Ireland and Thanksgiving!!!!

So, sorry all for taking so long in writing another blog entry and thanks to all of you who actually mentioned how much you enjoy reading them (especially Jenna Lara and Kathy Zdarstek). I will make this one a little bit longer and combine the past two I was going to write. This month I will be writing about my recent trip to Ireland, as well as my first Thanksgiving abroad!

Before discussing those items, I want to give everyone a brief update on me. First, things are going extremely well in London. I am finally starting to feel like this is my home and I am able to get around on the tube now. It was great having two friends visit so far (Suzie and Ellen) and I know one more is scheduled for December (Alright Chelsea!!!). Be on the lookout for an entry blog from Suzie, who is currently writing one about her experiences in London!

One thing that recently hit me was my first wave of true homesickness. I am what you call a ‘mama’s boy’ where I need to talk to my mom at least once a week. Since coming abroad, I just find it harder to call home as much as I want, and given the time differences, finding a time that is convenient for all. It is weird being in a country where you sometimes are walking around with your cellphone in your pocket, and you realize the only people you can call you have known less than six months (for the most part). I am just so happy to have a family back home who is so supportive and who genuinely cares about me and who are happy that I am experiencing new things. I love you all and miss you!

OK, now on to the fun!

Ireland

A couple of weeks ago I saw a special come to my inbox with a £28 return plane ticket to Dublin, Ireland (called round trip in the US). I could not pass it up, as I have always wanted to travel there, and I immediately hit purchase. One reason I was so excited is because my very good friend Kate Judd and her family are all from there. Kate is my friend in Chicago who I have spent the past ten Thanksgivings with, since I was so far from my home in Houston, Texas. I recall going to her Thanksgivings and hearing those with an Irish accent, as well as hearing about her visits to the land of the leprechauns! So, I had all the reason to go and I do say it was worth it.

This happened to be the first trip I have ever taken alone. I originally had a friend who purchased a ticket with me, but she had to drop out at the last minute due to personal reasons. I said, well I am not wasting this chance and decided to still go. From my study-abroad experiences in Australia, I realized that hostels are really NOT like the movie ‘The Hostel’. Further, I am getting to that age where hostels should no longer be considered an option when travelling… Well, I do not care yet. I still think they are fun, and the best way to travel if you are travelling alone. As such, I booked one in Central Dublin, crossed my fingers I would not have to stay in a room with Stinky and Stanky (Reference Madrid Blog Entry)! I arrived on a Friday evening around 18:00 (yeah, get used to the time being shown like that. I HATE IT, but am getting to it). I actually ended up booking a shuttle which took me to the airport at 14:30, instead of 4:30 for my 6:30 flight. Yeah, I was upset, but at least I was reading the Millennium trilogy and that definitely kept me entertained. Anyway, back to my story. I arrived at the hostel and was pleasantly surprised at how central and clean it was. Also, it was just three blocks from Temple Bar (which is not really a bar, but the fun area of the city). So, it was clean, cheap, and close to downtown, what more could I want… Oh yea, good roommates. I arrive to my room and am immediately welcomed by a French guy who barely speaks English. We tried to communicate and he told me how he had been travelling for the past 4 weeks and was finally headed home. He told me the fun places to go, and I got my map and went out to get some dinner and a beverage (another good thing about staying in hostels is you can cook yourself). I went to the store and bought some rice, mushrooms, chicken, and some Irish beer. I made some chicken risotto while enjoying authentic Irish beer in the hostel. While sitting in the lobby, I was approached by a group of foreigners. I actually cannot remember where they were from, but I do know one was Polish. We talked for a bit and they invited me out with them for the night. It turns out they had met each other the night before. Wow, what luck! We went to a couple bars in Temple bar, before arriving at some dance bar that was 3 stories. The night was well, except the price of a beer out was 5.80 Euro (equivalent to 7 dollars!).

The day, I ventured to the city centre to take the free city tour. If you ever are in Dublin, DO THE FREE TOUR. While they ask for tips at the end, you are MORE than willing to comply. We were able to see so many things, including Trinity College (where the library used in the new Star Wars Films is) the Dublin Castle, many pubs, the King’s garden, and many more sites. It was also exciting to hear true Irish history and their relationship to the British… (No comment). Lastly, I knew what I needed to do, go to the Guinness tour! It is a self guided tour, and it was amazing. It was an 8 story building, and on the top floor was a dome which overlooked the entire city. It was definitely the highlight of my trip. I have to say, thank you Dublin for showing me such a great time.

