Oh Canada…. bringing home the GOLD!!!

GOLD! GOLD! GOLD!

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of witnessing Canada win it’s 8th gold medal Olympic hockey game in Sochi from London! What an experience!!! I didn’t think anything could top watching Olympic hockey in Vancouver during the 2010 games with the thousands of tourists from all over the world who had descended on our city, but watching in London definitely comes close if not matches the excitement and good times! After watching each of the men’s hockey games as well as the gold medal CAN vs USA women’s hockey game at the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square, it was absolutely phenomenal to see how our little meetup group of 20 turned into a massive crowd of 1000+ patriotic Canadians cheering on their home country!

Originally, our Canadian Vandoos organizer had planned a meetup for all the hockey fans to watch the Olympic hockey games, after what i’m sure were many inquiries as to where we could get our Olympic hockey fill.  The obvious choice was the Maple Leaf Pub in Covent Garden.  But due to an inability of The Maple Leaf to be able to confirm they would be able to show the hockey game live (proving how un-Canadian that pub has become), the Hippodrome Casino stepped up to the plate and offered the group their lounge area complete with big screen TV for us to watch the game.  It helped that Wade, who organizes all the North American sporting events at the casino was also a fellow Canadian.

That first game maybe had about 20 of us?  Who knew that a week and a half later, the lounge would be bursting at the seams, with Canadians now sprawling into the bar area and eventually into their downstairs bar.

What I loved most about watching the first few games at the Hippodrome was feeling like we were all watching in someone’s living room! We had comfy couches, big screen TV’s and enough room for everyone to sit comfortably while enjoying the DELICIOUS chicken wings!! No joke, the Hippodrome Casino is home to the MOST authentic tasting proper hot wings that I’ve had in London.  I’m not sure how difficult it is for a bar to combine hot wings with frank’s hot sauce and some ranch dressing, but no one has gotten it right besides this casino!!! Not only that, but they actually had BEER SPECIALS!! and PITCHERS!!! It was just like home.. well it was home considering my home is now London 🙂

As Canada got closer to the gold and the game’s became more interesting, the crowds grew by the hundreds! Word was spreading quickly and Vandoo members were now bringing their friends who were bringing THEIR friends!! It was really cool to see the sea of red expanding and the flags, toques, and jerseys coming out in full force!! Although it was becoming increasingly harder to get a seat in the lounge, and the hot wings were starting to get sold out before the second period, the atmosphere more than made up for any discomfort in not having a seat!  The Canadian spirit was alive and well.  I haven’t heard that many “sorry’s” and “pardon me’s” as people bumped into each other and squeezed past each other to get to their spot in front of the TV.  Ahhhh Canadians 🙂

What an amazing sight it was to walk into the casino yesterday, into their theatre that seats over 500 people and realize how a little group of 20 had now grown into a group of over 1000 in the theatre, lounge, bar and downstairs area.  The Canucks had completely taken over the Hippodrome!! As Canada scored it’s 3 goals against Sweden, the crowd cheered, the phones were out taking pictures and videos, and as the final seconds ticked down in the 3rd period, the national anthem was proudly sung by everyone in the room! It was one of those moments that you know you’ll remember for the rest of your life!! Being able to experience Canada win a gold, with new friends all on the same journey, all far away from their home city, and many (like i was) texting their friends and family who woke up to watch the game at 4.am. Vancouver time.  Much like I still remember watching Canada come back to beat the US in 2010 in Vancouver, with my very best friends all crowded in the living room, this is another memory that I’ll be telling my kids and grand kids one day! It’s one of those warm fuzzy memories that makes you proud to be Canadian and even more proud to see everyone celebrating across the pond!

Big thanks go to Ben and Rea (the most awesomest of hosts!!!), the Hippodrome Casino, Wade (the organizer at the Hippodrome), and the bar staff who handled the massive crowds while maintaining a smile on their face!!!! What an experience!!! So proud to be a Canadian living in London!!!  Although I think my body is going to thank me for detoxing from chicken wings and beer for the next little while 🙂 Either that or it will be going through withdrawals 🙂

Goodnight from London!

ready to cheer on the team!!

one of the first games 🙂 lounge only!!!

and then it spilled out into the bar…

slowly the bar gets more crowded

and the lounge gets more crowded

final game IN THE THEATRE!

big screen, pitchers of beer, and wings

sign hanging up in the Maple Leaf Pub 🙂

Feeling Inspired…

This is just a short post after going to watch Canada win another Olympic hockey game, going on to play in the semi-finals on Friday. USA against Canada… should be  a good one!!

