First update

20-2 was the first day of my stay. I have had quite an easy time getting to my hosts, took the bus in stead of the train from Gatwick to Victoria so I could see some of the country! Took about an hour extra, but I did not mind at all. It was also way cheaper, which was beneficial! I have already come to the conclusion that London is an expensive place to live, but luckily I have 2 part time jobs now to provide for myself. I have to say I am quite picky about where I for instance get my groceries, it makes such a difference in price! Shops like Waitrose are definitely a no-no for my budget, mainly because I know that shops as Tesco’s are cheaper. There is a Tesco on nearly every corner in London, so that is no problem! When it comes to public transport I found that it is best to travel off-peak. I have an Oyster pay-as-you-go card, which works fine for me! I usually only travel in zones 1 and 2 and by tube, just because I find that more convenient than all the buses. Buses are useful if you need to go to a specific place, but the tube is so much faster and will take you nearly anywhere anyhow.

Ever since I arrived I have been looking for a place of my own. Via Gumtree.com I arranged viewings of rooms that suited my budget. After going through a couple of dodgy places at estates and what not I found a lovely studio in Marylebone. When it comes to work it has been so much easier than I anticipated. I did the interview for the nanny job and got accepted right away – the click with the parents as well as the children is great and I really enjoy this job. I need to pick the girls up from school, walk them home and tutor them in whatever homework they have. Then cook them dinner if the parents aren’t home yet, get them showered and to bed and then do some domestic work such as cleaning the kitchen or doing some laundry until the parents return.

I also did an interview for voluntary work for Amnesty and had one planned for a soup kitchen in Hackney, but the latter got cancelled due to technical difficulties in their kitchen so they weren’t allowed to let people work in there until it was fixed. I couldn’t bother to wait for that, because in the meantime I also arranged an interview at a coffee shop. I got hired, so I dropped the voluntary work for Amnesty (for obvious reasons – payment!).

The coffee shop is not fixed, it is a mobile stand that can be hired by e.g. events. The website is www.themobilecoffeebean.co.uk, just to give you an idea of what it is all about. After a couple of hours of training I could get on with it and work started immediately. At this moment we are catering on a film set where they are shooting new episodes of ‘24’. Everyone who I tell this is rather amazed, but unfortunately I have never watched the show so I don’t recognise any of the famous actors! Every once in a while a director comes to get coffee and introduces himself, as if he were to say ‘I am the director, you better make me a perfect coffee!” I really enjoy this job as well, I get to interact with a lot of people as we sell about 300/400 cups of coffee a day. I can notice how quickly my communication skills are improving, which is also very good for my confidence.

Through work, the places where I stay and just chin wagging with strangers I have made friends here, young ones and old ones. This has already provided some amazing opportunities for me. For instance, last week I have been to the dress rehearsal of ‘La Boheme’ in the Royal Albert Hall. I am no fan of the opera whatsoever, but the experience was unforgettable!

I am really busy with work though, the nanny job is during the week and whatever days I am free I am working at the coffee stand. The last job is physically hard, I stand on my feet for 8 or more hours a day and go do it all again the next day. But I am getting used to it. And the benefit is that because I am working so much, I have got no time to spend the money! So when it comes to providing for myself I am doing well. As things are looking right now, I am already dreading the moment when I need to return to Holland!

Overall it has been a fantastic experience so far. I was prepared for not expecting too much and maybe things to go horribly wrong, but up until now everything has been a breeze really! The only ordeal I have come across is dealing with a washing machine that dries automatically after it’s done washing, which resulted in 1/3 of my clothes to shrink! Dreadful! But thankfully there is an enormous Primark here, so I had a good excuse to do some shopping! I am just wondering how I am going to take everything back home, considering it will never all fit in my suitcase, haha!

Well that is all for now, I will try to post a new update asap!