Getting a bit more worldly

I finally have a second to myself. Be prepared, because this will be a long entry.

This past week I've been jet lagged, sleep deprived and starving, and constantly surrounded by people at work or at play. I suppose I'll try to remember this trip from the beginning.

Landed in London and carried about 75 lbs of luggage to a bus, then to the tube, then to the hostel. Climbed up countless stairs and bumped into everyone nearby, but we made it to International Students House, my workplace and my home for the next six months, without a wrong turn. The hostel turns out to be more organized and...bigger than I would have thought. Front desk security (where I work) directed us to the reception, which directed us to Mary Trevelyn Hall, a five-minute walk away, where my room is. When we got there we had even more walking to do to get to the room. Once we were there, we collapsed on the bed and hoped to never move again.

Alas, you have to explore once you're here. We asked the receptionist how to find Oxford Circus from here. She told us it was 10 minutes in that direction. However, "that direction" was the wrong direction, and we spent the afternoon wandering. When we tried to find Oxford Circus the next day, it really was a short walk. One of the best shopping streets in the world, right down the street from me. I'm going to have big problems.

The day after I arrived in London, I had to make a flight to Venice at 6:30 in the morning. I arrived there, pretty haughty at that moment because of what was in my mind courage and follow through to land solo in a country where I don't speak the language, but that was shattered pretty quickly when I realized I arrived in a very warm paradise wearing jeans and a sweater and no one cared to speak English.

When in Italy, you speak Italian, you foolish American.

That's the vibe I got the whole trip. But it could have been the 2 hours of sleep I had the night before combined with the jet lag. Or it could have been the fact that I was surrounded by couples and happy families breezing through the last joytrip of their summers. I thought I was an outcast in London, but being alone in a non-English speaking country is a whole other ball game. I was craving London by the end of the first day.

I met a New Zealand couple in the hostel I stayed at and it was nice just to speak to someone in my language. I probably sounded so pitiful to them, and they sat with me an hour and shared their wine.

The next day was much better after 8 hours of sleep. Saw Murano, saw Burano, ate gelato and learned to say thank you and goodbye in Italian. Rode in a water taxi, walked a loop inside San Marco, walked by the fancy pub Hemingway frequented. It was a great, beautiful, historical, mind blowing city. I'm very glad I went there, but I regret the timing. I wish I would have had someone to share it with.

Back in London, I started my job on Monday. I have big shoes to fill, because everyone raves about the American that used to work here. I sit behind the security desk and get paid to check Facebook, blog, answer a phone call, then facebook and blog some more, etc. etc., but I wish I was doing more. There are so many job opportunities in this place I would thrive in like event planning or marketing, but I just get to watch from my little desk.

Not that I'm complaining. I could have much much worse. And I get to meet so many residents! Some of them are funny, most of them are rude. About half of them don't speak fluent English. One man asked me if I'm from Spain, or have any Spanish blood. Second time that's happened on this trip. Then there were a couple funny men who just passed through and told me I have "American teeth". I said, what do you mean by that? and he said that Americans are known to take care of themselves "in the face". Hm. At least we have one thing going for us in the world.