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I've been in London for 4 days now - still no accent though!
It wasn't nearly as cold as I thought it would be - definitely no snowmen around here (not that I'm complaining - any warmth is good!). My internet access has been on and off, so here's a debrief of the last few days, all in one go…
I met up with some consultants from Teaching Personnel (a supply teaching agency) on Wednesday night at a quaint little pub called "Balls Brothers" at the Hops Cellar (which incidentally used to be where the people made beer and used it as currency, back in the day). The agency was having a social drinks event and was offering each person who showed up a free drink - the thing is, I was the only one that showed up that night - so I got a free dinner! Score! The consultants were really nice, and we chatted away in a little wooden nook, while munching on various platter goodies and sipping our drinks of choice (lemon lime and bitters for me - splendid). We also organised an interview for the next day.
So that's where I yesterday morning - London Bridge (via the Tube!). We went through a bit of paper work and it's all looking good (still have a few things I need to send in, but I'm pretty set to do some casual teaching when I'll have the time in April). With the bank letter they gave me, I went across the road and set up a brand new bank account (I feel so grown up!). But all that aside, one cannot come to London Bridge without actually going to London Bridge! So after all the formalities, I went on a bit of an adventure and found my way to the great bridge that had once fallen down (fallen down, fallen down). I could hardly contain my excitement when I spyed the Tower Bridge in the distance! Now one cannot possible see the Tower Bridge and not go to the Tower Bridge! This was made possible via the "Thames Path" - a series of paths and steps leading to the Tower of London. I would have gone in, had it not been about 30 minutes to closing time. (Oh well - souvenir stores also have their exciting perks and the post cards were particularly amusing indeed!)
Today I met up with my mum's good friend Aunty Pearl and her daughter Hye-Yoon. We arranged to meet at Piccadilly Circus at the statue of Eros. It was a bit chilly and drizzly, which only means one thing - I'm in London! :) We found each other and enjoyed some latte at Star Bucks, then made our way to a Korean restaurant. For a brief moment, I was back in Seoul again - we had hemul pajun (seafood pancake), kimchi chigae (kimchi stew) and duenjang chigae (soybean stew), with a whole bunch of side dishes. We then made our way to Leicester Square for frozen yoghurt and tea. After a hug goodbye, I hopped back on the tube and went to Arsenal for my interview with LSP (London School of Puppetry).
I think the interview went well. It was a relaxed and cosy atmosphere, and there were 3 other people being interviewed, as well as a current LSP student and, of course, my Director of Studies. We did some various explorations of movement with puppets and chatted about our past puppetry experiences. From what the LSP student said, I think I'm in for a very intensive month! (it sounds like a lot of fun though - can't wait!).
I was fortunate to meet up with Aunty Pearl again (as well as her soon, WooSok) in Leicester Square after my interview. After another yummy Korean dinner of dolsot bibimbab (mixed rice served in a hot stone pot) and bulgogi (marinated beef), I made my way home. What a day!
I start my orientation tomorrow - hope it goes well!
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