England Diaries: Day 17

Sheffield Train Station

England Diaries: Day 16

Today, I did two things that I never had to do by myself. I painted my nails, one hand at a time though, so I can still do some chores whilst waiting for it to dry. I also (finally) got my stubborn ingrown toenail that's been doing my head in for the past week, preventing me to strut in me sexy dainty shoes! Very bad. It hurt like hell but heck, I do it way better than the nailwoman back home. I realised, she's been trimming my nails improperly, causing me to have ingrowns all the time. All she does is trim the ingrown instead of letting it grow out and let the nail grow properly. So I end up with ingrowns every 6 weeks. So I am putting an end to that.




NOTES > COINS

It's weird for me to see people use coins and credit/debit cards to pay for their purchases all the time, because back home, it almost never happens.

First of all, your average Filipino won't have a credit card, some by choice but most don't even qualify for one. I owned an internet cafe and even I was not qualified to get a credit card, not that I wanted one. And you won't see people using coins to pay for a week's load of groceries. They use a lot of coins here, and of course to me, all of them look the same - they all have the queens head on them. Philippine coins have different people on them, they come in different colours, and they are definitely not worth as much as the English ones.


So with that said, I have to memorise and and be able to determine which coins are which because soon enough, I'd have to use them myself. James will be home tonight in exactly one hour from now, and we will be having a mini test about the coins and I think I will nail it :D

God, I miss our television shows back home. British telly is rubbish! They like showing repeats all the time. They don't have noontime variety shows. They don't have entertaining gameshows, and most of all, they don't have my favourite channels! No Animal Planet, no Sky Sports, no HBO, no StarTV - nothing. Where are the British comedy I looked forward to?? Pfft.


Ah, well, people probably have better things to do than watch telly here.

Animals > People

I miss my cats soooo much. I wake up every day and wish i could hear their footsteps coming up to my room and meowing their hearts out at me. When I am ill and I touch any of my cats, I suddenly feel much better. And I have been sick here since I arrived. I love my pets because they give without wanting anything in return. Well, of course they want food, but if you didn't give them the food they want, they won't tell you harsh words, or hurt you in any way and blame you for not making life amazing for them. People, even the ones we love, sometimes forget that there is only so much someone can do for them. The moment you are not able to help them, or give them what they want, everything that you've done for them is chucked out the window and forgotten about. What they really forget is to take a little time to think about the things they have done for you, instead of thinking what else they can get out of you. Sometimes it gets to me and I don't understand why some people just can't stop for a while, and be selfless. Maybe, just maybe, they would know how amazing it actually feels to give, and for once give something back to people who has given so much. I know some people cannot give, but it's not hard to remember. Remember who was there when no one else was or wanted to be. But anyway, I was talking about my cats... I miss them because they have been a great family, and it hurts to think I may never see or hold them again. I love them because they are empathetic, appreciative and thoughtful. And that is hard to find nowadays.
Fortunately, I am blessed to have found one. And right now, he is hungry and knackered from his 10 hour-shift. And I am going to make him a lovely tea... I don't know what to cook yet though... I suck!

I've been without my fleece the whole day and I ain't even chilly, and the heating is off. Man, I'm doing well. James's dad will be so proud of me hahaha xx

England Diaries: Day 15

This is where we go food shopping :)























Beautiful flowers in the front garden :)

England Diaries: Day 14

Today marks my second week in England! Well, I can say I am getting adapted to their weather. I can actually go into the garden with only one layer of clother and breath in the air without freezing. yes, even when it's cloudy and gloomy outside. All I need to do really, is buy warmer clothes that are pretty too (and maybe some that are my size) :p So, I need to get a job. Speaking of which, I heard from Eileen today and she asked me if she could forward my CV for an admin job in Chesterfield, and after going on about details of whereabouts it is, and what the job will require of me, she told me she will contact me on Monday since it's the weekend. For some reason, I am excited more than nervous :)

I have two loads of washing to do today, and James only works till 4PM today, and I haven't decided what's for dinner yet. Great.

