Not all days while in transition are a ten. Today things feel very overwhelming, most because things move at their own pace and my control freakish sides of my personality make me frustrated when I cannot impact anything. It is like hurry up and wait. Renting my condo in the US – waiting for a solid renter. Bank account – waiting on things to process. Check cashing – waiting on the bank account. Routine – waiting on me to finish my benefit selection, ie, find a gym, make a grocery list. My stuff is in two separate shipments, one which should be here on the 29th, one that will not be here until the middle of whoknows.
Argh.
Any one of my friends will tell you that this is my not-so-latent OCD coming out in full force, and I would agree with them wholeheartedly. Part of this move is definitely about learning to become zen with those things that cannot be controlled and becoming one with the different culture and routine that naturally comes with the territory. But, damned if I didn’t wish for my pillows which are somewhere over the Atlantic in an air container.
Overall, the commute has not been too bad and everyone at work has been exceptionally nice. My commute is as follows right now: walk one block to the number 23 bus (Willesden Junction->Liverpool Street Station), heading east to Paddington station. Ride for fifteen minutes, get off at that stop, walk to Platform 1, 2 or 8, whichever one has the next fast train to Reading. Ride that train for 22-27 minutes, then board a shuttle bus for a ten minute ride to the Thames Valley Park which has the offices of Oracle, Microsoft and a couple others. Walk to my hotdesk on the second floor and get to work. Overall, about an hour. When I move to my new flat, you can eliminate the part with the first bus, as I will walk the two blocks to Paddington. It’s not driving, so I can read, listen to music or work on any of the trains or buses.
I’m also walking a ton more than I did in Seattle. The lack of a car is a very good thing. Yesterday, I racked up 16,000 steps and that was a lower than average day, as I just went to work and went home. Tips on this though, wear comfortable shoes that look nice or invest in some insoles. Well maintained footwear and the right level of formality on the footwear are both necessary. In Britain, you cannot go walking around in tennis shoes all the time, if you want people to take you seriously in a professional sense. Even at my company.
Also, I think the boiler is out in my flat. If it’s as cold as it is now when I wake up, we’re going to have a problem.
That’s it for today. I’m sure I will get out of this funk once some of the ice starts to crack on the things that are in motion. You can’t rush progress I guess.
American Expat in London 