Thanksgiving!

First on a side note, if any of you are Vegetarians or Vegans, check out my sister’s blog (www.veganpeace.blogspot.com). Yes, blogging runs in my family, but she does great recipes for every holiday!

Well, boy was I lucky this year. I was not only able to have turkey on Thanksgiving; I was able to go to a Thanksgiving dinner. On the actual day of thanksgiving, the London office decided to have ‘office drinks’ at a local watering hole. Many of the American’s were happy we were doing something other than just sitting at home on a day that is traditionally considered very family. Toward the end of the night, my co-worker Melissa Ferri mentioned how she really wanted turkey and knew some places featuring it for Thanksgiving… She went on to tell me how she would really like to go, but I interrupted her and said ‘Where is your coat, we are leaving!’ We could not even wait to walk there and immediately called a cab to take us. We arrived and were ushered downstairs where we saw people eating everything we could hope for. We looked at the menu and decided to stay, it consisted of:

· Soup/Salad starter

· Turkey Meat

· Turkey Leg

· Stuffing

· Mashed Potatoes

· Green Beans

· Cranberry Sauce

· Corn

· Choice or cobbler or pumpkin pie

Wow, we were in heaven! We sit down and are about to tell the server what we want, then he simply tells us they are only serving the thanksgiving dinner downstairs and asks if we want it. Of course we quickly replied. Little did we know that the meal in fact, included ALL of the above items on a massive platter. So yes, we go the Turkey leg AND the turkey meat. We got the stuffing AND the mashed potatoes. We were in heaven.

Earlier in the week I was asked by some of my new friends out here, Athena and Dan, to their Staysgiving celebration on Sunday. She is Leann Eberle’s friend from gradeschool and the reconnected when Leanne relocated to London. Well, when I got my invite, I received the following invite in the mail:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0ByB0Y9XxlhzYZDE0ZTEyOWEtNTQ4MC00MTgzLWE4M2ItYTY5ODA4ODdiMDdh&hl=en&authkey=CLrUwYIB&pli=1 (copy and paste entire link in browser—you can tell I work in IT when I upload a document to the internet just to share it on my blog).

Wow is all I could say. The menu was amazing and I did not have to cook, awesome! To make matters better, it was not a simple dinner party, but quite a fancy event, with a full set table, an entire turkey, great company and 18 bottles of wine… Don’t worry, there were 12 of us J. Athena and Kim had been cooking all day (and Athena even had a time schedule she made in excel detailing when to start which item) and Dan was in charge of the music. Apparently Dan is the better cook in their relationship, but he allowed her to cook this one time… It was a fantastic evening, and it really made me miss home more. I missed home so much; I left to call my mom in the middle of dinner to say happy thanksgiving again! My older sister was sick as well so I was not able to talk with her, but I did send her a Hoops and Yoyo Thanksgiving card J. Just joking Athena, Dan did concede that Athena’s cooking skills outshined his on this occasion.

Overall, my first Thanksgiving in London was a smashing success! I also like all the new people I have met in London (Olivia, Katie) and all the new people I have reconnected with (Ollie, Andrew, Ali, Sara). It has been great!

Anyway, thanks all for reading my blog again and I will talk to you all soon!

PS. Leave a comment if you read this! My counter keeps going up, but not my number of comments :)

Happy Halloween! - From London

Hey all,

I hope all is well with you guys. Sorry it has taken so long to write but I have some good stories to tell, including:

http://marquettetribune.org/2010/10/19/news/reunion-mg1-az2-dac3-alumni-reunite-overseas/

Happy Halloween!

For many of you, you know that I have chosen some of the worst Halloween costumes in recent years. I even had what I thought was the bright idea of dressing up as a ‘Box Spring’ one year. This entailed wrapping a box in aluminium foil and, well… Let’s just leave it at that. Well, this year one of my American co-workers decided to bring a little of our culture to London and thrown an American style Halloween party. Now, don’t get me wrong, the Londoners do like to have costume parties here, but they are called ‘fancy dress’ parties. Mainly because costume refers to ‘swimming costume’, which refers to the American swimsuit. Well, this year I found a much better costume, as you can see!

