This weekend we went a bit market crazy, but only spent money on food (imagine that). Saturday was crazy - we looked at a flat in the morning (which we didn't like too much) and ate lunch at a wonderful Mediterranean (M) restaurant (which shares walls with the unlikable flat). The food was super good. I'm on a cheese burger kick right now (it happens every year around this time), so I've had one almost every where we go. Now, my goal was to get outside my comfort zone and eat other types of food....I started feeling bad that I was just going for the burgers (that will wear off in another week or two). But, in this lovely little M restaurant, they served me a burger with some sort of M sauce on it. Yea - it was great and I was both in AND out of my comfort zone!!! Oh yea - and JaNae had Kofte on a ciabatta bun....she said it was the most wonderful thing in the world. And, the owner, waitress and cook gave us the scoop on the neighborhood, etc. and now they are our little M family!!! :) We will be going to that place on a regular basis for sure! "Masa's Cafe" in Fulham...that was the name of it (thanks wifey for having a wonderful memory).
OK - next to the Borough market (next to the London Bridge tube station - in case you are ever in the area). OMG - we got there late, but there were still a TON of vendors! You can buy anything - from fish on ice to grass shots to 11 different kinds of olives to whole cheesecakes and wheels of cheese!!! You can get any fresh food item you've ever desired in this market. There are also restaurant vendors so you can eat prepared food while you shop as well. JaNae's favorite part was the case of 8 billion different bottles of cider!!! Any kind of beer/cider/wine you want - get it there! Bottle of Sangria - 3GBP (Great Britain Pounds).....smashing! This market is amazing - but make sure to get there earlier versus later - more vendors!!!
OK- well, the market shut down mid-afternoon, so we decide to go check out the Camden Market (Camden town tube stop). HOLY SCHNIKYS!!!! This is shopping overload!!!! I'm not sure any words can accurately describe this market. Take the Mall of America (only the first floor) and add 10 times the amount of shops and food stands! The street was awesome - tattoo shops, head shops....basically everything that my inner bad girl LOVES!!!! Then, you get into the "tents" - clothes, hats, gloves - anything you can wear under the Camden tent. And if that wasn't enough, walk another 50 feet and you are walking into the canal shops....leather goods, bag, clothes, trinkets, food, blah, blah, blah....OMG - everything is there. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, walk another 100 feet and get into the Camden Lock and Stables!!! There is a DJ at the corner pumping techno into every corner of the market (which, by the way is the norm here even in McDonalds - yes, we broke down and ate there tonight). You walk, shop, get lost, eat something, walk more......the whole time, your mouth agape with awe! All that said - this is really a punk lovers dream! This is NOT Jordan Creek mall - this is Hot Topic covering an acre of the city. It was awesome, but not for everyone. Our parents would hate it! Some of our friends would LOVE it! It's London fashion washed in Bad Ass!
Alrighty then - we had a jolly good time this weekend and are back to the work week. Janae set out today on flats and I went to work - both wishing we were in the others shoes. If you work with me, can you answer why my title consistently becomes a little more "Babysitter"???? Seriously - don't get me started. I'm going to stop now and go to bed. It's 10:30 and we are bushed!!!
We love you all and hope you are having a good week :)
Monday, 29 March 2010
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Make it a double.....
So - this is Beth - I just want to share my thoughts on the word "double". When someone says "Make it a double", they are looking for lots of booze. This can signify a bad day or the desire for a really good night (followed by a bad morning). What does "double" mean to you? Well, I can tell you that my definition has changed drastically. When someone says double, I think of sleepless nights. To all of you wonderful Americans, spend one night with your spouse in a double bed. Most of you wouldn't even consider this as you lie in your king sized bed. But, let me tell you, it's a wonderful bonding experience. I love my wife more with each passing day because we have become ONE during the night :)
This brings me to my next word "wall". When I (and probably most) think about sleeping next to the wall, I think 'trapped', 'cold', what if I have to pee? But, when 'double' is present, 'wall' becomes a necessity. I would like to give my wall a shout out as it has kept me in the bed for the past 11 nights. When in a double bed, two people barley fit. So, while one tries to hog the entire bed, the other is still guaranteed a place to sleep. I now love my wife AND the wall.
My next word is snoring - apparently this is something I'm rather good at (please see the 2am blog from JaNae the other night). My better half decided not to throw me under the bus on her blog, so I'm doing it to myself. Everyone who is/has been/will be sleeping with someone every night should not be shocked by my blog. If you are thinking "we don't have any funny quirks" or "wow, they hate sleeping together", think again. You obviously need to have a conversation with your partner as you are likely the HOG.....I'm just throwing it out there. Anyway, these are the things I enjoy most about being married. We understand each others flaws and still love the heck out of each other.
Shout out to my wife for being patient and shout out to my wall for keeping me safe.
This brings me to my next word "wall". When I (and probably most) think about sleeping next to the wall, I think 'trapped', 'cold', what if I have to pee? But, when 'double' is present, 'wall' becomes a necessity. I would like to give my wall a shout out as it has kept me in the bed for the past 11 nights. When in a double bed, two people barley fit. So, while one tries to hog the entire bed, the other is still guaranteed a place to sleep. I now love my wife AND the wall.
