Move In Day - Day 10

     

My new flat in Notting Hill. Squeee!

         
         Yesterday, after not sleeping a wink, I woke up to have breakfast with Pedro and Bhavya for the last time at Hughes-Parry Residence hall, called for a cab, and headed off to my new home in Notting Hill. The cab driver was a little comical. He kept commenting on how he liked that I wouldn't stop smiling, which then transitioned into a conversation about if I was in the market for a husband. Yeah, I’m pretty sure I was being proposed to by a very tiny Indian man who ended up giving me his number. (You know, in case of emergencies, he said.) And now he knows where I live, so you know, that’s not creepy at all. Awesome. No but seriously, he was very nice and I appreciated his flattery. It was another positive point in my already awesome morning.

       Anyway, so we pulled up to my flat and hauled my shit into the foyer and then I nearly had a heart attack dragging my three tons of luggage up the three floors (two flights of stairs per floor.) Oh yeah - I was a wheezing, puffing mess. But once I finally got it upstairs, I unpacked. Everything fit and was put away like it was made to be here. Btw, I realized that I have like 1/4 of ALL of my stuff (the rest is chilling at my parent’s house) and really, I have everything I need. Sometimes we get so consumed with stuff, but most of it’s really not necessary. I mean, it’s nice to have and sometimes makes things more convenient, but other times, the extra stuff is just cumbersome. Anyway, so I’m kinda digging this minimalist lifestyle. It’s more conducive to being nomadic!

       Aside from a ton of school work, I really didn’t do all that much. I went grocery shopping and stocked my cupboards, which is nice. I noticed I’ve been eating way more bread and cheese than I should be. Like, they are my primary sources of sustenance. Not good. But so tasty! I feel like I’m back in France again. That’s pretty much all I ate when I lived there too.

     The only downside of my apartment is that it doesn't have internet. Boo! And one would think it wouldn't be that difficult to procure an internet or wi-fi connection with all of the options out there. But that's where you (and I) would be wrong! It's friggin' expensive and damn near impossible without agreeing to a year contract. Without a contract, you "pay as you go" which offers very little internet for an exorbitant price. I found a deal that they were offering 6GB of data for 70 pounds. But what the hell is 6GB of data?!? I feel like I'll blow through that in a hot minute! So until I figure it all out and find the most economical option, I have been resorting to using the wi-fi at the Starbucks down the block, which isn't so bad because at least it's somewhat social and I'm not holed up in my apartment like a J.D. Salinger-style-recluse. Actually, while at Starbucks to do my school work, I met Pablo who was the barista and who comes from Spain. We apparently are now BFFs. Yeah, it happened fast. It's nice to have a neighborhood where I know the baristas and have "my" table and they know "my" order... it makes the big city a little more quaint. So I guess it's a nice alternative for now until I get my internet up and running, which I hope will be soon, because I NEED MY NETFLIX! I'M GOING BONKERS WITHOUT IT!