On another note, my University is starting to develop a stronger presence in London. When I left Chicago, I was sitting on the National Alumni Board of Directors of Marquette University and when I stepped down to move to London, I told them I was going to reach out to Alumni in London when I arrived, and I am happy to say I did. Right when I landed Martha Moore, Alumni specialist from Marquette, reached out to me to assist with the planning of an event here in London. As it turns out, we have approx. 50 alumni in the London area alone, and an additional 30-40 in the rest of Europe! It was exciting planning the event, but nothing was better that actually participating in it. We also invited the London parents of students who were studying abroad at Marquette in Milwaukee, as well as the students from Marquette who were studying abroad in London. It was a sensational event, and all the Marquette Alumni who attended mentioned how excited they were for the next event.

I am excited for this month because not only does my friend Suzie Rotter have plans to come visit me, but I have plans to visit Dublin, Ireland next weekend! Hopefully more of you follow suit and come visit me soon!

Also, thanks for preparing the care package Meghan! I am actually really excited for it, and it will be the first one I have received since being here.

Belton

Ellen's European Adventure!

This blog is updated 2x a month...

Hi all, another installment of the blog! This time it comes with a twist. It is going to be written by my Cousin Ellen who just came up for a visit! I hope you all enjoy, and don't forget to LEAVE A COMMENT!

Ellen's Experience in London(Belton's Cousin)

After finally booking my ticket to come to London for my Birthday and visit with my AMAZING cousin BT, it just didn’t feel like Septemeber 29th would ever come, and then it did. A bit concerned with such a long flight, 2 meals, 3 movies, and a few snacks later, I’m actually looking forward to doing it again.

When I first touched down, I will admit, I was ready and tired. Going through customs was quite the experience. I went from being an American to “All Others.” Europeans now took precedence. I’d heard mixed remarks about the way people are in London. I heard it all from “You’ll love London and the people” to “They hate Americans.” My first impression was more like the latter. The woman at the customs counter gave me such a hard time and refused to smile, warning that she could hold me for hours in questioning all because I didn’t know my cousins address. Then, she decided to let me through because she is nice? I couldn’t help but to wonder, if this is nice… Thankfully on the Tube, the locals changed my mind. I was warned not to disturb anyone as everyone sticks to themselves, but that didn’t last to long. I met lots of nice people on the tube. It was a good thing too because I’d no idea where I was going.

Finally, I’d arrived at the Embankment exit, lugged all my stuff up, and called my cousin. It brought a tear to my eyes when I saw him. He looks AMAZING by the way. From the plane to a nice wine greeting, I must say it was a nice welcome indeed. Everyone was so nice.
The next morning (4:45 AM to be exact) we were up and at it again, and heading for Madrid, Spain. Madrid was Fun!!! While London was so cold, Madrid was so hot. The trip would not have been the same had it not of been for Maria, a friend of BT’s and now mine. One thing of I’ve learned about BT is that he knows at least one person where ever he goes (even if it’s out of the country), and leaves knowing even more.

This was my first time in a Hostel and it was an interesting but cool experience. We hoped we’d end up with fun room mates we could go out with, but ended up with two men from Russia whom BT appropriately named “Stinky & Stanky.” They were nice and gave us nice beers to try, but they smelled as though they hadn’t showered their entire trip. Even when they left the next morning, they just rolled out of bed and left.

Day one of exploring was fun but day two was much better because we had Maria to show us everything and she did just that. El Prado, The Egyptian Monument, The park where we went boat riding…I can’t even remember everywhere we went. Thankfully, there are pictures. I love how eating early and beating the dinner rush meant arriving at 10:30 PM. Spain is ALIVE. I mean by 4 AM they are still going with ease which made catching our early flight Sunday morning a breeze because we just stayed up. Sleep wasn’t really a part of the plan this trip, and as for the food…well…let’s just say that I’ve nothing to boast about when it comes to the food.

My birthday was one of the best ever. We had a great Thai dinner that also made great drinks in an area just past Picadilli Square. After dinner, Leanne(Belton’s good friend and now my friend), and I went to see the London Broadway show 39 Steps. BT was kind enough to give me his ticket, and I loved the play. After that we went out for drinks and dancing and I had an absolute blast. I mean, I couldn’t imagine it being any better. Even with the tube strike which made lots of people stay home, there were just enough people out. Additionally, terrorist alerts were issued shortly after our return from Madrid Sunday Morning, and the most concerning part is that there’s actual validity to it all.

