I am writing this on Monday, August 25th. Starbucks in hand, as I patiently await internet at home.... le sigh.
Saturday Shenanigans
Hi friends,
So the tactic of
writing in a word document and then pasting into Blogger once I have access to
the web again was successful, figured I would do it again! J
What has she been up to? You ask...
Grocery Haul! Saturday I hit up the local Farmer's Market :) Snagged me some fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, cauliflower and blueberries!
There was also a slight incident wherein a very misfortunate critter tried to
become my flat mate LOL... and to that I say R.I.P Bee (didn’t really want you anyways)!
** I’ve decided that
instead of stopping to take pictures of my town, I will just vlog an
outing!Haha, I’ve vlogged in public
before.Some people look at you like
you’re a weirdo, but meh.People talk to
themselves all the time what with Facetime and Bluetooth headsets right?Just keep your eyes peeled, I’ll get around
to it.**
Other than that, there
isn’t much else to report… I actually feel like a local, LOL.I’ve run into Lisa countless times and we
always exchange hellos.The guy who sold
me my Internet bundle remembered my name when I went in to ask a question the
other day… The woman at the linen store who helped me figure out the dimensions
of my mattress (LOL) said to me “Oh, you’re back!” … Yep….
Used my dishes for
the first time… YAY.And to think, after
hauling all those groceries I settled for soup…
But I did taste test the
chocolate milk, and I approve!
Took some well
deserved “me time” tonight … had a nice, hot bath and used half of that bath
bomb I got at LUSH.Let me tell you,
that bath bomb is bomb dot com!Haha,
play on words!It smelt heavenly, and it
left my skin feeling so soft and silky… my bathroom smells glorious now, and so
do I!Can’t wait to pick up some more, I
want to try different scents – do you
have any favourites to recommend?
I will also do a
review of the LUSH products I purchased recently (this is intended to be a
health and beauty blog after all!) and, eventually, will get around to doing an
entire skincare post to share products I love!(Also, new products I am trying in the UK … although probably unhelpful
to you lot in Canada, as you can’t access them… Hmmm… LOL)… There’s always
online shopping and delivery, right?And
no, I can’t ship 10 different orders home people.
Can I just note –
and this is SHEER coincidence, I didn’t even plan this when buying these items,
especially considering they were purchased sporadically and at different times
– but all of my kitchen stuff is BLUE:
It freakin’ matches and I didn’t even plan it! Even my dish cloth, tea towel and makeup brush holder is blue... WTH. Blue was my dad’s favourite colour, believe
it or not.It also reminds me of grams…
her car, which was my car for a bit, was blue… she lived in a blue house… I
feel this is their influence in some sort of sneaky way.Clearly they are ALWAYS with me, and want me
to remember!Haha.
Sunday Funday
Another low-key day
for Steph.
I spent a good
chunk of my day in Starbucks, as many of you may already know by way of my
Instagram post:
Oh, how delightful
the Hazelnut Lattes are… I may or may not have gone for seconds a few hours
after enjoying the one pictured above.In my defense:
1. It was the first
time I actually set foot in a Starbucks here (shocking, I know) and
2. I was in
Starbucks from approx. 12pm – 6pm using up their Internet, so no harsh judgment
can be passed, mkay?
I much prefer
Starbucks to the library, truth be told.The one closest to me has a huge second
floor lounge area!!I found the
perfect little hideaway equipped with comfy couches, a personal outlet, and hey,
copious amounts of ever-flowing coffee and delicious treats just down the
stairs… Can ya blame me for choosing to
camp out there?Didn’t think so ;)
ALSO: Starbucks
opened earlier than the library, and closed much later as well.(The library is only open from 1pm-4pm on
Sundays)… so needless to say, I think I will opt for Starbucks from now on J I think the atmosphere was much nicer, too,
because it’s familiar to me.I’ve done
homework in a Starbucks back in Canada countless times, so I felt less out of
place. Not to mention the laid back, retro-jazzy type music they are playing. Gah, Love it here!
And, yeah… I spent
countless hours perusing the Internet (mainly Teachers Pay Teachers, TES, and Pintrest) collecting resources,
lessons, worksheets, and teaching ideas!Whoever has the nerve to tell you that teaching is an easy profession: I’d
like to see you take it all on and survive!So much hard work and preparation goes on behind the scenes.There is so much to consider: classroom
management techniques, organization, behaviour modeling and charting,
differentiation, low vs. high ability, exit cards, assessment before, during
and after a lesson, how to mark, how to define the different levels, how to
engage, and on, and on, and on.Oh, and lest we forget the actual lesson
planning.Haha, it a lot of
work, but gosh do I ever love it.