England Diaries: Day 13

Yesterday was Day 12. But I have a very painful ingrown toenail that I just couldn't be arsed to blog. I bumped it on James's knee the night before and I think that made it hurt a lot worse. And wearing closed shoes and walking a lot on the 23rd also affected it. And yesterday, I had to take 1000mg of paracetamol on an empty stomach because I didn't want to be late for my appointment with the recruitment agency in Mansfield. I had to wear my trainers and bring my black shoes because there was no way in hell I could walk in my dainty shoes. And well, not only that, we had to walk in the rain because suddenly the weather decided to turn against me again. It toook a bit for the painkiller to take effect, and even when it did, my toe still hurt like crap. To make things more "English", we had to stand in the coach station for more than thirty minutes, freezing our arses in the pouring rain. Somehow I feel better when I felt James's hands and they were cold... At least I know I am not being a big baby - it really is cold. The ride to Mansfield was cool. I love the roads here, and the scenery. The only thing I hate is that the bus driver doesn't wait for you to find yourself a seat, he just drives off. And he doesn't wait for you either when you have to get off at your station, so you have to be at the door even before he makes a stop. I hate that... My shoes are simply not made for that :p

I am getting a better idea of England now. It's so cute how people thank the bus driver when they get off. I think James took my joke seriously when I asked him why they thank the driver, when it's his job to drive, and that it's not like it was a free ride :p I was only kidding, but I think it's a very friendly gesture. It encourages the bus driver to drive safely, and I know that a simple smile and simple thank you really do wonders. He showed me where his two good mates live, one in Hasland and one in Temple Normanton (he quizzes me with the places we drive through), his mates that I've only seen as a human rogue and a night elf hunter.

So we got to the recruitment agency, after changing from trainers to my dainty shoes, we went inside. Paula said I was twenty minutes early, so I sat there most of the time. I filled in pages of forms, did a written literacy test and typing speed test and a 1-on-1 interview with Eileen (sp?) They were all very polite, smiley and friendly so I did not get nervous at all. While sitting there waiting, I saw the sun shining through the window! I couldn't wait to get out! But guess what, when I was finished (an hour and a half later), it decided to pour again. Great.

On our bus ride home, I changed into trainers again because my toe was killing me - literally.
And when we got home, James only had time for a quick sandwich before he had to go to work. He's such a star. He was very nice to every one back home, but here, he is even more amazing. So apart from a text from Gareth that night, there was nothing peculiar about today.

The 12th Day in details!

These photos were taken on the 23rd, my 11th day here in England. James had the day off so we went for a walkto town, along the canal. I made sure I wore my trainers because it's a bit muddy and narrow along that path. I imagine the canal would be really scary in the dark because there is so many strange noises that come from every direction: the tall tress, the waters, the grasses and even the road nearby. But this paricular noise that made James stop walking is probably one of the most beautiful sound Nature creates. I know it's one of the most fantastic sound I have heard in my life. It echoes throughout the whole place that James and I had to listen closely to determine the source of it. He knew what it was - I had no idea. When he told me what it was, I couldn't wait to find it, and I spotted it first :-) It was a woodpecker! I've never seen or heard one in real life before. The only wildlife we have back home are the myna and parrots that my neighbour keep as pets, the wild sparrows that wake me up every morning, oh, and the cow that lives in 19A!
James said he rarely sees a woodpecker, and that I am lucky that I saw (and heard) one on my first walk along the canal :-) But then, the day before that, he also told me that he never sees starlings anymore, whereas they used to nest in the gutter on their roof. A few hours later, we saw a dozen of them in the garden uprooting grasses and digging the soil in search of... insects? They completely ignored the piece of bread and the banana that was kissing their asses. Ah, well, leave that to the magpies, black birds, robins, wood pigeons and sparrows. It must be cool to be a bird. You can fly and watch the world as it spins below you.

Today, I also had a taste of my first English McDonald's. The place wasn't yellow, like Makky D's back home always are. Instead it was green, with weird and uncomfortable seats. James had BigMac meal with large chips and coke, I only had nuggets and chips. I never liked Makky's, I have always been and will always be a Jollibee baby :-)

Since it was a gorgeous sunny spring day, James and I walked a lot around town. We shopped for a little bit. He got me a pair of sexy black boots and black shoes he says I'd use when I start working. And also a pair of black trousers from Top Shop. It was dear, but it was the only size that fits me, and even size 6 is still two inches loose around my waist :p

Then we went to PC Shop, and he argued over which wireless network card he should get. In the end we opt for the safe choice - the wireless USB adapter. I installed it when we got home and it worked a lot better than his built-in one, but as the label says, it ain't good for gaming. But who needs gaming?

We did more walking because it was just too lovely a day to waste. So we walked from town centre to Spencer street and found the Catholic church that his mum looked up for me in the directory. Unfortunately it's closed, so that's another one in my list :-). I didn't get to see how it's like inside but outside, it's a gorgeous structure.