What inspired me to write this post was a conversation I had with another girl who was also watching the game.   It got me thinking about how everyone has their own unique story of what brought them to a city, hundreds and maybe thousands of miles away from everything they knew in the search of something different from the life they had back home.  I’ve met so many interesting people in the 4 months that I’ve been here and every time I meet someone knew it gives me the opportunity to learn something from them and share experiences.

Whether you’ve moved for your job or to be with a significant other, are just passing through as a traveller,  or like me you needed a change, I love hearing everyone’s  stories about what brought them to London, how they’ve found it so far, what they love and hate about it, and how they’ve overcome obstacles to meet their own personal goals since being in this wonderful city!

Not too many people move to a new city on a whim, and most of the people I’ve talked to have usually chosen to make the move after a life changing event, or an overall need to experience something different in their lives.  Some move after a nasty breakup, others move because they hated their job at home while others just needed to get out of the rut that was routine at home.  One phrase that tends to keep popping up is the need to “step out of our comfort  zone”.

A very wise man once told me, “you can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore”.  In other words, until you step out of your comfort zone, you will never really discover what can truly make you happy.

My comfort zone was Vancouver.  I had a life there.  Friends, family, a good job, my own apartment, and security in knowing that I could support myself.   There was nothing wrong with my life and I wasn’t necessarily unhappy, but I wasn’t feeling challenged any more, days were feeling the same and it felt like my life had come to a bit of a standstill.   I had nothing to complain about, yet I felt like I was in a rut.

It was June 10th, 2013. the day my friend got back from London and raved about how much she loved it was the day I FINALLY decided that this was it.  No excuses this time.  10 years of going “should I or shouldn’t I” and all signs were now pointing to YES!!! Fast forward 4 months later to October 2013 and I was saying goodbye to everything and everyone in Vancouver and embarking on a new journey that day by day has changed the way I think, and the way I live my life and I am increasingly more grateful and thankful for all the challenges and hurdles that have been thrown my way since being here.  Living life outside my comfort zone hasn’t always been easy, and the changes haven’t all been happy ones.  But everything I have gone through up until this point has been a learning experience for me and changed me in what I hope is for the better.

This past month in particular I’ve noticed a shift in the way I’ve been thinking.  I’ve stopped concentrating on the things I’ve yet to accomplish as something negative.  Instead I treat each day as an opportunity to learn something new from different people in my life.   It can be something as simple as the quickest way to get to work, or the cheapest place to buy avocados.  Or it can be one word or sentence that inspires you to sign up for that Zumba class, or start a blog with a new friend, or encourages you to learn that language you’ve always wanted to.

Everyone has their own story to tell and experiences to share and it restores my faith that we are all here for a reason, to learn from one another, and to always keep taking those steps, whether tip toes or giant leaps, outside our comfort zones!

Goodnight 🙂

Chvrches: My first concert in London… and it was phenomenal!

I was lucky enough to go watch Chvrches play at Scala tonight and although I had only just recently heard of them, what a fantastic first concert to see in London!! I definitely prefer concerts in smaller venues to mega stadiums.  Scala had a Commodore type vibe but was more comparable in size to the Orpheum (Vancouverites will  know what i’m talking about) 🙂

Considering I had only just listened to the album for the first time last week after hearing rumblings about possibly going to see a show in March, it was a random comment at one of last week’s hockey games that brought a group of us together on this rainy Monday evening to watch the show.  If there’s one thing (among the many) I love about London it’s that you never know what the next week will bring!  The best nights seem to come randomly out of nowhere and I’ve been able to do some amazing things last minute or by chance. It’s a lot of fun and I’ve learned the best thing you can do is to say yes to everything (ok almost everything) because you never know what the night will bring!

Chvrches reminds me of Canadian band Metric with a lead singer that reminds me of Emily Haines (but substitute the blonde hair with red and Canadian accent for Scottish), it’s not surprising that I instantly fell in love with this album as I’m a huge Metric fan as well.   I always love when you can go to a concert and the singer sounds just as good, if not better, than they do on the album.  Lauren Mayberry’s voice is sweet and nice to listen to, she doesn’t over sing or scream,  she doesn’t even have to try! And she can pull off the shorts and black tights look that seems to be really popular here right now.