My next word is snoring - apparently this is something I'm rather good at (please see the 2am blog from JaNae the other night). My better half decided not to throw me under the bus on her blog, so I'm doing it to myself. Everyone who is/has been/will be sleeping with someone every night should not be shocked by my blog. If you are thinking "we don't have any funny quirks" or "wow, they hate sleeping together", think again. You obviously need to have a conversation with your partner as you are likely the HOG.....I'm just throwing it out there. Anyway, these are the things I enjoy most about being married. We understand each others flaws and still love the heck out of each other.
Shout out to my wife for being patient and shout out to my wall for keeping me safe.
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
It's 1 am and I can't sleep
This is Ja'Nae'. One would think that after taking 4 cold nite relief pills, that you'd fall asleep. I've been under the weather for the last week and it's gone from a sore throat to a stuffed head. Not being able to breathe out of my nose or as everyonce in a while the congestion breaks up and snot drops from my nose is not attractive nor is it fun. The thought of having to breathe in and out my mouth in my hole (hostel room) grosses me out. I feel that the germs that I created, well, better yet, added haven't made me feel any better. It's as if they are sticking to the walls, bed, sheets, and clothes not wanting to leave. Leaving a window open doesn't help because there are no screens and anything could come crawling in here in the middle of the nite or day. The temperature drops so quickly, that I'm freezing within 20 minutes. Only other option is to move out asap. Which brings me to tell you about my wonderful day...
I wake up at 9 am and spend the next couple hours looking online for flats. After getting 'flattened out' ( ha, ha, get it. I'm searching for flats and I'm sick of it, so I call it flattened out. I know dorky, but that's me.) I decide to take a shower. As I've mentioned before, everyday is a struggle in this lovely place. Normally I go to the shower with just a towel on as I don't want my clean clothes touching any part of the bathroom. But, this morning there is a group of people moving into one of the rooms on my floor. Remember there are only four rooms, and I think this particular room that is being moved into has 4 bunk beds from what I can see since the door is wide open. 4 bunk beds means 4 more people that I have to share the bathroom with. I don't think anyone was living or staying in that room for the last couple weeks. Well for those of you that are worried, I did get my shower in. I took all my clothes as I didn't want the new tenants or myself to feel uncomfortable with just a towel on. Shower completed. As I'm getting dressed, I am watching a show similar to Maury Povich. There are a couple interesting stories. The first one is titled " I caught you with your pants down, but you tell me you weren't having sex" and the second "We are about to get married, but I don't think you're carrying my child." Well, the first one seemed a bit more interesting. I was so into it. See, the gf had walked in on her bf with his pants down with another girl. Her pants were down as well. He claims that he was just hugging her. Huggin with your pants down??? Sounds a bit like rubbish talk to me. Just as they were about to do a lie detector test, I had to head out the door to begin looking for flats. I take the tube South to Notting Hill since Beth stated it was a beautiful area and one of my favorite movies was filmed there. The movie was Notting Hill in case you were trying your hardest to think about it. I walk around for a bit and walk in an estate agent's office to see if they have any available flats in our price range. Of course the answer is no, but she does give me some other options. I decide to make my way over there. Along my journey, I come across a market that is taking place and admire all the food, gadgets, artwork, and t-shirts that are available. I have no concept of time or direction and continue down the street. As I'm walking I notice there is a small toilet station if you need to go. At first I thought it wasn't a restroom and walked closer to it, and it was. I think it was just one unisex bathroom and had an electronic indicator to let you know if it was vacant or not. You'll have to check out the video of it on FB. After 2.5 hours of walking and trekking through the ghetto I realize that I'm lost. At that very moment I think God knew I was lost too and felt bad for me because Beth was calling. You have no idea how thankful I was at the very second. I am someone that does NOT like to get lost in areas that I am not familar with. With the combination of walking through the ghetto and not being familiar with the area, I was beginning to get upset. The worst part was that I was heading back to where I originally started near our hostel. I explain to Beth where I am at. She asks me if there is a tube stop nearby. Um, what part of 'lost' didn't she understand. She is telling me that if I take this street and that street I will run into nearest tube station. My anger is increasing, but I calmly tell her again that I have no idea where I am. She tells me to head North. Well, let me get my compass out so that I can head in that direction! Finally, I just start walking and read off a couple street names. She tells me that I am walking in the right direction. Since I know that I am heading back towards our hostel, I realize that I have been walking Northeast but needed to be going Southeast. I kept my cool though only because this time I was going the right way to get to a tube stop.
2.5 hours can take a toll on your body and your hunger. I see a place called Chicken Cottage. I've seen many of these in some of the places I've been. I'm guessing it is a chain and from the looks of the photos, seems like a KFC. I think the chains are owned by someone from the Middle East because each one has on the sign "Hilal". I had to look it up as I wasn't sure what it meant. It is an Arabic or Islamic term meaning that it was prepared in the manner prescribed by Islamic law. No, I didn't get this definition from Wikipedia! It came from Dictionary.com and other websites confirmed the same information. Back to Chicken Cottage, I think KFC's recipe is not so secret after all. Cottage Chicken tasted just like it and was just as greasy. There was a little bit of a difference but not much. But palate is pretty good, so any other person would think it's the same.
So, that was pretty much my day. Beth and I viewed another flat today, but it's a bit out of our price range. So who knows if we will go with it. The great thing about the flats here is that you can make an offer as if you buying a home. Pretty cool, eh? It's right in Islington, which is an area similary to Valley Junction and West Glen. Very neat area.
Other than that, this week has gone pretty well. Ate at a place that was similar to Panchero's. Panchero's is better. Since Beth has gone to work, my days aren't as slow as I thought they would be. But when you're walking around for 2. 5 hours with no concept of time or direction, I guess it'll do that to you.
