Saturday, October 16, 2010
Best day yet!
So I have to post about my day because it was probably my favorite day since being here. Started this morning with a skype date with my parents and brother. They were nice enough to stay up until 1:30am their time just to see me :) Skype is so great, it is so nice to see people's faces and not just hear their voices. After my skype date, we (Bethany and I) headed up to our favorite neighborhood breakfast place, Cafe Forum where we both had our usuals...Mocha and English Breakfast (toast, egg over easy, canadian bacon, and baked beans!). It's become a routine, breakfast there every Saturday :) Then we headed up to the one "mall" in all of London...Westfields which is NW of our place. The minute we walked in there was a smile on my face! I felt like I was back in America! The mall was massive and was just like being back home. We shopped until we dropped and I got some sweet deals (a cute scarf, sweater, and plaid shirt). Then, as if things couldn't get any better in the mall I found a frozen yogurt place called Snog which was almost as good as pinkberry! Got my usual...plain yogurt with raspberries, mochi, and oreos. It was bliss. Came home from the mall and did some Stamp It! It's this great homemade card thing...kind of like creative memories but way cuter! Watched American TV shows (Parenthood and Modern Family) while making cute b-day cards for our siblings. Then I had some quality iphone "face time" with my hubby where I modeled all my great buys from earlier today. For dinner, we went for my first try of Indian Food at Noor Jahan on our corner....apparently Elle Macphearsan frequents! I loved the food! We will definitely be returning! To finish off the great day I am in my PJ's watching more American shows (via Bethany's parents' slingbox)...right now Law & Order: SVU is on :) And the cherry on top will be mint chip ice cream for dessert!! Such a great day.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Hello from across the pond!
Hi everyone. It's been awhile since my last post. In case you haven't heard, Kyle passed his paramedic test!! Good is good!! Things are going well here. I feel nice and settled in and into a routine finally. Deloitte has a gym and spa just for employees. It's great! I joined the gym and its conventient to go on my way home from work. I'm looking forward to taking advantage of the discount massage services...eventually. Our flat got a makeover. Bethany's parents are in town and her mom decorated the place and it looks so wonderful and homey now! Her dad, through the use of slingbox, set up our TV so that we can watch US TV! It's awesome! Now we can watch all our favorite shows just like if we were at home. In case you've never heard, UK TV stinks. There are about 20 BBC channels and that's it! I've taken a liking for going to shows here! We've gone to a show for the past 3 weekends...Wicked, Oliver, and Love Never Dies. Musicals are my new favorite thing! The weather has definitely taken a turn for the worse. Cold, wind, and rain are a lovely combo. You pretty much must have an umbrella on your person at all times! Tomorrow is another tube strike. Looking forward to a miserable commute to work! It's pretty much a madhouse when the tubes strike. Getting anywhere in the city is a joke. Next weekend I leave for Rome, Italy for 5 days. I'm going for US training but we are going 2 days early to do sightseeing. The agenda includes the Vatican and Colleseum. This fall is full of visitors...Bethany's parents this week, my mom in early November, Kyle in mid-late November, and then Kirstie in early December! Then I'm home for Christmas! I'm so excited to see some familiar faces! I miss you all and I'll try to write more consistently!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
3 weeks in...
These last 3 weeks have been a whirlwind. If you've been following my facebook you've seen that I got all moved into my new flat in South Kensington. I absolutely love the neighborhood I am in. Pictures to come soon! It has been so great having Kyle here to experience and explore the city with. We went to Greenwhich and saw the prime meridian (not as exciting as it sounds!) and took a train up to York. York was neat, saw a gothic cathedral and climbed the 257 stairs to the top of the tower, with amazing views of York. So neat. We spent several days walking around the city going to Harrods, Oxford Circus, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palance, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, and many other cool places. There is always something to do and see here! London is so different than So Cal that I am definitely still adjusting. I'm not sure how blogging works or what to write about but here it goes:
1. Although they speak English here, it sounds like a different language. They might as well be speaking French for as much as I can understand half the time.