I’ve seen and done so much in both London and Madrid that I can’t even begin to say it all nor do I want to. You’ll have to go and experience it for yourselves. I feel like I was able to do the touristy stuff, and get engrossed in the cultures, so I got the best of both worlds. My one suggestion would be, don’t pack so much. I made that mistake and it was a big one, huge even. Try everything and embrace the experience with an open mind. Be fearless but vigilant, hey, there were terrorist threats after all. Oh, and above all, hopefully if you are reading this, you know my cousin BT and will be coming to see him when you visit because he is the best tour guide and the experience just wouldn’t be the same without him. Mine sure wasn’t.

Finally, a new post! September 12

This blog is updated once a week.

Hey All,

I knew this would happen eventually where I miss a whole week of posting. In order to make it up to you, I am going to try to have two posts this week. One thing I am extremely excited about is that my cousin Ellen is coming in just 3 weeks now! I am extremely excited for her to come and I am ready to show her what London is all about. She arrives on a Thursday, we fly to Madrid, Spain the following day returning on Sunday. So much fun. As for my working out, I am happy to say that I have fit into shirts and jeans that I could not when I arrived, as such I am on the right track. I have lost more weight and am now at 107 KG (about 135LBS). Not as much as before, but that is because I went to a couple of happy hours. Although, for example, my meals on Tuesday consisted of: Breakfast – Blackberries, carrots and grapes, snack – kiwi, lunch – salmon on veggies, snack – blackberries, dinner avocado, grape, and tomato salad. Yep, if I can keep eating like that I will keep on the right track!
As for other activities this week, I went to see Oliver on Thursday with my friend Leanne. We had front row tickets and we got a DEAL on the prices. Has anyone ever heard of www.groupon.com? Well, they have it here and we signed up for it. We purchased FIVE tickets to any five West End Broadway shows for 75 pounds. Well, this was the first of our five shows, and the value of the tickets we received were 62.50 each! That means we essentially got buy one, get four free! Next week we are seeing Billy Elliott. I was not too excited to see Oliver at first because I heard it was not that good. However, after the first song and seeing to many talented kids on stage doing their choreographed dances so well, I knew it would be an enjoyable show. And it was!

Another day this week, I broke one of the rules my personal trainer gave me…. No Cheese. For those of you who know me, my favourite foods before I moved to London were Nachos and Pizza, as well as a good bottle of wine and some nice cheeses. Well, there is this really nice place by my office (Gordon’s wine bar) that offers a great selection of wine, as well as some of their gourmet cheeses. A co-worker and I, Alex Tam, decided to go there after work one day for an after work cocktail. When I saw the selection of European cheeses, I could not but help order a taster place. We enjoyed a great bottle of Opal Syrah, with some brie and smoked gouda. Two of our other cowokers, Melissa and DIa, came to meet us for some wine and we ended up closing the bar! The good thing is that most pub’s in London close at 11PM, and you have to go to a late night pub to drink later than that. Meaning, it is easy to close a bar and still be in bed before Midnight. And since we start work at 9AM here, I can still get a full 8 hours of sleep, I love it!

Right now it is Sunday and I am writing my blog from Hyde Park, a beautiful park in London. I am sitting in a nice lawn chair in the sun, people watching and writing. Every day I spend in London I fall more in love with it. I really hope so stay here quite some time. I really cannot wait until March though. One thing about distance, is it makes you miss things back home so much and I have been missing my family so much lately. I love you all!

Well, I am off to the Tate Modern now to look at some artwork and enjoy the rest of my Sunday afternoon (and hopefully spend no money). The best thing about London, is that all the museums are FREE! Man, before I moved here I had so many bored days. You know, when you wake up and don’t know what to do… Or you wake up and want to do something, but don’t want to spend money… Well, that is not the case in London. There are so many free activities and so many people, that you literally don’t have time to be bored, the perfect environment for me. I hope everyone is well and talk with you all soon. Also, I have included a picture from the Great Britain Beer Festival! All the people in the pic are from my office in London!

PS.

- Kate and Trista, I love the email you guys sent! I miss you both as well.
- Kate and Ally, I hope you are ready to have fun in a couple weeks when Jeff and Christina visit!
- Jeff and Christina, I hope you have a blast in South Korea with Kate and your sister. How about a side trip to London on your way home??
- Cicely, we need to plan a Skype call soon, it has been awhile since we talked last, love you!
- Ellen, the countdown has begun! See you in a couple of weeks
- Tim, so, what’s the status on your passport!
- Sarah K, So, I need more recommendations from you regarding my Madrid trip!!!
- Avita, I got your wish list and I am on it!