We didn't have tea until 11PM, because we were both full from Makky's offering :-) It was roast chicken, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies and my homebaked brownies for pudding. I slept so well because to tell you the truth, all that walking knackered me out.

England Diaries: Day 12

I am still making tea atm, and I have a job interview tomorrow morning, so I will write on here about my day tomorrow :-)

England Diaries: Day 11

I am taking a break from trying to get a bit of wood inside my index finger, so I thought I'd write some on here.
It's quite warm and sunny outside, 14 degrees :-) I think the weather is starting to pick up.

I was chatting with my brother and mum on Yahoo when the power went out. I thought, well look at that, feels just like home. But two and a bit hours later, it wasn't like home anymore. James rang me from work asking if the power is back yet, and when I said not yet, he concluded that it might be a switch in the Fuse box that tripped, and that his dad is going to ring me in a minute. Not a second longer, his dad called me on my moby and instructed me to check the fuse box in the garage and make sure all the switches are up. But five minutes later, he realised that what I needed to check was the dial and not one of the eight switches, and I saw that it was off so I guess I was the only one in the neighbourhood who was cold and bored for two hours. Now, the main problem was figuring out how to reach the switch :D I am not 6'1 like James, or 6'3 like his dad... Good job they have everything in the garage, all the tools I could think of (and not) were there, and a handy ladder came in handy.. and a meter long stick. But even though I was able to reach the switch with the stick, I couldn't turn the dial around with it. So I had to move the steps closer, had to move a huge bike out of the way, climb the wall a little bit and turn the switch with my right hand. (well, my left hand was busy tightly gripping on a pole, clinging on for my dear life) I hate anything to do with electric so I had to ask James's dad if it's safe to turn the dial with my hand (cos it was his idea to use a stick), and even then I had to close my eyes haha.
So from the stick, I now have specks of wood inside my finger and it's hurting so I need to take it out right NOW.

English Diaries: DAY 10

Today has not started good. I was coughing all night and this morning wasn’t any better. Fortunately, James decided to skip work today to look after me. At 9 in the morning, my moby rang, and since I was half-asleep (not to mention still coughing like mad), I didn’t answer it. After that, the house phone rang twice.

After listening to the answer phone message on my mobile phone, James and I found out that it’s someone from this recruitment agency trying to reach me, about the job application I made online on Saturday evening. I peeled myself off the bed and rang the number Paula left me on her message and she scheduled me for Thursday interview. I always get nervous about job interviews. It’s the same feeling as when I used to go home at 10PM on a school night from a cheer dance rehearsal, knowing that what I am going to tell my mother is the truth, but it still scares me.

A GOOD MORNING WALK

Surprisingly enough, the sun came out today out here in sunny England, so I decided that a little fresh air would do me a world of good. So we walked to Sainbury’s and did some food shopping (woohoo!!), he got me some king prawns (what a darling). I made him club style sandwich, (chicken, boiled eggs, cheese, tomatoes and lettuce) and baked chocolate chip brownies (he loves to eat ‘em I luv to cook ‘em).

After that, while I prepare the pork stew for tea, I let him play a bit of WOW. He hasn’t played WOW in ages and he didn’t go to work today for me so he deserves a bit of WOWing. After two epics and a green, it’s time for tea. Tossed salad, pork stew and boiled potatoes with Grey’s Anatomy playing on the telly, my husband next to me in a warm and cozy room, what could be better? Well, my mum in the same room, but for now anyway.

James is ready for pudding now, so I gottta go for now. It sucks I couldn’t write proper right now because I am still coughing like shite L I feel like crap.

Ah well, things can only get better, yeah?

Finger crossed xx

PS: I got a toot-toot today, and James has found a new way to tease the hell outta me. Ah, one more thing, I got another call from another recruitment agency and I have to ring them tomorrow because it was too late when I saw that I had a missed call and an answer phone message. Fun fun fun.

England Diaries: Day 8

So I've been here for a week now. I don't really know what to say about my first week here. I miss home so much: I miss my family, I miss my cats, I miss the weather, I miss the telly programs in all our 64 cable stations.

Whatever happened to Day 6 & 7? I was not feeling too good to be arsed to write here, so I didn't. I had a fever, then just a cold, now I have a cold and a bad case of cough. James couldn't sleep last night, the poor bloke, I feel sorry for him. But he is a very light sleeper. The slightest of noise wakes him, so just imagine me coughing the night away.

