.

I read this great blog post from a fellow BritBounder a few weeks ago and thought I would share it because, aside from being really funny, he made some good points about adjusting to life in London. You can access his blog by clicking here.

The two things he said that I really related to and agreed with are:

1. "when you move here you are going to be a new kind of broke, for many reasons"

2. "you are a foreigner in a buyers market, which puts you at a huge disadvantage in every aspect of life."

After two months of living here, I have decided to list some of my observations and the things I learned (in addition to the two above) in my time here so far. Here goes:

• Searching for a flat sucks. I'm not going to lie, it's a frustrating process but it's nice once you find a place. Once you have gone through it, take a look at this Buzzfeed post for a laugh.
• London shopping is amazing (and dangerous!), there are endless malls, shopping streets, websites with free shipping and cute little shops, it's hard not to get carried away (especially considering you will be broke - see #1 above).
• You will  have to get used to rejection (from jobs, flats, etc.) as it does happen a lot. When you think you've applied to enough jobs/flats, apply to 10 more.
• It's easy to meet people as you always have something to talk about (where you're from, why you're here, what you did back home and also answer the usual: Are Mounties real? Is it really that cold in Canada? If Canada's so great, why did you leave?)
• You will miss your family & friends but meeting new people and reminding yourself that you live in one of the most amazing cities in the world will help make up for it most of the time.
• Brits love their Nando's - they're everywhere! Also: curry. Oh and another fun fact: shawarmas are called 'kebabs" here.
• It's good to try to meet other people in the same situation as you - whether it's other SWAP/BritBounders or other Canadians in London.
• Grocery shopping is fun with all the different products here but, if you're like me, you'll miss things like Kraft Peanut Butter (even the one in the new packaging with the creepy bears).
• Everyone (or a lot of people) will call you 'love' or 'darling', it's so nice!
• You will feel like you're always drunk or tipsy! Brits sure know how to drink and they drink often. With so many old and interesting pubs around, it's hard to resist.
• Make time to enjoy London and to travel. It's easy to fall into a routine or to forget you live in a city with amazing (and free!) museums and countless other attractions. Now's the time to take advantage of being at Europe's door!
• You will drink more tea than you ever have in your life and you will love it more than ever. It helps that it almost always comes with a biscuit/cookie.
• No matter what you think, you will start to speak differently. At first it's only because you don't want to get laughed at anymore (e.g., 'pants' mean 'underwear' here, so you learn to say 'trousers' instead of 'pants') but then eventually 'thanks' becomes 'cheers', 'hi' becomes 'hiya', 'how are you?' becomes 'you alright?' and 'calendar' becomes 'diary', just to name a few.
• Eventually your love of the Tube will wear off (but only a little) and you will start taking the bus when you realize that it's much cheaper. The bus is actually nice because you get to see a lot more of London's less known sights and discover new neighbourhoods.
• Unexpected things will happen (for me, it's my landlord selling the flat I have finally settled into and love) and you will have to adjust. But remember that things like this could have happened at home or abroad - there's no difference.
• "English muffins" (obviously) are just called "muffins" here, I have yet to discover what "muffins" are called!
• An important thing that I learned, or rather that I changed about myself, is to accept every invitation that is extended to me, even if it's not something I really want to do or if I'm feeling a little tired/under the weather. This is how you meet people, make connections and learn new things. I think that this is probably the best thing that I have done since moving here and it's what allowed me to have what feels like a successful transition.

Finally, if I could say one thing about what I learned in London that I think is the most important, it would be this: nothing will go according to plan. No matter how prepared you are, life moves fast in London and most things won't go as planned. I like to look back at the plans I had made before leaving and at where I am now. Most of the things I had panned didn't happen but, looking back, I can see why and where they didn't happen and those are all good stories now. There's a Churchill quote that reflects how I feel about this, it also shows that I probably wouldn't make a very good politician! ...or would I?

Politics is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen.

Winston Churchill

So that's a (not-so-brief) summary of my perspective of life in London after two months. I'll try to do this again after six months or maybe a year to see if this has changed. It probably will but I look forward to many new discoveries along the way. What's next for me? Travel! But where to go first...

Mind the Gap

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I arrived in London; what an adventure it's been already!  There have been a lot of ups and downs, often both in the same day.   In my last post I said that I wanted to have the following done before the end of that week:

• Attend the BritBound welcome meeting;
• Get a phone (I already received my O2 SIM card (and my Oyster card) from BritBound);
• Apply for jobs;
• Find a flat;
• Meet up with some contacts that were recommended to me;
• Do something fun like visiting a London attraction and try not to forget why I chose to come to London in the first place; and finally,
• Skype with my mom and prove that I'm safe and eating all my meals - wouldn't want her to worry!

Here's what I actually got done and some updates and/or advice for other future Swappers/BritBounders:

Attend the BritBound welcome meeting;

I did this on the first Friday I was here - it was a great information session with lots of useful tips and tricks that you wouldn't know otherwise.  We even had beer and snacks to cap off the night and most of the group went out afterwards (this being the perk of Friday welcome meetings vs. Wednesday welcome meetings).  As a funny side note, the group of BritBounders was pretty evenly split between Canadians and Aussies/Kiwis; the funny part being that Canadians were all wearing spring jackets and commenting about how warm it was while the folks from down under couldn't believe how "cold" it was (it was somewhere between 5 and 10 degrees celsius - definitely not your average Canadian January).  It's all a matter of perspective, I guess.

