Month: August 2012

A couple days after arriving, I thought “why did I pack these useless CLOTHES? We need familiar FOOD!”

Things will improve once we get a permanent location…because I won’t rent anywhere that doesn’t have a good-sized grocery nearby. For now, we’re in the City, in the middle of the banking district. The shops cater to business types zipping in and out to grab a bite; they carry few basic ingredients. It was comical trying to get the man (admittedly a non-native English speaker) to understand that we wanted cinnamon. You know, cinnamon? The powdery spice? For my kids to put on their porridge in the morning? Never mind.

My unconventional grocery shopping habits make my frustration worse. I like to do a huge ($300) shopping trip every few weeks, stocking up on items on steep discount, buying few items at full price. I kept a rather full pantry. When organic raisins went on sale, I bought not two boxes, but twelve. I gave away loads of food when we moved because 6 weeks was nowhere near enough time for us to eat our stockpile.

Now I’m pining for simple things…salsa, refried beans, and tortillas. Peanut butter in large jars. Whole grain crackers. Parmesan cheese for pasta. Plain raisins, not a fancy gourmet mix. Bags of frozen vegetables I can add to dinner at the last minute.

I’m buying convenience foods because they’re all I can get — not one huge tub of yogurt plus frozen berries to add, but individual disposable yogurt cups. Bagged salads, not heads. Single serving meat pies. My kids are confused — I never buy this!

They also don’t appreciate the frequent trips. I fill a cloth bag or two (thank goodness I had the presence of mind to pack those in my luggage) daily. Five people eat a lot of food, and I don’t have a large car to fill with two weeks worth of groceries. The kids are getting tired of the trips to the three different nearby markets. And I really have to go to them all on different days — each carries a slightly different selection, and the kitchen cupboards are empty.

We never eat out this much, either. I just can’t come up with much dinner variety from these markets. But eating out is so EXPENSIVE. Makes me feel like a tourist.

The only thing we really love about the local Marks & Spencer Simply Food is the 7:00 hour, when the staff goes through marking down everything that needs to be sold that day, especially baked goods. I came home with a big bag of bread and pastries last night — enough for dessert, breakfast, snack, and lunch today. And we still have a whole grain loaf to enjoy with our dinner.

We arrived Thursday on a red eye. I got  a couple quick catnaps between re-settling a restless toddler. Thankfully the flight attendants didn’t mind him sleeping in my arms instead of buckled in as he should have been.

Our meal arrangement worked well by accident. I was brought my vegetarian meal before the main carts rolled through, so Weyland could start eating early. When the cart came by I could choose a meal for him, and whatever he didn’t want to eat, I could nibble. Even so, I finished much more slowly that most passengers. Taking care of a toddler is time consuming.

We sat in the center aisle, so we had limited views of the morning sun over the English countryside, but still, landing was emotional. All this work to get here, and…now I was here! Another country, a new adventure. A chance to learn…a gift from my beloved husband. I admit to a few tears.

Then came lines for immigration and baggage collecting and customs (which wasn’t too bad, honestly).  I saw the Paralympic wheelchair racing team from Australia. Then the interesting trick of cramming all our luggage (three 49.5 pound bags, five back packs, and one standard size carry on) plus five passengers and a carseat into a standard black cab. Honestly, the cabbie wasn’t sure we’d fit.

The ride through town was exhilarating. Besides Olympic signage, there are still patriotic banners left from the Diamond Jubilee. Mostly, I was so glad to be HERE. Cute, narrow houses! Ornate churches! Bright green parks and seemingly impossible trees dotting everywhere, despite the city! New, sparkling, interesting architecture!

We drove past the Natural History Museum, and my heart gave a lurch. I was GOING to spend time there, plenty of time there, and I would take my kids there, too. I felt a real blast of “you used to be a science geek, you still love this stuff” and that almost drowned out the awe of the next sight: the Victoria and Albert Musuem. The V&A! THE V&A. I’ve looked at so many books with images of their works, spent so much time looking at their online collections…and now I was here and could see the real stuff.