It's now 1:48am. I am going to try to go to bed. I still can't believe that these cold relief nite pills are not working at all. I even took another dose at 11pm. Where is the damn Nyquil!!!!!!
I wake up at 9 am and spend the next couple hours looking online for flats. After getting 'flattened out' ( ha, ha, get it. I'm searching for flats and I'm sick of it, so I call it flattened out. I know dorky, but that's me.) I decide to take a shower. As I've mentioned before, everyday is a struggle in this lovely place. Normally I go to the shower with just a towel on as I don't want my clean clothes touching any part of the bathroom. But, this morning there is a group of people moving into one of the rooms on my floor. Remember there are only four rooms, and I think this particular room that is being moved into has 4 bunk beds from what I can see since the door is wide open. 4 bunk beds means 4 more people that I have to share the bathroom with. I don't think anyone was living or staying in that room for the last couple weeks. Well for those of you that are worried, I did get my shower in. I took all my clothes as I didn't want the new tenants or myself to feel uncomfortable with just a towel on. Shower completed. As I'm getting dressed, I am watching a show similar to Maury Povich. There are a couple interesting stories. The first one is titled " I caught you with your pants down, but you tell me you weren't having sex" and the second "We are about to get married, but I don't think you're carrying my child." Well, the first one seemed a bit more interesting. I was so into it. See, the gf had walked in on her bf with his pants down with another girl. Her pants were down as well. He claims that he was just hugging her. Huggin with your pants down??? Sounds a bit like rubbish talk to me. Just as they were about to do a lie detector test, I had to head out the door to begin looking for flats. I take the tube South to Notting Hill since Beth stated it was a beautiful area and one of my favorite movies was filmed there. The movie was Notting Hill in case you were trying your hardest to think about it. I walk around for a bit and walk in an estate agent's office to see if they have any available flats in our price range. Of course the answer is no, but she does give me some other options. I decide to make my way over there. Along my journey, I come across a market that is taking place and admire all the food, gadgets, artwork, and t-shirts that are available. I have no concept of time or direction and continue down the street. As I'm walking I notice there is a small toilet station if you need to go. At first I thought it wasn't a restroom and walked closer to it, and it was. I think it was just one unisex bathroom and had an electronic indicator to let you know if it was vacant or not. You'll have to check out the video of it on FB. After 2.5 hours of walking and trekking through the ghetto I realize that I'm lost. At that very moment I think God knew I was lost too and felt bad for me because Beth was calling. You have no idea how thankful I was at the very second. I am someone that does NOT like to get lost in areas that I am not familar with. With the combination of walking through the ghetto and not being familiar with the area, I was beginning to get upset. The worst part was that I was heading back to where I originally started near our hostel. I explain to Beth where I am at. She asks me if there is a tube stop nearby. Um, what part of 'lost' didn't she understand. She is telling me that if I take this street and that street I will run into nearest tube station. My anger is increasing, but I calmly tell her again that I have no idea where I am. She tells me to head North. Well, let me get my compass out so that I can head in that direction! Finally, I just start walking and read off a couple street names. She tells me that I am walking in the right direction. Since I know that I am heading back towards our hostel, I realize that I have been walking Northeast but needed to be going Southeast. I kept my cool though only because this time I was going the right way to get to a tube stop.
2.5 hours can take a toll on your body and your hunger. I see a place called Chicken Cottage. I've seen many of these in some of the places I've been. I'm guessing it is a chain and from the looks of the photos, seems like a KFC. I think the chains are owned by someone from the Middle East because each one has on the sign "Hilal". I had to look it up as I wasn't sure what it meant. It is an Arabic or Islamic term meaning that it was prepared in the manner prescribed by Islamic law. No, I didn't get this definition from Wikipedia! It came from Dictionary.com and other websites confirmed the same information. Back to Chicken Cottage, I think KFC's recipe is not so secret after all. Cottage Chicken tasted just like it and was just as greasy. There was a little bit of a difference but not much. But palate is pretty good, so any other person would think it's the same.
So, that was pretty much my day. Beth and I viewed another flat today, but it's a bit out of our price range. So who knows if we will go with it. The great thing about the flats here is that you can make an offer as if you buying a home. Pretty cool, eh? It's right in Islington, which is an area similary to Valley Junction and West Glen. Very neat area.
Other than that, this week has gone pretty well. Ate at a place that was similar to Panchero's. Panchero's is better. Since Beth has gone to work, my days aren't as slow as I thought they would be. But when you're walking around for 2. 5 hours with no concept of time or direction, I guess it'll do that to you.
It's now 1:48am. I am going to try to go to bed. I still can't believe that these cold relief nite pills are not working at all. I even took another dose at 11pm. Where is the damn Nyquil!!!!!!
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Beginning to Get Grossed Out
This is Ja'Nae' aka Germ Freak, Toilet Mummy, Weak Stomach. Last nite after a wonderful time out with new friends, we came back to the hostel. (Sidenote: all cups, glasses, plates, and silverware that is used must be washed and reused by germ freaks like myself. I don't trust that people are washing these after their use.) After realizing that this is the case, I bought my own plasticware. Day 1 of using the kitchen: They provide free toast and jam each morning and coffee/tea is free everyday. Since I'm trying to get out of my comfort zone, I go for the toast. I can see that the bag was left open and slices of bread have been thrown out of place inside. That's a clue that people were 'searching' for the right piece and their hands have probably on the slices that I am about to eat. But I take a deep breath and go for it. As I reach for slices of bread, I look to my right and see the butter and jam. At that moment, the worst starting going through my head - "What if someone stuck their nasty ass finger in the butter or the jam.
