Better Late Than Never, Right?

I had meant to create a blog well before I left Pennsylvania, but life was a bit hectic at the time. Two and half weeks later? Well, here it is finally. My plan is to update this on a fairly regular basis. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up with it. We'll see..

Anyway, it was quite an adventure getting here. You would think that by now, I would have mastered packing lightly. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. The important thing is that I made it. My European life has been anything but dull. London is an incredibly exciting place in itself. While looking for a job, I've been temporarily living in a cozy flat in Wimbledon with three law students: a girl from South Africa and three guys from Hungary, Bolivia, and Russia. Diego's girlfriend just moved to London from Paris to complete an internship and her thesis, so it's definitely a full house. They're all very nice though and have been helpful with all the questions I have about how to most efficiently use the public transportation system, where to buy the least expensive groceries, and perhaps most importantly, what areas are the best locations to look for a flat.

Wimbledon is a beautiful area, but it's pretty expensive and a bit far from Central London, which increases the price of taking the Tube. I would prefer to live in Zone 1 or 2, if possible. I've viewed a couple flats I had found on gumtree.com, but they weren't exactly places I would want to live for a prolonged period of time. It's difficult to look for a flat because I would potentially like to live close to where I end up working. Since I haven't found a job yet, I don't want to commit to a flat. I've been looking at hostels that are closer to Central London and therefore, closer to the BUNAC office. I visited a couple and one of them is fairly new and the facilities are nice. Since it'll be easier to get to interviews and such from there, I may move to the hostel soon.

As far as a job goes, I have several interviews scheduled for later this week and next week. I've been sending my CV and cover letter everywhere. The program has a rather extensive database where we can search for positions that suit our interests. However, the UK is suffering from the major credit crunch, so it makes obtaining a job, while certainly not impossible, more challenging. Hopefully, I'll find something soon despite the situation.

On a much more fun note, I've done a fair amount of sightseeing since arriving here. A few friends and I spent New Year's Eve watching the fireworks above the London Eye from Trafalgar Square. The Tower Bridge and the Tower of London are two other attractions I've seen. A few of the other girls on the program and I went on a Royal Tour of the city and saw the likes of Buckingham Palace, Wellington Arch, St. James Park, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, etc. I have pictures on my camera, but I have yet to upload them to my computer. My computer has been operating rather slowly lately.. too many pictures and songs? Hopefully, I'll upload them soon though and post them. I also did a day trip to Stonehenge and Avebury. It was amazing seeing Stongehenge in person. Avebury is another mystical stone monument and is said to be more spiritual than Stonehenge. I have to say it was pretty impressive as well even though I had never heard of it before coming here. I'm hoping to take another guided tour in the near future to see the Roman Baths and Oxford.

I believe that just about covers my first two weeks here. Check back for updates!

Cheers!