Sunday, September 30, 2007
Our new flat
Matt and I have moved into our new flat. It can be described in one word: tiny! It's called a "double studio" flat. To call anything of this size "double" is pretty generous by American standards. I suppose it's comparable to a dorm room you share with someone, except for it's only got one bed. And the bed folds up into the closet when not in use! That leaves us with some empty space. There's a dining table that pops up from the wall. And one wall is solidly covered with a long double desk and tons of cupboards and shelves. I don't think we're going to have any problems with storage, there are so many places to hide things. We realized that in such a small space, that's important because everything needs its proper place so it doesn't become chaotic. We're going to fully "dorm" the place out, with a hanging shoe caddy, laundry sorter, anything to save space and permit complete organization. We are thinking of buying a very very small couch from Ikea. It will fit fine with the bed up, but once the bed comes down, it will have to be pushed up against the kitchenette or in the hallway. We're on the top floor of the building, looking into a courtyard from a big window. It's west-facing so we'll hopefully get some good sunshine. We can see the trees from the park next door and some buildings in the distance. We can also see Micky and Julia's apartment from here, so we're really close. Matt and I have split up the cupboards and shelves (Matt gets the higher ones). Wednesday, we get a big shipment of all our stored items, including a huge load of kitchen impliments. Also our extra sheets, pillows and blankets. And some of our winter clothes. We're going to go see Knocked Up in theatres tonight because we missed it when it came to the states.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Self Defense
I got some weird advice from the University College London crime prevention office. They sent out an email with all sorts of tips on avoiding theft and such things. The UCL campus area is in central London so it still has some problems with regard to homelss people and drugs. So they had a weird tip about if you're approached and you know you're about to be or are getting mugged. I will quote, but the emphasis is my own:
If you can't get away and the situation looks like it's going to
turn violent try to shout ' Call the Police' or 'Fire'. This may
unsettle your potential attacker. YOU SHOULD ALSO TRY SOUNDING AS IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE PHYSICALLY SICK. MAKE IT LOUD - it's been proved
that people hate the sound, and possible result, of vomiting and will
avoid someone they think is about to be sick.
Strange advice, but next time you're being mugged, by all means, start making puking noises. Don't forget, MAKE IT LOUD!
In other news, orientation meetings are going well. I'm really going to enjoy this course. I am also loving London, espeically since we are going to live 10 minute's walk from UCL.
If you can't get away and the situation looks like it's going to
turn violent try to shout ' Call the Police' or 'Fire'. This may
unsettle your potential attacker. YOU SHOULD ALSO TRY SOUNDING AS IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE PHYSICALLY SICK. MAKE IT LOUD - it's been proved
that people hate the sound, and possible result, of vomiting and will
avoid someone they think is about to be sick.
Strange advice, but next time you're being mugged, by all means, start making puking noises. Don't forget, MAKE IT LOUD!
In other news, orientation meetings are going well. I'm really going to enjoy this course. I am also loving London, espeically since we are going to live 10 minute's walk from UCL.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Aaaaaah!
Flat; check.
Job; check.
Well, a temporary job at least. If things go well, maybe long term.
So, Grace and I are in London. I arrived last Tuesday morning, so it's been just about a week for me (Grace just got in yesterday). My plan during that time was to get a jump on a flat and a job before Grace came in.
I got in bright and early, one of the first planes allowed in after the 6 o'clock curfew. On the plane I was watching this movie, "Away from Her" and they cut it off 20 minutes before the end so we could land. Hmmmph.
A super long line to get through passport control, but soon I was on the train back into central London. Normally Grace and I take the tube to get to Heathrow, but it takes over an hour, so I thought I would try the train to Paddington station. It was a mistake since I arrived at the station right around rush hour and it was a major pain to take the tube to my relative's flat. I ended up having to walk. So I got in about two or three hours after I left Heathrow.
I had a job interview that afternoon so I took a little nap to get the red out of my eyes. I don't know if I should talk much about my job on the blog, so I'll just say it's a very bad idea to go to a job interview with jet lag. After the interview I caught up with my relative and took a little walk around the area.
My relatives live in central London in a ginormous flat (by London standards). It's got two floors! It would easily cost $1300 a week to rent on the private market, but since it's subsidized University housing, the price is much, much lower. They have a cute little kid and he loves to run around in the big space. The area is really nice too and perfect for students. Grace's University is right around the corner, just a ten minute walk.
The proximity to class and the subsidized rent rate made these flats the best option for Grace and I, but also everyone else. They were all full, and so was the rest of University housing. I would have to find us a place from somewhere else. Fortunately for me my relatives had been conducting a hunt for a flat for the past year and so they knew all sorts of great areas to check out.