DAY 6 was a good day - not weather-wise, not at all. But it was memorable because I cooked my first Filipino dish here in England - the famous adobo :-) Ironically, I got fed up of it back home because we'd have it every other day. But when I got here, I actually miss it. I missed the nice aroma of it cooking in the kitchen, so I thought, heck why not? I got soya sauce from the Asian Store a few days ago, so I went ahead and cooked adobo. I had to substitute lemon juice for vinegar though because I didn't get vinegar from the Asian Store and the one they use here which is Cider won't taste very good as I've tried that at home and it wasn't really nice. Surprisingly, my chicken adobo turned out well :-) I found out that the rice they have here is also different from the one I am used to back home. Of course we had rice cooker at home which made it easier to cook it there, but still. The rice they have here cooks in five minutes after it boils. I don't know, maybe it has been ages ago since I last cooked rice on a pot, but I remember it taking a bit longer than five minutes. But anyway, for the first time in my six days here, I had a nice meal.

DAY 7: Speaking of nice meals, we had a lovely dinner yesterday at De Rodes, where James works. It's a nice cozy place, and the food wasn't bad either. It wasn't class, but it was nice nonetheless. James's workmates were nice, but there were only four of them, well five if you count the one who was taking a fag outside.
It was really good to hear a local say "my god, it's freezing out there". So I wasn't just being a big baby after all. I know I have been a pain in James's arse because I complain about the weather every chance I get, but thankfully, it's not just me. And I am not the only one who is coughing in this house. Maddy just got home and told me I probably got the cough from her, as she's been coughing for the past two days. But I said, it's just the weather. It was 38 degrees in the Philippines when I left and suddenly I got shoved into a freezer with the door tightly shut, so it will take me a bit of time to get used to it. I am trying my best because I know James is really trying more than he thought his best was, but really, it's not easy. Hopefully, Chris is right as he was educating me today about England's geography and climate. He said it should get warmer in the days to come. I hope he is right. Wendy told me the same thing today actually. Richard and she was over here this afty, and for some reason I like her. James said he did not like her, but she is very nice and friendly to me. I wish I could tell her more stories but I had nothing to say after I told her my day yesterday with James. I should really get out more so I have more to say to people when they talk to me and tell me their stories. Sometimes it makes me feel dumb when all I do is nod and smile and say "really that's nice", and not be able to tell a story of my own. Well, I could say "my nose has been runny since I got here and look at me now I am coughing like mad", but I don't think that will interest them in the slightest, so I just kept smiling.

So today is Day 8, James will be home in about fifteen minutes so I better stop writing for now. I have made him his sandwiches (spam, cheese, boiled eggs, tomatoes, lettuce) but I haven't started on the pancit. Yep, that's right, I am cooking pancit. James likes it too, in fact. I hope he comes home soon, so I could start. I sent him a text message asking him to get some snow peas/mange tout and carrots for the pancit.
Maddy just gave me this crochet snuggly she said I could snuggle to when I am watching telly or something. Very thoughtful :-)

So that's how I have been so far in England. I really need to write emails back to my mates -.- I'll do that after tea. I've only got to read Ninang Ofelia's email, because I don't check my yahoo account often and I feel guilty for not replying as she wrote me the day I was leaving for England.

Ok, well the great wacko is here, so ta-ra for now :-) xx

PiX of d Day

The Crooked Spire

England Diaries: Day 5

Today had been quite productive. James and I went into town and accomplished five things! First, we went to HSBC to change his bank accounts into joint account, and we were told that in a week's time, if there is no problem with the details we've provided, that I shall get my card in the post. Then we went to this mobile phone shop and got me an Orange SIM card cos he has been texting me on my PI number still the past couple of days, which I found right funny. He topped it up with £10 so I can text him at work. After that, we went into BOOTS and got me a moisturising cream because my skin is drying up like hell in this country, so I desperately needed that. Also got a hairbrush for me, who among all people who has very long hair does not have her own hairbrush. So at last, I get to brush my hair properly since I got here. I wasn't happy about the price of stuff here, but I suppose it's all relative to the standard of living. It's just I always do a mental calculation of prices here converted into pesos, just like when I look at the time here, I check PI and UK time, so I practically live in two time zones. James also showed me the Chesterfield Library, which I thought was really cool, you can use computers inside the building, and borrow books and DVDs etc. James picked up a book because he gets bored on his bus ride to and from work. After that, we went to NeW LooK, because he said I needed black boots in which I can walk a little bit faster in (ZOMG). We found some really good bargain but I couldn't be arsed to try them on because it's hard to zip my boots back on again, so we left that for another day. According to my Sketchers trainers, I am a UK size 4, that sounds small to me because back home I am a 6/7. I guess I will find out when we go back to NL to try some shoes and boots on, and I will make sure I am prepared then.. So, yeah, I'm kinda bummed that I couldn't try shoes on today.

