Taking a Break

I'm going to take a quick break from the NYC blogging to fill you in on my new life in England. Yes folks, I'm in England. Finally. The summer was SO rewarding, so amazing (as you'll see in post after post...the To-She-Ba is pretty darn slow and blogging in a pub sort of sucks), and just flew by. But in retrospect, it was time to move on. And so here I am, living in Dartford, just southwest of London. Here's how it went down...

I arrived at Gatwick (south of London) after an uneventful flight with Air Transat. My luggage cost as much as my plane ticket, since I was 40 kilos over the weight allowance, but I made it there with everything I need (mom doesn't need to send the winter clothes here this time around...you're welcome Mother Hen). I slept the ENTIRE way, save the moments when I stopped to eat and drink. Not once did I stop to pee: sleep was paramount. A kind woman from my recruiter was waiting for me at the airport and, after helping me lug the 70 kilos of luggage onto the train, we were off to see the recruiter. Now THAT was a worthless trip, being that I only had to provide a copy of my visa and my police check. But following my opening of a bank account and tiny tour of Clapham Junction, I was back on a train to Dartford.

Dartford is lovely. It is a quaint town with loads of people my age (who were more than likely born here and never moved). There is a pub on every single corner, and the food is delicious. I haven't eaten much since I've gotten here because I was so nervous about accomodation. Ryan and his girlfriend Ang moved into a place, but had to confirm that I could sign on as a third party. Apparently the landlady wasn't too thrilled about the idea. Finally after nearly two full days here, the two of them joined Jocelyn (another new teacher friend of mine) at the pub and announced that we were roomies! It was thrilling. And you should see this place: it's two stories (a full house), with a huge bathroom (no exaggeration...compared to Korea, it's Versailles), a washing machine, a full dining room and living room, as well as a ... wait for it...backyard. What?! Yes. A backyard. I loves it.

So we're all set now. I have done most of the brutal administrative work and am now just shopping for house stuff. We have yet to set up the internet at home, so we're here at the pub. I've met all the teachers at the school and for the most part, they're pretty solid. They're older than the teenage crowd back in Korea (sorry, guys...but really), so I'm sure we have a little more in common. Plus, we're teaching our subject areas, so I'm sure ther will be a bit more planning (and subsequential stress) than I found in The East. Sigh. A real job...now I know how it feels ;)

They have tea here. I know that's a no brainer, but after a year missing it like MAD, I'm thrilled to see it everywhere. And they take it like I do: with milk. Ahhh...happy now.

Oh, the fridge is a beer fridge...hilarious. I can't wait to fill that up with three days worth of vegetables!

One more thing...Alicia passed her last course and will graduate from university with a B.Sc.N (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) in the fall. I am SO proud of her :) Congratulations, Friend. Touch boobs.

More to come...pics yet to be taken.

Much love.