But not that night. I couldn't keep my head up anymore at nine o'clock so I passed out on the couch. That night I slept 13 hours and when I woke up I went on a long long walk with my relatives. I think it cured the jet lag.
The apartment hunt went on for the next week. I used two sources to find potential places. The University has an online search engine for flats on offer from private landlords and I used that, but it wasn't actually too useful. The other source were letting agents, who are companies that lease property in a given neighborhood. Basically I would pick an area I thought we might want to live in (using my relatives' advice) and then go to google maps and type in "letting agents" plus the postal code. This would give me about 20 different companies. I would then either visit them all or call them all. Usually one in ten had a place in Grace and I's price range.
I pounded the pavement and manned the phones. One day I walked around for five or six hours. The week's effort netted me a grand total of five potential places. All were studios, meaning one big room with a little kitchen and bathroom. And all were a lot more expensive than we paid in Cambridge. So, basically we were going to be paying more for a downgrade.
Place 1: This was near King's Cross Railroad station (of Harry Potter fame). It was actually pretty big for a studio, but I didn't like the landlord. When I came to see the place they knocked on the door and we went in, but the tenants were still there. One was a guy and he was in bed with no shirt on. The other was his girlfriend or wife and she was wearing pyjamas and standing around awkwardly. That made inspecting the place fun. Another problem was the area. It was better than our location in DC, but it wasn't amazing or anything. I was kind of hoping for better. So I said no thanks, even though someone else was viewing right after me and they would probably jump on it.
Place 2: This was right around the corner from Grace's school and a park! Plus it was only a few doors down from Charles Dickens house! Whoa! It was in a beautiful old house too on a beautiful street.
But it was teensy tiny. It had a single bed which took up about 1/3 of the place. Think walk-in closet. And the shower had a ceiling which was too low for me to stand up in.
Place 3: This was much farther from Grace's school. The other places were about a 15 minute walk and this was a 45 minute walk. But it was right next to regents' park and the zoo so at least it would be a nice walk. And there would be plenty of space to run. Plus it was super swank - came with a plasma screen TV, stereo, modern bathroom and modern furniture.
But it was also really small. It had a futon and a desk and when the futon folded down there wouldn't be any open floor space. It also only had one set of shelves. I don't think all our suitcases would even fit in there.
Place 4: This was way out in Hampstead Heath, a district outside central London. On one hand the area was super nice. We could walk to a local grocery store, pubs and park. And the place was in a converted mansion. It was decently sized, had modern furniture and the landlords were super nice (plus Irish, a bonus!).
But we would have to take the tube to work and class. And it was on the Northern Line which is rumored to be frequently not running. And there are no buses. Walking would be a 90 minute ordeal.
But it was the best we had seen so far. We told them we would let them know by Tuesday night (which gave us 2 days to find a better place).
Place 5: Also in Hampstead Heath, like place 4. It has an oven and we were supposed to see it tomorrow morning.
So, basically there was no hope of living within walking distance to class. I had already tried everything I could think of and nothing was quite up to scratch. I was thinking Hampstead Heath or Notting Hill, both of which are so far you would have to take the tube in. But at least we would have everything else for our life close by.
But my relative convinced me to try for university housing one last time, so Monday morning we went down to the front desk of my relative's hall. I told them I was looking for a place and bam! they had 6 double studios open! Apparently from people who hadn't shown up.
Hell yeah we could see them now. The landlady took us to the basement of the very hall where we were staying and showed us six places which were great. They weren't as swank as place 3, but they were big enough and, most importantly, they were close to class for Grace and subsidized. The bed folds into the wall during the day, so you have more space!
Only problem was they were in the basement, so they didn't get much natural light. But we could live with that.
But then, as we were leaving she told us we could have an identical place on the 5th floor (top floor) if we were willing to wait till Sunday to move in. By coincidence, that's how long we were planning on staying with my relatives so everything worked out. Ha!
The rub is figuring out how to get our stuff out of storage and down here. The company can't deliver till Wednesday October 3. We're thinking about renting a car and getting it ourselves, but we have to decide if we want to brave central London traffic.
In the end we're still paying more for this place than we did in Cambridge and it's still a step down. But after looking for a week I know this place can't be beat in terms of price, location, amenities and size. Apparently lots of students start by looking at student housing, don't like it and decide to risk losing it while they look for something better. By the time they realize how good it was, it's gone.
Anyway, we're good.
Oh, and I have a job starting on Monday!
Job; check.
Well, a temporary job at least. If things go well, maybe long term.
