Ugh. I had to take an extended lunch today to have my National Insurance number interview at the Department of Work and Pensions. I ended up spending almost an hour and a half at their office so, including transportation both ways, my “lunch” lasted almost two and a half hours (and I didn’t actually get to eat during that time).
I exited the Underground and, totally disoriented (as I tend to be after leaving any Tube station), I proceeded to walk in the opposite direction of the office. I wouldn’t have gone in the wrong direction had there been any street signs within 500 yards of the station! That’s one of the things I hate about London. Americans can bitch about lack of signage/confusing signs all they like, but at least we generally have signs to begin with!! In London, you’re lucky if you can find a single road sign at an intersection, and if you do find one, it’s never in the same place as in the last intersection, and the size and style of the signs varies depending on age. I don’t think anyone can drive around this city without getting lost.
Anyway, I managed to make it to the office right at the exact time of my appointment. To make a long story short, first they mixed up my name with someone else (a Karolina Petrovsky), then after 25 minutes they realized their error, then I had to wait some more, then they finally saw me for the interview, then I had to wait again to get my passport back. All the while my poor co-worker Jo was covering the reception desk for me. Thank god I had warned her about the interview.
Our landlord finally came and fixed the settings for the radiators… sort of. The settings seem to have been changed for weekdays, but the damn things were still running all weekend. Now he has to come back to figure it out. Assuming he gets it fixed hopefully we won’t run out of gas in the middle of the month again. For now, we don’t have gas until he adds more money to our gas card on the 1st. Why gas service here is pay-as-you-go I will never understand.
Wednesday, 28 November 2007
Thursday, 22 November 2007
So I thought I posted an update about the departure of the Colombians but as it turns out, I wrote the thing but never actually posted it.
Yes, they left. Sonia, Alia, Jennifer and I were very relieved. And it turns out Marc was too- even though he hung out with them fairly often he wasn’t a fan of their habits either. Their room was empty for about a week and all was good. Then two Bulgarian guys moved in. My first impression wasn’t very good- they smoke in their room just like the Colombian guys and spend forever in the bathroom in the morning. But it turns out they’re very friendly and social, they know how to clean up after themselves, they don’t blast loud music all the time, and even though they smoke in their room they keep the door is closed so it doesn’t permeate the house. In conclusion, they seem to be an upgrade.
Everyone in the house is now employed, so trying to use the bathroom in the morning is almost impossible. (That was the only good thing about the Colombian guys- their schedule was so weird that we never had to compete for the bathroom with them.) I changed my schedule so that I shower at night though, and it actually solves quite a few issues.
Now the major problem in the house is with our landlord. He gives us a monthly allotment of money to pay for gas service to the house, but it appears that it’s not actually enough to heat the house. I guess heating your house is some sort of luxury that’s not included in the rent? We don’t even have hot water most of the time. I feel like when I go home I’m in a third-world country instead of the U-fucking-K! Thank god the shower is electric or I would have moved out already. If this whole issue doesn’t get resolved I will definitely be relocating in January when I can get my full deposit back. I keep thinking about this place we looked at up in north London- it was a big house run by a company called Accommodation London that (for the same price we pay now) includes a twice-weekly cleaning service for the kitchen and all the bathrooms. I told Sonia and Alia about it and they seem really interested too. The only problem is that it is a little far from central London. I’m wondering if we can find something similar that is closer.
Jen and her friends are having Thanksgiving dinner at a pub in Windsor tonight (about an hour outside of London). I get off work slightly too late to make it all the way out there, so I guess I’m not having a Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe I’ll find a Thanksgiving-y sandwich for lunch today or something. I think I would be sad about it if there were any real indications here that it’s Thanksgiving, but since there’s not it’s not a big deal. My co-workers keep asking me why I didn’t take the day off. I don’t think they really understand the holiday.
It’s finally feeling sort of winter-y in London. While in California when it rains, it rains, here it will rain lightly for a while, then the sun will come out for a few hours, and then it rains again, suns comes out, et cetera. I don’t think it’s too bad since you get breaks from the rain pretty consistently. You just have to remember to carry an umbrella with you all the time.
I rode a double-decker bus in London for the first time this weekend (our train line was closed for construction). It was pretty cool. The normal city bus runs a block away from my house and goes right into central London. You pass (among other things) the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Circus. It’s a pretty good tour of the city for only 90 pence! (And if you get a driver as crazy as the one I got you’ll be on the edge of your seat the whole time.)
Yes, they left. Sonia, Alia, Jennifer and I were very relieved. And it turns out Marc was too- even though he hung out with them fairly often he wasn’t a fan of their habits either. Their room was empty for about a week and all was good. Then two Bulgarian guys moved in. My first impression wasn’t very good- they smoke in their room just like the Colombian guys and spend forever in the bathroom in the morning. But it turns out they’re very friendly and social, they know how to clean up after themselves, they don’t blast loud music all the time, and even though they smoke in their room they keep the door is closed so it doesn’t permeate the house. In conclusion, they seem to be an upgrade.
