Staying in a tiny room with 7 other people + rainrainrain + skipping one interview + getting lost trying to find another interview and arriving a good 15 minutes late + really not getting much accomplished today = a little challenging, to put it lightly. I did get the orientation for the work permit program I’m here through over with, so the day wasn’t a total waste. The presentation was very intimidating; basically, it boiled down to “don’t assume anything’s the same, and you’re wasting money if you stay in London.” I’ll try and be more aware of cultural differences, but I’m going to live in London. It’s cool to live in a huge city, convenient to get to airports, and challenging to see if I can make it in the most expensive city in Europe. Yeah, I might save a few pounds by moving to Bath or some other smaller city, but it’s not worth it: London’s too nice of a base of operations. At least until I run out of money…
Important lesson for the day: not washing your hair and using hairspray have basically the same effect. I forgot to bring shampoo and never got around to buying any here until today, so my hair’s been “Rastafarian” for a good 4 days now. Honestly, it’s styling: looks just like I’ve recently put a great amount of effort and chemicals into making it appear stylistically unkempt. I’ll wash it tomorrow, but I’m sure its aesthetic merit will go right down the drain with my coif’s accumulated grime.
It’s been an unrewarding day, but I feel less in culture shock than before. I’m getting more comfortable with the city every day, so I think I’ll be fine. I definitely am still more than a little homesick, but I’ll be able to make it here for 3 months and might even have some fun in the meantime, assuming that it ever stops raining...