There is no place like home... or a temporary one anyway

My dear friend Jessica has lovingly informed me that a blog with one entry is not actually a blog. I could fill many pages with updates on the status of my work schedule and projects, but then this would just become a blog that no one reads :)

After next week I can say that I not only had the chance to moved to the UK this year, but that I lived in a few apartments while here. The current apartment I am living in has come with too many quirks than even I have the patience for so I am moving to a new address. I’m not looking for much, just consistent plumbing and heating so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I quickly discovered that searching for an apartment in the UK is not unlike the search in Philadelphia. Estate agents sound so surprised when you tell them that meeting at the property for a viewing at 10:23 am on a Wednesday is actually not a convenient time and when you request a Saturday viewing, through the silence on the other end of the phone you can actually feel them disliking you. They also do not care what your likes or dislikes are with the particular apartments because right after they spoke to me on the phone, five other desperate people called for a Saturday appointment as well and if you don’t like it someone else will. I’m fascinated by real estate though and love seeing what apartments look like inside buildings that I walk by everyday and never have the chance to peek inside. In Philly I would sometimes go to open houses just out of curiosity while I was out running errands or I happened to see an open house sign, so my apartment searching here felt a little like home. After a few failed attempts including a viewing of a room with a hotplate in London, my most recent experience in searching for a new apartment here was very successful. I met with a great estate agent who showed me a few really nice places in Oxford and next week I’ll be moving in to a new flat closer to the city centre (yes I have converted this to European spelling just to see how many of you reading this are annoyed). For the first time in my life I can say I have waterfront property since the flat is right on the river. The building comes complete with a café in the lower level with outdoor seating. It’s a dream come true for a gal like me who doesn’t really like to walk too far for her glass of chardonnay. I’m not sure the estate agent really knew I was joking when I asked his opinion on whether he thought the café would let me in wearing my “comfortable pants” since I will be a building tenant. He just smiled politely and asked how quickly I could hand over the cash to secure the place. So I’ll be packing and moving and settling again in a week’s time and even though it will be a bit of a pain, this experience has provided a valuable life lesson – avoid moving abroad and selecting an apartment online two weeks before you move. Securing an apartment is not like buying a handbag on eBay.

Last week also brought the Ricky Gervais show. The seats were fantastic. I was in the 5th row and sitting so close that I could actually see how badly he was sweating. You know you have good seats when that happens. It was a much needed break in the week from all of the drama and stress at work. I decided not to stalk him in the alley since he started off the show with how much he dislikes people that do that. Of course he was referring more to geeky guys that do that but there was a small part of me that felt like he was speaking to me, so I decided to put my celebrity crazy on hold for the evening.

I made a bit of sad discovery last week in the grocery store. I can’t seem to find ham steaks anywhere in the UK. I have somewhat of a routine on things I make for dinner, and ham steaks were always the star of the menu. Everyone has always argued with me that this is just like any other type of ham and I disagree. There is something tasty and comforting about an individually packaged slice of ham and now there is a void in my life and diet. I’ve discussed this with my British colleagues and they have recommended I try something called a gammon steak. So, with Easter this weekend perhaps I will take on the challenge of preparing a gammon steak feast. Thank you for being the friend that you are Jessica and listening to me give you an update on my grocery list. The $32 phone call to discuss the limited availability of pork products I like in the UK was totally worth it.

As some of you know, I was actually supposed to be leaving for a return trip to the US last week. However, some changes in my work schedule have delayed my arrival for a visit home for a few more weeks. Instead of the US, I am writing this blog from a small town in France where I have spent the last two days for work. It is a town near the French Alps that requires you to utilize many forms of transportation to get here. I navigated a plane, bus and taxi with directions I received in Frenglish so it has been an interesting experience. I don’t have a lot of criteria for hotels. If a quick look under the duvet at the sheets and towels in the bathroom appear to be clean, than I am usually fine. However, I also added to my list years ago to try and avoid hotels that don’t leave the hairdryers in the rooms and require you to walk down to the front desk to request one. I want to meet the people that go around stealing hairdryers from low budget hotels and find out their motivations. This was the situation I was presented with here and since I did not know the French word for hairdryer, it resulted in me waving my hand around my head like a maniac making a wind blowing sound. Luckily it did the trick and I walked away with hairdryer in hand. I’m sure the hotel staff also enjoyed that dramatic re-enactment of how I style my hair each morning. Most importantly, the work portion of my trip was successful and am leaving with a sense of relief that all of my hard work and insane hours this week paid off; however I still have not been able to find a fridge magnet, so if that doesn’t happen this how whole trip could quickly end in disaster. I’m longing for my safe return to the UK in a few short hours.

Adieu pour maintenant…