Everyone in the house is now employed, so trying to use the bathroom in the morning is almost impossible. (That was the only good thing about the Colombian guys- their schedule was so weird that we never had to compete for the bathroom with them.) I changed my schedule so that I shower at night though, and it actually solves quite a few issues.
Now the major problem in the house is with our landlord. He gives us a monthly allotment of money to pay for gas service to the house, but it appears that it’s not actually enough to heat the house. I guess heating your house is some sort of luxury that’s not included in the rent? We don’t even have hot water most of the time. I feel like when I go home I’m in a third-world country instead of the U-fucking-K! Thank god the shower is electric or I would have moved out already. If this whole issue doesn’t get resolved I will definitely be relocating in January when I can get my full deposit back. I keep thinking about this place we looked at up in north London- it was a big house run by a company called Accommodation London that (for the same price we pay now) includes a twice-weekly cleaning service for the kitchen and all the bathrooms. I told Sonia and Alia about it and they seem really interested too. The only problem is that it is a little far from central London. I’m wondering if we can find something similar that is closer.
Jen and her friends are having Thanksgiving dinner at a pub in Windsor tonight (about an hour outside of London). I get off work slightly too late to make it all the way out there, so I guess I’m not having a Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe I’ll find a Thanksgiving-y sandwich for lunch today or something. I think I would be sad about it if there were any real indications here that it’s Thanksgiving, but since there’s not it’s not a big deal. My co-workers keep asking me why I didn’t take the day off. I don’t think they really understand the holiday.
It’s finally feeling sort of winter-y in London. While in California when it rains, it rains, here it will rain lightly for a while, then the sun will come out for a few hours, and then it rains again, suns comes out, et cetera. I don’t think it’s too bad since you get breaks from the rain pretty consistently. You just have to remember to carry an umbrella with you all the time.
I rode a double-decker bus in London for the first time this weekend (our train line was closed for construction). It was pretty cool. The normal city bus runs a block away from my house and goes right into central London. You pass (among other things) the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Circus. It’s a pretty good tour of the city for only 90 pence! (And if you get a driver as crazy as the one I got you’ll be on the edge of your seat the whole time.)
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
The "Finer Things" Club
In the spirit of "The Office" Jen and I have decided to make our own "Finer Things" club. This past month was our French month, where we saw Les Miserables on stage, hung out and learned to curse (in French!) with our lovely Parisian roommates, and I am currently in the process of reading the unabridged version of Les Miserables. This month will be English month, where we plan to see Mary Poppins on stage, dine and drink beer at authentic English pubs, converse regularly with English people, and Jen plans to continue her literary tour through the great works of British literature. Oh, and I just got a free copy of the Hobbit (which was written by an English dude!).
Any suggestions for the next month?
Any suggestions for the next month?
Sunday, 4 November 2007
... and received some good news!
It appears that the Colombians may be leaving the house. Woohoo! Our landlord brought some girls by to look at their room today, and the French girls told me that he brought some other people by yesterday. We're all crossing our fingers that they're actually leaving. Their dishes are piling up again and they're still smoking upstairs. I definitely wouldn't be surprised if the landlord is kicking them out.
It looks like I'll be doing laundry every weekend until I buy more work shirts. I thought I came here with more clothes, but I really didn't bring that much. I don't think I'll be buying any clothes until I get at least a few more weeks' pay and buy my return plane ticket for Christmas. So far the only store I've bought any clothes from (I bought a sweater) is Primark. The store is amazing. Sooooo cheap- even with the exchange rate! The sweater I bought was 4 pounds (regular price). I walked out with a big bag that included a bathrobe, a flat sheet, the sweater, and slippers, all for 18 pounds. I also can't tell you how much I love buying things here for the listed price and not having to worry about sales tax. America should really jump on that.
Monday is Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night. There have been fireworks shows all weekend, and the local kids have been setting off fireworks for the past few weeks. When they first started I thought I was hearing gunshots! I still don't completely understand the holiday. We were going to go see one of the fireworks shows on Saturday night, but we ended up deciding to go see the big one next week for the "Lord Mayor's Show." Those fireworks will be set off from a barge in the middle of the Thames right in central London. It should be fun!
It looks like I'll be doing laundry every weekend until I buy more work shirts. I thought I came here with more clothes, but I really didn't bring that much. I don't think I'll be buying any clothes until I get at least a few more weeks' pay and buy my return plane ticket for Christmas. So far the only store I've bought any clothes from (I bought a sweater) is Primark. The store is amazing. Sooooo cheap- even with the exchange rate! The sweater I bought was 4 pounds (regular price). I walked out with a big bag that included a bathrobe, a flat sheet, the sweater, and slippers, all for 18 pounds. I also can't tell you how much I love buying things here for the listed price and not having to worry about sales tax. America should really jump on that.
Monday is Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night. There have been fireworks shows all weekend, and the local kids have been setting off fireworks for the past few weeks. When they first started I thought I was hearing gunshots! I still don't completely understand the holiday. We were going to go see one of the fireworks shows on Saturday night, but we ended up deciding to go see the big one next week for the "Lord Mayor's Show." Those fireworks will be set off from a barge in the middle of the Thames right in central London. It should be fun!
