12 Things That Are Happening Right Now

I have a quick break before I leave to catch a bus to Luton for our flight to Copenhagen (woooooot!!), so I thought I'd catch you all up on some really Good Things that are happening in my day-to-day life right now. They're all pretty exciting!

1. I put all of my clothes away and did all of the dishes, so when we get home from Copenhagen, my house will still be cleeeeaaaannnn
2. I've been volunteering/working (voluntwerking? ew, no) with What is the Point? Arts Collective, and we're officially moving forward with setting it up as an official entity. Not only that, we've got some pro-bono backing from an accounting/business firm to guide us along the way. It's a huge step and a very validating development for all the hard work that our three-person staff plus team of artists has put in to the organization!
3. Starting next week I also have my first official freelance gig with a really exciting new brand of women's cycling apparel. Queen of the Mountains wants to encourage more women to get on bikes (!!) and is developing cycling kits so that more of us feel represented in the retail racks. Can I say dream job?? This also means I'll be making some real dolla-dolla-bills! Er...dolla-dolla-pounds?
4. I had to — had to! — finish the double cream before our trip (it's like half-and-half, but a couple steps creamier and more bad for you), so I mixed it into my cafe-con-leche (read: instant coffee in milk) this morning and it was glorious. GLORIOUS!
5. I also have a delicious-looking avocado waiting for me for lunch.
6. I got to have breakfast on Saturday with my friend Kellee who flew all the way around the world as part of her trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong. 
7. I joined a book club full of women who I immediately got along with. Plus, it was equal parts book club and Let's-Drink-Wine-Club, which means we actually discussed the book while drinking wine! 
8. I bought new boots and they were on sale
9. I think it's currently hailing a little bit (like frozen raindrops, not golf-ball-sizes or anything) even though I can see the sun...?
10. The sun has been out consistently for, like, FIVE DAYS! 
11. I bought flowers at the farmer's market and they are oh-so-bright and cheery in my window
12. My sister sent me a Valentine and it had a llama wearing sunglasses and it made me laugh out loud

Fun in the sunshine! (Are you following me on Instagram?)

Breakfast with Kellee!

AAAHHH SO EXCITED!

LOL forever. This llama is everything.

My farmer's market splurge! They make me smile. :)

Okay leaving for Copenhagen see you later byeeee!

Gong Hey Fat Choy: Happy Chinese New Year from London!

One of the things I love most about living in this city full of 8 million of my soon-to-be friends, is that just about every culture has a community. Everyone is well-represented — it's just a matter of finding the events. Back in September, we found a riverfront festival for Colombian-Londoners and there were thousands of people attending!

I was excited to celebrate the Chinese New Year here in London, not least of all because it claims to be the largest CNY celebration outside of China. Judging by the crowds we braved, survey says "VERY TRUE." All the way from Tottenham Court to Trafalgar we were surrounded by red lanterns, dragon icons and people. So many people!

SEA OF PEOPLE in Trafalgar Square.

The parade didn't disappoint and we had a lot of fun walking around! The energy was jovial and hopeful, and the atmosphere was so celebratory. We didn't stay for the main stage show because people. But I did make a little one-minute video about our morning. Watch here or below!

This was another item off of the 101 Free Things to do in London list. I'm closing in on 1/4 of the way, and it's not even March. Woot!

Free London: The Hyde Park/Kensington Garden Edition

As I work my way through the 101 Free Things To Do in London list, I've been eager to write about one of my favorite places — Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park!

Is it a cliché favorite place? Perhaps. But I've only been here six months, so I get a freebie.

A tour through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens — the two are technically individual parks in their own right, though an untrained eye wouldn't know it — ticks four items off the list! KABOOOOM.

They are:

#23 — Take a jog around Hyde Park

Easy enough. Though I'm not much of a jogger, I actually did get out for a run a couple times last week. The sun was shining and I was stir crazy! And running through either park is a delight: a maze of paths criss-cross the parks, people are walking their dogs, and there are plenty of intimidating waterfowl to motivate you to run faster er, to admire while you gasp for air and realize how out of shape you are whoops I mean, "run".