I think the cold weather has washed out my brain cells because I have already forgotten the name of the coffee shop we went to for a cuppa. James said that it used to be Pizza Hut there so it was quite new and he's never been in it before. It was a cozy place, and James picked the best spot, the couch was really comfy, and actually warm! (yes, warm.) I ended up drinking James's hot mocha, and I let him have my hot chocolate because I knew he wasn't enjoying his mocha drink. He finished the hot chocolate in no time at all. Last but not the least, we went to Job Centre and printed out a few job vacancies that possibly suit me. It made me wish we had a place like that in the Philippines, it would do a lot of people a world of good.

"Making sure he eats healthy, eh?"
{smile}
The fifth thing that we accomplished today? absolutely priceless bonding as husband and wife. When we got home, I cooked fried chicken and made chicken salad sandwich for dinner whilst he tidied up and vacuumed the bathroom. He can't go to work unless he ate proper food (no, not his usual cheese sandwich) and one of the reasons I love cooking and making him proper meals, may it be breaky, dinner or tea, is that he loves to eat, and you can see it when he eats that he really appreciates the food that is in front of him and the effort that has been put into preparing it. I trick him by making layered sandwiches, that way he eats more than he thinks. Gotta fatten him a wee bit :-)
At 3PM, he had to leave for work, and he is working today until 11PM, but at least now I can text him back on his break.

I did the washing today, trousers and jeans. And I hand washed his work shirts because the one he is wearing today is the last one and knowing him, it will have stains on it somewhere. White shirts suck to be honest. I've hung all the clothes up, and I need to bring them inside now because it's getting dark. It's past 8 in the evening and it's still bloody light outside. I have to get used to this. Back home, the sun sets at 5:30, so it's kind of weird for me to look at the clock and see 8:15PM and look out the window and see light!

Ok, that's all my day for now. I need to write a cover letter for my work applications and I need to get it done now before I forget :-D

Ah, by the way, I think the coffee shop we went to is called Costa. I remember it being written across this humongous coffee cup.

Until next time. Ta-ra!

_________________________________

9:59PM

I've just got a phone call from James saying they are just closing at work, and that he will be home in a couple of hours. Good timing as I told him I have just finished writing the cover letter for my job application. I have never had to write a cover letter for any of my previous jobs before, so I am an absolute noob with this sort of thing, but I am no noob to writing, so I think I did OK.

I've done the washing and drying up, and also made a fresh fruit salad for James to snack on when he gets back tonight as he told me he doesn't really want anything heavy for tea because he'd be tired and it'd be late, so I thought I'd just make him something healthy to snack on at least

I've always known my skin is super sensitive, but my god, I did not realise just how bad it is. So, as I have already said, my skin is ultra-dry probably because I don't use moisturiser of any sort.. I never use them because they make my skin oily and itchy (yes I have tried way too many brands and sorts). But I think I might have to lump it and hope for the best. My lips are no longer dry, it has been normal for the past two days actually, but there is now a canker sore on the left corner of my lips which sucks big time. The weather here is rubbish, I don't know how I am going to get used to it, if that is even half possible. It was 5 degrees C this morning but the wind felt like -5... I mean, really..

Man, I miss my cats... What I wouldn't give just now to cuddle with every single one of them...
I guess you can't have the best of both worlds, eh?

England Diaries: Day 4

I survived my first English fever yesterday with no meds at all, not bad eh? Although, I have to say I missed my mum because she would look after me and wouldn't stop checking on me until I am yelling and screaming around the house again.
James came home last night at around 11PM, and said I was like a toaster.. but maybe because his hands were freezing from being out in the cold? Good job I have already made him a sandwich for his tea so it was ready when he got home, I don't think I would have managed to make it after 4PM yesterday when I started feeling really ill.
I got my first letter in the post today, came very early in the morning. It's from the National Insurance confirming my appointment on the 28th of April. Tomorrow, James and I are going to the Job Centre and he said he is going to show me more of the town as well. I just hope it does not rain.