Friday, 2 November 2007
So a lot has happened in the past week and a half…
I started my job last Friday and trained until Wednesday. Now I’m on my own! I’m an “Administrator/Receptionist” for two partnered legal recruiting firms. So far I like the job a lot- it seems to be a good balance of getting to work alone (and undistracted) and getting to have some human interaction once in a while. The Receptionist portion of the job is actually quite small since we don’t do more than about five interviews a day. I basically only buzz the interviewees in, give them paperwork to fill out, then call upstairs to let the interviewer know they’re here. I don’t even have to answer phones! The Administrator portion is what I spend most of my time doing. I’m the first person in the company to screen the applicants’ CVs before they are forwarded to the consultants. I usually reject at least half.
My commute is pretty hectic. The Docklands Light Rail (first leg of my daily journey) is definitely crowded but is usually relatively easy to board and the trains aren’t too hot since the line is above ground. After I transfer to the Tube (second leg), I have the pleasure of trying to cram myself onto the Central Line trains. I’m the person who manages to shove their way onto the train and then must duck their head and watch their backside so they don’t get squished in the closing doors. Always makes for an interesting commute. I think the level of crowdedness I encounter every morning on the Tube definitely rivals (and sometimes surpasses) the Unitrans busses on Picnic Day, just to give you an idea.
The weirdest thing about living here is that it all feels so natural. Occasionally Jen and I realize again that we’re living in London. I still feel like we haven’t completely gotten our brains around the idea.
Our house now has all its residents living there. Two Colombian guys moved in a week or so ago and two French girls moved in last weekend. The French girls are really cool and Jen and I have been hanging out with them fairly often. The Colombian guys seem friendly, but so far they’re been pretty annoying. The day they moved in they left their huge pile of bags in the hallway all day so they blocked the stairs, the entrance to our bedroom, and the door to the kitchen. That was my first inkling that I might not like them. Once they unpacked, we learned that they brought a stereo for their iPods and they play loud music constantly. They also smoke in their room (it says in the lease they’re not allowed to). Last but not least, they filled the sink completely full of their dirty dishes. The French girls talked to them and it turned out that they didn’t know how to wash dishes because back in Colombia they’re rich and have had maids all their lives. So the French girls (bless them) taught them how to wash their dishes. I hope they get their act together soon.
In other news, our friend JJ went back to Hong Kong yesterday. He was one of our first friends in London, so it was really sad to see him go. He and another mutual friend and I went to the Hilton in west-central London on Monday night to go have drinks at the bar on the top floor. It’s the only tall building in the area so you can see absolutely everything. It was amazing. I’ll post the pictures once JJ sends them to me.
I started my job last Friday and trained until Wednesday. Now I’m on my own! I’m an “Administrator/Receptionist” for two partnered legal recruiting firms. So far I like the job a lot- it seems to be a good balance of getting to work alone (and undistracted) and getting to have some human interaction once in a while. The Receptionist portion of the job is actually quite small since we don’t do more than about five interviews a day. I basically only buzz the interviewees in, give them paperwork to fill out, then call upstairs to let the interviewer know they’re here. I don’t even have to answer phones! The Administrator portion is what I spend most of my time doing. I’m the first person in the company to screen the applicants’ CVs before they are forwarded to the consultants. I usually reject at least half.
My commute is pretty hectic. The Docklands Light Rail (first leg of my daily journey) is definitely crowded but is usually relatively easy to board and the trains aren’t too hot since the line is above ground. After I transfer to the Tube (second leg), I have the pleasure of trying to cram myself onto the Central Line trains. I’m the person who manages to shove their way onto the train and then must duck their head and watch their backside so they don’t get squished in the closing doors. Always makes for an interesting commute. I think the level of crowdedness I encounter every morning on the Tube definitely rivals (and sometimes surpasses) the Unitrans busses on Picnic Day, just to give you an idea.
The weirdest thing about living here is that it all feels so natural. Occasionally Jen and I realize again that we’re living in London. I still feel like we haven’t completely gotten our brains around the idea.
Our house now has all its residents living there. Two Colombian guys moved in a week or so ago and two French girls moved in last weekend. The French girls are really cool and Jen and I have been hanging out with them fairly often. The Colombian guys seem friendly, but so far they’re been pretty annoying. The day they moved in they left their huge pile of bags in the hallway all day so they blocked the stairs, the entrance to our bedroom, and the door to the kitchen. That was my first inkling that I might not like them. Once they unpacked, we learned that they brought a stereo for their iPods and they play loud music constantly. They also smoke in their room (it says in the lease they’re not allowed to). Last but not least, they filled the sink completely full of their dirty dishes. The French girls talked to them and it turned out that they didn’t know how to wash dishes because back in Colombia they’re rich and have had maids all their lives. So the French girls (bless them) taught them how to wash their dishes. I hope they get their act together soon.
In other news, our friend JJ went back to Hong Kong yesterday. He was one of our first friends in London, so it was really sad to see him go. He and another mutual friend and I went to the Hilton in west-central London on Monday night to go have drinks at the bar on the top floor. It’s the only tall building in the area so you can see absolutely everything. It was amazing. I’ll post the pictures once JJ sends them to me.
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