Well I had an extremely lucky day on Friday. I should have guessed it though, it was the 16th of May, my lucky number.
I got a call from my agency letting me know a property finance company wanted to have me come by for an interview for a job as a snr pr exec for their in-house pr firm, at 11.30am in the morning. Of course I jumped at the chance, I studied up on them and went on in.
I took the tube and arrived nearly half an hour early, so with a Pret a Manger near by I thought I would go and sus it out. They are on every corner and personally I thought it sounded like a rather stupid name. So I stepped in the doors and the aroma of coffee beans roasting, warmly toasted paninis and central heating hit me. The brisk morning faded away and as a girl with a cute french accent took my order I got the distinct feeling I would like this place. I snuggled myself into a corner to munch on a french butter crossaint and then sipped my coffee. All the sandwhiches were freshly made and it looked it. The coffee warmed me from the inside out. Never have I known a place where you need warm food to warm your heart and your body like London. It is a necessity or you just become cold and sad.
It came to 11.20am so I meandered over to wait.
They directed me to conference room 16 on level 6, and I had such a good feeling about it all. They are a company which run commercial property developments and are working towards building the profile of the brand in the uk and asia. It was also in house and I thought I would love to give that kind of a role a go. They shook my hand and as I left I got the feeling I would be hearing from them really soon. I had a sense of dejavu of being there before.. not wanting to count my chickens I pushed it to the back of my head and continued onwards.
I had three places to visit to check out for flat share, one at Raynes Park in Wimbledom, one in clapham, and another in Raynes Park. I arrived at Motspur Park station (just one stop from Raynes) and followed the directions of the home owner, I found myself walking down a long street which was adorned with adorable homes, they were the three level townhouse london style homes that everyone thinks of when they think of london or even brooklyn in new york. They were so picturesque, white with white picket fences and bay windows with creepers growing on the front facade of the house. I just fell in love with the area, I finally came to the place and I thought to myself, I think I'm going to like this place. Inside was a enclosed living room with a fire place, chandellier and cosy lounge, the kitchen was double the size of any I had seen, it led to a conservatory out the back.
So off i went to clapham and to wait for hte chick to show me where to go, I decided to kill some time at an internet cafe. At exactly 1600 - or 4pm. i got a call, i got the pr exec job. today was starting to be my lucky day.
So on a high of excitement I met the chick for this other place to look at. My hopes started to fade as we wound our way through slummier and shittier areas, it was dark, dingy, smelly, sheets in the windows, mangy cats calling for food at strangers, kids looking rough and ready and old foreign women watching everything with all seeing eyes. I started to feel nervy. We got to the place, i took one look and ran. I picked up the phone and rang the south african guy and told him i'd take the room. I went on saturday and paid the deposit and I move in on may 25.
Seeing that seedy side of london wasn't nice, a lot of aussies live in that area because its cheap but with crime and murders the way it is over here, i wanted to be somewhere safe.
Then on saturday I went to harrods and walked around knightsbridge, it was dreary, drizzly yet the english were so upbeat and happy and walking without umbrellas, I had mine up the whole time, as I didn't want to get wet, they didn't care, they rode in it on their bikes, they walked and ran in it.
So i checked out the diana memorial in Harrods which was eerie to see dianas glass with her lip stick mark on it and the ring he got her.
I was overawed by harrods, particuarly the teddy bears, just wonderful, there was a bus of teddies, a teddy the size of four people, a couch made of teddies, teddy everything! So i definitely want to get a teddy bear from there for me and for my family.
Which brings me up to day, just a lazy day at home before I start work on tuesday.
Missing everyone a lot at the moment, I have never had a real sense of homsesickness before and its like a dull ache in your heart that just makes you feel weepy and low in energy. You feel like you arms just ache for the ones you love and you just want a hug, that no other person can possibly give you and theres nothing you can do that will fill that void. You tear up at songs of home and in hearing the aussie accent and you just miss the smell and familiarity of all things which mean home.
I'm toughing it out but by god its hard, my aunty over here sounds just like my dad so that is helping out in ways I never thought it would. Hearing her voice and her warm words just make me feel that bit more at peace.
In saying that I just want to say to everyone i miss you all, miss your friendship and being near you. Thanks for the emails and its hard to be over here when I know my family is going through hard times over there. Please know I'm always thinking of you.
anyways wish me luck i got a job and place all in the one day and lets hope next week is as lucky. I start on tuesday!..
til next time.
xxx
jess
Some more observations -
- A part from the TV being utterly crap over here, their ads are so different, a lot more dynamic and interesting than aus. They feature a lot of cartoons in ads - i think it would be a great place to do marketing work in.
- People are very funny about personal space over here, u cant enter it without apologising.
- Young kids are scary, they have an attitude and recklessness that is terrifying, so many young kid murders and gangs over here.
- Drinking is a massive massive part of life over here, I've been given a hard time more htan once for not drinking.;
- It hard staying at someones plane and living out of a backpack, travel isnt as glamorous as u sometimes envision it to be.
- the water pressure in the showers over here are really crap it takes ages to wash hair.
- the deodorant is really quite crap also, hence why so many english people stink in summer and on the tube.
- there are so many things i want to take photos of i think my fingers will die from exhaustion.
-The markets are a free for all, people push and shove.
- I smiled at someone on the train. dont do it, they think u are a mental case.
- page three modesl in the newspapers are considered celebrities here. I mean seriously it would be like iniviting all the girls from hooters or bad girls to go to a movie premier, its so strange how they are obsessed with these topless page three models who can barely string an intelligent sentence together.
