Expat life can often feel like “two steps forward, one step back.” The thrill of getting more settled, achieving goals and seeing and experiencing new things is sometimes tempered by expat realities. This week has been great, but then I check the mail and see that the NI application process is indeed not as easy as it seemed. It takes a lot of paperwork to live abroad! Haha.
Luckily, I also received a card from my mom containing fabric swatches for my bridesmaids’ dresses! Planning a wedding from abroad has its challenges, and I am so lucky to have my mom’s help through it all. The colors are exactly what I wanted and arrived quickly so I won’t be leaving my girls in the lurch with late ordering. The store was super helpful. Successfully avoided dropping the ball on that one, phew!
Speaking of, this will be my last week of dropping the ball on pictures! I am totally copping out with a food pic, I know. It’s funny how quickly the city has become my everyday backdrop. From now on this Friday Few series isn’t just great for keeping family and friends updated, it is also going to keep me on my toes to be taking in and appreciating all of the special details of this city. With the Christmas lights being turned on this weekend, I think that should be pretty easy for next week 🙂
Now for my slightly pathetic group of snaps from the week:
The Clachan in Soho all spooky for Halloween. The staff went all in on their costumes and the place was packed on a Friday after work. I tried a Mortimer cider and it was delicious. I’ll be looking for it again soon!
My attempt at capturing the fireworks display over our neighborhood on Sunday evening. As you can see, amateur fireworks and an amateur photographer are a bad combination.
We first noticed fireworks on our walk home from the grocery store. The ones we saw then were really low and large in the midst of the city, it did not seem safe at all.
We’re still not sure why they were going off (possibly Diwali?), but it seems like it’s a thing. I had noticed a display selling fireworks at the grocery store a week or so ago and Bonfire Night is this weekend so there will be plenty more. Seems a bit dangerous to me, but I love fireworks so I’m rolling with it!
Doing my civic duty in my new coat! I dropped off our absentee ballots on the way to see Bridget Jones Baby with some fellow expats on my day off. The theater was really pretty and the movie was ridiculous but cute. Made my miss my little babies (who are getting so big and grown up!).
I am pictured here accidentally on a District Line train when I thought I was on the Circle Line. I do this every time. I had to get off at the first stop and change platforms to get on the right train 😂
View peeking into the beautifully cozy, warm and lovely Andrew Edmunds in Soho. I walked by one day during work and told Andrew that I passed the cutest restaurant. He called and made a reservation that day! We went for dinner on Wednesday night and enjoyed the ambiance and great service. It really felt like a European meal. And Andrew tried pigeon!
I’ve heard from several expats that weight loss usually accompanies a move from American to the UK. I’ve heard of women losing as much as 10 pounds with no effort! Now that I am here, I can see why. Portion sizes are much smaller (we may or may not have stopped at the pub on our way home from Wednesday’s dinner for a side of chips…) and it is much easier to make healthy choices here because there is an abundance of convenient options available. Top that off with lots of walking to get around and while touring, and you’ve got a good recipe for losing a few pounds. TBD if I have, but this is certainly not a bad thing for the upcoming wedding!
Pictured here is my go-to lunch at work: a salad from Pure. Quick, easy, healthy, tasty… done! Pictured above is my beautiful “Pure Protein” salad before I added the kale dressing (not a joke) and promptly devoured it. Delicious.
This weekend will bring more touring and I signed up for a travel writing class, which I am excited to attend. This week I will strive for better pictures, thank you for bearing with me!
Jenn is an American expat living in London, spending her time freelancing, traveling and writing on this here blog. Thank you for reading. Are you planning a trip here? Tell me your plans in the comments!