I GOT THIS. (Original Instagram post here.)

This person is also running:

#24 — See the Peter Pan Statue in Kensington Gardens

I just wrote about this in my previous post, but it bears repeating: it's a surprisingly — and delightfully — interactive statue!

#33 — Diana Memorial Playground

There really is a pirate ship at the Diana Memorial Playground, and it looks super awesome. However, as I don't have small children to take with me as an excuse, and I don't intend to be put on a pedophile list anytime soon, I didn't take a photo.

#85 — Listen to whoever is at Speaker's Corner

I haven't seen a speaker at that exact spot any time I've been by, but there have been several rallies at nearby Marble Arch. Groups gather to show and demand support for Syrian refugees, to highlight low junior doctors' wages, and other issues. But the corner itself has a lengthy history, dating back to the late 1100s when people had the right to a last speech before they were hanged at the Tyburn Gallows. (There is now a Wetherspoon's pub named The Tyburn on that spot, which to me is super morbid. But they have a decent curry deal on Thursdays so...)

And, because I'm there a lot and I seem to think I need to take a photo every time I'm there (like it's going to be different this time?! It's like when you see seven photos of a stranger's baby and they insist each photo has a different expression. It's JUST a BABY...), here are more photos!

View of the Round Pond from Kensington Gardens.
The British are so creative with how they name things.

Physical Energy bronze statue, installed in 1907.
(NINETEEN OH SEVEN. THE U.S. WAS JUST A WEE BABE.)

I like to think there's a seagull hierarchy with who gets to sit on the posts each day.

That's a parakeet! 
(And it lives in Hyde Park with its buddies — for realz!)

Sunset over Kensington Gardens

Palace gate at Kensington Palace

Prince Albert Memorial at dusk

Sun setting in Hyde Park

The Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park talks to you.

I fully expected this free thing to be super boring. What can you say about a statue? "I found it and gazed at it?"

Just you wait.

The Peter Pan statue is located in a beautiful part of Hyde Park overlooking the Long Pond and Italian fountains, and it's a really pretty statue. I like how everything kinda swoops and swishes, from the clothes to the bunnies.

View of the Long Pond near the Peter Pan statue. Notice each seagull has its own post!

Peter Pan statue

But after you've admired the craftsmanship, Peter Pan will call your phone to talk to you.

Creative use of technology FOR THE WIN! It's a pre-recorded audio file, but the actor who's speaking on behalf of Peter Pan does a really good job. I was more than entertained and happy to listen to the end (about a four-minute little skit)! Very simple to use, too — I typed the short URL into my phone and then just had to push one button to get Peter to "call" my phone. (It uses data, so if you're visiting, be sure you have international data privileges or a UK SIM card with data. If not you'll be charged roaming fees!)

The "incoming call from Peter Pan" screen was a nice touch!

It's definitely a fun pit stop for any tiny human in your life — and for adults, too!

Looking for more free things? Check out my other posts as I check off 101 free things in London from this list!

Six-Month Check-up And Ten Rather Random Things I've Noticed

Six months.

Six??

Months?!

As of Feb. 11th we have been London residents for exactly (you guessed it!) six months. Which means we've theoretically completed ten percent of our Big London Adventure. Which means we have less time, but still a long time, before it's on to the next adventure.

The last few weeks I've sensed a shift in how I view our little life here. I'm shifting from feeling like a tourist — or like an imposter, or like a kid wearing her mother's heels — to feeling like I'm a resident. Like I live here.

OMG we live here!

