Today is about that time I decided to move to London. Yeah, I actually did that, and yes it was amazing, but not so much in the sweep you away kind of changing like Paris was for me. No, London was about settling down my wild heart, and seeking inner peace with who I was, and who my family was, and years of pain I'd suppressed. London was about running away. London was about growing up.
After deciding not to go back to school for my junior year of college, it became obvious to me that I had to get as far away from the things I knew as possible. I saved all of my money from a summer job, got a student work visa through a company called BUNAC, and made plans to temporarily stay with family friends while I settled into life in London. Like in most of my adventures abroad, my plans didn't work out quite like I'd planned them to.
I arrived in London just days before my 21st birthday, and I don't think I've ever been more homesick in my entire life. I immediately set to work trying to find a job, and on my actual birthday I had my first interview. It was thrilling to sit across from someone in a foreign country and think I might actually work here in a few short days. The idea of finding employment, I thought, would make this dream-come-true more of a reality. But this job wasn't meant to be. I boarded the train back into London proper and stopped off at a sushi restaurant for a special birthday meal & drink to celebrate this new chapter. Teary eyed I looked up at my waiter and said "I'm 21 today," he just vaguely looked at me, and I said "I know that's not a big deal here, but in America it's a REALLY big deal and I'm alone." Pretty pathetic.
This may seem like a sad start to what should have been the happiest days of my life, but sometimes it takes going through some bad for something really good to come out of it. Despite my solitude, and despite my homesickenss I didn't leave. I trucked on and happily the following weeks started looking up for me. The family I was staying with, the Westbrooks, offered to let me stay on in their spare bedroom, and I found work temping to pay the bills. I still had a nagging feeling that there was more for me in London than this piddling, and I'd soon find out what that was.
Right around, what would have been Thanksgiving, I was in-between temp jobs and taking a day to explore the neighborhoods surrounding my "home" in Crouch End. I made my way up the hill to Highgate and popped into the most fabulous yellow fronted shop filled with furniture and trinkets. After looking around for a couple of minutes I felt completely overwhelmed by the sense that this is where I should be working. The owner probably thought I was a pick pocket as I fiddled with her displays, hoping to get the nerve up to ask her if she was hiring. Finally she looked at me and said, "Can I help you find something?" and I blurted out, " Yes, I was wondering if you were hiring?"
She paused only for a moment before getting the biggest smile on her face and said, "Darling, I haven't had a vacation in three years...I am definitely hiring. Come back tomorrow for tea and we'll chat. My name is Avril. This is fabulous!" I was flabbergasted and beyond happy, and we made plans for an early morning talk in her shop. We did in fact drink tea the next day, and she did hire me on the spot, leaving a week later for two weeks of vacation. And so began my real adventure in London... to be continued. big kiss, bekuh
Read the History of a Traveler Part 1 & Part 2 for more crazy adventures in the life of Bekuh
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