Progress

It's back to life as normal here in London. My parents left on Thursday morning and my brothers and sisters-in-law on Friday. It was so good to have them here, I got pretty used to having people around all the time, I was a little worried to say goodbye again. I think it really hit me this week that I am living in London and not just on vacation. I didn't realize that it would be strange to say goodbye to my family knowing they were going back to Boulder and I wasn't. But yesterday I was at work, running errands for Janet, and I realized that this is my life right now and after I got over the initial shock of them leaving I could realize that I really am happy here.
Thanksgiving in London was fun. We went to Fifteen for lunch, it was fun to be in a nice restaurant, a very distant change from beer and chips at a pub (which is actually a big night out considering I'm really cheap and usually eat vegetable soup that is only 30p at tesco or a cheese and tomato toastie). We did have pecan pie for dessert, it was amazing and made us feel like we were still appreciating the pilgrims in our own way.
Earlier in the week we celebrated my birthday at the Cambridge, a pub near Leicester Square. Trace, Andy and I happened upon the Cambridge one night and were taken in by its non-smoking upstairs with maroon velvet booths. 14 people in the velvety plush room with birthday cake was quite the scene...My mom bought pink fairy girl" napkins to go with the cake, and since Andy's birthday was just a couple days before we got to share the fairy girl title for the night.
I had two goals this weekend: to finish my creative writing class, and to buy a coat, and I'm proud to say that I have accomplished both of these. It's been a cold fall here in London and it didn't take much to appeal to my mom's soft side when she saw her youngest without a wool coat. But I'm sure that everyone can sleep better tonight knowing that not only am I not shivering when I wait for the bus anymore, but I can officially graduate college! It's been a big weekend already, and it's only Saturday.....

(Pictures are Emily and I in front of the Travel Bookstore from Notting Hill and Andy and I showing off our Fairy Girl napkins)

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Tonight on the phone Ross asked me what foods I want him to eat for me, since I don't get to this year. I think it's easier for me to not celebrate this holiday since my family is here and none of us are really celebrating, at least not in the traditional way. We do have plans to go to Jamie Oliver's bistro "fifteen" for lunch, and maybe a walk through Hyde Park. According to the weather man winter is supposed to hit London tomorrow, this year is apparently going to be the coldest winter in ten years...you can just imagine my excitement.
We spent the day today in Oxford. About an hour's train ride outside London, Oxford is a great little town with all sorts of history. The buildings are beatiful, green grass, perfectly kept quads. We had lunch in the pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien spent their mornings discussing their writings. We visited the gargoyles that inspired the stone statues in the "Chronicles of Narnia," we saw the Great Hall from Harry Potter. Overall it was a great day, however cold! It's been a fun week, great to have my family around. The other night at dinner a comment was made about all the people who have experienced family travel on this trip. Joyce, Emily, Ulla and Sven, Andy, Trace, and Morgan...they all have a new (or first) outlook on our family. We thought about starting our own tour company, Sean came up with the slogan, "Come for the travel, stay for the strange entertainment." But then we got to thinking, we would really need a harsh regiment for making sure people can keep up with our pace. They need to be able to walk at a very brisk pace for hours, stay in any sort of budget accommodation, and be able to put down large amounts of wine at happy hour every night. If this sounds like you, then you might be the perfect candidate to be "an oldroyd extra" as emily put it.
Mom and Dad leave tomorrow, and then everyone else on Friday. It will be very strange to get back into the swing of things on my own here. I'm so used to having people around all the time, it will be an adjustment all over again. Hope everyone's Thanksgiving is wonderful tomorrow!