Are there people using dirty knives for the jam and butter." It takes every bit of courage to ignore my thoughts and move forward with making my breakfast. The toaster is not like the ones we have at home. It has a total of six slots, a knob, timer, and another knob. The six slots are so that you can make up to six slices of toast. The slots are much thinner than our toaster back home. If we were to toast our American bread, we would need to slice the bread in half in order to fit. Now the true test comes when I try to figure out what the two knobs are for and if I really need the timer to toast. I decide to make four slices of toast and place them in the toaster. Knob #1 is used to slide the toast down into the toaster (similar to our process at home). I push knob #1 up and wait a few seconds. It's not getting hot. Maybe I should turn on the timer, but for how long. How long is toast usually cooked for? Has any American really timed it? If you have, then you have two much time on your hands. I put the timer on for 45 seconds and look at knob #2. Knob #2 has three different settings. Each setting has one, two, or four squiggly lines. What about three, five, and six? Because I'm so intelligent, I figure that the squiggly lines must stand for the number of slices in the toaster. I have three slices, and attempt to put the setting on four squiggly lines. Geez, what a frickin' process! Finally my toast is done or so I thought. The slices on the right side (closest to the knobs and timer) were not done at all. Hell, the toaster was not even hot! But my slice that was in the middle was almost burnt. I moved my hand to slots on the left, and they were pipin' hot. I transferred my slices of bread to the other slots so they may toast. Once my toast was finished, I came to the conclusion that I shoud have the setting on all four squiggly lines as that may cook all slots and the timer doesn't do shit for me.
Day 2 in the kitchen: No problems this time making toast. Ha, ha! Suck on that toaster. However, I decide to have some tea as my throat has been bothering me and I've had a wicked cough. I pull out my cup and the bottom is dirty, but I'm trying to get rid of my germophobia. ( Everyday is a struggle.) I make my tea, put some sugar in it, and drink away. No funky tastes or smell coming from the glass so I must be fine. Since there was a note posted in the kitchen " if you drink from it or eat off it, wash it," I follow the directions and do just that. I cleaned it out so well that the nastiness prior to me drinking my tea, came off. Now that really sickened me to my stomach. I set the cup down proud that I had washed it so well for the next person to use. Later that nite, I went to the kitchen to drop off a plate that I used earlier. I was going to wash it, but the kitchen smelled like sweaty sock, swass (sweaty ass), and some sort of food. It took every ounce of my not to throw up ( I just finished a nice meal about 30 minutes before). As I looked around the kitchen, no one had washed their dishes, they were piled kinda high, the floor was dirty with crumbs and liquids of some sort, the trash looked like it hadn't been taken out or clean for a few days. And at that moment ( if you are eating you may want to stop reading), I dry heaved but thought oh I'll be fine just do think about it. But as I was leaving the kitchen to take the stairs, the smell was following me. It came up to the middle of my throat and I tried with all my might to get it back down. Didn't help. Next thing I know I have a mouth full of vomit and I have no choice but to go back to the Kitchen of Pure Nastiness and get it out. The combination of my vomiting and the many smells in the kitchen cause me to purge even more. Once I have finished getting rid of my dinner, I sprint up the stairs so that I no longer puke or smell the funkiness of that kitchen.
After day 2 and everyday that I have to brush my teet or shower, I shake my head in disbelief. I can't believe that we are staying in a place like this. Now I have lowered my standards, quite a bit, but this is a bit ridiculous. On the positive side, at least we even have a place to stay right now and everyday seems to gives us another great story.
Lord we pray that we find a flat soon....VERY SOON!
Are there people using dirty knives for the jam and butter." It takes every bit of courage to ignore my thoughts and move forward with making my breakfast. The toaster is not like the ones we have at home. It has a total of six slots, a knob, timer, and another knob. The six slots are so that you can make up to six slices of toast. The slots are much thinner than our toaster back home. If we were to toast our American bread, we would need to slice the bread in half in order to fit. Now the true test comes when I try to figure out what the two knobs are for and if I really need the timer to toast. I decide to make four slices of toast and place them in the toaster. Knob #1 is used to slide the toast down into the toaster (similar to our process at home). I push knob #1 up and wait a few seconds. It's not getting hot. Maybe I should turn on the timer, but for how long. How long is toast usually cooked for? Has any American really timed it? If you have, then you have two much time on your hands. I put the timer on for 45 seconds and look at knob #2. Knob #2 has three different settings. Each setting has one, two, or four squiggly lines. What about three, five, and six? Because I'm so intelligent, I figure that the squiggly lines must stand for the number of slices in the toaster. I have three slices, and attempt to put the setting on four squiggly lines. Geez, what a frickin' process! Finally my toast is done or so I thought. The slices on the right side (closest to the knobs and timer) were not done at all. Hell, the toaster was not even hot! But my slice that was in the middle was almost burnt. I moved my hand to slots on the left, and they were pipin' hot. I transferred my slices of bread to the other slots so they may toast. Once my toast was finished, I came to the conclusion that I shoud have the setting on all four squiggly lines as that may cook all slots and the timer doesn't do shit for me.