After taking down
camp at Starbucks, I came home and used my stovetop for the first time! LOL
YAY.I figured I better give her a go
sooner rather than later.I’m used to a
gas stove, however, this one was easy enough to figure out.(For those of you who watched my vlog, you’ll
get this joke, but I used my culinary thing tonight too! LOL aka. The fan above
my stove)… I threw together the following creation:
It’s a veggie
stir-fry with udon noodles! I used some
of the fresh vegetables I picked up from the market, and it was oh-so-delicious
if I do say so myself J
Next step: use the
oven.I am cravin’ me some banana bread or maybe muffins… Fall time is
already upon us (at least here in the UK) and we all know what that means: time to whip
out all the pumpkin recipes.I AM SO EXCITED.There’s just something about fall.I am absolutely in love with it.But I think everyone already knows that about
me.
Source: pinchmysalt.com
Maybe I can take a stab at pumpkin scones, seeing as I AM in England after all ;)
I took another bath
tonight… oh, European tubs with feet. Swoon.
The back is curved ever so perfectly, and I fit right in. It is comfortable and relaxing… ah, I may
just start a romance with my tub. HAHA
just kidding. I did use up the other
half of my bath bomb, and thus, need to go back to LUSH and get more. I made an oath to myself this evening, and that is to partake in at least one
hour of “me time” every Sunday night to unwind.
I want to take advantage of that tub while I still have it! And I really can’t explain how lovely I still feel after soaking in that
heavenly aroma, accompanied by candles and music J so perfect!
And now I am off to
do my nails (I have been slacking!) and write a list of all the items I still
desperately need for the flat.I plan to
categorize them into three columns: red, yellow and green.Red = urgent.Yellow = need, but can hold off for a little while if need be.Green = at the bottom of the required
list.I also want to make a “to do” list
in terms of cleaning, unpacking, etc… God
I am such a teacher, aren’t I?
A perfect nude! :)
I used Rimmel London's 60 Second Nail Polish in "Euphoria"
The lists... LOL. The colour co-ordinated one on top even has a back, as I divided the sheet by room... (Bed. Bath. Kitchen. Living Room. & Other).
Andddddd, that’s my
life in a nutshell.
Nothing as exciting
as locking myself out, but I think that event should tie us all over in lieu of
“things to write home about.” Haha, at least for a little while… until the next
big adventure comes strolling my way (just, please don’t be as costly?!).
P.s. Like my little
night-time snackie J ?Off to watch some Vampire Diaries while I tend to ma nails:
… oh my goodness
gracious, EVEN THIS BAG IS FREAKIN’ BLUE!!!! It’s a secret, subliminal
attraction, I swear…
I seriously hope you have a
blanket, popcorn or some sort of major snackage item nearby because this blog
is about to get real interesting.
If you read all the way to the bottom, you get a prize by the way ;)
Oh how things can change in
a matter of 24hrs huh?I’ve been through
the ringer of hell and back.Glad I’m
still around to tell the tale ;)
Many blog titles came to
mind for this particular post, but I decided on asdfghjkl, as it perfectly sums
up the range of emotions I have coasted through in the past (what will now be
42-ish hours) – also note, I won’t have internet at my flat for approximately 7
– 10 days?Instead, I took it upon
myself to go into the library and sign up for a library card so as to secure
myself with unlimited access to their Internet!Problem solving at it’s finest.HA as if that’s the worst of the problem solving you are about to hear
from me…
SO, after completing my last
blog post, I went to bed shortly thereafter, anxious to wake up, sign the lease
and finally hold the keys to my very
first flat!Nevermind hold the keys, I
WAS EXCITED TO SEE THE PLACE AGAIN.I
last saw it in July and it was… well… it was quite a mess.Let’s just say the previous tenants were
*unhappily* evicted and that should give you some indication of what condition(s)
it was left in.I had quite a restless
sleep if I’m being honest.The night
before any big event I usually wake up often… so let’s all keep in mind that
the story I am about to share with you involves a very sleep-deprived, already
anxiety-ridden Steph.Ok?Ok.So, I get about 6 hours of sleep.
