Easter Greek Style

Hello My Dears,

Ah, Easter.  That time of year in Greece where all laziness is justified and any excuse given for a party.  Our own Easter, thankfully, was mostly family, which meant that it was a surprisingly casual affair.  That is not the case in the States, where Greek American families tend to outdo each other with food and fashion.  In Greece, the only thing they try to outdo each other with is gunshots.  I swear my dad's village sounded like the St. Valentine's Day Massacre was happening every half hour or so.  Needless to say, I did not much enjoy the over abundance of gunfire.  It sounded just like I imagine DC used to at its height as the murder capital of the world.

If you have seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" then you have some idea of what goes on during the Easter Celebration.  My family did not have lamb on the spit.  We bake ours in an outdoor oven.  It took forever to cook.  In addition to the aforementioned lamb, we also had goat with potatoes, and rabbit stew, AKA Stifado, on offer.  None of which this Greek girl enjoys.  I had to content my self with kalitsounia, a sort of Spinach pie that is actually made with wild mountain greens and cheese round easter time.  I also had plenty of mountain greens with lemon and olive oil so that was alright as well.  It wasn't as if I was starving.  I did get a little adventurous and tried the rabbit stew.  It turned out to be quite good.  The experience was slightly reminiscent of my haggis surprise six weeks ago in Edinburgh. I am not saying that I would search out Stifado as a more than once  year occurance but I may try to make it if the opportunity were to present itself. Anyone want to be a lab rat?

I also attended Church for Easter.  Surprised, are we?  Yes, it shocked the hell out of me as well.  Not an experience that I would care to repeat, but it was interesting to attend the funeral of Christ.  Yes, Virginia, there is a funeral.  The service on Good Friday concluded with the village bearing the casket of Christ through the village, and the priest blessing people's houses.  He didn't get as far as our house as it was a little far for him to walk with his arthritis.  I did not go to church for the midnight mass on Saturday.

Well, that is all for me, folks.

Next up...the Greek Adventure Continues and maybe some job updates.

Cheerio for Now,

Tina

A Disaster in the Making

Good Morning My Dears,

Remember when I said that I would write from sunny, warm Greece?  Well, it isn't.  To clarify, it is sunny, but not particularly warm.  I got here yesterday morning at o'dark thirty and it was rainy and cold.  I left Scotland for this, I thought?  It was rather a rude awakening, or rather more of a rude shock as there was no awakening.  I had not slept all night, you see.  Travel is mine enemy in that respect.

On the bright side of things,  I got my national insurance number in the UK in 2 days, not two weeks.  Thank Goodness for UK efficiency.  In this respect they were like swiss clockmakers.  I also moved into the flat, unpacked (took 30 minutes), and had my internet, cable and phone set up.  I will send my home number out to people in separate emails for those who want to call and chat.  (For those neanderthals that are not on Skype, that is.)

The bright side of things, however, has started to dim rather quickly.  The bulb is flickering dangerously.  You see, I made a really bad decision when I purchased my ticket to Greece.  I chose to stay until the 11th of May, the day after my sister's birthday.  When I booked the ticket, a job that I have since applied for at the Scottish National Gallery, was not yet open.  I applied as soon as it opened but the interview date is 6 May.  Consequently, I spent this morning trying to figure out a cheap way of getting myself back to Edinburgh early for the interview, if I get a call.  I haven't been able to find one, however and if I get a call for an interview, I will lose out on the job.  I am such an idiot.

Part and parcel of the aforementioned idiocy is that I had to spend a lot of money all at once to outfit my apartment.  While my apartment was furnished, it did not come with anything in the kitchen.  So off to Ikea I went.  I spent 130 pounds at Ikea and then went and spent 180 pounds at a catalog shop called Argos.  At Argos, I bought a toaster, a kettle, a TV, and a phone.  A TV, you ask?  Don't you have a Mac, you mutter?  The answer to both those questions is yes.  I can in fact watch TV on my Mac but if I access the TV channels online, I still have to pay that pesky TV licensing fee to the BBC.  So in for a penny, in for 180 pounds.  

Anyhoo, if I am not careful, I will be back in the US in 3 months or so.  I am however enjoying being in the bosom of my family for the easter holiday, and the rest can sort itself out when I get back to the UK.  I am off to sit in the sun.