"I will be here to support you, so you sort him out, cos I sure as hell can't sort him out"
[laughter]
He's at work again today from 3PM-9PM, so it's not so bad. We had dinner together before he left, fish and chips and peas. It was surprisingly nice for an oven-ready meal. After he left for work, Madeleine and I went for a 5 minute walk. She showed me where the postbox is, and explained how the post system works. It's very handy if you can't be arsed to go to the post office. She also told me the name of the different trees in their front and back garden but I could only remember half.. It's a shame really, because I love trees and i don't even know the name of the one kind of tree we have back home, around the estate where I lived for seventeen years. She showed me the lavenders and tulips they have in their garden, pointed out the little cherry tree and the bamboo plant.
I asked her what she was making for dinner and if she wanted any help. She said not really, but I volunteered to peel the potatoes anyway. As it turned out, at this time of the year, they have "new potatoes" and u don't peel them. Instead, you wash them and scrape the skin off which was quite annoying and took an awful lot of time. I did not see much point in scraping it instead though. I could have peeled it very thinly and it would have taken me half the time, but oh well. I'm in England so I'll do as the English do... until I get my own kitchen, of course.. then, old or new potato gets peeled the same :D

"He was so cute then.. what went wrong?"
"Haha, you tell me"
{chuckles}
The highlight of my day though has been looking at the photo albums that Madeleine has found for me. I can't believe how adorable James was as a little boy! He was a right poser as well! I knew he was faking it and playing shy the first times we took photos. He's the most adorable little boy I have ever seen. Judging from the photos in the six photo albums Madeleine showed me, I think that he has had a wonderful childhood anyone could ever ask for.

England Diaries: Day 3

It’s 10:58AM here in England, and James has just left for work and I have the house to myself. Madeleine went out and won’t be back till 12noon, and Chris went to work. And I’ve just seen a tiny spider on the side of the microwave! Good job it’s only a small one because my safety cushion is not home at the moment. This one appears to be missing it’s eight leg, but no worries because it will regenerate in no time. Must be so good to not have to worry about losing a leg or a hand. My first wash load just finished so I have to get the clothes out of the washing machine and it looks sunny outside perhaps I could hang the clothes out to dry. It’s sunny but it’s 8 Celsius, chilly wind, anyone?

11:05AM

Great, my first attempt at washing has been successful J I have never had to wash clothes before and I felt stupid not knowing if any of my coloured clothes is not safe to wash with the rest. I’ve checked our clothes and every one seems fine. I think maybe I will put a second load of wash, jeans etc. But first I need to hang these ice cold clothes.

3:14PM

I have just finished ironing some clothes and my mother-in-law was impressed. She said I shouldn’t be too good at ironing because she sucks at it and for someone who never had to iron her own clothes, I think I did quite well.

We had dinner together, I made salad for us two, and another for Chris for when he gets home, and spam salad sandwich for James’s tea when he gets home tonight at 11PM. He has just rang me from his work, checking if I have had anything to eat yet. Good job I could honestly say yes, cos I usually just say yes anyway.

I had a good chat with Madeleine, she showed me baby pictures of James and Liz and told me some stuff about him as a young boy. She also showed me a brochure of where she works. It’s a beautiful castle and she said she will take me there one of these days when she is not working. She got me two kinds of lip balms which was nice. My lips are drier than the deserts of Africa. Honestly, my lips look like shite. But they smiled when I saw hail this afty. It’s cool to see droplets of ice fall on the grass beds of the garden.
I have a right bad sorehead right now so I think I’m gonna take a lie down and write more later if there is anything to write at all.

I rang the Job Centre hotline today to inquire about getting a National Insurance Number which is required to be able to work in the UK. The girl who spoke to me decided that I did not need an interpreter and got me an appointment on the 28^th of April. So I have two weeks doing absolutely nothing. Great.

A Sisterly Advice

I came to England with return flights simply because it was cheaper than getting just a one-way ticket. But now and again, I think of taking the flight back home on the 28th of April thinking I might not be cut out for this kind of life, and this kind of weather. It really is hard not living in your own home, not being able to do what you want to do, like back home, I would lounge around and had Elena to do every thing for me, and had my cats to cuddle whenever I feel like it.