They’re entertaining as well! After joking about it feeling like 6am due to their jet lag, or pretending to be the Jonas brothers or Lionel Richie, they connected with the audience and didn’t just come out, sing their songs and call it a night.  They make you want to be their friends!!  And Martin Doherty was a pretty cute bonus with great dance moves!!

The only downfall of the concert was that it was so short!! Having only one album’s worth of material to sing, they can only stretch a concert out so far.. but the crowd was loving every second of it, especially when they played their big hit “The Mother We Share” (I’ve had this song on repeat for the past 3 days). I can’t wait for their next album to come out, whenever that may be! The great thing is though that it ended early enough to get home, write this post and still get a good night’s sleep 🙂

GOODNIGHT! 🙂

The excruciatingly stressful VISA process..

So you’ve decided that you want to move to the UK and now you have to figure out how you’ll be able to work and live there legally! Because I went through the Canadian VISA process, I can only really write about my experience and I did have it easier than most as I was able to obtain an ancestry VISA.  It was still quite a stressful process though and I had my doubts that they would approve my VISA application!

Personally I was worried about my VISA application as I had to give notice to my job before knowing whether or not my VISA would be granted.  As it was an extremely stressful week already with some personal stuff going on and tough decisions to make with regard to the move, having to worry about my VISA application, and telling work that I would be leaving in September, I was reaching my limit on the amount of stress I could handle.

So first things first, when applying for a VISA you have to decide which VISA route you are going to go for as there are a few different options with different requirements and paperwork for each. The information on each VISA can be found here:  http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/working/

Depending on whether you are going to the UK to study, work, or travel/work, the VISA you apply for will be different and will be for different lengths of time.   Because my dad’s entire side of the family is British, I applied for the 5 year UK Ancestry VISA.   This meant that I could live and work in the UK for 5 years and after that decide whether I want to apply for permanent residency.

Once you’ve decided which VISA you are going to apply for, the next step is to fill out the application form and submit it online.  It is important to read every piece of information and make sure everything is entered accurately as it is an EXPENSIVE application to submit and if they reject you that’s $500 down the drain!! Not fun! I think I had my parents read and reread my application a few times before I was actually able to click the “submit” button.

After the application is submitted, the next step is to make sure you have all the relevant documents! In my case i needed:

• Birth certificates and marriage certificates of my parents and grandparents
• My birth certificate (turns out i had the wrong one)
• Bank statements for the past 3 months showing you have enough money to move to the UK and survive while looking for work (this stressed me out!
• Passport photos that are specifically for VISA applications

Luckily my dad already had my grandparents birth certificates and marriage certificates in a safety deposit box so that part was easy.  And it was actually really cool to see original documents that showed my grandma as a “spinster” before she got married.  Apparently any woman unmarried was called a “spinster”, even at the age of 21!! While my grandpa got to be called a “bachelor” on their marriage certificate. Sounds fair :S

Because my dad never had an original birth certificate we had to order an “original certified copy” of his from the UK.  I’m not sure how copy and original belong in the same sentence but oh well!  Luckily the process was quite quick (although pricey) and it arrived in the mail in a week.

My most worrying piece of documentation was trying to prove I had enough money to live in the UK while I was looking for work as no one tells you EXACTLY how much money you should have. I googled, I scoured expat forums and blogs and all over the internet to see what an acceptable amount of money would be.  I also read a lot of stories of people whose VISA applications were rejected because of “insufficient funds”.  AHH!!! The good thing was I had been saving up for awhile anyway because before I decided to move to London I was planning on taking a European vacation at the time I would be moving.  If anyone is looking for an actual number, what I was able to find from other ex-pats was anywhere between $3,500 – $5,000 Canadian.  I threw in my RRSP statements as well just as reassurance that if the money in my bank accounts were to run out, I had access to other funds. But to be completely honest, the more money you have the better because once you get to London the money goes QUICKLY!!

Once all the correct documents are in place the next step is to make an appointment at the VISA office and have your biometric information taken.   You can pay a fee to get a time that’s most convenient for you but luckily I worked just down the street from the VISA office so I was able to book an appointment at lunchtime for free.  And even more lucky my friend was also applying for her VISA to study in the UK so we were able to make appointments at the same time and go together!  Regardless, we were still shaking in our boots as we went into the VISA office for our appointment. I don’t think either of us got much work done that morning we were so nervous!