And lastly some Wedding Congratulations!!

- Congrats Courtney Tisius!!! I still cannot believe you chose the year I left to get married!!
- Congrats to Stacy Biddle!! You have to tell me how he proposed, I am sure it will be a great story!
- Congrats to Brett Smith! I am happy you have found the one. I know from living with this guy that after one month after meeting his girl, he was smitten. He said he was going to marry her at that time and he was right!

Also, if any of you want to add me on Skype, feel free: AussieBelton!

Time for Belton to get FIT!

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Belton, and I am writing about my experiences as I live in London for the next two years (possibly longer). I plan on updating this blog every week (I will try my best) so be sure to check for updates frequently.

31 August, 2010

Hey all,

So, I hope all I well with you all. As many of you know, I started working out with my personal trainer this week. The first meeting was pretty intense and I hope I can do it. I started working out in early March at Wicker Park Fitness in Chicago after about a two year hiatus. I think I am going to start tracking my weight on this blog as well so you all fan follow me and give me additional support. I have done a generally good job this year.

When I started working out in March, I weighed in at around 265 (120 Kilograms) with a 42 size waist. Since then, I have slightly changed my diet and been working at the gym doing cardio and random machines each time I go. Eating healthier and the basic workout has helped me get down to 237 (108 Kilograms) pounds now (a size 39 waist). Now that I have moved to London, it seems everyone is ‘FIT’ which means ‘In Shape’. As such, I am going to work hard to get ‘FIT’ in time for my good friends wedding in Mexico in March 2010 (Congrats George and Meghan!!). I am going to start each of my future blog posts with my weight, so you can track my progress as well. Wish me luck!

Here are the Rules from my personal trainer:
1) Eat six times a day
2) No Cheese!
3) No Sugar
4) Cardio 2x a week
5) Cardio & Weights 3x a week
6) Protein for Breakfast
7) Only drink a maximum of 2 days a week
8) Drink plenty of water
9) No chips, crisps, or fries!

Also as part of this entry, I am going to tell you all about my weekend. This weekend was my first holiday weekend and on Friday I went to an Austrian beer hall and had a couple Litre’s of beet. Saturday I rested and then on Sunday we went to a festival called ‘Notting Hill Festival’ with some of my coworkers (Leanne, Melissa, Alex Tam, and others). It is a Caribbean festival, and I got to see a lot of different cultures there. For those of you who don’t know, my mom was born in Trinidad, and raised in Venezuela. That means I am ½ Venezuelan! I love you Mom!

The festival was a lot of fun and I was even able to see a Trinidadian float (which I immediately took a picture of to post on here for my mom). So far London has been a great experience for me. It has given me the chance to take a step back from life and to re-evaluate where I see myself heading in the future. Right now it is exciting to be here and experiencing all the different cultures, and I am very excited for all the European travel that awaits me ahead.

Well, that’s all for now so wish me good luck in working out. Maybe I will make enough progress by Christmas to post a picture… Well, we will just have to wait and see about that one!

Wanna Come Visit!

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Belton, and I am writing about my experiences as I live in London for the next two years (possibly longer). I plan on updating this blog every Sunday (I will try my best) so be sure to check for updates frequently.

By request, I am now starting to take questions. If you have anything you would like answered, please post it in the comments section and I will answer it during my next blog entry. Willing to give advice from things in London to Belton's words of wisdom!

Hi all, I hope all is well with you guys. Still settling in and it is starting to finally feel like home over here. This weekend is my first weekend in which I will get to experience a holiday! It is pretty cool to have a three day weekend, as we have Monday off. No travelling, as it tends to be quite pricey to travel this during the Bank Holiday weekend, but it should be fun in London. Have you seen the Movie Notting Hill? I will be going to the Notting Hill Festival this weekend so it should be a great time. Well, I have some items I wanted to share with you guys so below you will find some (A) Common UK terms and (B) tips if you want to come visit me!