Day 2 in the kitchen: No problems this time making toast. Ha, ha! Suck on that toaster. However, I decide to have some tea as my throat has been bothering me and I've had a wicked cough. I pull out my cup and the bottom is dirty, but I'm trying to get rid of my germophobia. ( Everyday is a struggle.) I make my tea, put some sugar in it, and drink away. No funky tastes or smell coming from the glass so I must be fine. Since there was a note posted in the kitchen " if you drink from it or eat off it, wash it," I follow the directions and do just that. I cleaned it out so well that the nastiness prior to me drinking my tea, came off. Now that really sickened me to my stomach. I set the cup down proud that I had washed it so well for the next person to use. Later that nite, I went to the kitchen to drop off a plate that I used earlier. I was going to wash it, but the kitchen smelled like sweaty sock, swass (sweaty ass), and some sort of food. It took every ounce of my not to throw up ( I just finished a nice meal about 30 minutes before). As I looked around the kitchen, no one had washed their dishes, they were piled kinda high, the floor was dirty with crumbs and liquids of some sort, the trash looked like it hadn't been taken out or clean for a few days. And at that moment ( if you are eating you may want to stop reading), I dry heaved but thought oh I'll be fine just do think about it. But as I was leaving the kitchen to take the stairs, the smell was following me. It came up to the middle of my throat and I tried with all my might to get it back down. Didn't help. Next thing I know I have a mouth full of vomit and I have no choice but to go back to the Kitchen of Pure Nastiness and get it out. The combination of my vomiting and the many smells in the kitchen cause me to purge even more. Once I have finished getting rid of my dinner, I sprint up the stairs so that I no longer puke or smell the funkiness of that kitchen.
After day 2 and everyday that I have to brush my teet or shower, I shake my head in disbelief. I can't believe that we are staying in a place like this. Now I have lowered my standards, quite a bit, but this is a bit ridiculous. On the positive side, at least we even have a place to stay right now and everyday seems to gives us another great story.
Lord we pray that we find a flat soon....VERY SOON!
High Class....what?!?
Our first Saturday night in London and all was well! Through JaNae's connections, we had dinner with a VP from a movie (cinema) studio and a friend of hers that is was born in South Africa, grew up in American, and has been living in London for the past 8 years. One of JaNae's Urbandale parents suggested we get ahold of her sister, who moved to London about 11 years ago. So, JaNae started emailing her (Michelle) and we wound up going to dinner with her and Julia (her long time friend). We met them at an upscale Italian restaurant - the food was fabulous and the wine was flowing! Conversation was awesome - we learned so much from these two awesome ladies! They gave us pointers on where to live in the city, where to travel to around the world, and also gave us some insight into the celebrity world. We met them at 7, got politely kicked out (if there is such a thing) of the restaurant a 9:30 then had a night cap at PJs bar down the street - all in South Kensington. Michelle was so nice and treated us to a cab ride home - video will be up on facebook later. They were upscale ladies and were horrified by our hostel tales, but also provided some horrifying tales of their own! Julia had stayed in may hostels before as well when moving around, so she understood exactly how we felt. Their stories also helped us figure out ways to store stuff in tiny flats so that it doesn't look so cluttered. I think we are both on track with "less is better" - that is how the whole English world lives!
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Hostel 30
So.....I turned 30 this week (Thursday the 18th to be exact). There were two wonderful things about this day: 1. we had our first, much needed, real night of sleep and 2. we ate at Ping Pong, my favorite Dim Sum restaurant near St. Paul's. We woke up at 11am (very late for us) with a fresh view on the day - which you will learn was necessary. We showered in our lovely shared bathroom which we call "The Hallway", rightfully named as it is 1/2 the width of a normal hallway, got dressed and were ready to go by noon.
We've received some advice to tour parts of the city to see where we'd like to live. First off, Brixton (south of the city). There seemed to be some nice flats there, so let's go! We get there and notice it's a bit dirty, but decide to walk around and see what it's all about. The first thing I see is a possible drug deal - now....it probably wasn't, but I was completely stereotyping (which is not nice). We head to find the street "Effra Parade", there were a couple nice flats there. We consult the internet via our prepaid phone and start heading the right direction. Or so we thought....this wasn't bad though, we were only off about 3 blocks (this has been happening on a constant basis). Finally - Atlantic Road, this sounds familiar. Wait...what is that smell.....street vendors....food....fish....anything dirty you could ever want. At this point, we realize we are knee deep in ghetto. I am probably the only white person in sight (which is also somewhat normal for this global melting pot city), but we were both pretty uncomfortable. And the longer we walked, the more uncomfortable we became. Oh yes - there is Effra Parade! Keep walking - there is no way we are going to live here. So, at this point we decide to consult the map again as we want to find a train stop in the direction we are heading versus going back through "the market". Walk, walk, walk....we can hear the train...where....ah...THERE!!! This is our first trip on the London Overground - which is, as you guessed, an above ground train! We get on the train headed in the "away from here" direction. We intersected with an underground tube station and headed there. Ahhh....now we can breathe. That was very much out of our comfort zones and we actually lived through it! I know it's shocking, but we did it!!!