The shift makes me ponder a couple things. First, that it's okay to spend several nights in on the couch watching movies: A) because it's cheeeeeeap, and B) because I like it. Second, I can't be jaded already. At least, not yet. When we first arrived I thought everything was magic! (Take a photo of that bus! That building! OOooooh, a pub! Take a photo of the pub!) Now I think, I don't have to sustain that level of excitement all the time. But I still want to appreciate every day as an opportunity. But I reeeeally want to sit on the couch. But what if I get a job soon and then I don't have all this free time anymore? Won't I feel like I've wasted all that time? But what if I get hit by a bus and regret not spending more time just hanging out? What if God is a TV repairman and I didn't do enough? WHAT IF IT'S ALL WRONG.

Um, okay. Moving on...

As a trained anthropologist (I have a degree, darn it!) I'm tickled by the minutia of daily life and how it's different here. So, here are ten things that still make me go, "Hmmmmmm" about London:

1. Everyone carries bags around. More than just a purse/backpack. I chalk this up to not having a car -- and therefore no trunk, backseat or floorboard on which you can "store" your random stuff during the day. You need it? You haul it. Plus, every day you need to carry an umbrella, different shoes for your commute, gloves, a book for the bus ride, maybe your laptop...

2. Dogs wear sweaters from October through... well, at least through February.

3. Everyone — or perhaps just tourists, it's hard to say — ducking LOVES the squirrels in the Royal Parks. If you see a squirrel, you will see someone going well out of their way to take a photo.

4. Chances of rain are always high, but they increase to 100% if I am riding a bike share bike. Yesterday it was sunshine and blue skies until I hopped on. Then the wind picked up and the sky patched with clouds. It's like the weather didn't expect me to ride that day. "Oh blimey! Ellen's on the bike! Quick, kick up some wind and rain and -- phooey, we missed it. Call it off..."

Nice try, weather! 

5. People are nice to you if you're nice to them. But do not stand between them and their train home.

6. OHEMGEE the politeness. I am (often) a very polite person. I hold doors and say thank you and offer you my seat on the bus if you're old. But you can't out-polite a Brit. They always pour your glass first if there's a water carafe. You don't drink a sip of your pint without a "Cheers!" to your drinking companion. This video is hilarious because it is ridiculously, ridiculously true.

7. Everyone talks about the weather because everyone thinks the weather sucks. Unless it's sunny and then we talk about that.

8. WhatsApp wins. Don't resist it.

9. Queueing is a favored British pastime, but if you approach a crosswalk all bets are off. It's every man, woman, and child for his or herself and there are no rules. Pedestrian signals mean nothing and chaos is nigh. Run. Just run. Or wait for the green man, ya goody-goody.

10. Cheese and sparkling wines are very specific. It's not just brie. It's [regional] brie. My mimosa mix sparkling wine is most likely not champagne, but Brut or Cava or Prosecco. You get bug-eyed glances if you suggest buying a bottle of champagne (it's pricey).

And the list goes on.

I'm sure by August I'll have even more to report. But right now I'm just happy to report that, over all, we're happy! We have a trip coming up soon to Copenhagen, and plans forming for Scotland and Wales trips, too.

And very soon... a new website...!

(And pssst! Don't forget to vote for me in LATAM's blogger search! Voting closes Feb. 22, and you only have to do it once.)

BONUS! Pronunciations. Before you get all sassy, I'm not talking about the accent. I'm talking about when I try to read words that I've not yet heard pronounced, or words that I really thought were universal. For example:

• Bermondsey. I see, "Bihr-MUND-zee." They say, "BURR-mund-zee."
• Islington. I see, "EYE-ling-ton." LIKE ISLAND. OR AISLE. BUT NO. They say, "IZZ-ling-ton." 
• Southwark. I see, "South-Wwark." They say, "SUH-thark."
• Oregano. I see, "urr-EGG-uh-no." They say, "or-eh-GAH-no."
• Innovative? Nope. In-NOH-vuh-tiv. 

In fact, I'm relatively sure that someone on one side of the Atlantic or the other (I'm not naming names) gazed — probably drunkenly — across the ocean and said, "Right, now let's really mess with those blokes. When they sail back we should just say EVERYTHING differently." And now, everything is spelled the same but no one understands a damn thing.