Get a phone;

I originally used the pay as you go chip provided by BritBound but I decided that, with the amount of data that I was consuming using maps alone on my phone (I got lost a LOT going for flat viewings), it would be best to go with an actual plan.  The great thing about UK providers (I went with O2), is that they never lock you into a plan, you can opt out at any time without any cancellation fees and you just have to pay what's left of your actual phone (if you didn't pay it all upfront) which is amazing - are you listening Rogers/Bell?

Apply for jobs;

I applied for dozens of jobs - anything I'm qualified for basically, and got an interview through one of the BritBound-posted jobs almost right away.  I'm happy to say I got the job and I start on Tuesday - this is a huge relief; while there are a lot of jobs in London, they do go fast and there is a lot of competition.  It's good to know I won't have to live on the streets!

Find a flat;

This has been the cause of a lot of grief for me over the past week and a  half.  The main issue being that the service offered through BritBound for fund transfers (from a Canadian bank account to a UK one) did not work for me.  Important note: if you are Canadian, you will not be able to transfer your money using Tranzfers if you are a Scotiabank customer.  Your best bet would be to open a Bank of Montreal account (Tranzfers deals exclusively with BMO) and transfer all your funds there before you leave Canada; an alternative option (although less safe but that I still wish I had done), would be to take your money with you in cash and deposit it into your UK bank account immediately.  The reason this caused so many problems for me is that I needed to provide a deposit to secure a flat (these deposits can be quite large if you are unemployed, which most Swappers/BritBounders are when they first arrive and are looking for a flat) and I wasn't able to provide this deposit given that I couldn't get the contents of my Canadian bank account here in time.  Second important lesson in flat hunting: flats go fast, faster than you would think.  Often, by the time I replied to an ad (maybe an hour after it was posted), it would be gone already.  This just reinforces my point about having access to your funds ASAP since you can't fully commit to a flat without paying the deposit.  I lost out on a few really great flats because of this; however, all's well that ends well, I found a good flat that is affordable (by London standards), central and that I share with two very nice flatmates.  On my first day here one of them offered me tea and biscuits, which I thought was very sweet and British, it was a great welcome.  My last tip when it comes to flats is that they usually come furnished but you need to get your own linens - Primark has become my new best friend.  They are conveniently located on Oxford Street (several locations) and sell all the essentials (e.g., pillows, sheets, blankets, coat hangers) for very cheap, in a variety of cute styles and colours; think of it as a kind of Target equivalent but with much cuter, affordable stuff.

Meet up with some contacts that were recommended to me;

I got in touch with my contacts when I got here and got some good leads on some job opportunities - it's always good to try to make connections, even if it's just to reassure you that you're doing things right.   The poor person I was put in touch with had to explain to me how to make calls in the UK because I found their 700 digit (slight exaggeration) phone numbers very confusing at first.  There are some things like crossing the street and making a phone call that I just wasn't used to and that were challenging when I first got here (even though I had been to London several times before).  I guess the key is to not be afraid to ask questions even if they feel like stupid questions at the time; there is an African proverb that I think applies here: "the one who asks questions, doesn't lose this way"; most people here in London are easily approachable and willing to help, all we have to do is ask.

Do something fun like visiting a London attraction and try not to forget why I chose to come to London in the first place;

Sadly, this is the only thing on the list that I haven't done yet.  It's been a busy week and also a very emotionally exhausting one.  All my free time was spent either visiting flats (my favourite story is that I visited a terrible flat in Notting Hill right above a fish monger - it smelled HORRIBLE and they had pot pourri on the steps all the way up to the fourth floor.  Somehow, the four rooms that were available in this building all got rented by the next day...this is a true testament to the demand for London flats).  Now that I have a place to live and a job, I commit to spending some time enjoying London sights and attractions.  More to come on this in my next blog post.

Skype with my mom and prove that I'm safe and eating all my meals - wouldn't want her to worry!

Oh, Skype we did.  I subjected my poor mom (and my dad) to tons of Skype conversations (or "freak outs" rather) where I was panicking and not knowing what to do.  What should have been an internal monologue became very vocal and prolonged.  Everything worked out though and I'm pretty sure they're as relieved as I am that I found a place to live and a job.

Another thing that may seem insignificant to most but that I am very proud of is that I took a London city bus to get around.  While the tube is amazing, it gets expensive.  The busses are more confusing but more affordable.  After a lot of research and asking for a lot of advice, I took some busses to get around instead of the tube and I feel really proud of myself.  Now, I'm less scared of the bus and will try to take it more often - a nice thing about taking the bus is that (obviously) you are above ground and you get to see things on the route that you may not have known were there before.  Also, if you sit in the front seats on the upper floor of the bus, you feel like you're driving the bus...people actually rush up the stairs to get those seats.  

All in all, this has been a crazy week and a half.  As prepared as I thought I was, I did have moments where I wondered why I decided to do this in the first place and where I was tempted to give up and go home.  Now that things have settled down a bit and that the sense of urgency is gone, I'm happy I'm here and I feel like I'm already a stronger person for having made it this far.  I feel a lot more confident and I'm ready to tackle what comes next.  As usual, I will end this blog post with one of my favourite quotes that reflects how I feel at the end of this week:

It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters in the end.

-Ursula K. Le Guin