Journey into Central London

Friday night, we went to pick up our friend Kaitlin from the tube station. She is a fellow Nipissing grad, and lives about an hour away from us. She shared with us some funny teaching stories, and we all had some good laughs. We planned to journey into central London on Saturday morning, so we went to bed fairly early.

On Saturday, we got up and ready, and we were out the door by 9am. We are fortunate enough to live on the tube line that goes straight into central London, so we didn't have to hop around, which is amazing! We did all of the touristy things like Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard, Trafalger square, London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the National Gallery, and King's Cross. Because my internet is quite shoddy still, I am pressing my luck by uploading these photos. I PROMISE I will write more and upload more at a later date, but for now, these will have to quell your curiousness! 

Dana and I on the tube.

Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard!

As we walked away from Buckingham Palace, we were really fortunate to be standing SUPER close to see them leave!

I think this is the only group shot we got of the day. Left is Kaitlin, me, Jess, Dana.

On the bridge over the River Thames, with the London Eye in the background.

We had to do this photo, obviously.  

Eating poutine at a pub called the Maple Leaf! They even served Molson Canadian! 

Probably the most excited I was all day- at Platform 9 3/4! 

I am truly having the most spectacular time here. I'm not sure how I'm ever supposed to come home after this (but don't worry Mom, I still will lol). I LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL! 

The Story of How 3 The Ridgeway Came To Be

20/09/12 Thursday

This is the saga of how three Canadian girls came and conquered real estate in the UK in no more than 4 days. I was so hesitant to write this story until I was moved in to the place, but now that I am, here is the crazy tale! 

We knew we would have to find a place to live when we left Canada. We were essentially homeless except for the 3 nights we had booked at the Kings Arms. We landed on Sunday  and checked into our hotel. In the afternoon, we walked around the neighbourhoods in the Ealing Common area. There were quite a few places to let and for sale, but we knew they were out of our price range. We went to bed that night knowing we had to get a jump start on house hunting first thing in the morning.

Monday morning, we were up early and out the door. We bought our Oyster cards at the Ealing Common tube station. Oyster cards are loadable cards to pay fares on all London public transit (tube, bus, overground). It just so happens that there is a real estate and letting agency named Winkworth next door to the tube. As we walked by it, we all looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and asked “Why not go in and see what they can do for us?”  Immediately, we were greeted by a kind sales agent named Fiona who took our information and showed us 3 properties available in our teaching area. The list was not extensive, and we knew that one was way out of our price range. 

However, Fiona said it wouldn’t hurt to look at all three, just to get an idea of what your money can actually get you.

Fiona then introduced us to our letting agent, Will. He was such a fun guy! He drove us around to the places in a car. *Sidenote: Driving is SO crazy around here. The roads are big enough for one car to go down, unless they are a major thoroughfare. Drivers speed like crazy, and just do erratic and scary things that we normally don’t do in Canada. When 2 cars approach each other on the road and there are parked cars on either side, one car will sit behind the parked car and flash their lights at the other car to give them the right of way. Needless to say, crossing the road whilst this crazy driving is going on is like playing Russian Roulette.* 

Anyway, back to the story of how we got our rental. Will showed us the first place, but it was a little dingy, and looked a little sketchy. He showed us the second place (OURS now), and we were really impressed with it! He showed us a third and really pricey one. He set the alarm off on that rental because he didn’t know the code. Dana, Jess, and I stood outside while the alarm was going off. Slightly disconcerting that whilst this alarm was going off NO ONE seemed to care in the neighbourhood... but I guess that’s what happens in big cities. When we finally got into the rental, it was nicely renovated, and quite large. The downside was that it was unfurnished as well. 

He drove us back to the letting agency after showing us the properties. The girls and I decided that we really liked the 2nd one, and he told us that if you remotely like a property, put down a deposit for rental intention, since rentals are snapped up in a flash around here. We put down a week’s worth of rent (close to £500) to tell the landlord of our intention to rent the place.

We went back to the Kings Arms feeling pretty elated that our chance encounter with this letting agency led us to a place so quickly. Well, let me just tell you that this feeling of elation quickly deflated into something resembling despair. We got an email from Will telling us that the landlord had literally received and accepted an offer a short while before us, and said the other potential tenants were able to sign a 2 year lease which was more appealing to the landlord. We countered back saying that while we could not commit to 2 years at the moment, but there was a good potential of us staying for 2 years, we would offer £100 more per month if we could sign a 1 year lease. 

