a year in london : america

having lived and worked in london now for exactly a year, i've come to realise that there is a lot i miss about america, beyond friends and family. most of these pangings for america seem to be food orientated, and some of them aren't even specifically american, but just luxuries i got used to when i was there.

ah, i miss them, specifically (but not limited to):

jif creamy reduced fat peanut butter.
chipotle.
einsteins bagels.
free refills.
driving a car.
a large living room.
more than 5 tv stations.
tv shows that aren't about property.
twizzlers.
american tasting cherry coke (all the cokes taste different here).
lounging on the couch all day long.
best buy.
oakbrook shopping centre (who knew!?).
flavored frozen yogurt.
cheap ice cream.
a walk-in closet.
a backyard.
galyans & other large sport stores.
advil.

i'll stop here because the list could go on and on, and i think i've made my point: when i was coming to london, i never acknowledged the fact that it would be the small things that i would miss so much.


***post note***
get this: i've paid £4.85 for a jar of jif peanut butter here. thats nine dollars! holy crap, i've recently paid $9 for a jar of american pb to avoid the crap they try to pass as edible peanut butter over here. and it was totally worth it.

but i know, when i leave london, i'm so going to miss alot of things here. it's something of a 'the grass is always greener' condition i suppose.

a year in london: london

well today marks my first full year of work and living in london. although each month has seemed to fly by, looking back to last year when i started feels like a long time ago.

i've really enjoyed my time so far. overall, my job is great. good hours, good location, decent pay, lots of holidays, and most importantly, good people. one of my absolute favorite things to do is to go out for a drink after work with people from the office. granted some days are a struggle to get through work, but i think that just comes with the territory known as 'work'.

i've been able to travel alot, mostly back to ireland. managed to make a quick trip to amsterdam (with monica!) which was amazing. also went to lille for the christmas markets. and thanks to frisbee, i got to see copenhagen, and am going to basel shortly. frisbee has been awesome too. i've gotten to play with my work team for summer league (a good laugh), the london club team (pretty competitive...it's pushing me hard to improve my game and my throws), and the irish women's team at europeans (what can i say..it was an absolutely amazing experience).

so, in the spirit of making lists, here's a list of things i'm liking about london, a year on:

hyde park
drinks after work
frisbee on the common
the candy!!!! (x10 better than american candy)
touch rugby
watching rubgy
the tube
regents park
the sense of humour
being so close to europe
the eurostar
walking to work
lilt (grapefruit/orange soda)
fresh bread rolls, baguette style
walking by the thames, south bank


it's been a good year, and i'm enjoying london. i'm by no means in love with the city like i was with san francisco, and i can't see myself staying here indefinitely, but for now, its working. pretty well.