At this point, I think it's about 3pm. We have a 6pm appointment to view a flat near Bethnal Green tube stop. Thank goodness we arrived at 4pm since it took us the next two hours to find the place. Off the tube - take a left. Oh, there is a lovely park across the street, kids are playing soccer.....walk under a bridge....wait....is this....this really looks like.....we're in the ghetto again! Things sort of go downhill from here. We decide to take a seat on a flower box nearby (all the while getting stares from everyone who walks by). Get out the phone/internet and try to locate this building on a map. Internet is slow, the air is getting cold and the longer we sit there, the darker it gets. Finally - let's find the phone number of the letting agent and call them. Ah, OK, we should have taken a right off the tube (which is NOT the ghetto). Go back to where we came from and start walking the other way. Walk, walk, walk.....this building is no where to be found. Wait...is that rain I feel? Did we forget our umbrellas? Of course! Ok - call the letting agent again.....we are really close....where are we standing? Let me ask my colleague how you should get there....wait, I'll have you talk to another lady. Really, it's a 5 minute walk and the building is right on the street you are standing on. OK - we'll keep looking and call back if we can't find it. Walk, walk, walk....back and forth along this road. Yup....can't find it! We got back to the tube stop and took a breath. Our emotions were up and fuses were short. OK, let's scrap it for tonight, google map it and take another run tomorrow. Call the letting agent to be polite....ah...now they know how to direct us (they themselves have mapped it out!)! Walk to the right, go to X street and go through the black gates, for this building is NOT directly on the street. UGH - fine.....if it takes us more than 5 minutes, this hunt is over! Sure enough, with the right directions, it took us 5 minutes :) We get to the flat with a lovely lady who is preggers and moving to the country. She also looked just like one of my best friends, so that put us at ease. We left the flat feeling much better about the rest of our evening. OK - comfort zone stripped again today. It is now about 7pm, we are tired, been walking all day and are ready for dinner!!!
Thought:
We've received some advice to tour parts of the city to see where we'd like to live. First off, Brixton (south of the city). There seemed to be some nice flats there, so let's go! We get there and notice it's a bit dirty, but decide to walk around and see what it's all about. The first thing I see is a possible drug deal - now....it probably wasn't, but I was completely stereotyping (which is not nice). We head to find the street "Effra Parade", there were a couple nice flats there. We consult the internet via our prepaid phone and start heading the right direction. Or so we thought....this wasn't bad though, we were only off about 3 blocks (this has been happening on a constant basis). Finally - Atlantic Road, this sounds familiar. Wait...what is that smell.....street vendors....food....fish....anything dirty you could ever want. At this point, we realize we are knee deep in ghetto. I am probably the only white person in sight (which is also somewhat normal for this global melting pot city), but we were both pretty uncomfortable. And the longer we walked, the more uncomfortable we became. Oh yes - there is Effra Parade! Keep walking - there is no way we are going to live here. So, at this point we decide to consult the map again as we want to find a train stop in the direction we are heading versus going back through "the market". Walk, walk, walk....we can hear the train...where....ah...THERE!!! This is our first trip on the London Overground - which is, as you guessed, an above ground train! We get on the train headed in the "away from here" direction. We intersected with an underground tube station and headed there. Ahhh....now we can breathe. That was very much out of our comfort zones and we actually lived through it! I know it's shocking, but we did it!!!
At this point, I think it's about 3pm. We have a 6pm appointment to view a flat near Bethnal Green tube stop. Thank goodness we arrived at 4pm since it took us the next two hours to find the place. Off the tube - take a left. Oh, there is a lovely park across the street, kids are playing soccer.....walk under a bridge....wait....is this....this really looks like.....we're in the ghetto again! Things sort of go downhill from here. We decide to take a seat on a flower box nearby (all the while getting stares from everyone who walks by). Get out the phone/internet and try to locate this building on a map. Internet is slow, the air is getting cold and the longer we sit there, the darker it gets. Finally - let's find the phone number of the letting agent and call them. Ah, OK, we should have taken a right off the tube (which is NOT the ghetto). Go back to where we came from and start walking the other way. Walk, walk, walk.....this building is no where to be found. Wait...is that rain I feel? Did we forget our umbrellas? Of course! Ok - call the letting agent again.....we are really close....where are we standing? Let me ask my colleague how you should get there....wait, I'll have you talk to another lady. Really, it's a 5 minute walk and the building is right on the street you are standing on. OK - we'll keep looking and call back if we can't find it. Walk, walk, walk....back and forth along this road. Yup....can't find it! We got back to the tube stop and took a breath. Our emotions were up and fuses were short. OK, let's scrap it for tonight, google map it and take another run tomorrow. Call the letting agent to be polite....ah...now they know how to direct us (they themselves have mapped it out!)! Walk to the right, go to X street and go through the black gates, for this building is NOT directly on the street. UGH - fine.....if it takes us more than 5 minutes, this hunt is over! Sure enough, with the right directions, it took us 5 minutes :) We get to the flat with a lovely lady who is preggers and moving to the country. She also looked just like one of my best friends, so that put us at ease. We left the flat feeling much better about the rest of our evening. OK - comfort zone stripped again today. It is now about 7pm, we are tired, been walking all day and are ready for dinner!!!
Thought:
Now remember, Ja'Nae` and I lived in a very comfortable box....it has padded walls and plays R&B through Bose speakers. I remember being very much out of my comfort zone here before, so I'm fairly calm through any road bumps. Ja'Nae` is learning that our box has been stripped away from us - she is handling things much better than anticipated. I'm so very proud of her for allowing me to throw her into this mess and in turn, handling it like a pro!!! [Sidebar - I had a mini breakdown Thursday morning - JaNae had one at dinner. We both cried for about 20 seconds, nothing happened and we weren't upset about anything. I think we were both tired from the last 4 months and just let it out.]
