In London

I decided that instead of staying in chronological order, I'm going to jump ahead so you all know where I am and what I'm up to. I will eventually go back and update you on my last two weeks of traveling in Germany and Belgium, but for now, here's whats up:

I arrived in London on the 24th on a superfast Eurostar train from Brussels. Even being all alone with all my luggage, which practically doubled after Belgium, I managed to get off the train, get onto the correct Underground line, make a transfer, get off at the correct stop and make it to the hostel. Ok I wasn't completely alone... when my luggage got stuck behind the fast closing gates leaving the underground, a handsome Brit lifted my huge bag straight up over his head and over the gate to me. I know how heavy my bag is, not to mention my computer bag with all my travel books was on top of it too, but he made it look effortless, graceful, and masculine. Welcome to London!!

My hostel is right in the center of everything. I am in the West End near the British museum, for any of you who are familiar. The hostel itself is not that great, but the people are very nice and they are all in the same program that I am in. At any given time there are about 3000 students from around the world working in the UK through the Bunac program. For Americans, you get 6 months to work; the Aussie's and Kiwi's get a little longer. Then a few of these students stay at the Bunac hostel. Its a week by week place, although some people reside here the whole time. I have met lots of great people that have helped me get acquainted real quick. My favorite part is the community kitchen: although it is a sauna, it has been nice chatting with the different residents during mealtimes. Its so neat to hear everyone's different stories.

My second day here I joined a group of people going to the Notting Hill Carnival. Now when I told my family about this, they all assumed I was going to some quaint little festival in the Notting Hill we all know from the movie. Well, not exactly... this carnival was in the same neighborhood, which I truly do not understand, but it is a cultural festival celebrating Jamaican heritage and music. There was insanely loud music with thumping bass and the craziest costumes I've ever seen. There was a parade that went on for a while, and lots of food booths with Jamaican cuisine. I saw a lot more bright colors and flesh than I wanted to, and it was way too crowded. So not exactly what you would think of when you hear Notting Hill, and not exactly the most traditional activity to celebrate reaching London. But it was interesting nonetheless, and I really enjoyed getting to know the girls from my hostel better.

The next day I set out to look for jobs. I have been in contact with a few wine shops for a while, but none of them have been giving me definitive answers. And knowing how daunting the job searching can be, I decided to just take an early stab at it and at least get to know my way around. I looked up the Top 10 Wine Bars in London online and mapped out their locations. Out of the first three I visited, two offered me jobs on the spot! One even chased me down the street to avoid losing me. The company I have decided to accept is called El Vino (www.elvino.co.uk). They are the oldest wine bar in London and they have 5 different locations around the city. I will be working at the New Bridge Street location which is near the river and in the heart of the financial/business district. I will start serving, and then consider the trainee manager position that becomes available in two weeks. The woman that hired me said she feels it would be a great fit if I can commit to more time here, so we'll see. As for now, it looks like I will stay until just before Christmas, and then be home for the holidays.

I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets and exploring the other wine bars and shops. It was a very gratifying day all together; I felt like I really got to put myself out there to see what I was made of, and I literally prepared myself for the worse, and it turns out I've got just what London is looking for! I have been walking the streets of this noisy, gray, cold city with a huge smile on my face and a warmth in my heart knowing that I am in the right place. The woman who hired me shook my hand and said, "Everything happens for a reason, I'm so glad you walked through the door."

I start my job tomorrow, so I will let you all know how it goes! Thanks for all the emails and little notes here and there. I really enjoy them so keep 'em coming. Oh and if anyone can help me find a place to stay for the next four months here, let me know quick!! And if anyone wants to mail me anything, the address for Bunac will receive mail and packages for me, no problem (any courier except Fed Ex). The address is 16 Bowling Green Lane, London, UK, EC1R 0QH.