(A)
UK Terms: Also, if you plan on visiting me, you need to be up on the London Lingo. Here are a couple of terms that I will share with you so you can fit in more easily:

• Shattered (Tired) – After a long night of fun, toward the end of the night you might say ‘Man, I am Shattered’.
• Flat – Apartment (and you need to say flatmates here as opposed to roommates. Roommate is someone who you share a room with. I messed up with that one a couple of times).
• Timepoint – ATM Machine (or in Wisconsin Tyme Machine)
• Pounds – You all know this one, Dollars!
• Quid – Like above, but more similar to ‘Bucks’ (e.g. 50 bucks)
• Pence - Cents
• Rocket - Arugula
• Prawns - Shrimp
• Fit – Very good looking person
• Cheers – Hello, or Goodbye, or Thank you, or well, you get the meaning
• Bum or Arse – Well, you have to guess on this one
• Mushy Peas – They really like to serve peas mushed together and call them mushy peas. They are very common with Fish and Chips.
• Knackered - This is what you use for when you are absolutely tired from lack of sleep or too much fun (they have a lot of terms for tired)…

(B)
Visiting Belton Tips: So, planning on a visit to come see me, check out some quick tips that I have to find a cheaper flight!

1. Search Online! - Check out many of the websites you know like expedia.com, Travelocity.com, and skyscanner.com. Also, try searching some of the sites but change the .com to .co.uk. You might find a flight cheaper in pounds! (Be sure to look at Aer Lingus, that is the flight I used to com here). Super cheap!

2. Come during the week – We all know this one. But when you are flying to a different country and you come from Wednesday to Wednesday, you actually get to spend the entire weekend here as opposed to being jet lagged on a Friday or Saturday!

3. Know when to fly - I hear the cheapest time to come over is January – March, while the most expensive is July – September. Flight during the summer are often over $1000, but in the non-peak time you can find a flight for as low as $400. And remember, you can fly into any of the London airports, as you can definitely get to my house by the tube.

4. Get your PASSPORT! You might find a good price in two weeks, but if you don’t already have your passport, then you will not be able to come down. Be sure to get one early so you don’t have to stress when it comes time to book.

5. Plan a combined trip with me! Going to Europe, let me know because you might be able to have the BT with you at your grand destination to help you drink all those delicious beverages on the beach.

PS. Christina, Leanne, Darci, Ben and Anita thanks for the great emails! I promise to respond by the end of the week to each of them. It truly is nice to receive a personalized email from you guys so keep’em coming and I will do the same. Talk to you all later!

Cheers!

More about Life!

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Belton, and I am writing about my experiences as I live in London for the next two years (possibly longer). I plan on updating this blog every Sunday (I will try my best) so be sure to check for updates frequently.

Welcome to my new instalment of my weekly blog! I hope all is well with everyone back home, as I am having a blast out here in London and meeting a lot of really cool people. I think I will use this entry to tell you (1) how I am settling in, (2) my job in London, (3) and a little bit about the food in London.


1 - Life: I have been adjusting extremely well, and this week another fellow co-worker of mine (Leanne) arrived from the states to join me in London. This week has been a very exciting week, as I have went to a couple happy hours with new young professionals I have met out here. One person even invited me to the Soho House of London (www.sohohouse.com) and it was amazing. Went back there for afternoon drinks on Sunday (such a cool place). Also, I am excited to start planning my weekend trips. From an initial look at flight costs, they are all around £40-80 round trip! Below is a list of potential places I want to visit (obtained through a Londoner’s feedback):
• Barcelona
• Paris
• Prague
• Scotland
• Munich
• Ireland
• Croatia
• England (Barth, Norfolk, Kent)
• If any of you have travelled through Europe, please let me know some additional recommendations and/or your favourite places!

2 - Work: My new office is great. It is located in Trafalgar square, and right in the heart of the city. The projects I am working on out here are just what I needed in my career. I feel as if I am in a position again where each day I am excited to go to work. Not just because it is different work, but I actually enjoy what I am learning. Also, one nice thing is it is extremely easy to get to any of the client sites around London. Mainly because no one owns a car because the tube system can get you anywhere! I also think it is cool to work in such a diverse office with people from all around the world. One exciting social event our office did this week was to attend the Great Britain Beer Festival aka ‘Beerfest’. It is a festival where they bring in bears from around the world and we get to try them. It was a fun event. It was also funny to see a pint of Sierra Nevada going to £9. Also, me and the two other American transfers took a trip to the ‘Tate Modern’ and I was able to see some really cool paintings, including Dali and Picasso.