So, Grace and I are in London. I arrived last Tuesday morning, so it's been just about a week for me (Grace just got in yesterday). My plan during that time was to get a jump on a flat and a job before Grace came in.
I got in bright and early, one of the first planes allowed in after the 6 o'clock curfew. On the plane I was watching this movie, "Away from Her" and they cut it off 20 minutes before the end so we could land. Hmmmph.
A super long line to get through passport control, but soon I was on the train back into central London. Normally Grace and I take the tube to get to Heathrow, but it takes over an hour, so I thought I would try the train to Paddington station. It was a mistake since I arrived at the station right around rush hour and it was a major pain to take the tube to my relative's flat. I ended up having to walk. So I got in about two or three hours after I left Heathrow.
I had a job interview that afternoon so I took a little nap to get the red out of my eyes. I don't know if I should talk much about my job on the blog, so I'll just say it's a very bad idea to go to a job interview with jet lag. After the interview I caught up with my relative and took a little walk around the area.
My relatives live in central London in a ginormous flat (by London standards). It's got two floors! It would easily cost $1300 a week to rent on the private market, but since it's subsidized University housing, the price is much, much lower. They have a cute little kid and he loves to run around in the big space. The area is really nice too and perfect for students. Grace's University is right around the corner, just a ten minute walk.
The proximity to class and the subsidized rent rate made these flats the best option for Grace and I, but also everyone else. They were all full, and so was the rest of University housing. I would have to find us a place from somewhere else. Fortunately for me my relatives had been conducting a hunt for a flat for the past year and so they knew all sorts of great areas to check out.
But not that night. I couldn't keep my head up anymore at nine o'clock so I passed out on the couch. That night I slept 13 hours and when I woke up I went on a long long walk with my relatives. I think it cured the jet lag.
The apartment hunt went on for the next week. I used two sources to find potential places. The University has an online search engine for flats on offer from private landlords and I used that, but it wasn't actually too useful. The other source were letting agents, who are companies that lease property in a given neighborhood. Basically I would pick an area I thought we might want to live in (using my relatives' advice) and then go to google maps and type in "letting agents" plus the postal code. This would give me about 20 different companies. I would then either visit them all or call them all. Usually one in ten had a place in Grace and I's price range.
I pounded the pavement and manned the phones. One day I walked around for five or six hours. The week's effort netted me a grand total of five potential places. All were studios, meaning one big room with a little kitchen and bathroom. And all were a lot more expensive than we paid in Cambridge. So, basically we were going to be paying more for a downgrade.
Place 1: This was near King's Cross Railroad station (of Harry Potter fame). It was actually pretty big for a studio, but I didn't like the landlord. When I came to see the place they knocked on the door and we went in, but the tenants were still there. One was a guy and he was in bed with no shirt on. The other was his girlfriend or wife and she was wearing pyjamas and standing around awkwardly. That made inspecting the place fun. Another problem was the area. It was better than our location in DC, but it wasn't amazing or anything. I was kind of hoping for better. So I said no thanks, even though someone else was viewing right after me and they would probably jump on it.
Place 2: This was right around the corner from Grace's school and a park! Plus it was only a few doors down from Charles Dickens house! Whoa! It was in a beautiful old house too on a beautiful street.
But it was teensy tiny. It had a single bed which took up about 1/3 of the place. Think walk-in closet. And the shower had a ceiling which was too low for me to stand up in.
Place 3: This was much farther from Grace's school. The other places were about a 15 minute walk and this was a 45 minute walk. But it was right next to regents' park and the zoo so at least it would be a nice walk. And there would be plenty of space to run. Plus it was super swank - came with a plasma screen TV, stereo, modern bathroom and modern furniture.
But it was also really small. It had a futon and a desk and when the futon folded down there wouldn't be any open floor space. It also only had one set of shelves. I don't think all our suitcases would even fit in there.
Place 4: This was way out in Hampstead Heath, a district outside central London. On one hand the area was super nice. We could walk to a local grocery store, pubs and park. And the place was in a converted mansion. It was decently sized, had modern furniture and the landlords were super nice (plus Irish, a bonus!).
But we would have to take the tube to work and class. And it was on the Northern Line which is rumored to be frequently not running. And there are no buses. Walking would be a 90 minute ordeal.
But it was the best we had seen so far. We told them we would let them know by Tuesday night (which gave us 2 days to find a better place).
Place 5: Also in Hampstead Heath, like place 4. It has an oven and we were supposed to see it tomorrow morning.
