London at last!

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Well we’ve been here in London for 2 months now so it’s time for an update in the lives of the Roma’s.

When we arrived (at just after 5am) we spent more than 3 hours going through customs before being met by Mark’s uncle Phil who had kindly offered to greet us and take us into the city in his black cab. It was really great to see him and get all the goss on the Roma family here in London during our journey into Kensington. He took us to the hotel that we had a reservation at and when we arrived we were still in time for the hotel complementary breakfast, which was lucky for us since the aeroplane food was not flash.

Once getting settled into our room and having breakfast we went for our first walk, through Hyde Park into Oxford St. It was nice to finally hit some shops and spend a few quid and buy some t-shirts and singlets that were dust free! And after lunch on our first day in London we met up with Kate’s friend from school Trina and her boyfriend Joel. It was nice to see them and catch up on old times and of course get some hot tips on how to survive London. Trina also managed a surprise for us, dinner at Katie’s place, another one of Kate’s closest friends from school. It was a nice change to have a true home cooked meal. After getting carried away sharing stories we all of a sudden said our goodbyes as we were about to miss the last tube to be able to make it back to our hotel. So after a very long day we slept through breakfast the next day and had a lazy morning walking around Kensington before again being picked up by Phil and taken back to his house for the family gathering that they had put on to welcome us to London. It was really great to see some of the family we had met 2 years ago on our holiday plus the new additions and the few we had never met before. It was especially nice to see Pam who is Mark’s great Aunty who was also over in London on holiday.

Since Pam was staying with Phil and Irene we were kindly offered a delightful bed to stay in at Mark’s cousin Tony’s place. We had a really fun time staying with him and his family. Again, home cooked meals were a delight but we all played games at night and there was always a laugh to be had. It was a big week for us tho. On the first Monday Kate had a meting with one of her employment agencies and we did the paperwork to set up our bank account, on Tuesday Mark met with his agency, Wednesday Mark was offered a job interview for Thursday, Thursday he had the interview and 2 hours later he was offered the job, so needless to say Thursday night a bottle of champagne was opened!

That weekend Irene had arranged yet another family gathering in our honour - the official Wedding celebration! And t was a beautiful day for it. The sun was out and so she and Pam had gone to the effort of setting up the tables with tableclots outside. There were balloons and we spent the afternoon drinking Pimms. It was a bbq lunch and Mark couldn’t wait to have the tongs in his hands! We played totem tennis with the kids and the babies of the family, 14 month old twins, were quickly developing the taste for chocolate cake and sweets, to their parents disgust. It was a late night, and the next day was another sunny day so we sat outside at the tables left out from the previous day, in our pyjamas, and enjoyed a fry up breakfast with all those who stayed over the night. Funny - 4 weeks in Africa and no sunburn - one sunny Sunday morning in the backyard in London and Mark looked like a lobster.

We moved in to stay at Phil and Irene’s that weekend and Sunday night was a casual night in as Mark was needing to be prepared for his first day at Work. Whilst Mark was at work Kate was not a wag at home, she was busy meeting with her employment agencies and looking at flats with Sam and Kelly, a couple we met on tour in Africa who we decided to live with to help keep living costs down. And by the end of the week Mark had started to settle in to his new job, Kate had secured her first job and they had signed a flat to live in! Talk about not wasting in any time! So the next weekend there was yet another family get together, this time at Paul and Geraldine’s, Mark’s cousins, as a farewell to Pam who was going to be leaving London and returning home to LA during the week. We were fortunate to have another beautiful day of sunshine. And that Sunday we had our first trip to an Ikea store - it took us almost all day to find our way around the massive store and work out how to actually get and pay for the items we wanted. We were buying things to set up our flat - quit, sheet sets, crockery, little bits and pieces.

The next week was a tough one for Kate who was having to commute 5 hours per day to get to work - from south west London, zone 4, to out of London - north east Essex for a 2 week contract. It was tough work as they were very short staffed at the hospital and she ended up being the only OT covering 4 wards, but at least it was experience in the NHS which would help her get other more long term jobs in London. Mark on the other hand was enjoying his 1.5 hr commute per day into central London and he was starting to get given more work to do.

And the following Saturday we finally got to move into our very own flat! Irene kindly loaned us her car and Kate did well to drive into Fulham without incident so we could move all of our belongings. Sam and Kelly moved in on the Friday since they weren’t working and they unfortunately got caught in the London floods with their backpacks, poor things. But we had the car, and on the day with good weather. Someone was looking down on us with a smile. One car load did it - a strange feeling to think that our London lives could fit in the back of a 2 door hatch, but there it was. Despite the £40 parking fine it went like a dream and it was refreshing to have space we could call our own. Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing to be able to stay with relatives and get info on living in London and having great support and help, but it was nice to feel that soon we could invite them over for a meal to return the favour.

But that very night there was yet another family get together. We politely asked if it was normal that the family get together every weekend and they all told us that this was incredibly unusual and unheard of. It was just the particular series of events that have caused for multiple celebrations, and tonight was no exception. We got together for Tony’s 40th Birthday. The difference about this was that it was an adult’s only event. We went to a nice Indian restaurant for dinner and Lisa (his wife) had arranges a special cake with photos of him printed on the icing - it was a good thing he had quite a bit to drink and wasn’t too embarrassed. After dinner there was 8 of us that went to an 80’s club in Croydon. It was a very interesting experience. We knew only one third of the music played, there were poles for dancing on (of course Mark started of those proceedings within our group) and there were the typical coloured squares on the dance floor flashing away. We felt particularly young in there - what a scary thought! There were a few heavy heads in the morning and a coffee in the garden the next morning was a good start to the day. We got a lift back into town and had an early night, especially since the long commuting to work the next morning.