This was my happy face, laying in bed shot that I posted to FB before actually hauling myself out of bed...
I get ready, I call the cab, it’s about a 25 minute drive to the office…
so I get there, sign the papers, and everything is honkey-dory.Well, okay, minus the fact that they handed
me this big schlump of keys to deal with:
They told me the pile
included current and past keys, and that I can sort them into relevant piles
once I decipher which is which.Gee, thanks, eh? LOL.
Overall, they really are a good
company (Lettings Solutions) – it is family run and the girls are always super
helpful.The owner actually arranged for
her brother and father to come set up my new dining table, chairs and bed frame
as she thought I would feel more comfortable with that option as opposed to
complete strangers (and truthfully, yes, I was much more at ease!).So after singing the papers and taking the
keys, I head back to the flat.After
playing a good, solid 10 minute guessing game with the lock/keys, I get the
door open…. And my heart just smiled.I
was so happy to see the place; it looked exactly how I remembered… but better…
because it was clean, yes, but because it
was mine. Pretty sure I danced
throughout the flat, seeing it all with new eyes.Then, in about 10 minutes time, the delivery
guys came and dropped off my new furniture pieces.Weeeeee, I won’t be sleeping on the carpet…
or better yet, curled up on my love seat in the living room. LOL.Big sigh of relief.OK, next step: head back to my B&B to
gather all of my belongings and haul them down the street to my new place.
I go back to my B&B, and
explain to Lisa (the owner) that I need to do it in stages.Bless her heart, she could tell I was antsy
and told me not to panic, to take my time and shout if I needed some help.I told myself I had to do this alone, as there
wouldn’t be anyone to assist me at the flat.So, remember the photos of my luggage a couple of posts ago?I hauled each, one by one, down two flights
of stairs, down a hill, round the corner, up a second hill, into the building,
and up two flights of stairs.Made that trip three times.Muscles McGee over here was about ready to
collapse at one point, but hey, I survived!
After the big move, I had a
good 2 hours to head out and buy the utmost essentials (at least for my first
night, it might be nice to have a pillow and a blanket?)… So, I quickly set out
in search of the cheapest (but still relatively well made) necessities.I also stop for lunch at Costa, surprise,
surprise?
I had the goat cheese and
beetroot chutney panini… oh my lord, the noms….. :D and an iced cappuccino.
I ended up purchasing a few
cleaning products, a duvet and two pillows.I didn’t want to rush buying the actual
cover/bed set, as I want the full experience of taking time to find the
perfect one… this is my first flat guys!No, I won’t be here permanently and no it won’t be as lush and perfect
as I want it to be … but I still don’t want to buy it on a whim because I feel
I have to.I have to be a sensible
shopper, and God, can I ever be thrifty.But thrifty doesn’t have to mean dirt ugly!You have to know what you are doing.There is almost a type of knack for being able to put certain
pieces/colours together to produce something so beautiful, yet
inexpensive.And that’s what I want J Lord knows if it will happen, but hey a girl can
try, right?Oh, and I bought one fork,
one knife and one spoon.Each were a
pound, reasonable enough to tie me over!I then head back home, scarf down two dinner packages I picked up from
M&S (again, so good, I am beginning to wonder if M&S will ever do me
wrong!)
… then greet the expected
gentlemen, who proceed to assemble my furniture, and in an hour’s time,
everything was falling into place, and I was flying on cloud 9.Holy crudmoli.This flat is mine.I can’t wait to
finally settle down and take a breather…And then...
in a matter of seconds, the rain came down. And you know what they say: when it rains, it
pours.
At this point, I had been
through a rollercoaster of ups and downs… I was tired, excited, stressed,
happy, nervous… a whole whack of feelings and emotions at once. I told myself I was going to head over to
Costa, grab a coffee and use their internet for an hour, just to tell everyone
about my day, how happy I was, etc.
I grab my purse, throw it over my
shoulder, head out the door, and slam.The door locks automatically behind you, and
guess which idiot left her keys on the counter?THIS ONE.
The thought was
instantaneous, and I’m sure the words running through my head were WAY too
profane for the likes of this friendly blog.
I literally drop to the floor, dump my purse in distress, only to
discover what I already knew: my keys were inside. I was outside. Well, crap.
Remember my last blog post, how I was going on about the need to be
adaptable? Ha. Ha. Ha. Oh the irony.
