Where in the world did September go? And of course, the months before that??? We have been here for over 6 months now and it feels like only one. Our first month was spent living in a lovely hostel with a room the size of our current living room. We were sharing bathrooms, showers, and kitchens. Although our hostel room was okay (for Beth, it was just fine but someone in this marriage has to have standards!!), I am a bit apprehensive about staying in another one.
The things we have experienced so far are absolutely lovely. Moving to London has indeed been a bit empowering for me. From having to live in a flat 6 times smaller than my house in Ankeny, giving half my closet away to charity, to finding a new home for our dogs. All of these were very hard for us to do, but I'm sure they would be hard for anyone.
In my job, I assist expats (mostly Americans) in finding a new home to live in London. Many have the impression that they will be able to find something suitable that costs the same as what they currently reside in. Meaning, they believe that since they can live in a nice 2 bedroom flat for 600 in the states, it'll happen in London. Let's not even talk about the exchange rate because many forget about it. Just compare apples to apples for one month- 600 in the states vs 600 in London. 600 in the States will get you a nice 2 bedroom if you live in Iowa or some place similar. In London 600 will get a bedsit. A bedsit is one a room that only has a bed in it because it is soo small. With these you may have to share a kitchen, bathroom, and shower. Obcviously 600 goes a little bit farther in the States. Then there are the clients who are the students. Mom and Dad have travelled with them to find them a flat because the student accomodations are just horrendous ( this truly is the case though). Here's the thing that just bothers me - most of these students are living in flats much better than mine and costs more.
For example, we had two students from New York arrive and their budget was 550 per week, which is over 2000 per month. ( the rent here is based on a weekly basis) . We found some pretty nice flats for them and they were able to move in soon. Well, we had a slight hiccup with the estate agent and the landlord and had to take these two out again. This time around their budget shot up to 650 and they were even more picky than the first time. 650 per week!!!!! They have a really nice two bedroom flat with a porter (doorman) right in the heart of Kensington & Chelsea ( one of the most affluent areas in London). They are only 20 21 years old and their flat is costs almost 3 times as much as mine. On the lighter side of things, I do have a good time taking a look at the photos as we conduct the search for them.
There are the rich kids and the ones who will not give up their dog even if they were living in a bedsit!!!! I think these people are very selfish to be bringing their dog over to London. Here are my reasons - 1) Hardly any space unless inside or out you are lucky enough to afford a flat with a communal garden or a private garden 2) dogs need to be quarantined for up 6 months before you are able to take them home 3) there are hardly any landlords that will accept pets within their building. It was very difficult for us to give away our dogs, but we knew that it was something that needed to be done. Now maybe if we only had one dog and it was 10lbs, we might've risked it. But I will NEVER be caught with a dog that is less than 50lbs. You hear that, Beth, I will NEVER be caught with a dog less than 50lbs. Beth would like to get a smaller dog if we move back to the States. What's the point in even having a dog if they are that small????
Sorry for my little rant on my clients. I just felt like sharing that information with you.
Back to how time is flying....
All of the things that we have done so far are amazing, and we've only just begun. Prior to my having a job, we really had to watch what we were spending. Even still we have to watch, but are able to spend more on weekend trips. Since we've been here, I've been to the Tower of London, the Monument, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Southbank, Trafalgar Square, Tate Modern Museum, St. Paul's, Paris, Brighton Beach, and seen random performances that have taken place at festivals or in the park.
We still have places on our list that we need to hit like Barcelona or Madrid, Dublin, Amsterdam, Greece, Croatia, a wine tour in the South of France, Oxford, Leeds, Windsor Castle, and Scotland. Oh and a tour of Italy - not the one from Olive Garden!!
Just this weekend we were able to hit the Roman Baths in Bath and Stonehenge (my next blog). We've got some pretty nice photos on our facebook page. If you don't have facebook, then you will have to wait until we see you. We'll show you the photos on my Ipad.
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