Next up...Easter Greek Style

Cheerio for now,

Tina

Insurance and Interviews

Good Evening My Dears,

I am both very excited and very disappointed with the week's experiences.  When last I wrote, I was off to get a national insurance number so that I can get paid and get healthcare.  I approached the whole process with  a bit of trepidation as I had been told that I would not get an insurance number as they are difficult for immigrants to get.  I was told that people have been waiting years for them.  Sounds like the Green Card process in the States.  I got to my interview for the national insurance late, as I was in an interview with an agency; that called me a couple of hours before the Insurance interview and asked me to come in right away.  Anyhoo, the agency interview went well and there may be some cool jobs coming up soon.  Will keep you all posted.  The insurance interview was surprisingly painless as well.  I answered some questions and I will have my number in a couple of weeks.

I also had an interview today for a software company called evolution online and the jury is still out as to how it went.  I will let you all know as soon as I have other news.  I will say that I was rather disappointed by the experience.  I can't say much more as I don't want to jinx it, so fingers crossed.

In stellar news, I am moving into my flat tomorrow.  I am so excited to have a room of my own.  I will post pics to facebook at some point over the weekend.

Next up...I will be writing from Sunny warm Greece as I am off to see the family for Easter and my sister Alex's birthday.

Cheerio for now,

Tina

Amsterdam Antics

Hello My Dears,

Sorry for the long silence but you all know that I am not exactly a chatterbox and as I have had nothing major to report there was little point in writing.  After all, I am one of those authors who really hates it when people post stupid, not to mention disgusting details on their blogs or facebook.  Anyhoo, enough with the rant.

Since my last post, I have been chasing down agencies which have promised to present me to their clients as a candidate, but for an industry that hits the ground running their followup leaves a lot to be desired.  I have been told that companies really are keen on speaking with me but then nothing.  Nada. Zip. Zilch.

What's a girl to do?  I decided to keep a promise to myself that I made sometime last year and that was to see two new places each year.  To that end, I decided to keep a promise to a friend and go visit them in Amsterdam.  I left on Wednesday  April 6 in the evening and got back late SaturdayApril 9 lateish.

I really like Amsterdam.  It is quite the cool town and fairly easy to navigate.  Except that they suffer from a public transportation system that doesn't like money.  Or maybe it is ING they don't like.  We were trying to get me a bus pass and it took 3 tries before we could.  Then the 72 hour card that we bought expired after like 24.  The thing with Amsterdam buses is that you need to swipe the pass on entry AND Exit.   Ok class, repeat after me, the word for that is redundant.  First they tried to claim that I didn't swipe the card on the way out of one of the buses.  Not so.  Next they tried to claim that we took one of the other bus companies that serves Amsterdam.  We didn't.   So after a day of explaining the issue every time we got on a bus or tram we went to the office and and paid to have it sorted.

Amsterdam is not all that big and easier to navigate than Edinburgh.  Having said that, I found myself in the suprizing position of being uncomfortable with right sided driving after a month in the UK.  Weird.  Also, mine host was oblivious to oncoming traffic and so would cross the street whether we had the light or not.  Picture me trying to dodge buses, trams, and bicycles.  Not funny.

Now a word about bicycles.  That word is YIKES.  Bicycles in Amsterdam is like sheep in New Zealand.  There are 1 million people in Amsterdam and surroundings, there are 2 million bicycles.  It is insane.  Amsterdam is enough like Edinburgh in that the first sunny warm day everybody is in the park or wearing summer clothes. And riding bikes.  I nearly got run over once.

We took a canal cruise and went to visit another friend.  I am rather ashamed to say it but I got a teensy bit tipsy (read falling down drunk, literally). Vodka is not my friend.  I did discover a love of tulips, and you all know about my love of cheese.  Amsterdam has a daily farmer's market that has both.  It inspired me to come home to Edinburgh and look up our farmer's market.

We walked enough that I was in pain quite a lot of the time.  What, you exclaim?  How is this possible, you ask?  Yes, it shocked the hell out of me as well.  I rediscovered my hamstrings and the fact that I am not 12 anymore.  Why didn't one of you tell me that I am not a kid?  Rude awakening, that.  On my last night in Amsterdam, we went to dinner with a friend of my sister's to a very impressive italian restaurant and then for drinks.  NOT Vodka.  On Saturday we just sat and enjoyed the glorious weather in the park.

