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.