My family is here! The excitement started yesterday when I walked into the Starbucks down my street where I had planned to meet up with Emily. Hoping that her flight went safely and that she was able to make her way across town on the tube, I told her that I would meet her there after I got off work, and amazingly there she was! After we dropped her stuff off at my flat, and dug right into one of six huge bags of peanut butter m&ms (courtesy of the wonderful Ross) we headed off to find my parents. Coincidentally they also arrived in London yesterday and are staying at a small hotel on the West End. Emily and I ventured over there and they were waiting for us. Being the wonderful parents that they are, they were all ready for us with wine, both red and white...you can't say they don't come prepared! Later in the evening Sven and Ulla arrived, some friends of my family's from Sweden. This morning we went to Portobello Road Market and visited the Travel Book Shop from "Notting Hill". We stopped back at my flat so that they could see it, but since it's not ideally sized for entertaining we didn't stay long. After an hour or so at Harrod's we were ready to sit down and enjoy some afternoon tea and coffee. It was good to be inside and drinking something warm!
Back at the hotel Evan, Joni, Sean, Julie, and Joyce (Joni's mom) had arrived. The four kids are all sharing a double room, only there are three beds...one double and two singles, it's pretty humorous. We had a great happy hour with several different wines and cheese from around Europe that Ulla and Sven brought with them. Emily was thrown into the craziness of the Oldroyds, but she's holding up amazingly well for a newcomer. It feels really good to be with family and friends right now. Good to laugh with people I love. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Ulla and my mom's friendship-they met as camp counselors in 1965. I only hope that in 40 years from now I can celebrate my friendship with some of my friends now.
I know I've only been here for 4 weeks, but I feel like it's been forever. It's wonderful to sit and talk with people who know me, and who have known me for more than a month. While I love my friends here, it's good to have some history with those around me.

It's Wednesday afternoon and I'm laying on my bed looking out my window at the busy street. Yes, that's right, I am in my new flat. I actually have been here for almost a week, but life has been suddenly busy and I haven't had a chance to write in my blog. My new place is small, there's three girls sharing one little room, but it's cheap and you can't beat the location, so we're not complaining. Just across the street is the Bayswater tube station, and when giving directions to my flat I tell people to look between the chinese restaurant and the beachcomber night club and you'll see door 84, ring the buzzer for flat A and that's me! The description makes me laugh almost as much as the actual place does. I live with Morgan, a fellow Bunac girl and another girl who moves in tomorrow. In the other bedroom is Marcio and Lisa, a Brazilian couple-hilarious. Marcio is an out-of-work salsa dance instructor. He is very clean and blasts Brazilian music all day while scrubbing down the apartment. Lisa takes care of an old woman. That's all she told me when we asked her about her job. They're great people though, and I enjoy knowing them. In the morning I walk to work through Hyde Park, which I enjoy even more than the Brazilian music.

This weekend I went to the country. Two hours on the train and it felt like a different world. Trace, Stephanie, Kate, Alex, and I went out to Warwick Castle (built by William the Conqueror starting in 1060 something), it's big and really fun. We stayed the night in Stratford upon Avon at the cutest little bed and breakfast in the world. Sylvia was the name of the woman who owned it with her husband, we never did know his name but he knew all of ours. We loved Sylvia. She especially loved Trace. We had the best traditional English breakfast, and lots of it. On Sunday we visited all of Shakespeare's houses (he had five, basically a multi-billionaire of the time), and enjoyed Stratford. The clean air and friendly people were a welcome change, but at the end of the weekend I was glad to be heading home. It was good to realize that going back to London felt like going home.

My family and friends are coming in a couple days. I can't wait to see everyone and enjoy my life here with them. There are things to do though before they get here. Mainly finish my creative writing assignments before I get another email from my mother asking about them.

Today I was stopped on two entirely separate occasions for directions. And both times I knew exactly how to direct the person where they needed to go. Now possibly I just look like a nice person who won't bite their head off when stopped for directions, but I prefer to think it's that I look like a Londoner.

I move tomorrow. I'm dreading the thought of carrying my luggage through the tube once again.

Yesterday was Guy Fawkes Day here in the UK. Also known as GF or bonfire day, it's a day that the British let off fireworks, hold carnivals, and light big bonfires all over the country. Guy Fawkes was a man who, 400 years ago this year, tried to burn down the Houses of Parliament, including Big Ben. Fortunately, for the country and the history of wonderful architecture, he failed. Although somehow, just for his effort in trying to bring down his home country, his attempt is celebrated by bonfires. Victoria Park is known for having the best Bonfire Day celebration, so of course we ventured out to Zone 2 to check it out. When we got there, a big carnival was set up, along with a smaller version of The Houses of Parliament. The city actually built a recreation of their own parliament and then set fire to it, while everyone watched and cheered as it fell to the ground. It was the craziest thing! I was amazed thinking about a holiday like this in the states, if every county built a small White House and then cheered as it burned. Although then I remembered that I'm from Colorado, and even if we did have a bonfire day it would probably never happen cause we would always be on fire ban. The fireworks show was fantastic though, Imust say.