Yet another week of work flew by and it was time to explore London on the weekend. We went to the Borough markets on Saturday, an experience our tastebuds won’t forget. It was a buzz with fruit, veges, meat, and the cheeses - oh the cheeses. We had lunch there and bought 2 bags full of fresh food to fill our tiny fridge at home. And the following day we went to the Red Bull air Race where we stood on the banks of the Thames and watched tiny planes speed their way through an obstacle course and pulling more than 9G’s of force on some of the turns. It was a wonderful day, slightly chillier than we were sed to, but when the sun was out it was a beautiful day. It was exciting to be able to cheer on the various pilots representing different countries. But it was certainly a worthwhile event to go to. The only down side being the crowd control at the end of the day when everyone was trying to get home and packing the tube full. You’d think London would know from experience how to cope with crowds, but obviously not.

Kate started at a new job the next week at King’s College Hospital, one of the largest teaching Hospitals in London. It was an awesome score. She loved her first week working in the Orthopaedic team where she not only see little old ladies who brake their hips but she works with trauma patients. It’s always interesting to hear her stories about the ‘jumpers’ and the drunk guys coming off their motorbikes etc. She has an ongoing position and might be able to stay there until March next year, and that would be ideal.

So that was all the ‘getting settled’ fun and games, but everything has been really smooth sailing since then. Don’t get me wrong, we have been so incredibly fortunate that everything has fallen into place, but it was a very busy time and we’re just glad we can now get on with what we are here to do - earn pounds and spend pounds on seeing the sights and travelling.

So since we’ve really settled into our own place we have been making the effort to go out and see things on the weekends. Kate has been able to explore a different Market each weekend - Spiterfield, Portabello, Covent Gardens and of course Camden, and I’m sure she will find more! And we’ve been checking out some nice places to eat out.

We took a day trip to Brighton. It was an awesome day. We caught the train in the morning, although we missed two trains while we were cuing to buy tickets - unbeknown to us it was Gay Pride at Brighton that day so it was really busy and of course very lively. Whilst we didn’t see the parade we really loved it there. The pebble beach was just bizarre, they really should consider investing in some sand so that you can actually walk on the beach. But we walked through the Little Laines, the tiny walkways filled with little shops and boutiques, and then we braved the main Laines, the bohemian streets with retro shops and rainbow flags lining their doorways. There was plenty of nice food around, but Mark was desperate for some good old-fashioned fish and chips - big mistake. Next time we go it will be to get anything but fish and chips! But it was nice to be out walking on the Brighton Pier washing down the grease with a nice banana and chocolate crepe! Whilst we didn’t want to risk seeing our food again by going on the roller coasters at the end of the pier, we had plenty of fun watching and laughing at others, and we kept our feet firmly on the floor while we played arcade games and penny machines. Oh how 2p can keep you amused for an hour! So Brighton was a hit, and we will have to make it back to go through the palace and explore more of the town. So beware, if you come to visit you just might be taken to Brighton!

We have also explored some of the museums - pacing ourselves and trying to only go when the weather’s not so nice so we take advantage of the sun outdoors. But we spent over 5 hours at TATE Modern, a definite must. It was just amazing. They had an exhibition on about the demographics and population changes of the world. It was fascinating! There was also a Dahli exhibition but we just couldn’t fit it into our day. As it was we didn’t leave TATE until 9pm (after mark spent another hour in the bookshop - of course finding very needed design books!), so we wandered down Southbank to find a nice place to grab a meal.

We recently went to the Design museum too. It was a lot smaller than we expected - only 2 small floors, but the exhibition they have on currently is about architecture and it had some amazing models of amazing buildings. They had models of some of the Olympic stadiums currently being built, and of course amazing designs of buildings currently being erected in Dubai! There was also an exhibition of print and it was very thought provoking. It was all in the theme of anti-war and the influence of brands and advertising. It was well worth seeing.

And that brings us up to this weekend. On Friday night we went out for a very nice dinner with Pip who has flown to London for a week. It was great to see her and get caught up on all of the gossip and news from home. But she really is on a flying visit so it was a ‘one night stand’! Then yesterday we caught up with Mark’s family again to go camping. Yep, we didn’t want to forget how to put up a tent and we didn’t want to let our sleeping bags feel neglected. So we packed light, but not orgetting nibbles, beer and wine, and joined the oher families for a wonderful night under the stars. We borrowed a tent and thoroughly enjoyed some fresh air away from the city. There was a ‘not to be missed’ football match on so the men went to the pub in the afternoon leaving the wives and children at the campsite to play games and of course enjoy ourselves with the wine we brought. One big difference we have seen is the huge popularity in rose wine. That’s all the women ever seem to drink, not that it’s a problem! We had a good camping bbq and spent the night under the stars talking well into the night. The children certainly ensured we didnn’t sleep in today but a great cooked breakfast was an ideal start to the day. Today the sun was out in full force so it was shorts and t-shirts - a pleasant change from the drizle we have had lately. Not that we don’t like London, but it was certainly wonderful to be surrounded by green fields and to see some of the country side.

So that brings us upto date with our start here in London. Sorry again it has taken so long, but now that we have a laptop and internet at home we will certainly make an effort to update this blog more often so you don’t have to read full thesis!

We hope you are all well and we would love to hear from you too!

Your Friends from afar
Kate and Mark

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