Moving to London!

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Hey, I just joined this site today (July 31, 2006) so I thought I'd start with my journal entries from my first big trip back in the summer of 2001. A little background info first: I live in Mississauga, a largish city just outside of Toronto, Canada. In my last year of university, I wasn't sure what I was going to do upon graduation. The thought of jumping straight into the workforce after 19 years of schooling (and those last few were brutal!) didn't really appeal to me.

One day at school, I saw this poster for something called the Student Work Abroad Program (SWAP). It's an organization that provides temporary work visas to young people in various countries around the world. Once in the destination of your choice, the local SWAP office supports you by providing resources (finding a place to live, a job) as well as organizing social events, ranging from pub nights to weekend trips away from the city. So I was like, "where do I sign up?!?" and a few months later upon graduation, I was off to London, UK.

I arrived in the British capital on May 28, 2001. I recall it was very muggy that day and lugging around my big suitcase didn't help matters. Being in the SWAP program included a two night stay at a hostel so you'd have somewhere to stay while looking for something more permanent. I went to the New Atlantic Hostel in Bayswater and it was a hellhole! Luckily for me, I had found a place online to stay while still in Canada. I had never seen it but I had spoken to Adele, one of the people living there and we had a nice chat. So, I headed off to see the flat in the neighbourhood of Highgate, a village in North London. Beautiful residential neighbourhood. I was not prepared for the steep hike up Highgate Hill from Archway Tube station though. Especially not on a day like today!

The flat as it turned out was really nice. Three bedrooms with a nice and bright living/dining room. I said yes within a few minutes. My roommates were Adele, Maria, Kirsty, and Ian. Actually, Adele was leaving the flat to return to her native Sweden for the summer. Maria was also Swedish and Kirsty was from Scotland. Ian was a fellow SWAPper and from Toronto (small world, huh?). Ian and I shared a room (formerly Adele's) while Maria and Kirsty each had their own room. We all had a nice bond and I was really looking forward to the adventure I was to embark on. Now I just had to find a job...

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Photos

28 South Grove
Our flat in Highgate, London. It's the one on the main level with the yellow drapes.