The VISA office was not what I was expecting! It’s in a very non-descriptive white waiting room with two little offices off of it.  As you enter you’re greeted by a very unfriendly man sitting at a desk who goes through all the documents before you go in to meet the actual VISA officer. You could see the look of nervousness on everyone else’s faces as we sat in neat rows of 4 chairs patiently waiting for our name to be called.

Once my name was called I anxiously walked into the little office and sat down. I was SO LUCKY to get the VISA officer I did who was extremely nice. They don’t have to go through all your documents before it’s sealed and ready to send but luckily she did as I had the WRONG birth certificate for myself!!  I had the original copy from the day I was born; however it did not note my parents names on it.   Apparently they had changed the information on birth certificates in the 90’s and so I had to order my “long form” birth certificate from the Vital Statistics Agency.

So unfortunately I was unable to continue to the VISA process that day but I am SO thankful that the lady at the VISA office went through my documents and helped me out.  Someone was definitely looking out for me!!! Otherwise my application would have been rejected and I’d have to start all over again!

My second VISA meeting was a lot less stressful but I still decided to sign up for the “express” VISA processing.  This is an extra $100 but to be perfectly honest it was money well spent! It ensures your VISA application is sent the same day and your VISA is issued within 3 days as opposed to possibly waiting 2 weeks!  After going through the documents a second time, the same VISA officer (who remembered me by my pineapple necklace that my grandma had given me 🙂  took my picture and fingerprints, sealed up my envelope and told me where the nearest DHL office was to send off the package.   I remember it being a bright sunny day as I walked to the DHL office which I thought was a good sign that sunny days in London were on the horizon!

One really great thing about the VISA process is they will send you an email for every step of the process after your package had been sent. You’ll get an email saying that the package had arrived in New York, and then another email saying that it has been processed. I can’t even tell you how much of a relief it was to receive this email:

I got this email while I was at work and I think I almost burst into tears because I was so relieved/ happy/ excited!! I pretty much emailed and texted everyone I knew at that point! As everything else in my decision to move had been smooth sailing up until that point I was so worried that this would be my one hang up.  But all was good and it enforced in me even more that moving to London was meant to be for me this time around and nothing was going to stop me! 🙂

If anyone else has their own VISA stories to share please comment as I would love to hear how everyone else obtained their VISA, especially for the different types out there!

The art of meeting people in a new city!

When moving to a new city one of the hardest adjustments can be the lack of access to people to call up and hang out with.. it’s a huge challenge and can leave you feeling quite lonely if you don’t force yourself to do something about it!

When I first arrived in London I was lucky enough to have a friend travelling with me for the first week so it felt like an easy adjustment to life in a new city.  I quickly realized after she left and I was staying in a hotel by myself looking for a job and place to live that it was going to be a challenge.   I missed having someone who was just there to talk to and after buying 70 pounds worth of useless face lotions and potions solely because the sales lady was really nice and talked to me I realized that being on my own for extended periods of time was going to be detrimental to my emotional health not to mention my wallet and bank account!!!

I’ve always been one of those people who likes to be around others and thinks that life is more fun when you’re doing stuff with people.  Even when I was sitting at home by myself in New Westminster, I’d still be texting people to see what everyone was up to and keep that social connection to the world outside my apartment.  So to all of a sudden not have people to text (without there being an 8 hour time difference) it was a challenge.

BUT on the flip side it was a perfect opportunity for me to  realize that I can have fun on my own and that I moved here by myself; therefore I should be comfortable hanging out by myself!! I should not feel self-concious if I decide to go to a museum or sit down at a restaurant or coffee shop and enjoy my surroundings in my own company.   I’ve come to learn since moving here that I no longer NEED to have that validation of having someone with me and I feel like my confidence has definitely been given a boost since being forced to do things on my own and figuring out ways to get everywhere.  I realized that unless I was comfortable doing things on my own, I would be sitting in my favorite city doing the same thing I would do at home.. I needed to get ootinaboot 😉

What I also learned, was that this would be the perfect opportunity to reinvent myself!  At home I’ve always been known as a shy, quiet person and it would take me a long time to open up and really feel comfortable talking to people without being self-concious.  After moving to London I realized that unless I put myself out there and force myself to meet people, I would still be that quiet shy girl that I no longer wanted to be!  That’s when I decided to join meet up groups!

