I've been putting off writing all week bc I kept telling myself I'd just write on Sunday for the whole week. Well, today pretty much came and went without any time to write. So I don't get to write all my highlights. However, I did want to write about one:
Last Monday I was in the BUNAC office looking at the wall posts for jobs, and I saw one for a one-day event. Fulbright (the scholarship people) were hosting a US College Day where about 90 US universities come and set up a table while the UK students wanting to study in the US come and check out what's available. Bama wasn't there... I checked. But they just needed a few extra hands for the day. So I e-mailed the lady in charge and said I'd love to help out. Made 54 pounds out of it! So that's about half a week's rent I earned right there. :) Hey, it's better than nothing!! It was all in a hotel, and all I had to do was help set things up and take down later, as well as just general helping during the whole thing. I stood outside in the courtyard directing people who looked lost, and I helped the speakers who gave a lecture every 30 minutes set up their PowerPoint and helped with crowd control. It was easy money, and the people were really nice. I networked the heck out of everyone but didn't really have any luck. Oh well. At least I made 54 pounds and met a new circle of friends. Most of them were American even. Afterwards we went to the Fulbright House and ate snacks and drank wine as we just chilled and chatted.
I guess I'll keep going a little bit further. That evening was a baptism for a Russian girl that I went to. Got to chat a little bit with her. Found out this evening that the bishopric was actually looking for Russian speakers to help her out. I'll have to let them know. There is a guy here from either Russia or Ukraine. I didn't really understand which he said. He loves to talk to me in Russian, and it's nice for me to be able to practice again. He did serve his mission in Ukraine but finished before I got there. It was fun when the 3 of us got to chat bc it was pretty much half in Russian, half in English, and I don't think that phased any of us. I think she prefers to speak English, but she's still at the stage where she's struggling with it.
So I came home pretty exhausted from that day!!
Job searching is still going and hadn't really been fruitful, but the people in the ward are just extremely helpful! It's surprised me how much they've gone out of their way to help me. One girl passed on my CV to her brother, and also came to me today with the name and phone number of a missionary couple in the area who are employment advisors or something like that. I didn't even know those existed! But she made it a point to write it down so she could pass it to me. Another girl doing the same thing as me gave me the business cards of a couple temp agency agents and told me to try calling them and mentioning that I know her. So that's my plan for tomorrow morning. So I haven't found great success yet, but I've really been supported!
And I'm having way too much fun with the YSA in the ward. There's so many that I keep meeting more and more every activity. And there's always something going on. There's a house near my hostel with 7 really social YSA in it that we usually congregate to. It's the party house. So loneliness has definitely NOT been an issue for me.
Alright, I'm seriously late for bed. Good night. And ROLL TIDE!!!
Monday, 29 September 2008
Sunday, 21 September 2008
Alabama Oasis
Yesterday evening I met up with a bunch of other Alabama alumni to watch the Alabama/Arkansas game. It was SO much fun! I found the right apt by the giant UA flag hanging under the window. And everyone inside was wearing crimson. It felt like a little Alabama oasis in the middle of London. It was like a little taste of home for the evening.
And the game, if you kept up with it, was incredible!! It took us all by surprise and we were loving it. So since we were doing so well, it helped the atmosphere and I made a lot of good friends. Plus everyone else had drunk several beers throughout the game. That always helps them make friends more easily. And most of them are married and settled in here and offered their help if I ever need a place to crash or bailing out of jail or anything. The couple that saw me in Edinburgh recognized me, so it was nice to be able to actually hang out with them. One girl graduated in the Spring and is here on the same program I am. But she settled with just a part-time job. She's spending more money than she's making. Another guy is actually living across the street from this hostel I'm staying at. And he offered to have me over for dinner sometime. Sweet!
The way we got to watch the game was the guy whose place we were at has a subscription to ESPN 360. So he got access to the game online and hooked it up to his tv screen. The game started at 5:30 here. For the evening games, they still watch the game at like 1:00 in the morning, and they set up a blow up mattress and have a guest bed for those who just want to crash there for the night. These guys are fun. :) They'll be out of town next week, so we have to skip a week of fun. But we'll pick it up again the week after.
