JOB!!! (and other stuff...)

As of Friday, 28 October, I have a job. It's not the most posh, but I'm excited for it and it's income. I'll be working as a receptionist for a recruitment agency near Tower Hill, which means I get to run the front desk (though I don't have to answer phones), reformat people's CVs, manage some databases, and do whatever jobs anyone needs done. It's 40 hours per week and paid holidays and apparently really busy all the time. The agency itself is comprised of mostly young people (mid-late 20s) who like to go out after work and hang out. They were all tremendously friendly and fun at my interview. So, I start Monday (tomorrow) and will shadow the current receptionist for two weeks before she leaves. Not too shabby!

Since my last post, I've been busy. I've spent a couple of days looking for jobs, etc., and then found and got this one. I've hung out with my flatmates, who are all pretty fabulous (minus one that's leaving very soon, but he's just weird...) and have watched a lot of movies and television in an effort to save money instead of going out too much. Friday Kate and I went to the London Eye and walked all over the Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square areas. This was the first time that I really saw Big Ben and Westminster, so I feel like I can officially feel like I'm in London now. (photos: London Eye; view from the Eye of Westminster, Parliament, and Buckingham Palace (and I think the neighborhood where I live off in the distance somewhere); view down the river of St. Pauls (my office is near the egg-shaped building); and Trafalgar Square)





Saturday, G.P. (another flatmate from Virginia) and I went to Guildhall and the London Museum. The ruins to the Roman Ampitheatre are below Guildhall Art Gallery, so besides neat art of London and old important British people, we got to walk among my first set of Roman ruins! The London Museum was really neat too. There were all sorts of artifacts and collections from all eras of London and British history, though we missed about 1500 years worth due to the redesigning of Post-Roman through Elizabethan period exhibits. (photo: Ruins in Guildhall)


Today we went back to Camden Market with Sam (another flatmate from Mexico), his visiting sister, and Kate and will soon go grocery shopping and maybe to a movie (a "cheap" one). Emma Watson, the actress who plays Hermione in the Harry Potter movies, was rumored to be at Camden Market signing autographs, but we didn't see her.

This weekend we were also supposed to go to Stratford-Upon-Avon and Warwick Castle, but so many people had conflicting plans that we postponed it for awhile. We also contimplated going to one of the London Film Festival movies, but they're frickin' expensive (though many of the actors from the movies have actually been here for things like "Walk the Line").

Anyway, London is great! I'm loving it and am v. glad to be starting to earn some money. I miss good Mexican and Southwestern food, Kraft mac n' cheese, Jiff peanut butter, and cheap movies. I love the tube (esp. the Baker Street Station), the conversations I overhear on the tube, Cadbury dairymilk chocolate bars, that I have an accent (even to other Americans), and the feeling of not being in a big city while being in one of the preeminent cities of the world. The tv shows here are a bit odd and we've watched just about anything once, including the celebrity ballroom dancing show "Strictly Come Dancing", the Simpsons, realestate reality shows, and a culture piece of middle-aged baby-boomer women complaining about everything from toilet paper to punk kids with hoodies. I'm trying to read a lot and am currently reading some Sherlock Holmes, in honor of my favorite tube station. Next in line is "A Tale of Two Cities" since there's a BUNAC Christmas trip to Leeds Castle and a Dickens festival.

Coming up this week and weekend: "Egypt", a BBC miniseries on the discovery of King Tut; Guy Fawkes Day and Bonfire Night; Possible day trip somewhere; and Harry Potter Day on Sunday!!! Anyway, I'll get the pics from the Eye and all up soon.

Harry Potter Premiere

Yes, since I'm in London, a group of us are definately planning on attending the Harry Potter premiere on 6 November. Apparently, it involves queing up starting at 5pm, so we'll be there! For details, visit: http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/whats-on.php?event=3589

France and the Flat

So, since my last post...

* I went to France and got my passport fixed. It was quite the hassle in that I stepped onto the platform to catch the train to Dover as it pulled away, so I had to wait a half hour for the next one. Then, everything was late and the winds were so stron in the English Channel that I didn't get back to London til about 8pm. BUT, when I got there, I met friends Andy and Trace (who had to go to France on Sunday due to similar circumstances) and also met my new friend Kate (fellow BUNAC-er and also staying in and not liking The Generator) who had found a delightful flat that night. Since we'd talked about rooming together, I agreed to check the flat with her the next day (Saturday). We saw it, I liked it, and we moved in that night. (I'll post photos below this post)
The flat's in an area called St. John's Wood (apparently v. posh and including neighbors like Robbie Williams) on Boundary Road (between Loudoun Street and Abbey Road (yes, the same road as the Beatles and just a short walk from the crossing site of the photo on the cover of the album of the same name)), though it's also v. close to Swiss Cottage, Kilbourn High Street, and Camden Town. Kate and I share a room for 80 pounds/week and that price includes all utilities and taxes, as well as free wireless internet to be installed this week. We have a gareden area out behind our building with some nice willow trees. Also, there's a spare bed for guests that might visit for a weekend, though we're using it as a couch for now. As for leaving The Generator (felt like we lived in a stereotypical frat house...), Trace and Andy helped us move our bags to our new flat, which involved some v. strategic maneuvering on the Tube during rush hour. That night while unpacking, we watched our tv with 4 stations, including "Robbie Williams: Live from Berlin" on Saturday night and loved it, especially since he's our neighbor. (photos: my room from the door with my bed on the left, my bed and desk!)


