Things are looking up

I still hope to post more about my enjoyable adventures, but again, I am up late barely typing out an entry as I borrow a friend's laptop and internet access, sitting in the borrowed living room for the weekend. I am still a bit down about not just the lost wallet, but the fact that my UK checking account isn't up and running as I was hoping it would be (it has been two weeks...) but that is just one of many admin items to follow up on on Monday, once I get my own laptop and won't be staying on borrowed aerobeds in other people's flats.

I can only stay at this friend's place for the weekend, and I hadn't time to do proper research on gumtree or hostels while traveling, so I spent time today looking up hostels online and visiting a few in person. I made a soft reservation at one near King's Cross - tiny rooms, dodgy area, but it has a communal kitchen and seemingly good security, plus a weekly rate of £100 (This was a step up from another hostel in the area with over 800 prison/dorm style beds, it's own bar, and self-proclaimed partying every night. Yikes. No thank you). Over a conversation with one of the guys at the bar tonight, I confirmed my suspicion about the King's Cross area not being too great, and just by talking to him, I realized that I am so sick of staying in hostels and feeling 'broke and homeless'. (Incidentally, I went to the American Express travelers office today and was able to take out £500 in cash with the one remaining credit card I have left, so at least I'm not technically broke. I also went shopping today near Harrod's, and treated myself to a new funky work shirt from Zara and a snazzy umbrella from H&M).

So tonight I was encouraged when I came across a website called Studenz.com that gives advice on budget acommodation in London. I was able to get myself a PRIVATE room (all to me!!!) with a shared bathroom and shared kitchen in a hotel literally one block away from the flat I move into on the 8th in Clapham. I am paying more, but still only £175 for the 7 nights total, and I now only have to get my stuff there tomorrow in about two trips - moving it to my actual flat will be a breezy couple of walks around the corner with only a bag at a time. It will also be nice to start to check out MY new neighborhood, and even groceries and things I might buy to use this week can be easily transported to the flat. This is great! I don't care if the room is the size of a closet and if it faces the street (I don't know what the exact situation is, but I'm just saying...) this is a much needed improvement over that other place where I don't think I would have lasted the week with much sanity remaining.

That being said, I am missing my friends. No one person in particular (nothing personal!) just the 'network' that I had in SF. I have been going out with whoever I've been staying with in London, and while nice of them to entertain me and include me in their plans, it just makes me realize that I don't have my own friends or social life here yet. I know that will change, and that it takes time, but it still is a bit hard when I am going through so much transition and am clueless about so many things.

I also miss having a routine to follow (and then to break from). I think holidays are much more fun when they are an aberration from your regular life. Having been unsettled since mid-August, I am well-aware that I am not the kind of person who would want to travel for months on end from city to city (as many people I meet at hostels are doing). Or maybe it's just that even after two weeks of traveling around Europe, I was starting to get anxious about all these unknowns here in London. Either way, I'm a tiny bit glad to be starting work on Monday and then moving into my neighborhood and flat within the week as well.