Friday and Saturday.

On Friday I got up in  my flat and called into work to see if there was any work. There was no work that day because the next week is half term break so there is no school the whole week. So I went to the visa office again because I got an email saying that there was bank mail for me at the office. It is kind of far away and across London. By the office there is a kind of street market there with really great food. So I garbed some food and just sat and people watched. I was able to go shopping and get some things that I have been wanting to have since I have been here. Stuff like a blow dryer and a straightener, stuff that is not that important but that make things a little nicer. I have unpacked and gotten pretty settled into my room, its small and not a lot going on with it but it is all I need. I went down so the store down the street from here, with one of my flat-mates. The store is large and actually has lots of choices unlike most of the shops here which are small and are more like a minnie mart. I walked around the store for a while just looking at all the choices and trying to figure out what I needed. I got some stuff and decided to make dinner. It was nice to be able to cook and not have to eat out. I ended up making dinner and hanging out with my other flat-mate whose birthday it was.  Since it was her birthday we got her Champagne and cake and hung out a little and celebrated. It is nice to have a home base type of place that I feel comfortable in and can go to and be comfortable in. 

                     This morning which is Saturday I woke up and got ready and just went walking around the neighborhood. It is really nice there is just a lot of little shops and places to eat. There are a lot of people who are out just walking about. I came back to the flat and got a load of wash going. It is a washer and dryer in one, but it does not really dry that well. The cloths come out wet but warm at the same time. you also cant wash in cold water the coldest our washed goes is 30 degrees celsius. I then went to the post office with my flat-mate and then went and grabbed a coffee. It is really a nice area and just nice to hang out in. Tonight we are going out to dinner for one of the girls birthdays and that should be fun. I leave for Copenhagen tomorrow and plan on going to Amsterdam on Wednesday through Friday. I am excited to go travel around and see more Europe. I hope everyone is doing well and keep me updated on what is going on!

    Love lots 

           Ang

Thursday

On Thursday I planned to move into my flat, and then go to my visa office where I had a few boxes and pack those back to the flat. I was able to move into the flat which was great. One of the girls in the flat, Kate was there and she is really nice. She was helping me figure out where to get things and what places where the best to go. I went by the bank over here that I set an account up at, but had trouble because I can not access the money I have at home. I can only take out a little bit of money at a time which is really frustrating. I went to my visa office and picked up a couple boxes that I had sent with my mom the day I left. It was just more clothes and shoes, but I am really excited about the idea of different clothes, I was already getting tired of wearing the same thing. When I was at the office I signed up for a trip in two weeks to go to Wales and go horse back riding. It is just for the weekend and is for kids on BUNAC visas so it should be fun! 

    When I got back to the flat I just unpacked and talked to Kate and Marsalla the other girl who lives on the floor above me. They are all 30 so I feel really young but they are all real nice so its good. We just hung out in the living room and drank wine, it was nice. Much better then the hostel, that is for sure. We ended up watching a movie together so that was nice. I really like them all!

No work today, nice!

I did not work today which was fine with me because it was a nice day here. The only bad thing is that my contract of guaranteed four days of work does not start until November 1st, so I did not get paid to not work. I decided to go to the Imperial War Museum in London. I have visited it before when I was here last but it was nice to go again and take my time looking at the exhibits. They have really large exhibits about both World Wars and also the Holocaust. I was able to take pictures in the exhibits and plan to use them when I have my own classroom so that was kind of cool to look at the exhibits and think about how I could use them in the future. 

    After the museum I walked across the Waterloo bridge and took pictures of Parliament and the London Eye. The weather was pretty great, it was sunny but chilly. I know that I was here in January last time but I will still take some getting used to the cold weather here. I move into my flat tomorrow and am really excited about that. I have definitely gotten used to being in the hostel and the area that it is in, and that might be hard. I like having a Star-bucks, Mark & Spencer & pizza express less then 3 minutes away.  But it will be nice to do laundry, unpack watch T.V. sleep when I want and be able to cook. 

   Not much going on here today but I hope everyone is doing well!

       Lots of Love

              Ang

Second Day... better!

