I just want you all to know that this goes back two months...to the end of July. And I also want you to know that I'm really, really happy. I can't remember ever feeling happy in this country. Like, really REALLY happy. I mean, I still get absurdly homesick. (Talked to my sister on the phone the other day and cried when I got off the phone.) But, London is treating me well.
Anyway, this post is dedicated to my dear friend Julianna Immaculatina Uccello. Don't worry, she's alive and well, she just love bullet points. And I promised.
JULY
*Not in India.
*Forgot to get a visa.
*Forgot? Yea, I'm an idiot. I know.
* Cried. A lot.
* Lucasz is there, without me, from Australia.
*Everyone says, everything happens for a reason.
*Retrospectively, I would have just been sad and heartbroken coming back to London, alone.
*Not in India = Homelessness.
*Couch surfing with friends. Gets tiresome.
*Plenty of friends have rooms opening in October. Can I WAIT that long? (To be determined....)
* Lived with Dave and Claire. Fell in love with south London. (I'm back here now, btw. Sitting on their couch.)
* South London is just CALMER. PLENTY of culture, but not so BUSY all the time.
*Met Eamo's new NINETEEN YEAR OLD girlfriend. It broke the spell. I'm SO over it! For REAL. (We hung out two days ago, just the two of us. And had a BLAST. I'm so happy we can be friends now.)
*Went to Oxford. (Look..that's Oxford. Look familiar? It's from Harry Potter!!...And speaking of Harry Potter, Daniel Ratcliffe played at the celebrity cricket match at my hockey club...and guess who's playing next week...DRACO MALFOY! Yes, I will be meeting Draco Malfoy next week!)*Punted, ate too much cheese, and drank lots of Pimms.
*Saw lots of old buildings.
*Didn't really get what the big Oxford deal was...
*Started learning to drive manual. On the wrong side of the road.
* SCARY!
* Matt is an amazingly patient teacher who only reminded me once of dad, so far: "OH JEEZUS Sarah!"
*Enjoyed tourist London.
*Purchased Time Out's "1000 Things to do in London."
*I want to do them ALL before I leave.
*Played open air ping pong.
*Boated in Hyde Park.
*Played more scrabble.
*Played an awesome game of rounders (English baseball) in Hyde Park.*Went to the Earl's Court Beer Festival.
*Partook in a Cream Tea at the National Cafe.
*Hung out with the meerkats at the London Zoo.
*Enjoyed (bad) free stand-up comedy.
*Isle of Wight
* English island and STILL managed a tan.
* Beautiful walks, COLD ocean, and relaxation. (Though walking with flipflops is kind of hard...)
* Bruised myself using Jev's Dad's archery bow.* After the Isle, I'm not weepy about India anymore.
*Hopped over to Vienna with Heather.
*Saw a FANTASTIC street art exhibit at the Kunstalle Museum. (I guess I have a bit of a Banksy crush even though he's from Bristol...)
*Read The Shadows of the Wind, but not in Spanish.
*Played the part of the patriot.*Realized I don't understand Viennese history. (How is Emperor Maximilian of Mexico Viennese?)
*Pretended to be part of "Before Sunset."*Ate too much fried food. Apparently, that's the vegetarian option.
*Saw an 80-something year old man on public transport who had what looked like a Holocaust tattoo. :(
* Walked in the stunning Viennese vineyards.
AUGUST and SEPTEMBER (so far)
*Went to Serbia to meet up with Tiana.
*Saw bombed out buildings repainted with their old facades.
*Haven't seen her in 2 years! But with real friends, no time passes.*Belgrade NEVER SLEEPS!
*Dinner parties and cool boat clubs. What more could a girl ask for?
*Lake beach--The simpler things.
*Still homeless...but subletting from friends (Dave/Claire) until October 1st.
*It's wearing on me, but Louise is back and we're looking for places.
*NEW JOB! This part I can't really do in a bullet. (Sorry Jules.) I'm project managing for a property company. My company is paid by owners of vacant buildings to fill the buildings with people so that the buildings aren't vandalized. In return, the people that live in the buildings get REALLY cheap rent. (We are talking...300-400 dollars a month to live in London. You NY-ers know how insanely cheap that is for a city.) HOWEVER, most of our properties are kind of...undesirable. Like, old Care Homes. But, a lot of them are just unconventional living--unused fire houses, office buildings, or warehouses. So, the rooms are really big. It's pretty cool actually. Most of the people living in Camelot housing are artists because the unconventional spaces are conducive to use as a bedroom/studio. I've met loads of cool people when I've been showing them around properties.
*Moral of the story? I'm not working under stifling English bureaucracy, and I think that's why I'm so much happier!
*Worried about boredom behind a desk? Absolutely. But we will see!
*Cool new colleagues. (Got offered a ticket to MUSE last night but turned it down...hockey. UGH!)
*Found a Camelot property in Central London that might have potential.
*Going to look at it with some friends on Tuesday. Might move in Friday...
*Captaining hockey is a full time job.
*Slightly overwhelmed by new job, new house, new hockey responsibilities--but it's a good overwhelmed.
*This is a piece of art made out of chocolate. The whole thing is edible. YUM.* Been going to lots more cheap gigs in London...getting out and enjoying this city despite it's torrential downpours and perpetual clouds.
BANDS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT because I have a crush on them (if you haven't already):
1. Mumford and Sons
2. Ellie Goulding
3. Broken Bells
4. Genuine Freakshow (These KIDS from Reading...but they are awesome.)
5. White Rabbits
6. The Complete Short Stories
HOLIDAYS
*No holidays planned till Christmas. I'll be home from December 23/4-Jan 3rd. Please hang out with me.
*Reality of not having a teaching schedule is setting in.
*Kilimanjaro 2011--Who wants in? (Seriously, let me know. I'm thinking July at the moment. The bigger the group, the better.)
Love,
Hammer