I knew I was going to miss home, but I did not expect it to be like this. It is fun but at the same time, I get scared that I may not be able to do things the way I thought I would.
I speak to my family every day on messenger but it does not lessen the loneliness I feel being so far away from home. I told my sister I wanted to go home, and she said that I should just think how many people want to leave the Philippines for a shot at a better life abroad, and imagine the number of people who just dream about actually getting to another country to have a better job and a better life. She is right, I should really think that the next time I think of going home. It is not as easily done as it is said, but I can do it. Especially when I have nice people around me and a very supportive husband who has my best interest at heart. I know my family's prayers are with me so it shouldn't be so hard. Right?

England Diaries: Day 2

Today started really slow. I woke up at 6:30 in the morning, and of course James wakes up when I do because the slightest sound wakes him. Our bed isn't big like the one I have back home, and we only have 2 cushions compared to 11 I had in my room, but since James and I are both skinny, we actually are very comfy in his bed. Not to mention the fact that in this cold country, warmth is very very welcome indeed.

I cooked ham and cheese omelette for breakfast, and a nice cup of coffee, and I went to Arathi Highlands, because for some reason, I had an urge to go to it. Weird, I know, but that's me. James ended up doing heroic Mechanar on his paladin with my brother's tankadin and they did it with no wipes. Pro.

I couldn't decide what to have for dinner, so I munched on biscuits we got from Sainsbury's yesterday. They were quite nice, but they're too sweet for me. Somehow sweet food tend to give me headache so I try to avoid them. My last proper meal was on the plane so after eating half a packet of fruity biscuits, I still felt hungry, but I didn't know what to eat. I tried to munch on Doritos, but James said I can't keep eating junk so he went to the supermarket and got me a selection of food. He got me breaded fish what looked tasty, ready meal (spicy chicken and veg with rice) and assorted pot noodles. He even got me Cosmopolitan Magazine UK. He's such a star.

So I chose the spicy chicken and he chucked it in the oven for me and even served me a glass of water with it. Oh, I haven't mentioned, but the tap water here is colder than the bottled ones we put in the freezer back home :D

That would be so good back home, will save us a lot of money :-)

MISSING HOME

I think James noticed I was about to break into tears because I was missing home so bad. Honestly want to go home because I feel like there is more back home for me than there is here. I wonder how it feels like for OFWs who have nobody in a strange land. It must be right hard for them. So James thought I needed to get out of the house to get me out of the lonely spell I was slowly sinking into. So I got dressed, put on my trainers which I never wear. And to James's delight, we walked twice the pace as usual in my 'normal' pair of shoes. It was actually more fun to walk in my trainers cos I can concentrate on what is around me than having to focus all the time on the terrain, afraid it might damage my heel or something awful like that. It was really cold even though I was wearing 3 tops, socks and gloves. The wind was very chilly and it was blowing right into my face which was really hard to take in because it made it hard for me to breath. But it was well worth it because the view out there was simply gorgeous. I hope to go there when it is warmer and watch the sunset because I can just picture how lovely it would be.

It was a welcome stop at Richard's house. They are the first family I met since coming here two days ago. I met Richard, James's dad's younger brother and his girlfriend, Wendy and little Tara. They were both very nice and warm people, even warmer than their house (trust me, my hands were freezing in spite being inside their warm house). We stayed for ten minutes, had a bit of chat with them and they were really lovely people I was really surprised how nice they were. They offered us a drink but James and I were not staying long so we passed on the offer. Perhaps next time, we will take on the offer :-)

The walk back seemed shorter, and I learned that walking faster helps shake the cold off. It was really fun taking a walk with James because he would tell me stories as we walked past certain spots, like what he used to do there when he was younger, naughty things he did with his mates etc. I don't take many walks back home, in fact I hardly ever go out for a walk, so I really enjoyed that, but for sure I will enjoy it better if it was warmer than 8 degrees with chilly air blowing at my face.

Walks could be fun and maybe I will get to love weaing my trainers afterall.

The sun actually shines out here!