Anyway, we went to Ping Pong for dinner; it was fabulous! We got real sticky rice, honey ribs, puffs, and pot stickers - and ate it all with chop sticks! Neither one of us are good at that, so dinner was slow, but very good. Afterwards, we went to the french restaurant next door to get a fresh fruit tart...oh wait, they are out for the night :) That is fine....we will be back again! Head home and look for flats some more.
What a day - I would consider day 3 the hardest thus far....and not because I was turning 30!!! :P
Friday, 19 March 2010
And the rain begins.....
We arrived in London last Monday morning (15 March 2010), England. The flight did not take as long as we both thought. But first, let me summarize how our last six months have been.
Thanksgiving week, Beth is approached by HR about her level of interest in a position at the London office. We have only two days to let them know.
Mid-December, we are still waiting to hear from HR if London is a possibility or not. HR informs Beth that they have drafted an offer but waiting for approval from the big boys (and girls).
Mid-January, finally a frickin' offer. And it's go time. By the time we left, we found a home for Snoop and Dakota, made a reservation for our short term housing (story is next),cleaned out the house, and sold our cars. Last day of work for both of us was March 12th. Where did the last couple months go???
For those of you that have viewed the video our room know that it is less than 200 square feet. If you didn't know before, now you do. Let me tell you how this came about. Beth tells me that we need to check out this website that has a short term housing link. I go along with it and start my detective work to be sure that it's legit. My indicator that it was a bit fishy was that it was ".....dotnet.' (.net) and usually that's not a good sign. But I stayed positive because Beth was excited. As I continue to view the website, I notice that the pictures look as if they are generic. You know what I mean by generic. The photos that businesses use to make it seem as though their customers or employers are happy, but they have no connection to the business. I told Beth that I wasn't sure about this, but she said that we would be fine because of the person that made the recommendation. The website asks for our credit card information and we provide it. We sat at the computer for a few more minutes waiting for a message giving us information pertaining to where we are staying. Instead the message is that we will receive a confirmation email in the next 24 hours. 24 hours later, confirmation email states " Thank you for choosing us to meet your accomodation needs. Once you have arrived in London, please take the tube to Willesden Green and give us a call once you arrive. We will have someone from the office pick you up." Luckily our credit card wasn't charged, and I immediately think "Lifetime movie!" But it was cheap, and for those that know Beth, that's what its all about. I'm about comfort, high standards, king size bed, my own shower and bath..... Obviously, our short term housing is not a Lifetime movie, yet, cause we are creating this blog.
So our flight to London was great. Each seat had their own screen to watch movies or tv series. Don't ask why, but I chose District 9 while Beth chose Blindside. I wish I would've chosen The Blindside. Oh well.
As make our way to the Willesden Green Tube Station, we meet a couple guys from Canada and the U.S who are visiting for business. I guess it's not proper to talk on the tube because we were the only ones talking. Neither had ever been here before and asked Beth many questions bout the hood. It was cute listening to Beth give them advice as if she was a local. That's my wife!
We arrive to our tube station and make the call. The short term housing office tells us that we can't check in for another hour and will need to hang out at a cafe. What a treat. Some of the items on the menu include coffee, cappuccino, toast and jam, eggs, and beans. Yes that's right, baked beans for breakfast. I'm not so sure about this.
After an hour and a half of waiting, a 23 year old kid picks us up in his personalized vehicle. One would think that if this company is constantly having to pick up their tenants, that they would at least mark the vehicle somehow. But there was none of that and we still hopped in the car! I sat in the front while Beth sat in the back. It was very odd for me not be driving. Riding in the front seemed so backwards. At least our housing was only a 5 minute drive.
As we arrived at our new temporary home, from the outside everything looked in tact. Keep in mind, we are thinking that we are going to be staying in an apartment due to the amount of time. We walk up three flights of stairs and arrive to our room. We walk into a room that appears to be less than 200 square feet with a double bed, fridge, sink, 12 inch tv, table, and two chairs. Oh yes I can't forget about the wonderfully small closet that mostly fits only Beth's clothes. I guess that's what I get for taking up most of our walk in closet back home. The final cost of this wonderful accomodation is $1500 for three weeks. Did I mention that this is NOT an apartment it's a hostel?! And it to make matters worse, we have to share a bathroom and shower.
With that, we couldn't stay in our room any longer. We headed out to Picadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and a few other historical landmarks. It was more of a quick walk by, but well worth it.
Day 2
Getting a cell phone was not an easy task. What plan, what phone, what charge for what!?! UGH - finally we get a phone and find out that pay as you go is actually cheaper when calling the US versus London. 5 pence per minute to call home and 24 pence to call local. So, the first 10GBP was gone in about 2 days - skype more, use the internet on the phone less. Lesson learned.
Bank account was taken care of as well. Here is our online application, passports/visas, and two bills from home. Great, thanks, you'll have an account in 5 days. Wow - that was easy!
Day 3 & 4: total blur. Lots of walking around and flat searching. Walk during the day (all day) and scouring the internet for flats by night. We thought we found a great flat in Wembley (it is a very nice place), but found out that it is not a very safe neighborhood. With the help of my new co-workers, we have found the safest places in town. Next week we will start the serious search of finding a place in Islington - a lovely neighborhood that feels like home. It is near Angel tube stop which has the coolest wing structure we've ever seen (picture coming soon).
It's 11pm now and we are still wide awake - this is very odd for us. I (Beth) need to get into a normal sleeping pattern before Monday - I cannot stay up until midnight/1am and wake up on time to get to work.
