Beginning Life Abroad

Step One: Arrive in One Piece
The plane ride was exhausting, we hardly slept - between excitement, nerves, and the guy punching the seats behind us, our arrival into Gatwick left us exhausted. Buying tickets on the Gatwick Express was easier said than done... Oyster Cards (London Metro Cards) can't be "topped-up" with American debit/credit cards. Luckily we had enough money from years prior to get us both to Camden, more specifically Belsize Park, where we will be staying for the next month or so. We got to our new "home" at 1:30, dropped the luggage off, freshened up and headed out to Kyle's first casting. Between castings, stopping by Premier (modeling agency) and exploring London in the rain we made time for Nando's Peri Peri Chicken AND a jug of Pimm's at our local pub!

Step Two: Settling In
The flat we rented is decent for the price and location. We have a fridge in our room, private bathroom, shared double kitchen, washer and dryer - as well as awesome flatmates! It's cost us quite a bit of money stocking up on essentials; food, toilet paper, toiletries, detergents, etc. Adjusting to the time change has also been extremely difficult this time around. Of course we've had unnecessarily late nights pub-hopping with flat mates, and Kyle's 16-hour Brian Atwood photoshoot kept us out late.

Step Three: Learning Lessons and Pumping the Brakes
Watching money disappear from your bank account, and feeling helpless to prevent it is the worst feeling in the world. Two years ago London retailers accepted "swipe" cards (American magnetic strip cards), today only PIN or chip cards are accepted - and some VISA cards... but they carry hefty International Transaction Fees. As Americans, we can't have a chip or PIN card. Right now the only card we have that works is a Bank of America VISA card that can be used to withdrawl cash at Barclay's ATMs. An estimated $100 in transaction fees were lost learning this lesson. Between ITFs (international transaction fees), an overwhelming urge to be European (consumption of a few afternoons pints), re-visiting all our favorite places, grabbing cold-weather and rain gear (we anticipated summer weather), and settling-in to our flat, gratitious amounts of cash have been spent. It took six days to learn, but we have finally cut down on spending, a necessary when you are living on a temporarily fixed income.




Step Four: Enjoy Life in London!
Regardless of how difficult adjusting to life abroad can be, it never fails to be exciting! Yesterday marked the sixtieth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II as the reigning monarch... The Queens Diamond Jubilee!! From Friday 'til Tuesday ALL of the United Kingdom was encouraged to take off from work and celebrate their wonderful MUM! Sunday was the BIG lunch. Throughout London, neighborhoods celebrated by joining in the streets and parks to picnic together. After lunch was the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, where 1,000 boats traveled down the river to honor the Queen. We participated in awe as thousands of Elizabeth II's subjects crowded bridges and riverbanks to honor their beloved Queen's 60 year reign. After an overwhelming two hours of walking the river bank we settled in a cozy pub in Covent Garden to watch the festivities on BBC and enjoy another delicious lunch!





The next few days will be spent relaxing, exploring, and enjoying our "bank holiday" before the castings and jobs begin :)

Xo,
M&K

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2 Responses to Beginning Life Abroad

  1. You guys have such an awesome blog!!! Totally jealous you visited London--enjoy your journey! Can't wait to check out more :)

    ~Cathy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Cathy :)
    It's been a busy couple weeks - London is an amazing place, it was getting so crazy because of the Olymics! Hope all is well with you and the hubby in Boston.
    Megan

    ReplyDelete

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Header image:Arizona Roadtrip Sunset, By: Kyle Ledeboer
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