So, basically there was no hope of living within walking distance to class. I had already tried everything I could think of and nothing was quite up to scratch. I was thinking Hampstead Heath or Notting Hill, both of which are so far you would have to take the tube in. But at least we would have everything else for our life close by.
But my relative convinced me to try for university housing one last time, so Monday morning we went down to the front desk of my relative's hall. I told them I was looking for a place and bam! they had 6 double studios open! Apparently from people who hadn't shown up.
Hell yeah we could see them now. The landlady took us to the basement of the very hall where we were staying and showed us six places which were great. They weren't as swank as place 3, but they were big enough and, most importantly, they were close to class for Grace and subsidized. The bed folds into the wall during the day, so you have more space!
Only problem was they were in the basement, so they didn't get much natural light. But we could live with that.
But then, as we were leaving she told us we could have an identical place on the 5th floor (top floor) if we were willing to wait till Sunday to move in. By coincidence, that's how long we were planning on staying with my relatives so everything worked out. Ha!
The rub is figuring out how to get our stuff out of storage and down here. The company can't deliver till Wednesday October 3. We're thinking about renting a car and getting it ourselves, but we have to decide if we want to brave central London traffic.
In the end we're still paying more for this place than we did in Cambridge and it's still a step down. But after looking for a week I know this place can't be beat in terms of price, location, amenities and size. Apparently lots of students start by looking at student housing, don't like it and decide to risk losing it while they look for something better. By the time they realize how good it was, it's gone.
Anyway, we're good.
Oh, and I have a job starting on Monday!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
New Layout
Please enjoy the sombre tones of the new layout, changed in honor of fall approaching. Matt is in jolly old England hanging out with Micky and Julia and Evan and I'm here in Iowa City, where I have to tie up some loose ends. I'm leaving to head back on Saturday. Not surprisingly, Matt and I both have an extra suitecase/duffle bag to take back with us. How are we getting all this stuff back to the States at the end of next year? Good question. More updates to come once we're settled in London.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
August/September Update
We haven't posted anything in over a month! Here is a brief update:
We got to Chicago after leaving Shannon and were picked up by our friend Tom and spent a day or so with Tom and Emily. Then we went to Boston to see Keith and go to Julia's wedding. The wedding was beautiful. Julia was precisely my idea of the ideal bride: dark gleaming hair, pale flushed skin and a radiant smile. It was lovely. Also at the wedding was my other roommate from Ireland, Erin! She's living in Cork now (amazing!) and I said to make sure she comes to London and we'll try to make it over to Cork this year. I'm really excited about it.
Hanging out with Keith was really nice too. We got to see Harvard and in Boston we saw the Kennedy Presidential Library, which I thought was excellent (but made only two rather oblique references to a certain incursion into foreign territory). We also went to what we thought was the oldest pub in America... 50 minutes later we walked out and Keith goes, "No, wait, THERE'S the oldest pub in America!" i.e. across the street. We made it back there though, because we walked almost ALL of the Boston Freedom Trail and made a pit stop there for beer (a great colonial American tradition, after all.)
We flew back to Chicago and were picked up by my sister and then drove back to Iowa City. Since then we have been having a wonderful time enjoying our hometown. It's really nice to see our friends and families again. We have been to Minneapolis once to see Knifeblade and Erica and stay in their new house. We also had the amazing good fortune to be up there at the same time as and get to see Rob and Aaron from the old ISU days. It was a great time and we had some great food in various restaurants KB and Erica took us to.
We also attended Tom and Emily's wedding which took place out at a farm south of Iowa City. The ceremony was on the front lawn, and it was a very small ceremony, and of course Matt and I were late and had to drive past the whole congregation in the middle of the ceremony. Very embarrassing, but we were driving my mom's red convertible which everyone afterwards said made for quite an entrance. The ceremony, once we joined it, was absolutely beautiful. It was a Quaker ceremony (T and E are not Quakers, but their good friend who officiated the wedding is, so they did a Quaker ceremony) and it included a segment where people got to shout out and say stories and offer good wishes to the couple. It was absolutely beautiful. The weather was beautiful, Tom and Emily were very happy, and we were all very happy to see it and to be there. It was also fantastic because we got to see T and E of course, but also KB and E, and Peter and Patricia and Marcie and Anna, and we played Taboo with a drunken KB, which was hilarious and heartbreaking. (He actually gets better the drunker he is, how???!) Matt and I had fantastic night, and a cold drive home in the convertible.
