When Reality Kicks In

The past couple of weeks have been full on.  Whether it was physically or mentally, I’ve been constantly on the move. The transition to living in the UK has been a tad draining but extremely thrilling. 

Tomorrow it’ll be two weeks since I arrived in the UK, and a lot has happened since then.  My reason for not being very punctual with posting, is that I have simply had too much else to think about, but I do apologise, and will briefly summarise the important events to bring you up to speed.

My first day here, the weather was gorgeous, blue skies and around 20 degree’s, it was warmer than Melbourne had been when I left! My first impression of London was that it was gorgeous, and unlike what I had heard from people (mostly about the weather not being much to look forward to). 

The day after that it had chilled down a tad, but was still living up to its first impression.  I explored the famous Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill; London’s biggest market which runs all week but on Saturdays the street is filled with hundreds more stalls with things ranging from handmade crafts to vintage antiques and clothing.  Although I didn’t go on a Saturday it was still amazing to see what there was – which was still quite a bit – and to get a taste of some of the culture here in London.  I even found a book I had wanted in a secondhand bookstore – the sequel to my all time favourite book/movie, ‘Eat Pray Love’ by Elizabeth Gilbert, called ‘Committed’. 

                                                         

Next, I headed to Draycott, Somerset where my Aunt lives, and where I will be based while here in the UK.  We caught the tube, the over ground train and then drove another two hours through the countryside before arriving.  Draycott is a small village within a area called Cheddar, which is in the bigger state of Somerset.  To me its very remote, and unlike anywhere I have lived before, so it has taken some adjusting too; but I must admit it’s a nice break from the busy city. 

                            Draycott, Cheddar, Somerset

Over my first weekend, I visited two of my Aunts jewellery stores, one in Taunton and one in Totnes.  Both of which are country towns/villages.  Taunton was more of a small city, whereas Totnes was a tiny hippie –type village.  It was interesting to see more of the countryside and the types of people there are around here – its very different to NZ I can say!

                                                                          Totness

                               Sunday in Wookey Hole

When I arrived here, a friend of mine from New Zealand had contacted me to say they were going to be in London for a week.  They’re living abroad for a year in Northern Ireland, but came down to London to help out in an Art Exhibition.  The only day we were both free, I happened to be in Somerset, so I bought a last minute train ticket up to London to stay with my Aunt and cousin for a couple of nights.  The whole day was great, I got to see parts of London I hadn’t yet seen, as well as experiencing the London metro system by myself! I have to say I’m proud of my effort; only managed to catch 1 or two of the wrong trains, but I go from A-B eventually!  Another thing about seeing this friend, is that it motivated me to want to build a network of friends and start my life here; this friend of mine has been away from NZ for five months already, so has been through this transition already.  Aside from thinking and worrying about getting myself started out here, I spent this day really enjoying myself in this amazing city.  We went to one of the biggest shopping centers in London, Westfield in Shepard’s Bush, and ended the day having my first UK drink at a nearby pub. 

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