Today was a fun day. James and I took a 20-minute walk to the town centre and it was the longest walk I ever took for a long time, in 3-inch heels as well. It was cold when we started walking but eventually, I sweat from walking up and down the hill and the sun came up which was very welcome. I actually had to take my coat (actually, Liz') off when we got to the Town Centre. James got me three coats: water proof coat, a dressy (top) coat and a very comfy fleece coat. I never knew there were so many types of stuff that I don't wear :D

After that, we took a look around the other shops in the area. We went in the Asian Store and it was good to see local stuff in there selling for 5 times the price! We picked up pancit noodles and soya sauce because James loves pancit, and I think tomorrow I am going to cook it for him and his parents to sample. I'm quite happy that my in-laws had the chicken pasta i cooked this afty for James' dinner. They ate all of it too, and said it was very tasty. Not bad for my first try :) The stuff I normally use back home to make it is not available in Sainsbury's, so I picked up raw ingredients and just made it taste as close to what James likes as possible. I put some sugar, which is very rare of me. I almost never put sugar in my dishes, only when I bake cakes and cookies (well, duh!)

The sun set at 8PM today, which is right weird because back home, the sun sets at 5:30. So that was my day today, it was fun and exciting but at the end of the day, I miss home. I miss my cats so much it hurts to think I may not see them again. Even the little ones, I wish they would've been born sooner so that I could've been around to watch them grow. It's good that over here, I could leave the bedroom door open, and buy a black coat without having to worry about cat hair being all over it. But if I had a choice, I would rather wear cat hair because the feeling that my babies give me is absolutely priceless. Even more so than the famous Chesterfield landmark, The Crooked Spire... which I never bothered to take a photo of when we were at the shops. Ah, well, a good excuse to go back tomorrow :-)

The Wacko Treat

My first "meal" in England. Coffee and a banana-toffee muffin James and I bought from Sainsbury's. He even got me my favourite coffee and coffee mate :) Sweet lovely coffee!

a WARM Welcome

me with my in-laws

After 7,000 miles and sixteen hours, James and I finally reached our final destination - Chesterfield. We were only expecting his dad to be picking us up at Birmigham Airport, but when we got to the pick-up point, his mum was also there, standing beside his dad. My hands got icy cold, not because of the weather (I will get there, trust me) but because I've been nervous about meeting Madeleine since the plane from Manila took off. I thought I had a couple more hours to shake off before I have to meet her, but as it turned out, it was actually a very pleasant thing. She had a genuine smile on her face and a red coat and black gloves in her hands, and she gave me a massive hug. Being an extremely empathetic person, I can sense if someone is genuine and if it's put on. I am glad to say that Madeleine was not to be dreaded afterall. I thought it was really thoughtful and sweet of her to find and bring Liz's coat and gloves for me to put on because she wasn't joking when she said it was freezing outside. To be honest, I thought I walked inside a freezer, I can see my breath and feel my cheeks turn like frozen meat. Without the coat and gloves, I don't know if I would have made it alive to the carpark. Both Chris and Madeleine have been really nice to me. This morning, Madeleine gave us money to buy a proper coat for me even though James said he's been paid this week and he's got money, Madeleine insisted. So far, they've set my mind in peace and really made me feel right welcome in their humble home.

THE FLIGHT

Flying over the city lights is fantastic! London was very well-lit and it was so alive, and I can't wait to see it up-close. Amsterdam airport is class. It's huge and so organised. NAIA fades in comparison. I'm also happy that the things James and I were worried about didn't happen. He was worried about our bags going past the allocated weight of 20k, and I was worried about the interrogation bit by the Immigration at Birmingham Airport. It actually went very smoothly, the Immigration officer at the desk only asked me a few easy questions and she was very nice about asking them. I was incredibly relieved after she stamped my passport :-)

SOMETHING ALWAYS HAS TO GO WRONG

Of all time, my period decided to come on the day I leave to go to the UK. Great. I was in pain, I was uncomfy and all the shit that comes with that time of the month. I had to change clothes in Amsterdam Airport, and luckily, James is such a star he'd been so patient and understanding about the whole thing. He had to carry my hand luggage to flights of steps many times and he did so without me having to ask and he did not complain one little bit. I'm so thankful that he came to travel with me otherwise it would have been worse than hell. Apart from that, it had been a good journey. I had the window seat in both flights and it was so cool to see clouds and being 32,000 feet high and the air outside got to as low as -83 degree-C. Imagine that... Actually, it felt like that at the carpark last night.. Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration.

OVERALL...

Apart from missing home and worrying about my mum back home, it's good here. I've only been out once, to the supermarket which is a five minute walk from the house (10 minutes for my short legs...) so I couldn't really say much about England yet. But one thing I can say right now, their roads are lovely, and they have this system for crossing the road which is cool, cos I've always been scared of crossing the roads back home.. I only have to learn to look on the right side of the road for good starters if I am to survive out here. That, and a nice warm coat.