Week One in Zone One

Monday, March 22, 2010
Home Sweet Home
My flight landed at 7:41am on Monday March 22, 2010. I traveled for 12 hours (2 hour flight from Orlando to Chicago, 2 hour lay over in Chicago, and an 8 hour flight to London). During that time I got about 2 hours of sleep--at least they had decent movies on the flight to keep me entertained. Tony met me at the Heathrow airport. It was wonderful to see him after a long three and a half weeks apart and was the perfect welcome to London.
Tony had hired a car to take us to our flat. Most of the ride was a blur as I was exhausted. But, I do remember driving up to my home for the next several months--a studio flat on Devonshire Street in the city of Westminster in Zone 1 of London. The location is great! We are just south of Regents Park in the heart of London. A friend of mine who lives here in England informed me that this is a "posh" area. By the types of cars driving around, I believe her.

After a nap, I took to the streets of London for my first adventure. With a map and umbrella in hand, I walked down to Oxford Street/Oxford Circus. This is a major shopping area south of our flat. And come to find out there is a reason that it is referred to as Circus. It is very busy with all different types of people, languages being spoken and sights to be seen. At one point, a group of young adults wrapped in orange sheets/toga/robe things came up the street dancing, holding up a sign (I couldn't read it), and playing the cymbals, with the lead man singing--who knows what--into a portable microphone. My thought--What have we gotten ourselves into? But when I noticed many others were stopping and staring as well, I realized that this was not the norm. Overall, my first day out and about was good, but overwhelming. I think I was still in a daze from lack of sleep.
Tony and I had dinner at a local pub that he found during his first week here. The food was good and the atmosphere was cozy. During our dinner discussion Tony mentioned that I could call my friend that lives here after we "top up" the mobile phone. I had a good laugh as this was the first "London" saying I had heard from Tony. To "top up" a mobile phone means to put more minutes on the phone by paying for it at a local convenient store—this was my London learning for the day.


Tuesday, March 23, 2010
I Need Sleep!
My body is not adjusting well to this time change. The first night I was wide awake at 1am and have woken up every morning since around the same time. Luckily I have been able to fall back asleep, although some nights it has taken a few hours. I can now say that I relate to my patients back home that struggled with sleep issues. Not fun.
Aside from sleep the other important basic is food. Before coming over, Tony would call and tell me his struggles with finding food that has some taste to it. Those of you that know Tony, know how important food is to him, so I decided my mission is to find/prepare good food. So far, this has proven to be a challenge. The morning of day two I looked up local grocery stores on the internet and visited a few during the afternoon. The best way to describe the difference is smaller. The stores are smaller, the selection is MUCH smaller, and the food portions are also smaller. It does not seem as though people spend a lot of time preparing home cooked meals, since many aisles of the store are stocked with "Ready Meals." They simply require reheating in the oven or microwave.

These pictures are of some of the local grocery stores in the area.

My London learning for the day...the word filet is pronounced fill-it. So when you order a filet of fish you ask for a fill-it of fish.


Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Tube
The Tube is the underground transportation system here in London. It is very user friendly as long as you have an oyster card, a map, and an idea of where you are going.

The oyster card is a reusable plastic card that you can "top up" with money to pay for your fare, opposed to buying a daily ticket. You can put any amount you want to on it or pay a weekly or monthly rate. Having an oyster card will save you money if you regularly ride the tube. To enter and exit the tube stations, you touch the Oyster card on a yellow card reader pad, which then deducts the appropriate amount of money for your ride and opens a gate for you to enter (or exit) the station.

My first ride on my own was simple--from Warren Street Station to Victoria Station on the Victoria line. It was there that I met up with a friend (and her husband) and really learned how to ride the Tube by changing lines within a station. Thankfully the tube stations are well marked.
We rode out to East Acton, which is on the boarder of Zone 2 and 3 of London. She had a doctor's appointment at a hospital in this area. It was confusing finding the specific hospital her appointment was at because there were many hospitals grouped together all with similar and poorly marked entrances. During our travel to the hospital and while in the waiting area, she told me all about the NHS (National Health System) and government run medical health care. In the end the NHS seems to be okay, unless you have an unusual condition, which my friend has. She has been through a lot here in regards to her medical care.
I ended the day with a stroll by Big Ben, crossing over the Westminster Bridge, and then by County Hall.