Today was better, I was at the same school but different classes about grade 5 and 6. I just did a half day and covered for teachers who were in meetings. That helped because they were there to tell me what to do, not just unclear plans. The kids were much more well behaved, but still so chatty. It is so funny because when I introduce myself they automatically want to figure out where I am from. They are normally always right with American.  Then tell me about who they know who is American also. It was nice to be at the same school because I knew where I was going and how long it would take me about. 

    After I was done working at about 12:30 I went back to the city. I work probably 30 min outside of the city. I walked by the river and went and walked around/across the tower bridge and the tower of London. It was such a nice day it was sunny and clear with a little chill in the air. It is kind of phone to walk around the tourist areas because of all the different languages that you can hear.  Tonight I booked a ticket to go to Copenhagen to visit Jen , who I lead Young Life with at PLU. I will be there for three nights then I made plans to meet Kristen Sussmen in Paris for Halloween. She went to PLU also and is in Manchester on exchange. I think I will go to Amsterdam in between the two city's for a few days by myself also. The next week is have term break in all the schools so there is no work that week. I hope all is well and keep me updated on all your lives!

    Love lots 

            Ang

First day teaching... Yikes!

Well however thought that English children would be well mannered got that wrong, big time. They were so talkative it was about second grade, that is my guess anyways since they do not have the same names as us. I was only there for a half day, and thank God for that! They did not stop talking, the pushed and shoved right in front of me, yet held the door open for me at the same time????? It was interesting I had no idea what to do, which I know would be the same back home but I just had a lot of trouble understanding the way their schools are set up. I did have a little bit of a hard time understanding what some of the kids where saying, and I do not think quoting Mary Poppins at them would help, but thanks Erin. Luckily there was a rehearsal for a play and an assembly that took up a major part of the day.  And of course I got lost on the way there but I had given myself lots of time so I was O.K. The kids despite being kind of pains where really nice, they all wanted to help and wanted to tell me about themselves, I just wish they could be quite also.  I am scheduled to go back to the school tomorrow, but not that class. But the teacher is gone all weekend so we will see where I end up. It was pretty far west of the city, it was in Zone 5 if anyone has an idea of London, most things in the city, are in zone one, and then you live in the outer zones. 

     Speaking of living...... I got a flat!!!! The pics are of it, it is small but in a pretty good area. It is the flat that is owned and above the "Adult" shop.  I like it a lot! I move in on Thursday and am excited to get out of the hostel and have my own space. I meet the couple that live there and they seemed pretty nice a little older then me. They were watching friends in the communal room so they cant be that bad. I hope everyone is doing well lots of love !

    Ang

Weekend

On Saturday I went and looked another flat. It was kind of far out in the West side of London, But it was crap. It was gross and rundown and not that much cheaper then the nice one in Fulham. So after leaving the flat I went down by the river in the touristy part of town. There is a really nice walking path there where there are tons of street performers and painted people. 

That is also the area where the London Eye is and the parliament buildings are. It is just a really nice walk and the weather was beautiful it was a great fall day, it was warmer then it had been when I left home.I then walked through St. James park to Buckingham Palace .  I love that park, but there are a lot of birds in it and those of you who know me well know I do not like birds and to make matters worse there are also squirrels that people feed on kind of came at me, i got a picture of it as it was running at me, then I quickly walked away. I girl saw and laughed at me, but then one came after her to , so she got hers! But the park is really gorgeous and this time no birds flew at me, they did last time I was here.  On my walk I was able to get a pic with a palace guard and this time he was in the red coat. Last time he was in the black "Winter" coat and it was very disappointing. From there I walked up to Trafalger square and went to the National Portrait Gallery. 

       The museums here are so great because they are free except some exhibits coast money. There was an Anne Leibowitz exhibit that I went to and it was pretty amazing. There were so many families there, it was great to see kids sitting on the floor sketching out the portraits that they see.  From there I walked up to Lester Square which is where all the movie premiers happen in London. It is just kind of a fun place to walk around. I ended up going out to dinner with a girl from my hostel. She is here for an internship and is from Florida. She told be that there was a free walk from the hostel to take you on like a night photo tour of London and stopping at "real" english pubs. I decided to because I do not know anyone and I thought I might people that way. But, it was she, the guide and I . LAME! The tour was pretty much was I had walked earlier that day on my own, but it was at night so the sights were all light up. It was not the bad but it was kind of strange because it was such a small group. 