I also think it’s ironic
that I purchased this mug mere hours before I locked myself out:
I saw it and thought it was
a cute reminder to find “happiness” even in the crappiest of situations.Yeah, well, the mug was inside and I was
not.LOL THERE WASN’T MUCH HAPPINESS TO
BE FOUND IN ME.
Surprisingly, in the actual
moment, I freaked out, but not as intensely as some of you might image.My first thought was, okay well I locked
myself out and am in a foreign country where I literally know one person.(Lisa, the owner of the B&B I just
left).So I left the building and walked
over to chat with her and figure out my best course of action.Lo and behold, she isn’t in, and what’s
better: both rooms at the B&B had already been booked so there was no room
for me.It was too late for a locksmith
– remember everything closes around here at god-awful early hours – so I set
out in search of another hotel/accommodation.I suppose this would have been much easier, had I known the neighbours…
I could have asked them for help… BF told me he would have done that first, but
hey, ya live and ya learn, right?The
first hotel wanted 155 for a twin bed (multiply that, or anything really, by
1.86 to convert to CND dollars).Ahhhh,
no.The next hotel didn’t have anything
available, and the final hotel had a double for 45, which I gladly took.After that rush of adrenaline died, I went
into my room, locked myself in the bathroom, and proceeded to break down on the
phone with BF (I called him on FB chat via the hotel’s Wi-Fi)… After 30 minutes
of crying, and his comforting charisma, I pulled myself together.I made a cup of coffee, curled up in bed with
my complementary digestive cookies and watched Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade (little
confession: I am utterly obsessed and in love with the IJ series… “If you are a Scottish Lord, then I am Mickey Mouse” LMAO that line always gets to me and I’m
so glad it was on to cheer me up!)…
In a nutshell then, the day
I get my flat, I spend the night in a hotel.It was just me, the clothes I was wearing, my purse (which contained my
wallet, passport, iPod, UK cell and home cell) … I must say, carrying all that
in my purse, it was almost like I set myself up!Hahaha, I had to sleep in my clothes, I
wasn’t able to wash my face, or do anything I would normally do… as literally my entire life was locked up
in the flat I no longer had access to…
I wake up at 8:30, splash my
face with water (LMAO the only thing I can do at this point), and call my
letting company to explain what happened.They tell me they don’t have a spare key, and suggest I try calling the
locksmith.I get them to look up the
number for me.I call the locksmith and
set up that appointment.I check out of
the hotel, and meet the locksmith at my building.108 later … and I am able to access my flat
once again.Are you kidding me… 108 for
5 minutes?I am gluing this key to my
forehead!!!!GEESH.That was an expense I definitely did not
intend on putting out.Expect the
unexpected eh?Now I have to do a wire
transfer between Canada and the UK to get some more money… LE SIGH.
So many good and bad things
interwoven throughout this story… seemingly more bad at the moment then good…
but I am holding in there.I just have
to adjust my plan of action as it stands.I cannot purchase everything I want/need for my flat until I have more
funds available.
I did set up Internet for my
flat, so the box should arrive in 7-10 days (yay).And like I said, until then, I will be
setting up camp in the library to do my work (i.e. prep lessons)…
I also did my first grocery
haul today at Sainsbury’s!
Not a lot, I know, but Steph
can’t really cook at the moment as I have yet to purchase pots, pans… the
works.So for now it will be a lot of
oatmeal (which, if you know me, I can’t live without anyways), fresh fruits,
yogurt, soups… and any fast/cheap takeaway sandwiches/salads.
This yogurt is soooo good, I ripped 'er out of the package after storing everything away as I fancied a little snack... Mmmm...
As it stands, I have
purchased:
·a kettle;
·2 mugs;
·1 fork, 1 knife,
1 spoon;
·2 garbage bins
(one for the kitchen, one for the bathroom)
·garbage bags;
·hand soap for
the bathroom;
·toilet paper;
·dish soap;
·paper towels;
·floor wipes
& a magic mop;
·a single bath
towel (so I can at least shower!);
·antibacterial
surface cleaner;
·a cleaning
sponge;
·a duvet
·2 pillows
There are many more items
left to purchase, I have a running list on my cell phone! The art of doing
without is a practice I will definitely learn, owning my first flat now...
