First Weekend in London

Friday Night

I almost cried saying goodbye to my folks on the platform but luckily I kept my cool enough to get seated on the train and silently wonder what the hell I've actually gotten myself into. 

I was literally sat there on a one way train with my bags steaming towards London at 60mph with no return date! I don't know if it was the sudden realisation of what was ahead but I sat watching Toy Story wishing I was about 15 years younger.

 The train journey itself was pretty boring, 5 1/2 hours of being uncomfortable and not being able to get my laptop on the folding tray without having it digging it into my stomach but hey ho, we can't have it all, at least the guy meant to be in the seat beside me had the decency to not turn up.

My trains arrival in London took my mind off the reality of what I was actually doing (For a start it arrived early-a clear sign I wasn't in Scotland anymore.) Within 20 minutes of dragging my bags across Kings Cross at 1am I found myself stuck in a traffic jam longing for a cup of tea and my bed even though I was only going to get 5 hours sleep.

Saturday-The work started straight away.

Less than 9 hours later I was on my first tube journey to Shephards Bush Westfield Shopping Centre to start my first retail job in London after a quick and surprisingly easy transfer from my shop back home. There was literally no time to ponder the fact that I was running on 4 hours sleep and actually starving from a lack of time I had to get breakfast. It was just hard work from the get go, tube, store, customers, sales, tube, dinner and bed.

Sunday  

Sunday was my first lie in after days of bare minimum sleep so I decided to go by myself for a bit of sightseeing. I'd convinced myself that if I was going to live in London I'd better not be ignorant and actually get some knowledge about the place, basically the worst excuse ever to book myself onto a bus tour for the day...and a boat tour.

I've done the Original Bus Tour's yellow route 3 times before now but it never gets old, I'm pretty sure I could actually host one now! If anyone gets a chance I really suggest taking a day to go and do it cause you really do go home feeling like someone who aced history in high school.
One thing I wouldn't suggest though is to do the open top bus tours on an empty stomach because some of the food I was smelling was torture! Hot dog stalls at Marble Arch and roasted chestnut vendors by Buckingham Palace literally followed me around and by the end I wanted to go into every food place on the way back to Mile End.

When I walked home I decided to round off the night by popping into a pub I always pass on the way to the tube and have a drink.
Now, I knew that alcohol prices in London were steeper than Scotland but when the barman asked me to give him £8.45 for a double vodka cola I actually nearly wet myself. Lesson learnt, sobriety here I come, went home pretty gutted!

With Monday being a bank holiday I got another day off which was basically my lazy day, by midday I hadn't made it out of pyjammas but had managed to drag my arse off the couch long enough to finally sort my suitcases out and move the hoover about the livingroom in a half-arsed effort at housework.

In the afternoon Amber came over to start my training for my new job for the next day and amazingly I managed to stay pretty calm considering all the stuff she was throwing at me, I'm praying to god I manage to pick everything up pretty quickly since I'll be repeatedly doing it 5 days a week.

In general I've been quite calm since arriving here in London but I think it has to do with the sheer amount of work I've had to be doing. At some point, possibly when I start the new job, the panic will seriously hit me...Either that or I'll fail miserably at budgeting and leave myself up creek with no paddle.
After a full week here I'll definitely start to feel more settled, my family back home don't seem to be missing me yet anyway so I'll be here a while, Mums already booked plasterers to come and redo my bedroom walls...