     Today, by the suggestion of my mom I went to the area of the flat that I like, the one above the "Adult" shop and just look at more of the area. I really like the area. There is a park and a community garden not far, there is a really cute coffee shop, and pubs which are everywhere. There were lots of people walking around and lots of kids with their parents. So I feel like it is pretty safe. But the best part was that there is a Mexican restaurant like 4 blocks from where the flat is. Some of you may know this but it is really hard to find Mexican food here so before I left I was eating a ton of it to prepare for the time when I wont be able to eat it. So that is pretty great. The area is pretty nice, lots of small shops not large cookie cutter shops like on high streets. 

        I decided to go by where I stayed last time just for fun. It is pretty much the same although it seems I little nicer then it was then. There is a church there that Brit and I could hear practicing music so I went to see what times it services are for if I want to go. I sat outside Star-bucks for about an hour just reading, it was so nice the sun was out and it was kind of warm! I hope you are all doing well and keep me updated on what is happening with you all!

Lots of Love

   Ang

BUNAC!

Today I had my BUNAC orientation, BUNAC is the visa that I am here on for those of you who do not know. It is a visa for students and recent graduates. The orientation was very helpful because I was able to see that a lot of people are in the same situation that I am in. Most did not have a job or housing, so I fell very fortunate that I at least have a job. I was able to meet a few people at the orientation and one is even from Portland! After orientation I went to a bank and opened up a bank account, so know when I get paid it has somewhere to go. Side note, minimum wage here is 5 pounds 50 pence, which is about 8 dollars. but keep in mind that in London that wont go that far. 

       I went and looked at another flat today and liked this one. It is in Fulham which is in West London kind of by Notting Hill area. It is owned by a lady who owns an adult shop and the flat is next to and above the shop. It is three levels with a bedroom on each floor. There is one couple who live there and I would share a bathroom with them, but I also have a water closet ( toilet and sink) on my floor that would be mine. On the floor where my bedroom would be there is a kitchen with a full fridge, an oven and stove and  a washer/ dryer. The room that would be mine is pretty small but would be all I need. The area is pretty decent, I saw lots of moms with kids in the area, there are lots of shops on the street level with flats above them. There is a tube stop about 5 minutes away so that would be nice. Also I hope some of the schools I would be teaching in would be in that area as that is the area that I requested. 

      I had dinner, by myself which was not as bad as I thought it would be at I really nice pretty cheap Italian place. It was great to sit and relax and people watch, as I was sitting in the window table. It was nice to have a real meal since I have been having breakfast at the hostel and it makes me miss an american breakfast of foods that I associate with breakfast, not baked beans and stewed tomatoes.  Lunch I have noticed is mostly running to a corner market or Tesco and grabbing a sandwich to go.  So ladies, you know who you are if I can have dinner by myself so can you! Tomorrow I am going to look at another flat, well really a room in a house. The lady lives on the first floor and I would be on the second floor. I am pretty excited it would be nice to have space that was mine and also have someone , although a bit older that I would know and could trust in the city.  I also plan on going and doing the touristy things that I love about this city so much. The weather has been great, not to cold and actually kind of sunny. I hope everyone is great and doing well. Keep me updated on what all of you are doing!

    Love lots 

          Ang

First full day...

It is my first full day here and I am pretty tiered.  I slept pretty well considering I am sharing a room with 5 strange women whom I have never met. But they are nice just not real chatty and that is strange. The hostel has a free english breakfast which is as non appetizing as I remember. At least there was cereal and toast. 

   I meet with teach London today the agency that I will be working for, everything sounds good I will start work Monday I could have started Friday but I decided it would be better to wait. It was good to meet them and be able to ask questions so that I kind of know what to except on Monday. They told me that they will start me in nice schools and work me up to bad ones. I am a little scared but the lady just told me that if I do not know what to do fake it. So that is the plan! 

