Given that this week has felt about 9 days long (whereas I arrived 4 nights ago), I will try for a digest of the highlights* of the week.
Maple Explosion
After having assured the Chill folks that I was indeed taking real NH maple syrup with me to England, that decision came back to bite me. However, it did mean that I immediately got to try out my funny little washing machine, located as standard in the kitchen. And, even though I later realized(1) that I put the detergent in the ‘pre-wash’ slot instead of the ‘wash’ slot, the fact that the thing ran for nearly 3 hours gave me great confidence that the clothes were clean!
The next load I ran with detergent in the right slot, and on the “short” cycle: about 90 mins.
(1)Please someone kick me the first time I type “realise”.
A Day “Off”
Tuesday I spent in Clapham, my new (area? town? village?). Found a coffee shop to squat at for about 3-4 hours for the price of 1 cappuccino (2.05 GBP, if you’re wondering). Managed to steal a spotty but free internet connection and took care of a bunch of administrative stuff, including sending details for my work permit application. This is the document that says I am more qualified for my job than anyone already living & working here.
I sat for lunch at a place that will probably become a breakfast favorite (The Boiled Egg & Soldiers). While/st waiting for my lunch, Billy Joel’s New York State of Mind played softly, followed by the Sex & the City theme (no, not Labels & Love, just the 30-second instrumental opener). I guess that someone out there was a bit late providing me my sentimental Hollywood moment (see previous post), and at this one I had to roll my eyes and chuckle.
Public Transportation
I think I have spent no less than 20 hours in the Greater London public transportation system this week (in the 3 days I have used it!!), and have probably spent something like 20GBP more than I should have. (Conversion: 1 GBP = $2) This included: a subway delay, a cab ride in an unfamiliar area, a 25-min ‘layover’ 1 stop from my train station, a couple trains I missed but wouldn’t have if I knew the schedule or how to read the board. Also included several incorrectly used Oyster-card reads (refillable Underground pass), one train ticket bought on-board when should have been pre-bought, and other mishaps for which I used my charming “not from here” accent to get out of. They may catch on…
I’m sure there have been other moments and I will share as they come back to me…
*term used loosely.
No comments:
Post a Comment