I plan on cleaning as much
of the flat as I can before unpacking (are you proud mom J) LOL… I know it was cleaned prior to my move in… but
it’s much more comforting to do things yourself.Plus, bits and pieces of cardboard and
styrafoam are floating around now, as well.Personally, I feel it needs to be done.So, once I am done writing this post, I will blast the tunes (ok, not
actually, as I live in a building now LOL) and clean!I wiped down the fridge before packing it
with my new groceries, as well as the cupboard I stored the other items in.Once that is done, I can start to unpack and
give my things a proper home in the flat J… my bedroom is the
only carpeted area in the flat, and I’m thinking I may just buy one of those
push vacuums (you know, they don’t plug in, you literally roll them across the
carpet to pick up any bits and pieces?Not
the best, I know, buttt vacuums can be pretty pricey).
SO THAT’S BEEN MY PAST 24
HOURS.Glad that is over.Tonight (Thursday, August 21st) I
will finally sleep in my flat for the first time!Not too sure when this will be posted… I am
writing it in a word document at the present time, and then once I access Internet
at the library, will transfer it over to Blogger (along with any accompanying pictures,
etc.).
Closing thoughts for today
This has slowly become a new mantra of mine:
May I remember this invaluable lesson moving forward... I am still alive, I have my health, my friends, my family... my job... I didn't have to sleep on the street (LOL)...
My father, too, taught me many invaluable lessons,
one of which was the following.
In any crappy situation I happened to find myself in, he told me this: "There are two things you can do about it, Steph, you can either
laugh about it or you can cry about it." I still hear his voice saying those exact words to me...
Well. Seeing as I already cried
about it… maybe I can laugh now?
In other news, I received
an email two nights ago telling me that I am *finally* certified to teach
in Canada (YAY for Ontario Teaching License!) … Maybe that is a sign that I
should just come home now… LOL (jk).
Even if I spent tonight
cleaning, and have absolutely no contact with the outside world - miss you guys! – tonight most definitely tops last night’s crazy adventure(s)
LOL.
Also, this is as classy as
it gets: sleeping with 2 pillows sans pillow cases, a duvet sans cover, no bed
sheets, just me on the mattress LOL… like I said, they all have to be just
right!
P.s.s. My bathroom and
bedroom have heated floors!I do need to
sort out how to turn those on and off… as that would rack up my hydro
bill.I only just remembered because I
walked into my bathroom without shoes on for the first time earlier this
evening and was like “WOAH, OH YA” it felt so nice… I don’t know how to turn
the heaters on… apparently you need a key?Say what?And I still need to
figure out the hot water business and how you set the heater to only turn on at
certain times versus making the water hot all day = racks up water bill… so
many things to remember and discover over here…
Another 3 hrs to finalize
the video (which by the time you read this will have been posted above)… It’s
10:32pm… me thinks I will watch an already downloaded ep. of PLL and then call
it a night…
Chat soon,
Steph – who is now happily
sleeping in her own flat… without sheets yes, but her flat nonetheless.
xxoo
Friday Morning
I figured I would just tail-end this onto the post... I SURVIVED MY FIRST NIGHT :)
May have frozen my butt off... but that's ok.
I called the Letting Company enquiring about the heat...
TIP: In the UK (at least what I have observed), wall outlets have "on" and "off" switches... so even if something is plugged into the outlet, say your phone charger for instance, it won't work unless you turn the switch on. The switch is located right beside it, so it's easy enough. I just always seem to forget as we don't have this at home! Haha. Having said that, I couldn't get any of my heaters to work, as the "switch" wasn't on... DERP.
*I will post a picture of what I mean when I remember to take one!*
Here I am, in all my glory, drinking my first mug of morning coffee in my new flat :) alive and well! .... remembering to find happiness even in the hard times :)
I also need a mail key, would you believe in that pile I didn't have one?! The girls told me that flats 4&5 seem to have one another's key(s)... so maybe mine is with one of them? At any rate, the mailman seems to just plonk a huge pile of mail either on the floor, or on top of the mailboxes... so maybe I won't be needing one?
The shower is an interesting contraption to get in and out of... yeah, let's just say that LOL.
Hmmm, what else can I say. Neck tattoos are VERY popular here on guys! And, to my surprise, public toilets are actually nice! I'm not lying guys, they are maintained (so yay!) ...
Prize for making it this far:
1080p is taking it's sweet ol time loading, and girl ain't got all day when she is doing this all in the library sooo 480p will have to do for now... :)
Hi friends :) I am quite literally sitting on my bed, chowing down on this delightful Egg Salad Sandwich I picked up from M&S (surprise, surprise...) - I discovered this yummy lunch when I was here last time and the bread (!!!!) Oatmeal bread. You know me and my obsession with oatmeal ;) so good...