Other than those outstanding events, Matt and I have mostly been working, working, working. I am in an LSAT Kaplan prep course, which I absolutely recommend, if you're interested. Matt is applying for jobs and sorting us out for going back to London. We are, by the way, going back to London. I am starting my master's degree in human rights. M is still looking for a job, but he's got at least one interview when he gets there! Matt is going back on the 17th, to look for an apartment for us and keep job hunting. I am not going back until the 23rd. The 24th is the start of an induction program for a week and classes start on October the 1st. That is the plan. This is Thursday and Matt leaves next Monday! I leave the following Friday!
We are excited to go back to London, especially to see Gary, Gareth and Gar, Kirsten, Deb, Micky, Julia, Evan, the economics kids, beautiful Cambridge, fantastic London, the river Thames, the english autumn sky, Tesco's, etcetera. But we have really enjoyed being home. We're coming back at Christmas this year though!
Matt is out of town today, he's in Chicago getting us our visas! I got to stay home because I'm a good whiner and I had work to do. And boy did I work. I spent all day at the Java House or public library hitting my books hard. Tomorrow is another day just like today and the next day and the next and the next, up until September 29th when I will take a test that will determine the rest of my life. I really should go study.
We got to Chicago after leaving Shannon and were picked up by our friend Tom and spent a day or so with Tom and Emily. Then we went to Boston to see Keith and go to Julia's wedding. The wedding was beautiful. Julia was precisely my idea of the ideal bride: dark gleaming hair, pale flushed skin and a radiant smile. It was lovely. Also at the wedding was my other roommate from Ireland, Erin! She's living in Cork now (amazing!) and I said to make sure she comes to London and we'll try to make it over to Cork this year. I'm really excited about it.
Hanging out with Keith was really nice too. We got to see Harvard and in Boston we saw the Kennedy Presidential Library, which I thought was excellent (but made only two rather oblique references to a certain incursion into foreign territory). We also went to what we thought was the oldest pub in America... 50 minutes later we walked out and Keith goes, "No, wait, THERE'S the oldest pub in America!" i.e. across the street. We made it back there though, because we walked almost ALL of the Boston Freedom Trail and made a pit stop there for beer (a great colonial American tradition, after all.)
We flew back to Chicago and were picked up by my sister and then drove back to Iowa City. Since then we have been having a wonderful time enjoying our hometown. It's really nice to see our friends and families again. We have been to Minneapolis once to see Knifeblade and Erica and stay in their new house. We also had the amazing good fortune to be up there at the same time as and get to see Rob and Aaron from the old ISU days. It was a great time and we had some great food in various restaurants KB and Erica took us to.
We also attended Tom and Emily's wedding which took place out at a farm south of Iowa City. The ceremony was on the front lawn, and it was a very small ceremony, and of course Matt and I were late and had to drive past the whole congregation in the middle of the ceremony. Very embarrassing, but we were driving my mom's red convertible which everyone afterwards said made for quite an entrance. The ceremony, once we joined it, was absolutely beautiful. It was a Quaker ceremony (T and E are not Quakers, but their good friend who officiated the wedding is, so they did a Quaker ceremony) and it included a segment where people got to shout out and say stories and offer good wishes to the couple. It was absolutely beautiful. The weather was beautiful, Tom and Emily were very happy, and we were all very happy to see it and to be there. It was also fantastic because we got to see T and E of course, but also KB and E, and Peter and Patricia and Marcie and Anna, and we played Taboo with a drunken KB, which was hilarious and heartbreaking. (He actually gets better the drunker he is, how???!) Matt and I had fantastic night, and a cold drive home in the convertible.
Other than those outstanding events, Matt and I have mostly been working, working, working. I am in an LSAT Kaplan prep course, which I absolutely recommend, if you're interested. Matt is applying for jobs and sorting us out for going back to London. We are, by the way, going back to London. I am starting my master's degree in human rights. M is still looking for a job, but he's got at least one interview when he gets there! Matt is going back on the 17th, to look for an apartment for us and keep job hunting. I am not going back until the 23rd. The 24th is the start of an induction program for a week and classes start on October the 1st. That is the plan. This is Thursday and Matt leaves next Monday! I leave the following Friday!
We are excited to go back to London, especially to see Gary, Gareth and Gar, Kirsten, Deb, Micky, Julia, Evan, the economics kids, beautiful Cambridge, fantastic London, the river Thames, the english autumn sky, Tesco's, etcetera. But we have really enjoyed being home. We're coming back at Christmas this year though!
Matt is out of town today, he's in Chicago getting us our visas! I got to stay home because I'm a good whiner and I had work to do. And boy did I work. I spent all day at the Java House or public library hitting my books hard. Tomorrow is another day just like today and the next day and the next and the next, up until September 29th when I will take a test that will determine the rest of my life. I really should go study.
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