The weekend is upon us and it looks like rain. I was hoping to take JaNae to some markets, but that isn't much fun during the rain. Keep your fingers crossed that rain is light and markets are flowing!
Oh - and if you haven't paid attention to details - Beth is writing in Veranda font and JaNae in Georgia. Just a note for future reading :)
Thanksgiving week, Beth is approached by HR about her level of interest in a position at the London office. We have only two days to let them know.
Mid-December, we are still waiting to hear from HR if London is a possibility or not. HR informs Beth that they have drafted an offer but waiting for approval from the big boys (and girls).
Mid-January, finally a frickin' offer. And it's go time. By the time we left, we found a home for Snoop and Dakota, made a reservation for our short term housing (story is next),cleaned out the house, and sold our cars. Last day of work for both of us was March 12th. Where did the last couple months go???
For those of you that have viewed the video our room know that it is less than 200 square feet. If you didn't know before, now you do. Let me tell you how this came about. Beth tells me that we need to check out this website that has a short term housing link. I go along with it and start my detective work to be sure that it's legit. My indicator that it was a bit fishy was that it was ".....dotnet.' (.net) and usually that's not a good sign. But I stayed positive because Beth was excited. As I continue to view the website, I notice that the pictures look as if they are generic. You know what I mean by generic. The photos that businesses use to make it seem as though their customers or employers are happy, but they have no connection to the business. I told Beth that I wasn't sure about this, but she said that we would be fine because of the person that made the recommendation. The website asks for our credit card information and we provide it. We sat at the computer for a few more minutes waiting for a message giving us information pertaining to where we are staying. Instead the message is that we will receive a confirmation email in the next 24 hours. 24 hours later, confirmation email states " Thank you for choosing us to meet your accomodation needs. Once you have arrived in London, please take the tube to Willesden Green and give us a call once you arrive. We will have someone from the office pick you up." Luckily our credit card wasn't charged, and I immediately think "Lifetime movie!" But it was cheap, and for those that know Beth, that's what its all about. I'm about comfort, high standards, king size bed, my own shower and bath..... Obviously, our short term housing is not a Lifetime movie, yet, cause we are creating this blog.
So our flight to London was great. Each seat had their own screen to watch movies or tv series. Don't ask why, but I chose District 9 while Beth chose Blindside. I wish I would've chosen The Blindside. Oh well.
As make our way to the Willesden Green Tube Station, we meet a couple guys from Canada and the U.S who are visiting for business. I guess it's not proper to talk on the tube because we were the only ones talking. Neither had ever been here before and asked Beth many questions bout the hood. It was cute listening to Beth give them advice as if she was a local. That's my wife!
We arrive to our tube station and make the call. The short term housing office tells us that we can't check in for another hour and will need to hang out at a cafe. What a treat. Some of the items on the menu include coffee, cappuccino, toast and jam, eggs, and beans. Yes that's right, baked beans for breakfast. I'm not so sure about this.
After an hour and a half of waiting, a 23 year old kid picks us up in his personalized vehicle. One would think that if this company is constantly having to pick up their tenants, that they would at least mark the vehicle somehow. But there was none of that and we still hopped in the car! I sat in the front while Beth sat in the back. It was very odd for me not be driving. Riding in the front seemed so backwards. At least our housing was only a 5 minute drive.
As we arrived at our new temporary home, from the outside everything looked in tact. Keep in mind, we are thinking that we are going to be staying in an apartment due to the amount of time. We walk up three flights of stairs and arrive to our room. We walk into a room that appears to be less than 200 square feet with a double bed, fridge, sink, 12 inch tv, table, and two chairs. Oh yes I can't forget about the wonderfully small closet that mostly fits only Beth's clothes. I guess that's what I get for taking up most of our walk in closet back home. The final cost of this wonderful accomodation is $1500 for three weeks. Did I mention that this is NOT an apartment it's a hostel?! And it to make matters worse, we have to share a bathroom and shower.
With that, we couldn't stay in our room any longer. We headed out to Picadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and a few other historical landmarks. It was more of a quick walk by, but well worth it.
Day 2
Getting a cell phone was not an easy task. What plan, what phone, what charge for what!?! UGH - finally we get a phone and find out that pay as you go is actually cheaper when calling the US versus London. 5 pence per minute to call home and 24 pence to call local. So, the first 10GBP was gone in about 2 days - skype more, use the internet on the phone less. Lesson learned.
Bank account was taken care of as well. Here is our online application, passports/visas, and two bills from home. Great, thanks, you'll have an account in 5 days. Wow - that was easy!
Day 3 & 4: total blur. Lots of walking around and flat searching. Walk during the day (all day) and scouring the internet for flats by night. We thought we found a great flat in Wembley (it is a very nice place), but found out that it is not a very safe neighborhood. With the help of my new co-workers, we have found the safest places in town. Next week we will start the serious search of finding a place in Islington - a lovely neighborhood that feels like home. It is near Angel tube stop which has the coolest wing structure we've ever seen (picture coming soon).
It's 11pm now and we are still wide awake - this is very odd for us. I (Beth) need to get into a normal sleeping pattern before Monday - I cannot stay up until midnight/1am and wake up on time to get to work.
The weekend is upon us and it looks like rain. I was hoping to take JaNae to some markets, but that isn't much fun during the rain. Keep your fingers crossed that rain is light and markets are flowing!
Oh - and if you haven't paid attention to details - Beth is writing in Veranda font and JaNae in Georgia. Just a note for future reading :)
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