As promised, this blog post will cover Monday and Tuesday's (i.e. todays) events :) Also, I have some good news and I have bad news to lay on you... I MOVE INTO MY NEW FLAT TOMORROW !!!! :D :D :D #ALLTHEFEELS This is still so surreal to me (actually, I passed the building today and couldn't help but smile... it really is such a lovely building!) Having said that, however, I may or may not have internet. Amidst all of my errand running and exploring today, I visited a few shops to enquire about internet/broadband etc., and we agreed it is best to see if/what the flat is equipped with first as this will determine whether or not I need a phone line installed, etc. I asked one of the reps how long (approx.) it would take for an installation crew to set it all up, and she said it depends really, but could take upwards to a week :| UHM. GREAT. And I am supposed to plan for school, how? Guess I will be spending my days in a lot of coffee shops to use the internet... #ugh
Monday: First Day Back
Obviously Monday Morning Seflies were in order. Note that summer has fled. She's gone, out of sight, no where to be seen. It is fall time here people and if you know me well, you know how delightfully happy I am about this! Bring on the leggings, scarves and cute boots. Swoon.
Between yesterday and today, I tackled some of the important items on my to do list: I opened a bank account ✓ I paid the remaining opening fee(s) for my flat✓ I located appliance and home essentials/decor store(s) to get a sense of and compare prices ✓ and, I managed to write my blog post yesterday evening ✓ !
I ventured the town a lot yesterday, and it was a totally different feel in comparison to my first visit. My first time in Colchester, it was all about remembering where I was and avoiding the rate(s) at which I got lost LOL. It took me about three days to get a good feel of the place... I didn't really get a full sense of the shops. This time, however, I feel I'm slowly but surely morphing into a local who can now see everything in a different light. I'm walking around with a new set of eyes, as I so titled this blog post. It's not so much paying attention to where I am heading, as I know the streets like the back of my hand. Instead, I can actually spend time browsing the shops, figuring out what each one holds/sells :) Before I forget to mention it, I think one of my favourite things pertains to pricing: tax is already included on the price tag, so what you see is what you pay! :) Not that I thought I would, but I could never go without here. Every shop I could possibly want or think of back home can be found here! Funny enough, alcohol is sold in the grocery store. That was a strange sight... We have a TJ Maxx (which can replace my obsession with Winners), QD Stores is like a Canadian Tire, Debenhams is like Sears/the Bay, I found a Vodka Bar (LOL), many bakeries, a dollarstore (here called "Poundland"), I found the Colchester gym, the movie theatre, Nandos (omg, the absolute best), the Apple store (it's called iStore haha), many drugstores, we have an HMV, WHSmith is like Staples, natural and health food stores, hair salons, dentists, bedding, electronics, furniture, discount stores... WE HAVE A LUSH :D seriously, there is everything and more here! :) Wilko reminds me of Target... so, again, yay ✓ :) I told myself I was allowed to purchase a new book bag for school, as I had to leave my old beloved and well-recognized one at home...
I love this bag, it has three compartments on the inside and is perfect for my laptop/other school essentials. It was only £19.99, which comes out to $37.19 CND (which is close to what I paid for my old book bag at home) :) Good snag, I think. I also picked up the following....
The Go Ahead bars are SO FREAKIN' GOOD. And, ok, I needed a mug because my B&B only supplies tea mugs equipped for about two sips of whatever you put in them. Let's be real, I need me some more coffee than THAT. And so naturally, I needed some coffee .... and hot chocolate :) Sooo, I was cravin' me some Subway last night, I got a Tuna Melt (sans cheese). Interesting little fact: you can add sweet corn and shredded carrot to your subs here in the UK ! :) I didn't get the carrot, but as you can see, I added corn - yum yum yum!
After yesterday's excursions/busy events, I came home, started to write my blog post, napped, facetimed, continued and finished my blog post, took a shower and then hit the hay.... :)
Day Two: Tuesday
I got up early this morning, as I had to return to the bank so as to finalize the account ... I then went galavanting into LUSH as my skin is in some serious need of lovin' (I am suffering prettttyyyyy dry skin at the moment, both in thanks to the plane ride, but also the sudden drop in temperature... ) I left a happy customer with the following items:
I explained my issue(s) to the girl who served me, and we agreed I should purchase the following items:
9 to 5 is a cleansing lotion I decided to try, as makeup wipes do me very little service at the moment (the majority are alcohol based, irritating my dry skin to no end!).