Meet up (www.meetup.com) is the most amazing tool for anyone looking to meet people in a new city or even in a city they’ve been living in all their lives. It’s not a dating site (although there are singles groups if you are looking for that), but it’s a website made up of hundreds of different groups to join based on your interests and things you like to do but don’t necessarily have people to do those things with!  If you like to go hiking, you will find a group who also likes to go hiking. If you are into museums, there will be a group arranging a weekly trip to different museums throughout the city.  Anything and everything that you want to experience in the city but don’t necessarily want to do by yourself, is available to you by clicking on the “join group” button!

The first ever meetup group I joined and event that I went to was for the Canadian Vandoos  Group.  It was at a pub in Oxford Circus and I was a little wary and nervous to go to something on my own.  I wasn’t sure who would be there, what it would be like, or if anyone would talk to me. I would have never done that in Vancouver without having someone come with me and I was pretty proud of myself for stepping outside my comfort zone and forcing myself to step up my confidence level and strike up conversations with complete strangers!  I figured what was the worst that could happen? I either go and have a lot of fun, or I go for a little while and head home if it wasn’t fun.

Turns out it was A LOT of fun! I met a lot of great people and had a lot of great conversations with other Canadians who had moved to London and could share the same experiences and frustrations that I was going through at that time. Because most of them had been in London for longer than I had, it was a great opportunity for me to get some advice on finding a job, overcoming home sickness and generally just surviving in a city that can be quite overwhelming and lonely at times.  I also made a really great friend that night who I now hang out on a regular basis with outside the meetup groups!

After the success of that meetup group I started to branch out and try other groups that weren’t associated with being Canadian as I also wanted to meet a wide range of people from all over the globe!  Through young business professional groups, to London drinking groups I’ve been able to try out many different hotspots and attractions around the city. I’ve gone roller-skating to 70’s disco music, had drinks in a rooftop garden, gone to a 1940’s style “blitz” party and more recently watching the Canadian Olympic hockey games (GO CANADA!!).  Each meetup I go to I meet more and more interesting people with stories to tell and experiences to share! And the more I go the more I start recognizing more and more people which makes it easier to go up and talk to people 🙂

I also love the randomness that these meetup groups provide! From last minute concerts to attend and plans to see the northern lights in Sweden from a tree house, you never know who you will meet or what new plans will transpire after a pint of beer and some proper hot wings!

I’ve met a lot of new people over the past couple of months and people who I can genuinely say have become good friends!  Trish & Rea (my two partners in crime for our Ootinabootinlondon blog) in particular have been really great friends and we’ve had lots of fun exploring the city together!

And the icing on the cake was going to a meet up and having someone say I came across as outgoing!!! Something I never would have heard back home because I lacked the confidence to do anything like this 🙂 Another reason why moving to London was a good idea!!

Hiking through Hampstead

My first visit to Hampstead was a very nice surprise! I had no clue that such expansive green spaces existed right in the city and within walking distance of where I live! Although we did take the bus, which was good considering we went on a super long walk through muddy fields and and puddles. It was a lot of fun!

Our mission was to head to a pub for a traditional Sunday roast after a nice walk through Hampstead Heath.   This was my first visit to the park and the views of London were incredible! You can actually see the Shard and London Eye from the top of the hill! Unfortunately I forgot my actual camera (as usual) and so my Iphone pictures don’t do the views justice at all!  We also walked past Kenwood House which used to be an estate for some extremely wealthy people back in the day but is now an impressive art gallery that is free to the public! (I love free!)

Since it was a sunny day the park was packed with groups of people out for a Sunday stroll or run.   I felt pretty pretty pathetic getting winded after walking up the hills while other people were running but at least I was out! 

After walking through the park and getting lost a couple times along the way, we walked through a couple very high end streets in the neighbourhood where Porsches and BMW’s are the norm.  The houses were impressive!! Many of them with blue plaques stating what famous person used to live in each house and when.  I’ll have to brush up on my British history since I didn’t know any of the names.

We all had definitely worked up an appetite by the time we had reached The Spaniard’s Inn, one of London’s oldest pubs.  Once the local haunt of such iconic authors such as Dickens and Keats, it also played a cameo in Dickens “Pickwick Papers”.   Since I’m a bit of a Dickens geek, I LOVED the fact that I could have been sitting  in the same cozy back room that Dickens had sat in while drinking a pint of his favourite beer and imagining what tales he would write next.

Aside from the famous guests, the Spaniard’s Inn was the ultimate in cozy pubs! It had a huge fireplace in the back which made the entire pub smell like burning wood and Christmas 🙂 The ceilings were low, and dark wooden beams and pillars gave the pub an old time atmosphere that is exactly what I love about London pubs! I am amazed and in awe each and every time and it never gets old!