3 - Food: Well, this is one thing that people have definitely got wrong. The food here is great and you get to try so many different types. Right before I left the states, I tried to go to as many Mexican restaurants as I could. Mainly because when I went to Australia, there were no Mexican restaurants around and I thought it would be the same here. Well, I was wrong (as you can tell from my very first blog entry). I am not going to talk about it too much yet, because I want to write an upcoming entry just on London Cuisine, but I am really enjoying the food I have tried so far. Just to give you a taste of what I have been eating, I am going to list a couple (I know bad pun): Pot Pie (this is meat stuffed in a flaky crust), Fish and Chips (of course), and lots of sushi. I have yet to get some Indian, but that is at the top of my list.

My House and Thanks!

09 August 2010

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Belton, and I am writing about my experiences as I live in London for the next two years (possibly longer). I plan on updating this blog every Sunday (I will try my best) so be sure to check for updates frequently.

Thanks again for reading. This blog is dedicated to my wonderful older sister and my great friend Trista. They both provided me with amazing birthday gifts that were both generous and unexpected. My sister gave me a VERY good gift certificate to London Amazon.com and Trista gave me a GREAT wine and cheese basked (those who know me well know I love wine and cheese). I have included a picture above of the gift basket.

I would also like to thank Karin for writing me a wonderful message showing your support for my blog and bringing back wonderful memories. Receiving your message was great!

Now for this issue. I have thought it would be nice to show you all where I live. If you look at my last entry, I included a tube map of England. If you look at that, I live by the tube station called ‘Sloane Square’. This is located in the central SW of the map. I work by the ‘Charring Cross’ tube station and only live 3 miles away.

Now for the videos. They are as follows:

1 – My Neighborhood
2 – My Entryway and Living Room
3 – Bathroom and Kitchen
4 – My Room

Thanks again for watching. I think next week I am going to write about the best way to find a cheap flight to London. Also, if you are reading this, please leave a comment! I really like to read your thoughts on the blog.

The Tube Experience

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Belton, and I am writing about my experiences as I live in London for the next two years (possibly longer). I plan on updating this blog every Sunday (I will try my best) so be sure to check for updates frequently.


There are so many things I want to talk about, but I don’t know where to start. First, if you are reading this, then thank you. It has really meant a lot to me to receive all the emails and Facebook posts that I have from you guys. It makes me feel less, well, homesick. Yes, I felt it for my first time yesterday. I have spent a semester in Australia with no problems, and now I come here, and am missing everything from back home. I think it is because my birthday is this weekend and I will be celebrating it with all new people. I am extremely happy my office is full of extremely fun people though. I have been in the office for only three weeks, and I have already been to three happy hours, and there are two more planned. Further, a great deal of people from the office comes to them and actually stays the entire time. It’s pretty good.

So, I think for my first topic I will describe to you the ‘tube’ experience. F or those of you in Chicago, it can also be referred to as the ‘El’ experience. When I first arrived, I was extremely intimidated by the underground transit system here. If you look at a map, you can easily see why. I tried to avoid it as long as possible, but my first job was in Canary Wharf, an area you have to take the tube to, or the boat if you are lucky like me and live close to the river. OK, so back to the story. The train stations here are completely unlike those in the US.

The five things to know about London ‘Tube’ Stations:

1. Be Ruthless: One of the first things I learned from the London transit system is you have to be ruthless when it comes to getting to work. I have always tended to be the type of person to give up my seat for the less able and elderly, which I will continue to do, but some things need to change. It all started while travelling to my first client in Canary Wharf. I was at the Jubilee station and was amazed that there were actually lines at each of the train doors. I chose one and patiently waited for the next train (which comes every 3-7 minutes in the morning). There was a nice older lady slightly behind me and to the side. When the train came, I stepped away to let her in. As soon as people saw me do that, they started pushing past me to get on the already crowded train. I missed that train. That is the day I learned, you need to push your way on the train if you ever want to get to work in the mornings…

2. One word… Sardines: Once on the train, you have to find a comfortable spot and not move. I thought getting on the tube was hard enough, now you have to travel with people literally pressed on all sides of you. I thought the Chicago trains got crowded during rush hour. Just image the Chicago morning crowds, with an additional 25 people in each car. Not only that, but air-conditioning is not the best over here, as it typically does not get extremely hot. Well, it sure does get hot in these tube stations with people packed like ‘sardines’ each train car. That is why, in typical Belton fashion, I have bought myself a mini travel fan, which looks ridiculous when using it on the train. But, hey, at least I am cool right…

3. No Talking: One aspect of the tube people have mentioned to me is that London is known for having the ‘meanest’ tube lines in the world. Many Londoners say that talking is ‘taboo’ and you should stick to your own methods of recreation. Well, in my experiences thus far, I have to disagree. I have made many friends on the train, especially during my first two weeks when I was trying to figure out how to get around. I will say though, you will never see so many non-smiling people in one place.