And then we waited. In the meantime, we were discussing finances and figuring out the logistics of how this would work. We also walked to another agency that we booked a showing with. We decided it wouldn’t hurt to keep our options open. This place was great, but it was overpriced, out of our area, and unfurnished. 

Finally, we did get an email telling us that the landlord had decided to go with us, but there was still a lot of paperwork to do before we could move in. 

On Tuesday, we had to go to Watford (an hour away from Ealing Common). Since we were away, we didn’t have access to our email, which was our only form of contact because we hadn’t gotten mobiles yet. We were unaware of the turmoil occurring to us while we were in Watford. We went to Engage Education to meet our Education consultants, sign and finalize the paperwork, and get our mobiles. Then, we went to JSA, our payroll company. We filled out a plethora of forms to register with JSA, file for a National Insurance Number, and a form for taxes. In the meantime, JSA was writing us a letter to give to a bank branch to endorse us so that we could open a bank account (opening a bank account in this country requires everything short of blood). In this time, we used their telephone to call April, the woman who was in charge of the paperwork and fees for our rental at Winkworth. She said that we did have the rental for sure, but we had to come in and sign all the documents and pay the fees. At this point, we were basing the fees on the estimated number that Will had provided us with on Day 1. We told April that we were quite a journey away, but would try to make it into the office before she left for the day.

We left JSA and headed straight away to HSBC bank to open our accounts. We waited in the bank for what seemed like forever to speak with the woman in charge of opening our accounts. While waiting, we called April to tell her we wouldn’t be able to make it in. We also asked a woman working in the bank how we could access a large sum of Canadian money, but it seemed there was no way around that one. We signed all the paperwork to open our accounts, but we couldn’t actually open our accounts because we had to have a permanent UK address first. Our associate was really great though, and said she would give us 2 days to get our rental sorted out before she processed the documents to open our bank account. We hadn’t ate anything all day by this point, so we went to McDonald’s. While there, we used their free WiFi on Jess’ iPad. We checked our email, and saw the worst email we ever could have seen. Will emailed saying that we had to have all fees paid before they would hand the keys over to us. Since we didn’t have bank accounts (because we didn’t have an address--- but we couldn’t get an address without a bank account.... vicious cycle this is), we couldn’t use a card or a cheque or anything. We knew that we had limits on how much cash we could extract from our Canadian accounts each day, and the amount of money they required would take some time. Friends, this was no small mean sum. It was over £6,000. At this point, we were freaking out. We also have a 4th Canadian roommate joining us, and somehow we had to be the liaison between her and Winkworth. She will not be moving to the UK until next week, but we needed her amount for the deposit as well, and there was no possible way for the three of us to front it. This was the most stressful portion of the whole saga, nonetheless, trying to get ahold of everyone and get everyone on the same page. We booked the Kings Arms for another night because we knew we would be homeless if we didn’t. Thankfully, the same room was available. Tuesday was not a good day. It may be one of the most trying days I have ever had in my life. 

On Wednesday at noon, Dana, Jess and I dropped off our deposits, signed the contract and the rest of the paperwork, and then we went to the property and did a walk-through with a Winkworth agent who documents the condition of the property prior to move-in, and also does an inventory of the items. We also met our landlady who is a sweet and helpful woman. We were so excited to find out that our property is close to the tube station on District and Picadilly line (great for getting wherever we have to go to teach), and there are numerous bus stops close by. We were supposed to go back to Winkworth later that afternoon to give the deposit for our 4th roommate, but that didn’t work out, so we had to wait until Thursday morning. We went to sleep knowing that the place was ALLLLMOST ours, but we were still hesitant that something could go wrong.... like so much had during this journey. 

Thursday morning, we wanted to be at Winkworth at 9am to hand in the money and get our keys. We also had to be checked out of our room at the Kings Arms by 10:30. Thankfully, we were able to give over all the money and get our sets of keys!!! We checked out of the hotel, hired a cab here with all our luggage, and drew names for who got what room. Then, we started moving our stuff to our rooms. Our landlord stopped by to give us some tools for the house, and to see how we were settling in.