I had my first proper Sunday pub lunch complete with roast beef, yorkshire pudding, veggies, roast potatoes and gravy! Although a little on the high end of the price scale, it was worth it!! Huge portion and delicious! I also discovered a new beer “K IPA” which I picked only because of the letter K but it was delicious!

After we were all pleasantly stuffed, it was time to head home!  It was a great day exploring a new area in the city and I will definitely be back! I also got to meet two new really awesome people 🙂

Now it’s breaking bad marathon time!

Thanks for reading 🙂

Kristal

The view of the city from Hampstead

Kenwood House

A muddy walk through the park!

We didn’t see any horses 😦

I would liike to live here 🙂

A wall built around the roots of a tree!

The Spaniards Inn

The cozy fireplace 🙂

Sunday Roast! YUM!

A day out in Camden

Yesterday Rea and I spent the day in Camden!! This was my first time really exploring the area and I was not disappointed!!  I’m a huge fan of checking out the different markets around London, and even though each market seems to sell the same items at the same prices you’ll always find one or two things you hadn’t seen before! Stalls filled with wooden Iphone cases, oil paintings of the city, your usual touristy knick knacks covered in the union jack and food stalls serving deliciously tempting goodies from all over the world all combine to form this maze of awesomeness! 

What’s great about the Camden market and Camden in general is the people watching!!  Locals & tourists alike flock to this area to eat, shop and wander.  You’ll find everything from tattoo & piercing shops, to big chain stores such as  Aldo and Urban Outfitters.  And the buildings are all decked out with huge dragons and, angels, and gigantic Doc Martin boots.

After wandering around the market stalls and resisting the temptation to try a deep fried Snickers or Lion bar, we decided to head to the Hawyley Arms for lunch.. this would be the first pub of our ootinabootinlondon.wordpress.com blog!  You can read the entry here !  Unfortunately the food was a little disappointing but that didn’t dampen our spirits as we were SUPER EXCITED to be starting our new blog!

I managed to leave the market without doing too much damage! I thought it might be a smart idea to wait until I’ve actually received my first pay cheque before blowing it all in one go 🙂 Although I couldn’t resist buying a really cute shirt with a Sherlock looking Tiger on it. As you can tell I’m just a tiny obsessed with Sherlock at the moment.  I have a feeling I may be back soon to buy one of the London paintings, and a Beatles sweatshirt for my brother who is by far, the biggest Beatles fan I know!

After the market we wandered back up the street and ended up at the Worlds End pub which I think had to be the most interesting pub i’ve been in since coming to London.  From the outside it looks like a normal pub and even when you first walk in the door, it looks like any other pub but when you walk further into the back it’s like this whole other world with windy metal staircases, and shopfront windows it almost looks like a market square but indoors!  Blog post coming soon!

All in all it was a great day out! Can’t wait to head back to Camden when I have a little bit more money to spend, and possibly when I’m ready for my next tattoo!!

Deep fried Bounty anyone?

Camden Lock

Angels & Demons

My new favorite market!

The streets of Camden

Lions seem to be everywhere in Camden!

I HAVE A REAL JOB!!!!

If there is one thing that I have been completely down on myself about since moving here and has caused me endless amounts of stress, anxiety, and some hysterical phone calls home,  it has been the frustration of finding employment in London. I can honestly say I was very naive when it came to my job search and thought because I came from an administrative background with over 10 years of experience, and everyone needs administrative staff, there would be thousands of jobs to choose from! And there are thousands of jobs to choose from; however; there are TENS of thousands of people applying to these jobs!  Before I had landed my first temp job I was extremely discouraged and quickly losing confidence.

But FINALLY, after 3.5 months of what felt like an exhausting and endless string of non-stop job applications, interviews, and 2nd interviews with no luck I am so excited to say I have finally landed a permanent job that starts on Tuesday!! 🙂 And it’s really reinforced that things do happen for a reason and when the timing is right. Because the position I accepted was exactly what I was looking for and starts just as my temporary contract ends. And because the Universe always likes to throw me curve balls (thanks Universe!) I had two job offers in one day!!  Ugh!!  Not an easy decision as both jobs were AMAZING but I went with my gut and chose what I think will be best for me long term!