I got home late as my flight was delayed.  Go KLM!   I spent a very peaceful Sunday enjoying weather that was in the 70's in Scotland.  I actually broke out the summer clothes.

Next up: an interview with an agency for a job and the national insurance for a number so I can get healthcare, as well as possibly moving into my flat. (Fingers crossed please.)

Cheerio for now,

Tina

Delightful Dalkeith

Laura has taken the kids to Blackpool until the end of the week and Dale (her handy hubby) wants to paint the living room, AKA, my current bedroom.  To that end I have moved to Dalkeith till week's end.  It is a smallish town with a decent downtown area to wander through.  I am going to try and see if I can get myself to the city so I can wander there this afternoon.

I am renting the guest room in Laura's parents apartment building so I currently have a room of my own.  It is actually quite nice as they provide everything, including a kettle, coffee maker, and such.  I am not so sure that I like the quiet as much, as I have 24/7 entertainment in the form of Robyn and Koby.  (And Laura and Dale but the kids are WAY more fun than the grown ups.)  However, I will have to get used to the sound of silence as I am moving in the next couple of weeks.

Why the hold up, you ask?  In Scotland, landlords need to register with the council and as the owner of the flat actually had it on the market, she deregistered as  landlord.  Once she does that, A lease needs to be signed and then I can move in.

On the job front, there are a couple of solid leads with two agencies and I am waiting to hear about the job with the Scottish National Galleries.

Next up...more job jabbering.

Cheerio for now,

Tina

Flat Found

Hello from Edinburgh.  After an angst filled week of interviews with agencies and wandering around the city,  I have found a flat. Unfortunately I can't move in for a couple of weeks.  Also, it isn't actually in the city.  I will be living in Gilmerton which, while still in Edinburgh, is a 30 minute bus ride from the city center.

You see, when flats are advertised for rent in Edinburgh, they are not including the council tax bill.  That is a rather hefty charge.  Also, as I have no credit history in the UK, I would have had to pay 6 months rent up front.  Can we say, NIGHTMARE?  The flat I fell in love with was the first one I saw.  It was a one bedroom in the city center, a couple of blocks from St. Andrew's Square.  It had a "kitchen" that measures about 2 by 3 feet with a wee breakfast bar-ette for  little bit of work space.  For the privelage of living there I was going to pay 610 pounds per month.  The landlord gets the rent on a monthly basis BUT I have to pay all six months up front plus an additional 885 pounds for a security deposit and agency fee that took the total to 4545 pounds for the flat.  All at once.   NOT INCLUDING COUNCIL TAX (a further 150 pounds per month payable direct to the council not the landlord).  No Thanks.

The problem I had with that is, as cute as the flat is (view it at: http://www.rettie.co.uk/lettings/5113),  I wouldn't have been able to eat.  That is how much my savings would be decimated.  I would have had to come back to DC at the end of the lease, especially as I still don't have a job with any permanence.  Added to the above is the fact that in the UK you pay 146 pounds a year to the BBC to watch TV.  Even if you are watching TV on a laptop.  Then there is electricity which is 40 or so a month.  So my rent all told for the flat would be 800 or so a month.

So, I waited and found a two bedroom flat for about 200 pounds cheaper from a friend of a friend.  It is a grown up flat with one double room and one single room, a living room, decent size kitchen, bathroom with shower, and a shared back garden.  So I have room for guests.  Dorothy and Vlad, I got the two bedroom just for you.  Now you have to come visit.

 Have a look at the flat if you want (http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-29448707.html).

Next up...my sojourn in another friends house while the living room I sleep in is being painted and my mourning the fact that I can't go to Blackpool with Laura as I am waiting to hear about a job at the Scottish Gallery of Art as a retail manager/book keeper of all their shops, 4 in total.

Cheerio for now,

Tina

A Not Quite Serious Setback

It seems I jumped the gun when I said that I was working the Scotland v. Italy Rugby Game.  I am not.  I am not working.  AT ALL.  THey let me go after work yesterday. In the company's defense, they did not have the time to train me to use their accounting system and they are going to get temporary help from someone who previously worked there until the end of the season.  In my defense, UK accounting systems are COMPLICATED.  I did give them as a reference and we parted on good terms.  We might even end up friendly...who knows.  I did go to an interview for another agency after work and the tone of the people there was kind of negative as well. Onward and upward.  