By the way, I have noticed that some of my thoughts have a British accent.

My London learning for the day...I was not wearing a sweater, but was wearing a jumper!


Thursday, March 25, 2010
The British Museum

I spent the day at the British Museum. This is the oldest public museum in the world and was established in 1753. One of the greatest treasures of the museum is the Rosetta Stone. It all makes sense--I now understand why the language company is called Rosetta Stone! So, I’m not a history buff.

However, my favourite (British spelling) was seeing the sculptures from the east and west pediment of the Parthenon from Athens. I had forgotten how much I love Greek Mythology. The photos posted don't do these pieces of art justice. The details on these sculptures are amazing. I spent a good part of my afternoon admiring and learning about these masterpieces. I intend on returning to the museum to see these sculptures at least once more before leaving London.

While at the museum there were several groups of students, both of elementary and high school age. The younger children were in school uniforms. However, the groups of older children were in street clothes...and I have to say that the 80's have returned in full force over here...more so than in the States--neon colors, leg warmers, tucking jeans in socks, layers, slouched socks, high tops, brimmed hats, side pony tails and more!! I would have taken pictures, but didn't want to seem rude! The British are known for their manners.

Another interesting event for the day--on my way to the museum I passed Bedford Square ("one of London's most complete Georgian squares") and noticed several police surrounding the park in the center of the square. I stopped to ask for directions, but did not think further about this police presence. When I came out the park was tapped off with tents set up in one corner, police cars at one of the entrances and what appeared to be a crime scene investigation crew coming out with bags of evidence. Once at home, I looked up on the internet that a body (male 25-30 years old) had been found that morning in the Bedford Square park. Needless to say, I am seeing it all here in London!
My London Learning for the day is that potato chips are called crisps and chips are french fries.


Friday, March 26, 2010
My Kitchen
Tony warned me...

Cooking has been interesting. Need I say more!

My London Learning for the day is that ground meat is called minced. So you can purchase minced beef, minced lamb, and minced turkey.


Weekend, March 27-28, 2010
Saturday morning we ate at the French restaurant Paul. It is located on Marylebone High Street—short walking distance from the flat. It was one of the best meals I have had since being here, so I stuffed myself. No worries though—you walk it all off here. We will be returning to Paul probably on a weekly basis. Our afternoon was spent walking around and visiting a few tourist spots like Trafalgar Square.
And just as my body clock was beginning to adjust--we got hit with a time change! Sunday morning I was exhausted, but regardless, we made it to church. Getting to church is not easy--several tube changes and a lot of walking. At least I was smart enough to bring my heels in a bag and wear walking shoes until we got to church. I do miss the days of jumping into the car, sitting back in the passenger seat with Tony driving the 20min to church with the convertible top down on warm and sunny days or seat heaters on cold days, and being dropped off at the front door while Tony parked the car. My pampering days are over. Time to toughen up.

Well, I have made it though my first week here in London and it’s been a good week. I have learned a lot about London and the British way of life, though there is much more to learn. I am enjoying myself and this change of pace in life, but it has not come without challenges. It hit me part way through the week and again today—I’m not on vacation (referred to as "holiday" here in England)—I’m living here! Moving to another country, regardless of the language, is not easy. Everything is different and I’m reminded of this daily (especially when I eat bland food). I have felt a bit lost at times, even with my map and oyster card. Our life in America is very convenient and we are very blessed (I’m already writing my gratitude list for Thanksgiving. It will be a long one this year). Despite the already noted differences and challenges that are yet to come, I feel very blessed to have this opportunity--to be living in a beautiful city, to learn about my surroundings, to experience life in a new culture, and to grow as a person. Tony and I talk about this often and know that this is the right place for us to be at this time in our lives. I look forward to my many weeks ahead—exploring, learning, and sharing with all of you. Lots of love from London!

My London learning for the weekend is that I don’t speak English, I speak American!