Instead of unpacking, the girls and I took the tube to go to the Ealing Broadway shopping centre to get what we needed. Our house has beds, but we needed bedding and linens and other supplies for living like cutlery, plates, cups, etc. We stopped at Poundland (like our Dollar store), and we got quite a few of our supplies there. Then, we went to Tiger, a cute homegoods store, where I got a travel mug, wicker basket for the bathroom, and a neck pillow. We then went to Primark, which is a clothing and home store, where they were having great sales on linens and the like for “back to school.” I got a fitted sheet, a duvet, a duvet set with cover and 2 pillowcases, and 2 pillows for £30.33. With our arms loaded down, we made our way back to the tube station to trek the 2 stops home. When we got home, we had a phone call that our bank accounts were opened now that we have a permanent address. Everything fell into place after we had an official permanent address!

Now, we’re home, and it feels great! We ordered in a pizza and had it with a bottle of wine the landlord left for us. I’m all unpacked, and just need a few more supplies to really make this house a home. I really couldn’t have asked for a better location. We’re close to the tube, Heathrow is quite near (I can hear planes all the time), and there are a few shops near as well. On our walk home, we also noticed that a Sainsbury’s (grocery store) will be opening near us on October 3rd. So, we only have to make a little commute to get food for awhile, and then it will be right around the corner! 

Even though this process has been SO emotionally draining, we somehow overcame all the obstacles set in our way. Everyone we’ve talked to has said that finding a house, and moving in within a matter of 4 days is unheard of in the UK. We persevered even when times were tough. The Big Man upstairs was definitely looking out for us this entire process. I am constantly thanking Him for everything he has blessed me with! Now, I’m home sweet home and I really think I’m going to love it here! 

The Journey Here

I have a little bit of free time now, so I thought I'd type out the story of our journey getting to London with some pictures.

We arrived at the Toronto airport on Saturday, September 15 around 5pm. Dana, Jessica and I checked our luggage, and paid $100 extra to bring a second suitcase. We mingled around the check in area for a little bit longer, and then we said our goodbyes to our parents. We crossed into security, and I got to go through the full body scanner. Lucky me- lol, not! We then had some free time on our hands, so the girls and I decided to get something to eat since we hadn't really eaten all day due to nerves.

Our gourmet 3 course meal at the airport.

The meal was quite delicious. We made our way to our gate, only to find out that our flight had been delayed an hour and ten minutes. We sat there and just talked, so the time went by pretty quickly. Soon enough, we were boarding the plane! From here on, time seemed to go by so quickly!

Sitting in our seats on the plane.

Local Time and Destination Time. We definitely took the red-eye! 

We're moving this far away. No biggie, or anything. 

I can't remember at exactly what time we took this, but we were excited to be getting nearer!

The flight was fairly decent. We did hit a few spots of turbulence, but it wasn't too bad. After our flight landed, we followed the signs to get to International arrivals. Let me just say, this airport was literally in the middle of nowhere. It was so small compared to Pearson, and it wasn't really that busy. Anyway, customs all went by quickly. Soon enough, we were grabbing our luggage and exiting the airport. Were we ever excited to see a taxi driver with one of our names on his sign! We thought since we were about 2 hours behind schedule that no one would be there. However, our company hired him to come pick us up and take us to our accommodations. He was so nice and helpful! He loaded our luggage and drove us the 30 minutes to our hotel. 

Dana sitting in the front seat of our first "backwards" car.

On the drive here, I kept looking around, and pinching myself because I couldn't believe that I was finally here! We are staying at the Kings Arms in Ealing. It is such a quaint building! However, because it is such an old building, there are no "lifts" (elevators) and therefore, we had to drag all of our luggage up 7 flights of narrow stairs by ourselves. NEVER AGAIN, people. It was so tiring. But, we got all our stuff up here and now we only have 1 night left to stay here! (That's an entirely different story that will just have to wait). 

Walking towards the Kings Arms from behind the Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre.

The view from our window to the right.

The view from our window to the left. Those spike-y things are to deter criminals from breaking in (? we think). 

That's all for now! I have so much more to share with you, but you'll just have to bare with me while I continue to get settled into my new country! Hugs and kisses! 

Thoughts on my "Big Girl" Adventure

I'm far too tired to write a recap about what happened today and yesterday, but I will share this with all of you back home who are eagerly awaiting updates:

Being a grown-up sucks. It's a challenge. Being in a new country is challenging. All that I knew before is not so relevant here. I'm living on a wish and a prayer. Money doesn't last long. You learn to rely on your gut instincts.

But the best thing I can share with you is that people are inherently good. I know I'm being cautious and suspicious in this big city, but so far, everyone has been so friendly and helpful. People are people, wherever you are. We all have the same wants and needs. So, while we are different, we're also the same in the most important aspects.