The advantage to being unemployed is I can go explore the city.  It will be nice to just play tourist for a weekend before jumping back into the job hunt.  I am also going to look at a couple of flats today.  One is a two bedroom about 30 min outside the city centre and the other is right in town.  How am I going to get an apartment as I am unemployed, you ask?  That's the thing, they seem to only rent to the unemployed.  Ok, perhaps I overstate the case a wee bit (see there a Scottish word already!)  Let me explain.  Estate Agents in Edinburgh do not generally show properties after work or on the weekend and they are closed by five during the week, as well as completely on the weekend.  WHAT?  So I have to assume that I will easily get a flat as they must rent to the unemployed with weekday viewing hours.

Next up...More on the search for housing.

Cheerio for now.

Tina

Transport Trials and Food Follies

Sorry for the silence, everyone.  It has been a very tiring week.  I started my job at the Murrayfield Stadium and while it is not rocket science, it took a little time to figure out how the organization does its accounting. Having figured it out,  the days are passing quickly and trying to find another, more permanent job is foremost in my thoughts.  Not all the time obviously.  Most of the time I am still trying to figure out how to get where I am going.

The friends that I am staying with live in a small town about 45 minutes from Edinburgh.  The bus that goes into town from their house gets me to work in an hour and a half.  I am so sorry for all the complaints about my commute to Bread and Chocolate.  It was nothing in comparison.  Except that the buses here run on time EVEN ON WEEKENDS.  In fact, the schedule is the same every day.  It's lovely.  So I sit on the bus to go to work, then I do the same thing coming back, but here is where the trouble starts.  On the way to work, I travel with a young man named Mark, who has the distinction if being the first person that I have met in Scotland without my friend Laura.  He lives in the same estate and works in Murrayfield as well.  So I have someone to talk to in the mornings.  More about him in a later post.  On the way home I am alone and so I have to watch for the stop on my own.  It makes reading more difficult since I get paranoid after the first hour and I am constantly looking up to see where I am.  The buildings are all the color of mud and it is really dark on suburban roads.  The landmark that I use is the a Lidl (german food store) but the building is difficult to see so I always stress out.  It is loads of fun.  Ah well, it gives me a chance to play "Stupid American" again.  

In my last post I was rather disparaging about haggis.  However, I have since had to revise my opinion.  It really isn't so bad.  It is certainly better than black pudding.  The last time I had it, it was cooked traditionally, in a sheep's stomach.  I went to dinner  last night at friends' of Dale and Laura and haggis in phyllo with peppercorn sauce was the first course.  I have to say it was really quite good.  I guess what I objected to was traditional haggis.  The rest of the meal was wonderful we had steak pie that melted in your mouth and apple pie with ice cream for dessert.   Yum.

Stay tuned, gang.  Next up, I work the Scotland vs. Italy rugby game.  

Cheerio for now.

Tina 

Edinburgh Enchanting and A Job Nabbed...

Edinburgh, at last.  Up to now I had been rusticating in suburbia firmly ensconced in family life and "helping" Laura with her wee monsters (read: making a pest of myself).  I went into town with Laura and we split up at her work which is at the Scottish National Gallery.  She went off to work and I went to wander around before my interview.  Yup, you heard me, my interview.  On Sunday, I got a call from Robert Half International to register as a job candidate.  I decided, which true American ingenuity, to attack Edinburgh through familiarity rather than adventure.  So I grabbed my computer and started walking about to find the nearest Starbucks so that I could look for jobs and apartments.  I hit 3 Starbucks today.  One on Princes Street and two on George Street.  Wifi is wondrous and free wifi is glorious.  Truly I could have stayed at the Starbucks on Princes Street for donkey's years, but I was stressing about getting to my interview.  Off to the next Starbucks,  I went.

Except, I didn't.  As I was getting absolutely lost in the centre of town.  I decided to play my favorite game "I am a  Stupid American, can I get some help?"  I must have asked 20 different people how to get around when I got a phone call.  It was from a firm called Search and they were in a place called St. Colme Street. Though it was not far from where I was, I had (so far) spent the day walking on legs turned to jelly from terror.  What was I terrified of you ask?  Crossing the street.  Yes, I know nothing to be afraid of under normal circumstances, but did you know that Edinburgh has raised pavements? Sorry, sidewalks, dang it,  sidewalks.  It is happening already, I am going native.  Anyhoo, Search asked me to come in and register with them as well.  No worries, I just had to navigate over a square with no pedestrian crosswalks, raised pavements, and crazy drivers.

RRRRRRUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!

Whew, I made it.  I also managed to find the agency and switch shoes from chucks to stilettos.  I walk into what I though was a registration.  Turns out, it was a job offer.  Ok, so it is only until the end of March and pays 7.50 pounds/hour but that not the point of this experience.  I am here to make enough money to just have fun. And I will.  The job is doing accounting for Murrayfield Stadium until the end of the season in 2 weeks.   But it IS a RUGBY stadium.  Can we say hot men, ladies?  Bring on the boys.

Oh, the Robert Half interview went well despite having a temp job and the excel test went ok as well.

Next up: getting to Edinburgh and back on the bus.  Stay tuned, the adventure continues....

Cheerio for now.

Breakfast Blabbing and Job Jabbing...

Before I get to the job stuff I do have to take a moment and comment on the traditional Scottish Fry Up that was this morning's breakfast.   This morning's consisted of Beans on Toast, Sausage, Bacon, Black Pudding, and Haggis.  Now I have a pretty gourmet palate, but even I was balking at eating some of the stuff on my plate.  In all fairness to Dale (mine Host and the cook, AKA my friend Laura's hubby), I DID promise to try anything once.  I had no problem with the beans on toast.  Everyone knows that I am the biggest UKphile on the planet so bake beans were no biggie.  Ditto the sausage and bacon.  Haggis which is offal, not just awful, is a mixture of oatmeal and sheep organs cooked in a sheep's stomach.  For those of you familiar with Crete's cuisine it is similar to kokoretsi.  Yuck.  As I had had it on my previous visit to Scotland and did not like it, I sure as hell wasn't going to give it another chance.  I did try the black pudding which is blood sausage.  Never again.  On to the job jab...

Recession? What recession?  Seriously, things here are pretty grim.  But...I started applying for jobs on Friday evening and the count is at 10 so far.  I already have my first call for an interview with Robert Half International at 2:30 pm Monday afternoon in Edinburgh.  So much for my exploration of the city.  Suit and heels it is.  I haven't had much luck with this company in the US so it will be interesting to see if I manage to get something through them here in Scotland.  Also there is an excel test, joy.  I love excel.  Hopefully I can charm them with my winning smile and communication skills.  Here goes nothing.

Auspicious Arrival

So it wasn't as complicated as I thought in the end.  I got to Dulles and the super nice lady at the counter kindly checked me through to Edinburgh.  My dyslexia kicked in and I almost missed the flight as a result, going to gate 23A instead of 32A.  Go Me! Luckily I realized my mistake and got on the plane, and thankfully the trip to London was uneventful.  Heathrow was a nightmare.  I have never walked so much in my life.  It didn't help that the signs for the departure gates were not clear.  However, all's well that ends well.

 Laura picked my up and I spent the rest of the day getting to know her two wonderful terrors, Robyn and Koby, ages 4 and 2 1/2 respectively.  They have a very eclectic taste in music, including Elvis and the Beach Boys.  I find that I am really good with them as I managed to get kisses and cuddles from the usually reserved Robyn.  Koby was my best bud in all of 2 seconds. Next up...the search for a flat and a job begin. Stay Tuned...

So Long, Farewell...

Paris? Who needs Paris?  Edinburgh is the place for me. A new city in a new country, but one I have dreamed of living in since I was 16 years old. That's right, people.  In the middle of the greatest economic crisis in Europe since the Great Depression I am off to find a job - at the not so tender age of 30-something no less.  In fact, I am already being told by people in Scotland that they think I am not going to be able to find a job at all as there aren't any.  I am  not going to let a small thing like that stop me, however.  Some positive thinking is in order.

 Besides, I already bought the ticket, it's one way.  No backing out now.   It is not all bleak.  I am eligible to work in the EU and the UK.  Thank goodness for the Greek Passport and reciprocity.  Turns out I already have my first challenge as well:  How to go through passport control and customs in London in Terminal 3, get my two overstuffed checked bags and two carry-ons plus myself to Terminal 1, and recheck my bags for the flight to Edinburgh in just under 2 hours?  Damn you, Cheaptickets!!!  The Adventure Begins...