    I went and met a lady to look at a flat, but I am not going to be living there. It was very nice and in Kensington which is the really nice area but it just felt strange. It has three bedrooms and no living room of family room, the one bathroom consists of a toilet, sink and bath tub- note no shower head. She was a very nice lady, but does not live there she owns it and is renting out all the bedrooms. If  I mover in I would be the only one living there and would be put with random ladies that she choices. 

   Tomorrow  I will be gong to orientation for my work visa, it is a work visa for American students and recent grands so it will be nice to be able to meet other people who are alone and unsure like I am.  I hope to see a few more flats this weekend and would love to be in one by Monday. As lovely as my hostel is it is just not very homey and I am already tiered of living out of a suitcase. I have not been sightseeing that much but plan on this weekend after hopefully moving into a cheap perfect flat with great girls! Everyone pray that it will happen!!!!!

    Hope everyone is well and having a good fall. The leaves are hanging/changed here also so it is really pretty. 

      Love lots 

             Ang

I Am in LONDON!

Well, 

   I left Portland last night at about 7:30 my flight was about a half hour late. I flew from Seattle to London, luckily the flight was pretty empty and I got my whole row to myself. The flight was fine and we got in a little early at about 2:30 pm here. I then took the tube to my hostel. But because it is me I had one wheely suitcase, my laptop, my camera turtle pack, and my large purse. It was kind of a pain, it was fine until i had to go up and down stairs with all this during major commuting times.  I had to switch tube lines and when I was finally done, or so I thought; my big bag got caught in the gat thing exiting the tube. I stood there for like a minute just trying to pull my bag through but it would not work. I did not want to just leave it and get help because that is everything I brought with me. But I women saw what had happened and tried to save me by swiping her tube card but it would not work because I was still stuck in tit, but she did go and get someone that works at the tube-station and I was released. 

      Finding my hostel was not easy either although it should have been but i came out the wrong side of the tube station, not the side my directions were from. But I am here now and it is great. I walked around  for a little while and grabbed a sandwich at marks and Spencer, and I saw salsa flavored chips to I think I will be all right.  There was something important happening at St. Pauls Cathedral tonight, the women I asked said it was something to do with the Royal Navy and a celebration they have once a year. But there was no prince William of Prince Harry, that I saw anyways. But it was still cool to see all the ritual and the people and the hear the bells that would not stop ringing it was pretty cool.  I saw a man in a powdered wig, which I thought they only wore in movies but they do where them in real life. 

     Tomorrow I have a meting set up with the people I will be teaching with. Hopefully it will be good news! I also am going to try and meet a few girls tomorrow to look at flats. One is right in the area I want to be in and I think the girls sound fine, but there is one where she sounds fun but it is kind of a long way out so we will see.  I guess that is all for now, the pics are from walking around and just being by St. Paul's. 

     Love lots Ang

    

Leaving

 Well, 

    I leave for the airport today in about an hour. I am packed and ready to go! I am some how only bringing one bag for a 8 month stay, but I also have boxes that I am going to have my mom send me. This morning as I was finishing packing, I got a call from the agency over there saying that they were low on jobs and that they would have to cancel my contract. He said that if I still decided to come I could probably work 1-2 times a week. Lucky he called back before I had time to freak out and say that he was wrong and that my contract was fine. he said that there are schools that interested in me and that my contract is fine. So I am still going but a little worried that something else might go wrong. If all else fails I can just try and get a different job but will not be able to travel as much or get more teaching experience. I will still be teaching and just will pray that everything works out and that my contract will work out. 

   Once again if anyone is thinking about traveling out that way let me know and I can request that time off. Hope everyone is well and love lots!

   Ang

I leave in two days!

Well, 

    I leave Tuesday night at 7, I then fly to Seattle then on to London. I will be looking for a flat when I get there and then start working on Monday. I am really excited but a little nervous. I would love visitors if anyone has the time or is out this way at all. I will write more when I have more to say. 

   Love lots

     Angie