Roll Tide.
Went to church today. It went as well as it has all over the summer. Met new people... because there's always new people to meet in this ward. And most of them seem to be from the states. I met a few people here to get their masters. Most of them from Utah. They always state that fact with the air of 'I know I'm one of the millions from Utah'. School starts for them tomorrow. Maybe I'll consider that someday.
After church was a general priesthood meeting - basically a motivator to do missionary work. Something to do though. ;)
And after that I joined a bunch of others who were having a goodbye party for a girl who just finished her masters and is going back to the states. It was a typical YSA party with the cheesy Mormon games they'd play at BYU on a Sunday evening. And they had food! I've been so lucky when it comes to food. My breakfast is always provided by the hostel, and the past couple days I've always ended up being able to eat a meal somewhere else. So I've only been paying for one meal a day... if that! Man, I just need to keep this up and I'll have nothing to worry about until I get a job. :)
And the game, if you kept up with it, was incredible!! It took us all by surprise and we were loving it. So since we were doing so well, it helped the atmosphere and I made a lot of good friends. Plus everyone else had drunk several beers throughout the game. That always helps them make friends more easily. And most of them are married and settled in here and offered their help if I ever need a place to crash or bailing out of jail or anything. The couple that saw me in Edinburgh recognized me, so it was nice to be able to actually hang out with them. One girl graduated in the Spring and is here on the same program I am. But she settled with just a part-time job. She's spending more money than she's making. Another guy is actually living across the street from this hostel I'm staying at. And he offered to have me over for dinner sometime. Sweet!
The way we got to watch the game was the guy whose place we were at has a subscription to ESPN 360. So he got access to the game online and hooked it up to his tv screen. The game started at 5:30 here. For the evening games, they still watch the game at like 1:00 in the morning, and they set up a blow up mattress and have a guest bed for those who just want to crash there for the night. These guys are fun. :) They'll be out of town next week, so we have to skip a week of fun. But we'll pick it up again the week after.
Roll Tide.
Went to church today. It went as well as it has all over the summer. Met new people... because there's always new people to meet in this ward. And most of them seem to be from the states. I met a few people here to get their masters. Most of them from Utah. They always state that fact with the air of 'I know I'm one of the millions from Utah'. School starts for them tomorrow. Maybe I'll consider that someday.
After church was a general priesthood meeting - basically a motivator to do missionary work. Something to do though. ;)
And after that I joined a bunch of others who were having a goodbye party for a girl who just finished her masters and is going back to the states. It was a typical YSA party with the cheesy Mormon games they'd play at BYU on a Sunday evening. And they had food! I've been so lucky when it comes to food. My breakfast is always provided by the hostel, and the past couple days I've always ended up being able to eat a meal somewhere else. So I've only been paying for one meal a day... if that! Man, I just need to keep this up and I'll have nothing to worry about until I get a job. :)
Friday, 19 September 2008
So Far So Good...
So I guess I should start this up again. I'll tell y'all about my adventures thus far.
Day of Arrival
My flights here could not have gone any smoother. I had 4 different airports to go through (Nashville -> Chicago -> Copenhagen -> London) and not one was late. In fact, the oversea one was an hour shorter than planned - the one I wanted to be long. That's the one I got to sleep on. It was only about a 7.5 hr trip and after meals and all I only got about 4 hours of sleep. But man, I slept hard those 4 hours. Didn't get to watch any of the movies they had though. And in Copenhagen I was really drowsy waiting in the airport, and when i got on the next plane I took a REALLY nice nap, one that I woke up from on my own. It was exactly what I needed, and I never really had jet lag. Woohoo!
The line at Immigration was really long, but luckily the lady I got was nice (doesn't happen too often). By the time I got to the desk, the line was winding all the way back to the end. I asked her if it was like that everyday. She sighed and nodded. That's a job I don't want!