* Sunday morning we went to Camden Market for food and shopping and then tried to locate the Ikea for the necessities lacking at our flat. We got some bad directions and ended up all over the place. Finally, after some walking, busing, a pit stop at an H&M, and more busing and walking, we got to the Ikea. It was a zoo and we tried to make our shopping go as quickly as possible. We made our way back, which took an equally long time, and collapsed from hunger and exhaustion on our spare bed. Kate and I tried to find dinner, which took more wandering before finally settling on a local and v. delicious Thai food place. We then watched a collage of both good and bad tv before turning in. (photos: food stalls at Camden Lock Market, main gate to Camden Market)


* Today we both headed to the BUNAC Office to start looking for jobs. I opened my bank account and bought a mobile phone. When I make my email list (which will be when I get the free wireless at the flat), I'll email out my mailing address and mobile number. After updating the blog, I'm digging in to looking for jobs!

Arriving in London

So I made it! Mom and Dad drove me to Detroit early and my flight left around 11am for Chicago. Once there, I putzed around the airport and made some phone calls before flying out to London Heathrow around 4:30pm. I rode a 777, which I think is the largest plane I've ever been on! My window seat was also really fun since I could watch as we flew over Michigan and the places Up North that I recognized (we flew over the Ludington area towards Saginaw with the sun setting over Lake Huron and Canada). I think the food made me a bit sick as I didn't feel good til I ate some not-flash-ovened food for breakfast this morning. I also didn't sleep much since we had a crying baby across the aisle and I watched an in-flight movie.

Anyway, we got to Heathrow around 5:30am local time and had to ride a bus from our plane to the terminal. I got through immigration easily and, upon checking my passport, realized that they hadn't given me the stamp specified by BUNAC as the correct stamp for working in Britain. I asked my immigration officer but she assured me that hers allowed me to work here and that it was fine, all in the attitude of "stupid American, I know what I'm doing and don't want to be here this early so go away." I was apprehensive but proceeded on since I didn't want to get stuck in rush hour tube traffic with all my luggage.

After I had gotten my bags, rearranged them, and put them on a trolley, I found the tube station and somehow got my bags through the turnstile. The tube ride wasn't too bad and I think I missed rush hour by a bit since it wasn't standing-room-only by any means. I had my morning workout by lugging my bags up the stairs from the platform since there wasn't an escalator. Ugh.

Upon arrival at my hostel, a brief walk from the tube stop, I found out that my room wouldn't be ready til 2. My dream of a brief nap before orientation crushed, I settled instead for a shower and free breakfast before hiking over to the BUNAC Office. There I found out that, though the stamp error was clearly not my fault, I would have to go to France (leave and re-enter the UK) to get it fixed. I also nodded off a few times during my orientation, which luckily regurgitated most of the program handbook that I'd already read.

I left orientation and headed back to the hostel, stopping for a hot chocolate along the way and in a terrible mood due to the lack of sleep and exacerbated by the France and bad plane food situations. Luckily, I didn't have to wait much longer for my room, gathered my bags, and promptly passed out from exhaustion on my bed for a 2.5hr nap. I met some new friends for dinner and have then embarked on the quest for train times to Calais and cheap internet.

Despite the challenges of today, London has been friendly, fascinating, and with the potential to be quite fabulous. I get to go to a castle tomorrow in Dover (as I'm determined to do more on this new boondoggle than simply buy cheese in France) and will then be able to get a bank account, one of the steps to getting a job. I'll have a couple of pics to add soon!

Quick Hop to Ann Arbor

Just got back from Ann Arbor! I headed back down to visit friends from school and such before heading overseas. Sarah was ever so wonderful to let me stay with her and Kate and also, with help from Andy, to put together a little gathering. It was definately weird going back to Ann Arbor after having graduated and returning to an already half-spent semester. I realized that while I miss bits of school life and such, I've been moving on. Anyway, I got to see and chat with people from UROP, from the houses of Hill/Benjamin, and the ever elusive and hard to contact Justin. We had dinner at Conor's, did some oragami, gossiped and updated, critiqued Tom Cruise, drank cheap wine, and even played with a Bunny. I had lunch with Wendy before heading back to Lansing today. I didn't get a chance to see everyone that I would have liked since I only had a limited time, but alas... The trip was fun, but now it's back to packing!

Out West Trip

Here's a bit of a summary of my trip through lots of states, National Parks and Monuments, etc...