Even through all of these trials and tribulations, I find it so thrilling to be here. Even after an especially long and emotional day today, on our bus ride home, I found myself smiling as we passed the hustle and bustle and the lights. Literally smiling. I am so happy to be here. It's going to be great.

I will definitely update and share some pictures when we get permanent internet. Right now I'm relying on somewhat shoddy wifi at our hotel. I love and miss you all!!

Touchdown in London town!

I'm here! I feel like so much has happened to me since I left Aylmer that I don't know where to begin. I'll probably forget some stuff, but here goes! (P.S. It's 12:16 am here right now. We fell asleep around 6 pm, because we were dead tired. Now, it's nowhere near daylight and we're regretting that choice). I can't believe it's only 7:16pm at home.

So, on Saturday my parents and I departed from Aylmer around 3:15pm. We made good time and got to the Toronto airport around 5 pm. We met up with the other girls, and then checked our luggage. It all went smoothly up to this point. After we checked our bags, we mingled around the terminal a little bit longer. We said our goodbyes to our parents. This part was hard, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I think being with the other girls made it easier.

We went through security. Of course, I was the lucky one who got chosen for extra screening. The other girls had it easy. But, after we were cleared, we went to C30, where our plane would be. We had quite a bit of time to spare, so we went and got a delicious (but somewhat expensive) airport meal. We were all hungry since none of us had really eaten that day due to nerves.

Our flight was delayed 1h10m for some reason, so we got to sit there even longer. Eventually, we boarded the plane. Take off seemed to happen pretty quickly once we boarded. As we were taxying down the runway, I got overcome with emotion, and had a few tears. I was all good once I had my moment.

Our flight was decent. We got served dinner around midnight. I chose the vegetarian option, and I got some kind of curry. It was good, but a little spicy for my tummy on that long of a flight. Luckily, I also got a salad and a fruit bowl. I slept off and on during the night, so really, the majority of the flight went by quickly. Around 8am (it was only 3am at home!), we were served breakfast of yogurt, a cinnamon bun, orange juice, and some coffee. In no time, we landed in Gatwick. It seems like a small airport. It's definitely in the countryside!

We went through international customs without a hitch, then we went to find our luggage. It was pretty simple! We exited to the main part of the airport, where a taxi driver was waiting for us, hired by our company. He helped us load our luggage, and drove us to our accommodations. It was a long drive here, actually!

We're staying at the King's Arms in Ealing. It's a super old, quaint building. Upon arrival, our room was not quite ready, so we waited in the pub for probably 20 minutes. To get to our room, we go behind the serving area of the pub, and up a lot of flights of stairs. The problem with old, quaint buildings is that they do not have elevators. With our heavy amounts of luggage, and our tired bodies, it was NOT fun. We decided not to rest, so we freshened up a little bit (it felt so good to do so), and then we took off exploring! Pretty immediately, we found the Ealing Broadway shopping centre! It was so busy and overwhelming! They have an open air courtyard with a bunch of storefronts all around. I went to Boots and got a hairdryer and straightener, and also got some food at Tesco.

After we ate some lunch, we decided to do some more exploring. So, we went for a walk through the Ealing Common, and then down a bunch of side streets, just admiring the houses. We also bought an Oyster card for public transportation. Around 6pm, we crashed. And now, I'm awake. I'm gonna try to go back to bed so my body gets adjusted to BST (British Summer Time). I'll definitely update you more with pictures when I have a better internet connection.

It's surreal to finally be here! I can picture myself really enjoying it here, especially once we get our own apartment, and I have my own space. Once I make some new friends here too, it will really start to feel like home. I miss everyone at home like crazy, but I'm glad to be here!

Saying Goodbye is Hard

So we had a delicious Thanksgiving-esque feast last night! I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful momma! I've had moments of tearing up, but when I said goodbye to my older sister, brother-in-law, nephews and niece last night, the waterworks really began. I am still a little bit misty-eyed right now. I just can't compose myself. I don't even know why I'm crying, because I'm really excited, and I know I can stay in contact with them through facebook, emails, and phone calls. Plus I can come home in July, so it's really not that long of a time away from home. I'm going with friends, and I have the support of my company, so I'm not going over there blindly. I guess I'm just nervous about the unknown. Plus, saying see ya later is never easy. And I'm really nervous about the flight.