Looking back on my past interviews, I would make it to the 2nd interview each time BUT there was always that little nagging voice in the back of my head going “this isn’t what I want”. I knew if I had taken those jobs I would either be settling for a job simply because it was a job and an income; or it was an interesting sounding job but for companies and/ or people I didn’t necessarily want to work for, and for a lot less money than what the requirements of the job entailed. Seeing as I’m not exactly good at faking enthusiasm for a job that isn’t quite right or hiding how I feel; I’m sure this came across in the interview and ultimately resulted in me not getting these jobs.   But with each 2nd interview that didn’t result in an offer, the more and more discouraged I became and the less confident I was that I was actually good at what I do.

My advice for those of you moving to London and trying to land your first job:

1. Get yourself set up with recruitment agencies.. LOTS OF THEM!
2. Know what sort of job you want and don’t settle!
3. Be patient.. the process seems to be much slower in London.. go figure?
4. Don’t get discouraged!! It will happen! 🙂 

1. RECRUITMENT AGENCIES

I have a love/hate relationship with recruitment agencies.  I love them because they are working for YOU to get YOU a job and this is ultimately how I ended up finding a job.  I hate them because you have a false sense of security that they will find one for you right way. However this isn’t their fault, it was my self-imposed expectations.  When I met with my first recruitment agency they left me feeling like I was SuperWoman and that I’d be working for Jamie Oliver within a week! I thought here we go! Not only will I have a job but it’ll be with some glamorous company and next thing you know i’ll be bumping into celebrities at the studio, marrying Benedict Cumberbach and living happily ever after… Hey! A girl can dream 😉

Anyhow, back to recruitment agencies.  First, do your research and find out which recruitment agencies are specific to the types of jobs you are looking for; whether it is administration, technology,  teaching, medical, etc.  Contact all of them and meet with as many as you can!  You do not want to put all your eggs in one basket and rely on one agency to find you a job. The more you get your name out there, the more you expand the types of positions and industries you can work for 🙂 By the end of my search I had met with and registered with 5 different agencies after naively relying on just one in the beginning.   The 3rd agency I applied to was the one that I felt was doing the most for me and was the agency that found me my new job! They also found me the temp position that held me over until this new job came along! What was great about them is not only did they know exactly what I wanted, they also were able to tell which companies would be the best fit for me.

2. KNOW WHAT YOU WANT! DON’T SETTLE!

It’s very easy when  you’ve been looking at jobs for awhile with no success, to go for a job that isn’t quite what you are looking for, is for less money than you can afford to live on, or is a hellish commute from where you live.  I think if you have to take more than 2 modes of transportation to get to work everyday it’s not worth the effort!

Know what you’re worth and know what type of job you want! Be very specific with your recruiters and tell them exactly what positions and roles are most suitable for you and what roles you are not interested in. I learned this the hard way and because I was so eager to be working I told the recruiters I really wasn’t going to be picky about what type of administrative job I wanted. So I was sent to interviews for jobs that I really had no interest in, in environments that did NOT fit my personality.  One potential job provided business suits for their staff which to me shouted “you are not encouraged to stand out from the crowd”. I refused to be a minion in a sterile office!

3. BE PATIENT

For a fast paced and bustling city like London, it was surprising to me just how long it took for people to get back to you about jobs and interviews.  If someone tells you they are going to call you tomorrow, they really mean the day after tomorrow!  If you are told that a decision will be made in the next two days; don’t be surprised if you don’t hear from them until the next week. It’s just how things work and it’s understandable considering they are literally sifting through hundreds of resumes for every job and narrowing it down to those they want to interview and those that get tossed in the bin.  I’ve also realized that everyone seems to be so busy doing their jobs that taking time out of their busy schedules to make decisions about potential employees sometimes gets pushed to the back burner.

It’s also important to be patient while waiting for your ideal job to come along.  There are hot months and cold months when looking for employment. I was looking for a job in the months leading up to Christmas and looking back now, realize that this was when everyone slows down and generally, people don’t really like to leave their jobs when they are in Christmas mode!  The New Year generally brings a lot of resolutions to change careers and jobs. As soon as January started I was getting 4 calls a day from different recruiters with different jobs they wanted to set me up with. It was great and definitely lifted my spirits!! Although a little difficult to juggle a temp job and scheduling interviews at the same time it was worth the exhaustion and running from one part of the city to another to attend interviews. Luckily the company i worked for was AMAZING and completely supportive of me taking time off for interviews!  I also managed to use every tube line and the overground without getting lost or going the wrong way! THANK YOU GOOGLE MAPS! 🙂