Another good thing came from Bonfire Day, I met Morgan, a fellow Bunac-er who just came to London 3 days ago. She is from S. Carolina and met some of my friends at a Bunac pub meet last week, we got to talking and since we are both looking for a place to live, we decided to look together. I was going to look at a room today, and she came along, which was great because we took the flat, which means, I have a place to live!! It's great when you're travelling by yourself, everyone you meet instantly becomes your best friend. It didn't matter that we just met last night, now we're living together....it's funny.

Anyway, the flat is in Bayswater, which is near Hyde Park. We live on the side near Kensington Gardens, and down the street from Kensington Palace, where Princess Diana lived. The flat is tiny. Seriously tiny. But, everything is this city is, so it's ok. The room has 3 single beds, and the third is a girl who is in London studying. We were laughing later that neither of us ever thought we would be sharing such a small room with other people again after we moved out of the dorms. The guy who owns the flat is from Brazil, and he talks a mile-a-minute, you really can't help but laugh. The best part about it is that it's really cheap-68 pounds a week, which is 30 less than I'm paying at the hostel, and we don't have to sign a lease. So, even if we're there for a couple months, it will still be saving us money.

After the apartment I went to meet friends at Leicester Square, where every tourist in London was gathered for the premiere of the 4th Harry Potter movie. It was exciting to see the actors, but there were so many people bumping into each other and it was pouring down rain, so it became pretty miserable and cold after a while. It's back to work tomorrow, and I'm tired from sitting out in the rain, so I'm going to go to bed early.

The Evening Standard is a free news publication that you can pick up in tube stations across London. Tonight Trace was looking through it and pointed out an article to me, "about the states" he said. The headline read, "Man Sues Hardware Store over Practical Joke". Basically the story said that a man had gone to the bathroom in a hardware store and someone had put glue on the toilet seat, glueing him to the seat. This was funny to us, first of all, because this is what makes the news in London about the US, but then we noticed where the hardware store was located: Lousville, CO. "Huh, Colorado," Trace said, "Do you know where Louisville is?" Maybe it's not front page news, but I felt proud nonetheless that my state was represented in the Evening Standard.
Several people have asked me what exactly a personal assistant does. My answer is, anything, everything. Today I helped hang wallpaper. Then I went to the grocery store to pick up lunch, fresh pasta sauce for dinner, and biscuits to go with pate that Janet can take when she goes to the country this weekend. It's a good thing that Malcolm tuned me into the whole biscuit/cookie/cracker debaucle before I came to London, because not only have I never eaten pate, but I could have spent hours in the grocery store trying to figure what biscuits you eat with pate before I realized that biscuits are what they call crackers here. After the grocery store I went to the dry cleaners and then I finished out the day making christmas signs that she can hang up in her bar. It's really difficult work, let me tell you.

I have the day off today. It's raining and gray outside, and I've wanted to just stay inside in my pajamas, which surprisingly I've managed quite nicely. I started a new job on Monday. It's a personal assistant position for a woman named Janet, she owns a bar called Janet's Bar. She's American but has been living in London for 17 years with her husband and 14 year old daughter. Her husband passed away last year and she told me that she's ready to move on, so she's redecorating her victorian mansion-house in Chelsea. I love this job because it provides me the opportunity to walk around this part of the city...Chelsea, South Kensington, Notting Hill, to name a few boroughs in the area. I'm basically a professional errand-runner, which is actually pretty fun. Yesterday I had to walk to a grocery store called Partridge's which carries a lot of American foods that most stores here don't carry. Janet's daughter Cordelia is having a birthday party this weekend and she wants a homemade cake, so I had to go buy Betty Crocker mix. Partridge's is about a 20 minute walk, down King's Road, a very high class shopping district. I was literally being paid to window shop. Amazing.
Last night I went to orientation and training for a catering job. Four hours spent learning the professional way to hang a coat, clear a plate, and pour the perfect glass of wine. This company advertises at Bunac for employees, so several of my hostel-mates have worked here, I was expecting a room full of Americans. Instead, the other trainees were mainly from England and South Africa. For the first time since I've been here I was the only American in the room, it was great! On the tube on the way back into the city I was talking to Tim, one of the guys from training, and from the southern tip of England. He asked where I was from in the states, I said Colorado, he looked a little confused, I said , "have you ever heard of Vail or Aspen?" This made sense to him and he said, "ahh, Assspennn." I kind of chuckled and then said, "have you seen dumb and dumber?" he was impressed that I knew what he was quoting, and we spent the rest of the train ride quoting the movie. It was by far my best tube conversation yet, it's reassuring that no matter where you are in the world there is someone who can quote bad Jim Carrey movies.