Friday

Today was the first day I felt homesick. I had the same feelings when I moved to Indiana, and eventually they passed. I think this time it has more to do with the lack of social interaction. My new place doesn’t have TV, phone, internet, etc, etc. I had a similar problem when I first moved to Indiana, because everyone I worked with would scatter and do the family thing after 5, and I was stuck by myself. I do the pubs here, but it is hit-or-miss as to whether people want to BS with an American for a while. I think I am ready to get back to work and be re-introduced to that social network. Having a degree at 26 (or 23, in my case) seems rare around here. A lot of people still live with their parents at that age, and as far as I can tell don’t do much except for drink in pubs and stand around in public. There’s a decent group at work that fit my genre. It is tougher here because I am so far removed from ANYONE or ANYTHING I know. I can’t even go for a leisurely drive through the country because I have no car, I cant go rent a movie because I have no TV or DVD player and I am pretty sure my laptop wont play movies coded for this region (however I do get a new laptop once I start work and I hope that will solve that problem). Don’t know, just sucks a little. It’ll get better though.

Anyway, today I spent the day shopping after moving into my new place. My new place needed a lot of stuff, like bedding, toilet paper, light bulbs, etc. I got a nice backpack from my aunt, uncle and cousins which would be good for backpacking, so I would go to the store, load up with stuff, and return home. I made several trips like this until most of my stuff was crossed off the list. I still have more to do, as I have no groceries or cleaning suppliers, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

I always wanted to live in a place with stairs, but 3 floors are too many. Especially, when nothing you need is on the same floor. The ground floor is the entrance to the building, the second floor is the kitchen and living room, and the third floor is the bathroom and my bedroom. There are 2 other bedrooms (one with a mattress) if anyone wants to stop in between now and March 1.

I bought thumbtacks for hanging posters and stuff, but for some reason I can’t get them into the walls. They built the buildings stout around here. And no, they aren’t brick. From looking around, the previous tenant used wood screws and framing nails to hang their decorations, so I think I am going to have to follow suit. If only I hadn’t left that hammer and screwdriver 7,000 miles away.

Oh, and while the English have gotten better dental care, they still smoke a lot. I guess that is why there are ad campaigns (below) about cocaine and not cigarettes like in the US; they have bigger fish to fry.

Lastly, I tried to watch soccer. It is not for me. Even the highlights are boring. I am really, really hoping that I can do down to Starbucks and stream the NFL playoffs online. If I can’t watch the Superbowl, I am going to need someone to record it and send it overnight. I had to do the same thing for my boss when he was in India.