Our temporary lodgings are business apartments in the City of London. The relocation agent gave us two choices the day before we flew, and we chose the one right by the Cathedral of St. Paul.  We knew we wouldn’t end up living there, and the boys were fascinated recently by learning about the City of London (as opposed to London…for details, watch this video by C. G. P. Grey). So from the very first day, the boys have hunted for the city crest and marveled at the dragons which guard the City entrances.

Getting close to our apartments was easy, but the cabbie had some difficulty locating the exact address. It didn’t help when a street he tried to enter was blocked because the previous Saturday it had changed from two way to one way! But we arrived, unloaded, paid him almost half the cash we had in our wallets (having changed all our US dollars in the airport) and stumbled blearily into bed.

I can’t believe that I’m here, but I am. I’m writing from a temporary apartment in the City of London, having used today’s bank holiday simply to take a long walk along the Thames with Tom and the kids. I’m here. In England. For the first time ever. And I’m going to live here for the next year.

The members of my family here with me:

Tom, software engineer for Google. His 40th birthday is coming up in three weeks. His company is paying for this crazy adventure because they want him (well, someone who works on the Chrome software) here in London working with the Android team. They’ve done all sorts of things to help with relocation, but we’ve really pushed to make everything happen as quickly as possible so that the boys can enroll in school before the start of fall term. Tom is looking forward to joining an amateur medieval music group in London, doing some rapier practice, and generally soaking up the history that the city has to offer.

Garrett, age ten. He’s been homeschooled thus far and is feeling nervous about starting at a regular state school next week. I have concerns about him fitting in — he’s introverted, deliberately looks different (long hair in a ponytail) and has decidedly geeky interests like Magic the Gathering, Minecraft, and Dungeons and Dragons. But he’s smart and I think I’ll be able to help him transition to normal schoolwork. It took a little while to convince him, but he’s now solidly on board with the idea that this move is a grand adventure. I think partly it is that he is so adult focused, and so many adults have said what a great opportunity this is for us, he now believes them.

Tallis, age seven. He is the most extroverted member of our family, and thus the most miserable, as he has just been plucked from the only home he remembers (we moved to Durham when we was two) and from his network of neighborhood and homeschooling friends. He is also extremely nervous about the start of school, because his reading is well below grade level. He loves listening to stories and has a great grasp of vocabulary and plot comprehension, but he doesn’t enjoy the mechanics of sounding out words and reading for himself. I hadn’t been pushing him because Garrett was also at this point at this age, and he is already reading above grade level, because some education philosophies (like Waldorf) think that 7 is still young to teach reading, and because Tallis has such a stubborn streak that fighting with him to learn something that he didn’t want to learn didn’t seem like a winning strategy. I think that sports will help Tallis stay grounded, make friends, and have fun, but I have to have a flat to call home before I can arrange that for him.

Weyland, at two. He is confused by this move, but thus far is staying true to his nature — bright and sunny and excited. He loves trains and buses and planes and noises. About a month before we moved here he was sleeping on my lap while my mom and I talked with Garrett and Tallis about things they might see and do in London. Weyland woke just after we’d mentioned the Queen. He slid off my lap, stood up, raised his hand and announced “see Queen too!” Ever since he has, multiple times a day and especially if anyone said “England” or “London,” announced with great joy, “ride train see Queen!” We have already taken him on the tube, and he wants more riding the train. We have yet to see the Queen. The many sounds of the city — most especially the church bells — fascinate him, and he is constantly asking what that noise it.

And there is me, Challe, who will be 36 next month. I suppose that it is really my fault we’re here, because I got so involved in researching and recreating the clothing and fashion of women in England during the time Elizabeth of York (Henry VIII’s mother) was on the throne (1486-1503) that I exhausted the resources at the University of North Carolina and Duke University libraries. To make a more comprehensive study, I had to go to England, and so, thanks to a lot of luck and an awesome husband, here we are. I hope that with the children in school I will be able to work on my research. Perhaps I can even amass enough useful information to write a book.