On the positive side, I'm all packed- with time to spare! For once in my life I didn't procrastinate haha.

Packing madness in my room yesterday!

All of my worldly possessions packed and ready to go! 

Enjoying my last Tim Horton's in Canada before I leave!!

So now, I'm all ready to go. I am drinking my Tim's and eating a piece of mom's pumpkin pie! I'm getting more excited by the minute!

I know that today (and probably the next week) is not going to be an easy, but with the strength God provides me, I know I will endure it. I am so lucky to have His love, and the love of my family and friends. It truly does make this journey somewhat easier. Well, that's the last update I'll do while in Canada. The next time I update, I'll be in jolly England! I love you all! xo

The Countdown is On!

In 48 hours I will be in the air. What! I have crazy nervous butterflies in my tummy, and my mind won't stop thinking. Tomorrow night is the last night I will sleep in my bed here for 10 months. I have to stop thinking like this or I'm gonna chicken out. I am SO SO SO grateful that I'm going with friends. It just makes it so much easier knowing that they're going through the same thing, and we'll be able to support each other.

Today I got a call from a bloke from Engage education. I could barely understand half of what he said because he was talking too fast. It was all good though, and he said he'd see me next week! I now know that I have a new teacher induction day on September 29th. All my other friends are going to attend as well, so at least we can navigate the city together! I was also contacted by my payroll company today. everything is all set up. All I have to do is set up a bank account in the UK and I'm all set to get paid!

I still have packing to finalize and I feel like there is TOO much to do in a short amount of time.
The one positive thing that's keeping me going is the prospect of a family dinner tomorrow night. My family is celebrating Thanksgiving early, and we're going to have a proper turkey dinner with all the fixins' - pumpkin pie and all! I'm excited for it!

Going Away Party

Oh my goodness. I don't know if words can even describe how grateful I am, but I will try. Last night, after the last guest went home, I sat down, utterly flabbergasted by the generosity and love surrounding me. I feel truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. It almost makes this journey a little easier, knowing just how many people are supporting me, praying for me, and rooting for me. I feel like a little bird taking flight for the first time! 

Yes, there were some tears yesterday, but they were tears of happiness. I am so appreciative of everyone coming. If you are reading this, THANK YOU. Here some pictures from yesterday:

My Mom and Dad are going to fly this flag until I get home :)

Decorations outside... too bad it rained!

One on my best friends came to see me off!! 

My other best friend came too!! 

I have numerous thank you notes to write tomorrow! I am one spoiled girl!!

First Day of School... Well, in Ontario, anyway

Today was the first day of school here. I just love this time of year. The sights, the smells, the sense of new-ness and fresh beginnings! It's something I've loved since I can remember... maybe that's part of the reason why I wanted to be a teacher? Here's my "Back to School picture: Teacher Edition"

Sorry it's so blurry! 

Anyway, today and tomorrow I'm volunteering in a Grade 3 classroom with my associate teacher from last year. Some of the same students are in her class again (because she moved up a grade) and it was so nice to see their smiling faces. As soon as I walked in the door, I was crushed by about 5 grade 3 students giving me giant bear hugs. Down the hallways I was stopped by a whole bunch of my other students from last year with hugs and hellos! It's nice to know that they like me so much! Now.... if only I could get a job there lol.

It's so nice to be back in the classroom and doing the thing I enjoy the most in the world. I just can't wait to be teaching for real and in my OWN classroom. Hopefully that comes to fruition in the UK!

Sidenote: Countdown is on... 10 days until I fly out!

Guess who's packing?!

Oh, that's right. This girl is. Check out my minuscule pile of clothing. There are so many more where that came from.

Working within a 50 lb limit is hard. Good thing I'm paying $100 to get another 50 lb bag! Clothes, y u have to weigh so much???

T-Minus 2 weeks!

This time, 2 weeks from now, my plane will have landed, and I will be overwhelmed with the newness of my surroundings, and anxious about all that has to fall into place. Am I nervous? Yes. Am I excited? HECK YES! I cannot fully comprehend the fact that I will no longer have what I am so used to having surrounding me on a daily basis. I also cannot believe that I am a fully licensed teacher. I will be in a classroom, and I will be in charge! There will be no other teacher to back me up. I feel slightly terrified. I do not feel ready. Does one ever feel really ready?

I am certain that these next 2 weeks will be a whirlwind of emotion for me. However, I know that I am ready for this big adventure!