2 November 2018- Looking for a New Place in London

Today I took a tour of London to look for possible apartments to live in. London is a lot busier than any other city in England, including Manchester, where my old flat was. I thought I’d start out by taking a ride on the London Eye to see how the city looked from above. As the wheel started to turn I could see the east end of London where there were lots of small houses with graffiti on the dirty, brick walls. I didn’t want to live there, so I hoped I had enough pounds to buy another apartment. I looked towards the west, and there were nice apartments with white stone walls, and balconies surrounded by black wrought iron fences. I already knew those apartments were way too much money, they’d have to be thousands of pounds; they were in the west-central part of the city. Around those nice apartments were even more flats and townhomes that didn’t look as nice, but still would be a pretty good place to live. Getting off the ferris wheel, I decided I’d start looking in the middle class, where I could probably afford an apartment with everything I need. I walked to the underground and waited for a tube that would bring me to the northwest of London where I saw the apartments I thought were spiffy, but not too expensive. When I got off the tube, I walked up to the street, and onto the pavement. It was raining again, so I pulled up my bonnet. There were lots of brick townhomes where I could live, they all had black, shiny doors surrounded by white stone. I really like the architecture here. There was a car park space in front of the house, so that would be nice if I ever had anyone with a car over. Other than that, I would have no use for one because I could just use the underground. Besides the townhomes, there were also some nice flats in the area. Finishing up my adventure, I ruled out the posh apartments in the midwest part of London, and decided to head to the east. Even though I knew the places to live weren’t the best there, I figured I might be able to find a cheap house that was okay. As it turns out, I didn’t. All the apartments were in a deteriorating condition, and the streets were full of small pieces of rubbish and the alleys were full of graffiti. The buildings were old, and run down, and the whole area smelled of smoke. As I went down the stairs to the tube I wondered which location in the middle class section I should move into.

4 November 2018- Moving into my New Flat

Today I chose where to live. I found an apartment that’s pretty nice. Its got everything I need: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, a lounge, a kitchen, an office, and a few closets. It’s a bit small, but I don’t mind. I don’t have a car, so I just get around on the underground, and sometimes the bus. I chose this part of town because it’s near downtown London, where my potential job will probably be. Looking out the window at the cloudy sky, I walked out to the moving lorry and got a box out. When I got inside I opened the box, and saw the map of London I had hanging up on my old apartment wall. I got some tape and hung it up on the wall of the office, above my desk. This map was not only a decoration, but it would help me find my way around the large city. There were so many tunnels and different transportation systems, I figured I would need a map to look at before I leave the house. I didn’t want to accidentally walk into the railway tracks looking at my phone, but I’d have to use the maps on my phone a lot since I was brand new to the area. I just wanted to get situated in my house. I had some tea and continued unpacking all my furniture. The apartment wasn’t furnished, so I had to build some cheap furniture I found at the Ikea on the edge of the city where it was just starting to expand. Most of my day was spent fixing everything to fit my taste. By dusk I was done, and a little bit hungry from all the work, so I made and Indian dish called chicken tikka masala to eat. After I finished eating, I went to sleep.

5 November 2018- Walking Around the Outer City

Today I just went around London, trying to see how my navigating skills are. First I walked to the underground, and got on the tube that would take me to the outer edges of the city. It wasn’t too packed today and I found a seat, so I wouldn’t have to stand up. It was a little hard for me to balance while it was going along the railway because I hadn’t been on it very often. When the tube finally came to a stop, I walked up the stairs, and started to go down the street. The area I was in was on the very edge of the city. All the homes were packed together, and they all looked similar if not identical. London seemed to be expanding outwards into the suburbs. All the houses on the street were lined up the same distance apart, and the streets were filled with cars. Behind all the homes, I could see the city, the tall buildings towering over everything. I realized I probably would never need to go to this part of the city until it expanded more. I walked back to the underground and went to get some lunch. I ended up at a restaurant where I ate some fish and chips. After that, I went back to my apartment and planted some aloe, and agave succulents to put on the windowsill. I planted them because they could survive in harsh conditions, and it was almost always cloudy here. By the time I was done decorating and eating, it was already 22:00, so I went to sleep.

6 November 2018- Adventure in London

My plan for the day was to go to Trafalgar Square, and explore. I waited at a bus stop until a bus came relatively fast considering they filled the streets. I climbed up to the second floor, and took a seat near the middle. When I arrived at the square, I immediately saw Nelson’s Column and the bronze lion statues I could use to remember the location. I thought I’d have some fun today, and visit different places. I went to the cinema and watched a movie. Then, I went to a nearby café to drink some tea, and eat a malt loaf. After walking around a bit, I went to the grocer’s, and got some food to bring back to the apartment. After I unloaded my bags from the shopping trolley, I had to get back to my apartment. Although it was farther away than any of the other places I was, it was still in walking distance, and I needed the exercise. As I strolled back to my apartment, the clouds opened up a bit and there was a bit of sunshine, but it started to sprinkle. There were some kids playing skipping rope who rushed into their house at the raindrops. A few times, I had to go across a busy road on a zebra crossing, but I didn’t have too many groceries, so I wasn’t worried. When I got back to my flat, I put my groceries in the pantry, fridge, and freezer. I decided to go back out into the city, and see Big Ben, it was getting colder outside, so I wore a jumper under my jacket. It was raining harder then, so I decided to take the tube there and back. I saw Big Ben, then I headed back to my apartment. 

7 November 20180- Looking for a Job
Today, I walked around the city in hopes of finding a possible job that I could get. First, I went to the inner city, and looked for some jobs that I could do with the degrees I had in graphic design from when I went to university. The first place I looked for a job was at British Broadcasting Corporation, where I could design the paper, and maybe some websites, or something. I walked past one of the BBC buildings. I could work at a Tesco as a part time job on the side possibly, there were so many location in London. I could also get a job in the tourism  I considered these jobs, but I wanted to pursue my dreams of being a graphic designer, so I continued to look for careers I could get. I decided to walk back to my apartment and get on the computer to search for jobs. I found a few that sounded like they would be a good job, and would give me enough money to live here. I applied for them online, and would possibly be accepted for an interview later. I’d have to ride the tube to work everyday since it was downtown, but I was fine with that because it costs a lot less than having a car, not to mention all the pollution from the expensive petrol needed to run a car. I was ready to start living my everyday life in London, it was a start to a new adventure.