2. The ice cream here is amazing! (as you've noticed Kyle's multiple pics of me chowing down!)
3. You never know when it is or isn't going to rain. Seems like there is ALWAYS "a chance of rain" in the forecast.
4. I enjoy walking everywhere. It's a good workout and it's nice being outside.
5. The parks here are ginormous and beautiful! There's so many of them too!
6. Public transportation sucks! The underground tube is an experience in and of itself. I didn't know I was claustraphobic until after riding in a tube. There is no concept of personal space here. A typical tube ride involves your face is someones armpit and your bum rubbing up against some strangers bum. At first, its awkward, but then you realize it's normal and the British apparently think nothing of it!
7. People smell here! I don't think hygene is a priority. I am constantly having to breath thru my mouth whether I'm on the tube or simply just walking down the street. I'm getting used to it, but its nasty! And when I say smell, I don't know how people get to that point. It's so bad, there's no way they've showered for the past week.
8. I am enjoying the food. Everywhere you go there's either french fries ("chips") or pizza, which you all know I could live off of!
9. I discovered my new favorite drink. Appletizer. It's like martinelli's apple cider, but so much better! It's made by Coca Cola so hopefully it will make its way over to the US sometime before I move home!
10. Work hours are different over here. The work day starts around 9:30am....booyah!
11. People are really nice and friendly here. I talked to my cab driver today for the entire 30 minute route! I don't think that would happen if I was in a NY cab. Just guessing. Also, you can ask anyone for directions and they'll pretty much stop and help point you in the right direction.
12. One thing that's really neat is all the different people/cultures here. London is like a melting pot. You can't tell who's visiting and who lives here. It's great because you fit right in!
So that's the rundown for now. I'll try and post pics soon!
1. Although they speak English here, it sounds like a different language. They might as well be speaking French for as much as I can understand half the time.
2. The ice cream here is amazing! (as you've noticed Kyle's multiple pics of me chowing down!)
3. You never know when it is or isn't going to rain. Seems like there is ALWAYS "a chance of rain" in the forecast.
4. I enjoy walking everywhere. It's a good workout and it's nice being outside.
5. The parks here are ginormous and beautiful! There's so many of them too!
6. Public transportation sucks! The underground tube is an experience in and of itself. I didn't know I was claustraphobic until after riding in a tube. There is no concept of personal space here. A typical tube ride involves your face is someones armpit and your bum rubbing up against some strangers bum. At first, its awkward, but then you realize it's normal and the British apparently think nothing of it!
7. People smell here! I don't think hygene is a priority. I am constantly having to breath thru my mouth whether I'm on the tube or simply just walking down the street. I'm getting used to it, but its nasty! And when I say smell, I don't know how people get to that point. It's so bad, there's no way they've showered for the past week.
8. I am enjoying the food. Everywhere you go there's either french fries ("chips") or pizza, which you all know I could live off of!
9. I discovered my new favorite drink. Appletizer. It's like martinelli's apple cider, but so much better! It's made by Coca Cola so hopefully it will make its way over to the US sometime before I move home!
10. Work hours are different over here. The work day starts around 9:30am....booyah!
11. People are really nice and friendly here. I talked to my cab driver today for the entire 30 minute route! I don't think that would happen if I was in a NY cab. Just guessing. Also, you can ask anyone for directions and they'll pretty much stop and help point you in the right direction.
12. One thing that's really neat is all the different people/cultures here. London is like a melting pot. You can't tell who's visiting and who lives here. It's great because you fit right in!
So that's the rundown for now. I'll try and post pics soon!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
The blog is up and running!
I've decided to start a blog documenting my adventures in London for my friends and family back home in Southern CA to see what I'm up to across the pond. More posts to come soon (but probably not too many until I move in August). I hope you enjoy :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)