The way things were

I'm a little bit homesick. It's a combination of missing my family and friends, and wanting to be back somewhere where I just know how everything works. I miss my easy lifestyle of San Francisco, where I would hop in my BMW whenever I wanted to quickly zip across town, pick up heavy or bulky purchases, and stay dry while commuting in the rain. I could wear high heels without having to strategize how much I would be walking that day, and I only had to do laundry every two weeks because everything would be dried within hours. Most importantly, I was able to catch a glimpse of the Bay and the the Golden Gate Bridge everyday.

I could write a similar paragraph about the positive aspects of living in London, but even though I appreciate them already, I don't feel them the way I feel about San Francisco, so I'm not ready to sing London's praises quite yet. The difficult things are still what stand out to me here, even though they are often based on small differences or they are assumptions about how things should be that I realize are based on my very American experience.

- For example, most offices here don't have fridges, and definitely don't have microwaves. This means you have to buy your lunch every day, which is an expensive habit (this was the case in India as well, although the lunch was cheap, and the people who did bring their lunch just didn't refrigerate it). And I don't want to eat out every day; I really like having my own leftovers.

- Dry cleaning is horrendously expensive. I am having a pair of trousers cleaned at the moment for £6.50, that's over $12. Other than cashmere or wool sweaters, I'm basically not buying anything else that has to be dry cleaned. I even look at coats to see if they can be mashine washed.

- Almost all the shops close too early for me to get there on weekdays, and even on weekends I have to be there before a 5pm closing time. That, combined with me still learning what brands and stores carry what level of quality and style at which prices makes buying anything a strategic endeavour.

Although I've only been living here six weeks, it's another six weeks before I am home for Christmas. I am really looking forward to being home, and am already planning my next trip home after that, although it probably won't be until next August or September. On the plus side, I'm going to Madrid for a weekend trip next week, so life isn't so bad.