22 Sept: Dad and I left for St. Louis, getting in late.

23 Sept: go to Arch, tour museum, see "Louis and Clark" on IMAX, see Old Courthouse, gardens, art museum, US Grant's home, stop for food and drink at weird sports bar, drive to Tulsa, OK. (photo: me in front of the Arch)

24 Sept: Rte. 66 to Oklahoma City stopping at Davenport to talk with couple from Grayling, MI and eat at Gar Wooly's, State Capitol, Oklahoma City Memorial, Washita Battlefield, through Texas panhandle, get into eastern New Mexico for fabulous southwestern dinner. (photo: Oklahoma City Bombing memorial)

25 Sept: Salinas ruins, Albuquerque and Old Town for shopping and food, climb mesa at Petroglyph Nat'l Monument, drive to AZ. (photos: Salinas Mission ruins, Petroglyph Nat'l Mon'mt)



26 Sept: Sunrise at Monument Valley, amazing drive thru Valley of the Gods into Utah, Hovenweep Nat'l Mon'mt, Four Corners and fry bread again (!!!), Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "da-Shay"), super fast drive for passport stamps and sunset at Painted Desert and Petrified Forrest, pizza in Winslow, AZ. (photos: Monument Valley, Dad at Four Corners, sunset at the Petrified Forrest)



27 Sept: Meteor Crater (but didn't enter since $12/person), Walnut Canyon (canyon and ruins), Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki Nat'l Mon'mt (ruins), south rim of the Grand Canyon complete with tons of rainbows, Hoover Dam at night en route to Vegas. (photos: me at the Grand Canyon, sunset in western Arizona)


28 Sept: realization that Vegas smells nasty in the morning, pick up mom and Joe at airport, Lake Mead, Hoover Dam for dam(n) tour, Vegas to rest, to the strip to visit hotels and attempt to find dinner. (photos: Vegas strip, family at Vegas, and Hoover Dam)



29 Sept: Mom and I tour more hotels, drive to Zion Nat'l Park, shop, laundry, dinner, and learn about Mountain Lion.

30 Sept: Joe and Steph hike Angel's Landing, lunch, hike, museum, hike, Joe and Dad hike in river, and I'm forbidden to eat eggplant ever again. (photos: Last half mile to Angel's Landing, Joe and hiking up to Angel's Landing (chains used as handles and railings while hiking to landing), and Zion National Park)




1 Oct: Mom and Steph 1-mile morning stroll turns into 3-mile hikey hikey, leave Zion, Cedar Breaks Nat'l Mon'mt (canyon 2-mi above sea level), Bryce Canyon Nat'l Park, stargaze, and begin Euchre saga...

2 Oct: Joe and Steph hike 8 mile loop into canyon while Mom and Dad hike, re-energize with cheese and crackers, laundry, dinner, and more Euchre. (photos: hiking into the Bryce Canyon in the Wall Street area, and trees in Wall Street)



3 Oct: Mom and Steph hike v. windy trail and look for a poodle hoo doo, Dad bans ladies from using his car while in another snit, great view of Grand Staircase, north rim of Grand Canyon, Joe does Jim Cantore, drive to Cape Royal, dinner. (photos: Bryce at sunrise, Mom and Joe relaxing at the Grand Canyon Lodge)



4 Oct: Rest, lunch, Joe and Steph ride Rufus and Fancy the mules into the Canyon, dinner, hike and sunset, and ladies dominate in Euchre. (photos: Windy morning at the Canyon, Joe getting ready to ride Rufus)


5 Oct: I watch the sunrise (sorry about the back and forth of 1st and 3rd person...), mule deer frolic outside cabin window, breakfast, Pipe Springs Nat'l Mon'mt (living history!!!), back to Vegas and Ceasar's Palace, drop Mom and Joe off at airport, begin drive...

6 Oct: Dad and Steph alternate driving, get to Moab, UT around 5:30am and sleep in gas station parking lot, Arches Nat'l Park for sunrise, Canyonlands Nat'l Park, drive to Colorado Nat'l Mon'mt (about 200th canyon on trip), Denver and a tour for Steph (finally!!!), spend night in a motel (!) in Nebraska.

7 Oct: Drove, stopped near Des Moines to visit family, drove, we hate Chicago traffic.

8 Oct: about 1am, get to Lansing. It's about time...

A Proper Intro...

Hello, hello!!! Welcome to my first ever blog! I'm working on getting this page up and working so that all my fabulous friends and family can keep up to date with what I'm doing with my life, etc. As most all of you know, I'm off to London for about six months, leaving on Wednesday the 19th. I've been home here in Lansing for about a week now, hanging out with many of you while getting ready to go live and work overseas. Before that, I went Out West with my mom, dad, and youngest bro Joe for about two weeks (I'll post something about that soon...). I'll try to keep this updated fairly regularly, but I really don't know much about what I'm doing, so we'll see. Hope you enjoy! (photo: me and Sigfried and Roy's statue in Vegas, complete with v. weird crystals... hmmm...)