4. DON’T GET DISCOURAGED!!! 

This is probably the hardest but most important step in finding a job.  It’s really easy to be down and want to give up after months of trying to land that job and have income coming in when your savings are quickly diminishing!  I would constantly go through a roller coaster ride of up days and down days. Some days I felt like I would never get a job and other days I would convince myself that the right job was out there; the timing just wasn’t right yet.  It was extremely stressful and emotionally exhausting.  I’m hoping that by writing out what my mistakes were, it will help some people feel less stressed or discouraged and know that it is normal!  What really helped me was having a great support system of friends and family rooting for me and keeping my spirits up when I was quickly losing confidence in myself and finding a job.

One thing that I would have done differently if I had to do it over is to not set high expectations of myself.  Don’t give yourself a time frame! If it takes 1 month, 2 months, 3 months or more, it will take as long as it’s meant to take for you to find your job. Putting pressure on yourself will not help the situation; it will only help you be more upset about the situation and that will show through in interviews.

Also, take time to enjoy the sights and all that London has to offer while you are looking for work! it’ll be the only time that you can go to the museums during the week when they aren’t as busy. And they’re FREE so you don’t have to worry about spending money while you aren’t  making money! I also found going for really long walks really helpful!!! It gets you away from the computer, out in the fresh air and really appreciating why it is you came to London! For me, it’s being able to walk past Big Ben whenever I feel like, and getting lost amongst all the historic buildings and neighbourhoods 🙂 You never know when that dream job will come along.. but until it does stay positive and enjoy the process!!!

Thanks for reading! 🙂

-Kristal

Welcome to my blog eh! ;)

Thanks for visiting my first attempt at being a blogger! 🙂 We’ll see how this shapes up. This may be my only post (i hope not) or it may be the first of thousands! My main motivation for starting this blog was to write about my experiences (good and bad) in moving to a new country. More specifically, moving from Vancouver, Canada to London, UK.   Originally I wanted to start this blog while I was still in Vancouver and be able to journal the steps along the way that got me to where I am now but unfortunately I am a HUGE procrastinator so 3.5 months into my move, I am FINALLY starting a blog 🙂 better late than never right?

I`m hoping this can be a one stop shop for friends and family who want to know what I`m up to that is a little more in depth than a facebook status update or random instagram pic. I`m also hoping that it can be a source of information for people who, like me, want to move to a different country but don`t quite no how to go about getting it done!  There`s a lot that people don`t tell you and that you don`t even think you need to know before you move and hopefully I can take away some of the guesswork!

Before moving to London I had thought i had done more than enough research about overseas moves and reading other blogs about people who had moved from different parts of Canada to London. I would spend my Skytrain rides (Yay Vancouver!) to and from work constantly looking at job sites, flat share sites, anything and everything that I thought would help me be as informed as possible and try to lessen the stress and culture shock for when I finally got over here.

Yes it seemed difficult but doable! Everyone seemed to get on fairly quickly and adjust to their London life without much stress or culture shock.  I would see pictures of people I had never met living in London, walking in Hyde Park, travelling all throughout Europe, with new friends that seemed to appear in their life as soon as they stepped off the plane. It seemed so glamorous and exciting! And when you first arrive all bright eyed and full of optimism it`s hard to not get caught up in just how exciting it all is and forget about the reality that you`ve just made a complete life change and it does and will catch up with you.

My aim for this blog is not to discourage anyone from moving because London is a FANTASTIC city to live in. I just think it’s important to also be realistic when moving to a new city. From the amazing bits, to the scary bits, to the “oh my god have i just made a huge mistake” bits.  From what you should get done before you leave home, what you need to do when you get here, what people don’t tell you about moving, what people do tell you (and you should listen), and how annoying it is to constantly be asked “Why would you want to move here?” (YOU WILL GET ASKED THIS A LOT!)

So here I am, 3.5 months into my new life in London!

Amazing? YES.
Hard? YES
Have I wanted to give up? YES
Do I regret it? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

So like I said, this is only the first post. I will write posts on the VISA process, what you should hopefully try and get done before you leave home (bank accounts, what to pack, what to send), what you have to do once you get here, and all the fun stuff in between!! stay tuned 🙂 and if you have any questions… or comments on how i can improve this mishmash of jibberish.. please let me know! 🙂 As I said, this is my first blog so I’m still learning 🙂

Thanks for reading!

Krismas 🙂