D-Day aka Delivery Day

D-Day aka Delivery Day

Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?

Our furniture has arrived

We arrived here on July 4th from America (ha-ha) and it is now September 12th; our furniture just arrived via freighter.
A friend that moved to Europe last year recently visited and told me her furniture was delayed also. Our furniture was due to port on August 11th. So yeah, almost a month late. Not to mention the fact that it had to clear customs.

It's just stuff

That's what I kept telling myself. I don't need it. But actually, your belongings are more than just "stuff" they are a part of your history, your story.
Okay, maybe not all your stuff is important. But there are items that I missed dearly over the months. And no, it wasn't my bed or my dishware. It was the small things:

• Yoga Pants - yes, I missed my comfortable, stretchy lulu's. Never shall I make that mistake again!

°º

• Jewelry Box - I traveled with most of my jewelry but did not bring the organizer with me. This actually led me to have a little anxiety as my earrings, necklaces etc. all were mixed together and not in their proper place. Next time, I will buy one of those roll-up things for storage

°º

• Art - I love art and having it hung up around my home makes me feel at home

°º

• Socks - my long wooly socks that I wore around the house. The socks I brought with me were mostly athletic socks and did not provide the same snuggle comfort

°º

• Wine Glasses - the reason is obvious

°º

• Couch - nothing makes you feel more at home than spreading out on your own sofa

°º

• Leather Jacket - I don't wear it that often so I did not bother taking it. But for some reason, it symbolized San Francisco to me. Fake leather btw, strictly veg here!

°º

• Boots - summer quickly became fall here and I fantasized about sliding my faux-leather leg lovelies

Travel 101: Moving Internationally

Leaving the US & Living Abroad

Hello Readers!

Apologies for not posting for a while. I am sure you've been checking every day and constantly hitting the refresh button hoping for a new blog post. If so, today is your lucky day. 

Recently, I have made a rather large life transition. My partner and I have moved across the pond to London, UK. This decision was difficult. When you think of living abroad, your first thought is: Adventure! Travel! Explore!

Realizing only later that you're truly leaving everything behind: Family. Friends. Work.

We have now been living in London for about 30 days. It feels so different now compared to the dream-like first few days. 

My partner started work immediately, I was left to travel around town solo charged with finding us a place to live permanently. His company had set us up with temporary accommodations, but it was up to us to find a permanent flat to settle into. 

My first day free of jet-lag I set out on my home-seeking adventure. My heart was full of hope as I scanned my list of potential neighborhoods.
I hopped on the underground and headed north. After minding the gap, the Tube spit me out in one of the famously trendy northern boroughs of London. 

My heart dropped immediately. Outside the central touristy London, the neighborhoods become less predictable. One minute I was walking up a bougy high street, the next I was skirting through public housing. Being alone (and without a working cell phone yet) it made me realize how far from home I was. 
There were moments of excitement and moments I felt utterly alone and literally lost. 
By week three, we were touring apartments. Each flat we visited reminded me of when my college friends and I were searching for tiny two beds in Boston in the twilight of our college years. Similar to Boston, the apartments are old, small and not chock full of amenities. Basically, you do not get a lot of bang for your buck. 

Coming from beautiful California, it took all I had not to burst into tears during those tours. I was coming from the coast where it was easy to escape into nature for hours. I tried not thinking about the hundreds of hikes and trails as I paced over concrete and pavement. 

I convinced my partner to get further outside of the city, somewhere greener, slower.  I had found a little borough southwest of the city and we've put an application this week for a cozy spot in an old converted library. Fingers crossed we get it. I'll keep you all posted.

My biggest takeaways from this international transition can be explained in a few short thoughts:

 1. Change is hard. But, no I mean really, really hard. Not like in a Hollywood movie hard, but gut-turningly difficult. 

2.  Love is everywhere. I know this sounds corny, but I was lucky to be on this adventure with someone I loved. Also, my grief of missing my friends and family only made me realize how much I loved them even more; I took that comfort that someone out there was missing me everywhere I went.

3. Always invest in a good pair of sneakers, or 'trainers'.