Dark Angelsis a charcoal scrub I have been dying to try (thanks, Liv! ;) as per our conversation last night, it's her "holy to the grail" and I am so excited to test it out!)
When checking out at cash, I explained to the girl that I had just moved and was so excited to find a LUSH store. What a sweetheart, she secretly gifted me an entire bath bomb!!!! When she came round the counter to hand me my bag, she smiled and said "I put a little gift in there for your new home!" ... I figured it was a sample size of something. Nope. An entire, FULL SIZED bath bomb :) (these retail for approx. $6.05 CND, nice free gift, eh?!) I will most definitely go back and thank her!!!! :D
Okay, okay I know I am being a bad girl. LOL. In my defence, the notebook is for school purposes, as are the pens (I love my colours!!!) As for the chocolate... well.... LOL I have a severe sweet tooth and when you are thrown into a plethora of new and exciting sweets what do you expect from me?! I have to taste test them...
I also tried a Coffee Cooler for the first time :) the girls at Costa already recognize me, WHOOPS. So yeah that happened today....
As did buying/taste testing this (which, after opening, seems to be as deadly as the pretzels I am addicted to) ...
Apart from that, the rest of my evening looks like this (school planning and watching Anna's latest vid! :)
I decided to be smart and download all important emails now whilst I still have internet.
Closing thoughts... (tips/advice)
I think the hardest thing(s) for me at the moment are: overcoming the jet leg, going through the motions of setting up "new" everything, and getting used to the time differences again. Obviously a big and obvious one is missing everyone I left at home, but hey that's what technology is for! :)
If you aren't already a fairly independent person, travelling abroad, alone will definitely surface the art - or at least slowly train you into become a self-sufficient person. I find, at least in the very beginning when you don't know that many people, you have to be your own best friend at times. You have to be strong enough to handle things on your own. Now, that doesn't mean that my BF, best friend, family, etc., isn't there to support me when I need them, but sometimes the time difference is a killer. There are times in the day when I have a mini freak out or need to talk to someone ASAP, however the ability to do so isn't always readily available as people back home are still sleeping, or at work, or busy on a different time schedule. Be prepared for that, but don't think it's the end of the world. I think you need to learn to manage stress, and, like I was saying, rely on yourself at times to push through. Of course, as time goes on and I befriend more people in town, this will be less of an issue! :) But it was just some insight I wanted to offer.... I am definitely still training in this department...
Another thing, and my mother was so right about this one: travelling and living abroad makes me see home in a different light - I am much more appreciative of what I have! Things are just... different here! But that is okay! I knew it would be, and I so enjoy the change of pace, lifestyle and culture. I think you need to be a fairly adaptable person to survive living elsewhere. My mother likes to call me a chameleon, so for me, the switch isn't too difficult. Don't expect fluidity between the two countries, cause it's just not going to happen. I am so accustomed to fruits and veggies the size of my head back in Canada, but in the UK an apple generally fits in the palm of my hand. A bag of milk just doesn't exist here. Everything seems to be much cheaper in Canada, so you really need to know how to bargain shop in the UK (I pride myself on how thrifty I can be!), it's the "toilet" not the "washroom" by the way, and there are heaps of public restrooms for you to use (versus having to sneak your way into a Tims just to pee!), fridges are typically "bar" size in comparison to what I am accustomed to at home, washers are typically located in the kitchen, and dryers seem to be a luxury (?), oh my goodness, getting used to the coins here is just embarrassing! it probably takes me a good 5 minutes to read each one before I hand over the correct amount to the cashier... instead of "how are you" it's usually always "you alright, yeah?" ... it's "trousers" not "pants"! (as pants here mean your underwear!), home bathrooms and spaces are generally much smaller .... I am sure there are so many more differences I could tell you about!
And please, don't take any of what I have mentioned/said in a negative way! I wasn't making comparisons in a bad way, it simply is what it is... and different is exciting! :) Take everything as it comes. Take it with a grain of salt and be open. Be willing to change. You will enjoy the adventure that much more...
Some food for thought :)
I don't know when I will talk to you next, but I will keep you posted and will document all the new, exciting and upcoming things!
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