4. Start Reading: I first started to try and read the free paper that they hand out in the mornings on my tube ride. I just found it extremely difficult to try and hold the paper, hold the handrail, and try to maneuverer amidst a mass of people. I looked around and saw many people reading books, easily held in one hand, so I thought I would try it. I went and picked up “The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo” from the store, and within a week it was done (very good book). My next selection was “The Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klien (I like to switch from fiction to non-fiction every other book). I am only 100 pages in and I am hooked. It is an enlightening book that I read with my jaw open because the content is so unbelievable. If you enjoy economics, and have read Freakenomis, this book is for you. Warning, it is not light reading, so beware. (Sara Schmitt, I really think you would like this book).

5. Great Workout: Lastly, while I live next to the tube station, about a four minute walk, once inside the stations you enter a never-ending maze of a building, with many doors, hallways, escalators, stairs, and elevators. It was quite confusing at first, but now that I know the hang of it I am starting to make it through much faster. I only think you can understand if you have been here, but they have escalators that are about three times the length than the ones I am used to. Not only that, but every once in awhile they break (3 times since I have been here 3 weeks). Because of that, you start to do a lot of stair climbing. I actually have been trying to take the stairs as much as possible until I am able to join a gym.

Well, that’s it for my second post. My birthday is tomorrow, so I will be sure to tell you all how it was next week. Also, be sure to complete my poll question below!

Belton

Backlog and Introduction!

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Belton, and I am writing about my experiences as I live in London for the next two years (possibly longer). I plan on updating this blog every Sunday (I will try my best) so be sure to check for updates frequently.

As for this post, I am simply adding the entries I have created up to this point. Enjoy!

First Arrival – 1 July, 2010

So, I am finally in London. I am happy to say that after many weeks I have arrived safely in London, and wow, this city is not what I expected. It is always busy, always moving. When I moved from Milwaukee to Chicago in November, I was impressed by how big Chicago is. Now that I am in London, I am yet again surprised at the size.
Right off the plane I was extremely jet-lagged, but I still wanted to explore my new home. After a quick walk around Trafalgar Square (where I am currently staying) and Soho, I was up for a quick bite to eat. I wanted something familiar and quick, so I stopped in a Pizza Hut (yes, Pizza Hut). I was greeted with leather seats and a wine list. I quickly asked myself, is this the same pizza hut from back in the US? Yes, just a little more upscale out here in London. After a quick bite, I made my way back to my hotel and fell asleep. It was 8PM!

Overall, I have to say, London is a great city and I truly think I am going to like it here.

Day 2 – 2 – July, 2010

Well, today is my day to start apartment hunting. I have 14 days to find an apartment, and am currently staying in Trafalgar Square, which is one of the coolest area’s of the city. I would really like to stay here, but I can’t afford 1800 pounds (approx. $3000 USD) a month alone, so off to look at other areas.

One interesting thing about London is that they give people free mobile phones (including the iPhone) if they sign up for a cell plan, which averages around 35 pounds a month (so cheap)! I wanted a phone, since I left mine in the US, so I quickly went to a O2 store to get one. Guess what, I also found out that you have to be here at least six months in order to get a free phone (or pay a hefty deposit). As such, I emailed my old roommate and asked her to send mine over (Thanks Sarah).
Luckily, my office asked if I would like to come in and pick up my work phone to use in the interim. Of course, I would be connected to society again. I went to the office, and was able to meet most of my new co-workers. Everyone seems really nice, and I think I am going to really like it in this office. After the quick introductions, I was asked to happy hour with them. Who I am I to say “No” to a couple drinks with some people who I am going to be spending a lot of time with. Further, it was fitting because the place they chose was The Texas Embassy. Well, I am from Texas, so I was excited. As we walked in, I realized that I was in a Mexican restaurant. When I asked why a Texas place serving Mexican food, one English person replied "Well, here in the UK, we consider Texas part of Mexico." I don't know what to think about that, but I do have to say, they had some good Margarita's!

I know I am going to like it here.