So I have finally gotten settled into my new life in London! It has been an exciting and interesting past few weeks. I managed to find myself a teensy tiny flat in South London, but unfortunately, it is a bit far from work, and my landlord in unbearably negligent. Since I have moved in, I had a broken microwave, no access to internet, and a mouse roommate. A broken microwave wouldn't normally be an issue, but since my studio only has a kitchenette instead of a proper kitchen, the microwave was my only means of heating/cooking food. I had lots of take out for my first two weeks until my landlord finally got me a new microwave. After 2 weeks of numerous phone calls to my landlord, he finally gave me the password for the internet access in my building. When I say I have a mouse roommate, I am not being cruel and describing my roommate as mousey. I literally have a mouse living with me. When I first saw him nibbling from my trashcan, I freaked out and called my landlord to take care of it and order pest control services. Shockingly, my landlord went against his word and did nothing about the mouse situation. In the past few days, I have bonded with my little mouse friend, and have even named him Gus Gus, after the plump mouse in Cinderella. If only he could sew me clothes, then all my problems would be solved!
I have actively begun looking for alternative housing, since this option isn't working for me. I have several viewings of my property set up for next week, and I have become a member on all of the London estate sites. I'm sure I will find something! Once I do, I will sign over my lease to a new tenant and move elsewhere.
I am absolutely loving the new job! My co-workers are great, and I really enjoy what I do. So far, I have been organizing meetings, events, and job fairs for the Techmeetups community. I have also been assisting in the expansion of our communities to other global cities and obtaining sponsorships for our many events. My newest project is planning a hackathon. (Scroll to the bottom of the page to see my organizer profile!) For those who aren't techie, a hackathon is when tech people come together, form groups, and work together to build mobile and computer applications. Usually a weekend event, hackathon attendees pour their souls into the creation of these apps for 48 hours, and then there is a competition, and the best app wins some amazing sponsored prizes. I am becoming quite educated on the technology front, and my office is in a very trendy and artsy and entrepreneurial part of town, it couldn't be more perfect!
My company is also expanding its brand, and is creating other channels in which to reach out to the tech community. We have begun a community outreach program, which is an initiative we are pitching to local governments for them to get involved within our community and create other tech cities(besides London) in the UK. My boss and I actually have a meeting in the House of Commons with a member of Parliament to discuss our program with them! Definitely making moves, I will make sure I look very political and Brit chic, hopefully I don't end up pulling an Elle Woods and wearing a pink suit in a sea of black, I'm thinking I will stick to neutral colors.
One of the newer cities that Techmeetups is planning on expanding to is Barcelona, hopefully I will get travel benefits for the christening of the community! It would work out perfectly since I have been working on perfecting my spanish skills via Rosetta Stone.
I have managed to make a lovely group of friends, and London is starting to feel more like a home than a vacation or short term stay. However, Florida will always be my true home, and I am missing the sunshine terribly. I think my skin is becoming translucent from my lack of sunshine, I may start to look British if I don't watch out!! I absolutely cannot wait to travel home for Christmas and my holiday in the sun.
Will be sending out more details as they come!!
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| Classic phone booth shot |
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| I'm official with a business card!! |
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| Chinatown, the best food in London |
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| The closest I will get to princess life in the UK |
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| My first real autumn! The leaves are beautiful colors here |