My luggage was waiting for me on the moving track. No problems with them at all. I suppose Joseph Smith's advice to weary the Lord with your prayers until he gives it to you really works! :) Bc he sure heard a lot from me at every new step of the way.
I got on the tube with my 2 pieces of luggage and wearing my heavy backpack. I was planning to be at my hostel before everyone got off work and loaded the tube, but Immigration took longer than I expected. So I was right in the middle of rush hour. Wasn't too bad though.
Found my hostel and got settled in. It's actually really nice. It's more spacious than any hostel I've had so far. And it's got free wireless which is what I really need right now. And the free breakfast is a definite plus too.
At 7:30 was "Menrichment" - Enrichment with the men invited. I got there around 8:00 but was glad I went. I saw several familiar faces - good friends I had made over the summer. It felt just like going back to a place I already belonged - like when I go back to Tuscaloosa after visiting Huntsville for a Christmas break. And I met several new people as well, most of which were American. Hmm. That's London though. In fact, there's a new bishop here too who was a BYU professor who's here working on his doctorate. The activity was really clever. We filled out a questionnaire that gave us points based on our answers. Then we wrote down an act of service that we were willing to do on a piece of paper. The pieces of paper were collected and auctioned off using the points from our questionnaire. It's a great way to get to know each other and do acts of service. I was impressed with the idea. I'll be cleaning someone's bathroom, and I won a free dinner at a place where 7 ysa are rooming in one house. I already know all the people, but it'll give me a chance to shmooze a little more with them. Plus it's a free dinner. :)
I had no problem getting to sleep when I needed to and slept just fine. Problem was when I needed to go to the bathroom I had to climb off the top bunk, slip into my sandals, and walk past all the people in the hall and lobby still awake to get to the bathroom. No more drinking before I go to bed.
First Full Day
This morning I went to the BUNAC Orientation and learned all the details there about things I need to do, i.e. insurance, bank, taxes, cell phone, getting a job, etc. It was long and boring, and the chair was ridiculously uncomfortable and hot. But all the details they told us are in handouts for later reference.
Then I met up with Ashton who I made friends with over the summer. This girl is a blessing and a half!! She's from Texas and has been here a few years now. In fact, she started using BUNAC, so she's familiar with all the things to do. She helped me get my Oyster Card last night and a cell phone today. So for anyone who needs to call me the number to dial is 447503959586. It's 4 pence/min to call the US from here and only 2 pence/min for the rest of September. So that would be really nice, but I'm not sure if it costs on your end. If so, it wouldn't be worth it. She was going to help me open a bank account too, but I'm lacking a reference letter from my old bank that I didn't realize I needed. Other than that, we just walked around London all day. So she's been a great friend to have here.
(Mom/Tammy: It's really easy to get an Oyster Card and will most likely be worth getting one as soon as I meet up with you. Travel wihin the main zones 1 & 2 for one week cost about 25 pounds. And it may be worth getting a cell phone with Pay As You Go. Mine cost 10 pounds for the phone with 20 pounds worth of minutes purchased. That will probably last me a couple months, but there are cheaper starting costs. I'm not sure what, but we can figure that out later. Figure out how much it would cost if you just used your current phone and we can compare. And when you call me from your cell phones once you're actually in the UK, dial this number - 07503959586.)
I guess that's my update for now. No pictures to upload yet. Maybe I'll take some at some point. I don't know though... nothing's really new to me anymore. It's pretty neat how everything just came right back to me. I was walking down roads today that I used to walk everyday during the summer, and it felt like I was just here last week.
Day of Arrival
My flights here could not have gone any smoother. I had 4 different airports to go through (Nashville -> Chicago -> Copenhagen -> London) and not one was late. In fact, the oversea one was an hour shorter than planned - the one I wanted to be long. That's the one I got to sleep on. It was only about a 7.5 hr trip and after meals and all I only got about 4 hours of sleep. But man, I slept hard those 4 hours. Didn't get to watch any of the movies they had though. And in Copenhagen I was really drowsy waiting in the airport, and when i got on the next plane I took a REALLY nice nap, one that I woke up from on my own. It was exactly what I needed, and I never really had jet lag. Woohoo!
