Moving...Again & Other Fun Activities

So I finally found a place to live! My awesome current flatmate, Tori, (that I am not allowed to live with because the leasing agency is terrible and won't accept any financial documents from the states)had a friend that was subletting her place for a minimum of 6 months so I am planning to live there. It's a rather large house in Marylebone with a number of people. One interesting tidbit is that there are two pronounciations for Marylebone which is quite confusing. It could be either "Marleebone" or "Mary-lei-ben." Or at least that's what I have heard in the city and via Forvo (http://www.forvo.com/word/marylebone/).

The house is huge with multiple kitchens, bathrooms, rooms and really quite beautiful. I will be sharing the top floor with a couple of girls - one from Belgium and the other from Poland. The only drawback is leaving my current flatmates - I am quite sad about that but know we will visit often. I will now be able to walk to work; it is about 2 miles from work which is really good! I walk so much here it is incredible and I really like it.

When Tori and I went to look at the flat we decided to go stop by a few stores as I needed some leggings. We went to place called Primark that reminded me a bit of like Kohls meetings Forever 21 meets JC Penney's. It was definitely mayham but the clothes were so cheap but decent quality. The nickname for Primark is Pri-Marni (ie Armani) as Primark has worked very hard to be seen as a fashion-spot-go-to.

We also stopped by Selfridges; I thought for the longest time that this was pronounced and spelled "Suffrages" with the British accent. Similarly how I always get confused when someone here says "I was pissed." I always think and say "why were you mad?" Suddenly realizing they mean drunk or making a joke. Too many meanings for this one word!

Selfridge was named the "Best department store in the world" and has the most amazing windows. I didn't have a chance to snap a picture while I was out but found one and intend to take one next time I go. Since I will be moving there that should be easy! Also, lots of inspiration for xmas shopping which I intend to do in the next couple of weeks. Even took a couple of days off to get it done! :)




Very excited that my friend Lucy from Scotland is back as well! We have only been able to hang out once in the last couple of weeks because of massive schedule conflicts including a bit of a hangover this past weekend. We have a hangout planned this weekend though - yay! I am thankful I have met so many great people here and just need more time to spend with them ha!

Our work holiday party is this Friday and the location is a secret - can't wait till the big reveal and will have to let you know after it's done! I am moving Saturday so cannot be out too late!

In news around London: Apparently fares are increasing on the tube which makes me even more excited about limiting my exposure to the underground transportation system. They are already quite pricey depending upon when you travel and where; London is broken out by zones and travel expense increases as you go through more zones. Zone 1 and 2 are the center of the city and then it moves out from there to the more suburban areas being in zone 4 and 5 (story here)

I had the chance to visit the outside area of London myself with a trip to the area nearby North Greenwich suburbs with a friend. North Greenwich has a tube line - the Jubilee - and is fairly new. It was very nice to see the world outside of London along the Thames. I still love living in London though even though I never really thought I would - never have been one for the city life and yet I am quite content.

Interesting little tidbit of info

Laundry detergent bottles have a few different categories for wash on the back of the bottle. One of them actually says "handwash" as an option. Seriously who does this???

On a personal note - Things are definitely tough keeping connected with friends and family back home. The time difference is tough - at 10PM my friends are just beginning to consider leaving with it being 5PM in the east coast. It was hard when I lived there and even more difficult now that I am in a different time zone! It's hard to even explain accurately my life out here to people I love as it is so fundamentally different and more difficult than it was in the states. The challenge makes it very exciting and I never know what to expect which I do like but it can drive a wedge into your relationships and I have already seen the fallout from that. I don't know what I can really do though so I just have to keep living as I am and hope that they will resolve in time.