The line at Immigration was really long, but luckily the lady I got was nice (doesn't happen too often). By the time I got to the desk, the line was winding all the way back to the end. I asked her if it was like that everyday. She sighed and nodded. That's a job I don't want!
My luggage was waiting for me on the moving track. No problems with them at all. I suppose Joseph Smith's advice to weary the Lord with your prayers until he gives it to you really works! :) Bc he sure heard a lot from me at every new step of the way.
I got on the tube with my 2 pieces of luggage and wearing my heavy backpack. I was planning to be at my hostel before everyone got off work and loaded the tube, but Immigration took longer than I expected. So I was right in the middle of rush hour. Wasn't too bad though.
Found my hostel and got settled in. It's actually really nice. It's more spacious than any hostel I've had so far. And it's got free wireless which is what I really need right now. And the free breakfast is a definite plus too.
At 7:30 was "Menrichment" - Enrichment with the men invited. I got there around 8:00 but was glad I went. I saw several familiar faces - good friends I had made over the summer. It felt just like going back to a place I already belonged - like when I go back to Tuscaloosa after visiting Huntsville for a Christmas break. And I met several new people as well, most of which were American. Hmm. That's London though. In fact, there's a new bishop here too who was a BYU professor who's here working on his doctorate. The activity was really clever. We filled out a questionnaire that gave us points based on our answers. Then we wrote down an act of service that we were willing to do on a piece of paper. The pieces of paper were collected and auctioned off using the points from our questionnaire. It's a great way to get to know each other and do acts of service. I was impressed with the idea. I'll be cleaning someone's bathroom, and I won a free dinner at a place where 7 ysa are rooming in one house. I already know all the people, but it'll give me a chance to shmooze a little more with them. Plus it's a free dinner. :)
I had no problem getting to sleep when I needed to and slept just fine. Problem was when I needed to go to the bathroom I had to climb off the top bunk, slip into my sandals, and walk past all the people in the hall and lobby still awake to get to the bathroom. No more drinking before I go to bed.
First Full Day
This morning I went to the BUNAC Orientation and learned all the details there about things I need to do, i.e. insurance, bank, taxes, cell phone, getting a job, etc. It was long and boring, and the chair was ridiculously uncomfortable and hot. But all the details they told us are in handouts for later reference.
Then I met up with Ashton who I made friends with over the summer. This girl is a blessing and a half!! She's from Texas and has been here a few years now. In fact, she started using BUNAC, so she's familiar with all the things to do. She helped me get my Oyster Card last night and a cell phone today. So for anyone who needs to call me the number to dial is 447503959586. It's 4 pence/min to call the US from here and only 2 pence/min for the rest of September. So that would be really nice, but I'm not sure if it costs on your end. If so, it wouldn't be worth it. She was going to help me open a bank account too, but I'm lacking a reference letter from my old bank that I didn't realize I needed. Other than that, we just walked around London all day. So she's been a great friend to have here.
(Mom/Tammy: It's really easy to get an Oyster Card and will most likely be worth getting one as soon as I meet up with you. Travel wihin the main zones 1 & 2 for one week cost about 25 pounds. And it may be worth getting a cell phone with Pay As You Go. Mine cost 10 pounds for the phone with 20 pounds worth of minutes purchased. That will probably last me a couple months, but there are cheaper starting costs. I'm not sure what, but we can figure that out later. Figure out how much it would cost if you just used your current phone and we can compare. And when you call me from your cell phones once you're actually in the UK, dial this number - 07503959586.)
I guess that's my update for now. No pictures to upload yet. Maybe I'll take some at some point. I don't know though... nothing's really new to me anymore. It's pretty neat how everything just came right back to me. I was walking down roads today that I used to walk everyday during the summer, and it felt like I was just here last week.
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