Traffic People

I forge my own path every day. Literally. I commute from the core of "The City" which is the true original city of London and the financial hub into the heart of the city at large in its center, and the area of law firms clustered around the courts and chambers of law. Of course, I make this commute at the busiest times of the day: 8 am and 6 pm. It's like playing frogger, and God forbid I decide to text or look down to change the song on my phone and I've been run into or I have run into someone else. Remarkably though, traffic of people, completely unprotected by the metal of a car, isn't that much different than Atlanta or LA traffic. Everyone sticks to their own bubble and there are certain public transportation rules that everyone observes. Obey the unspoken code, or receive stares and glares galore.

Just like there are rules of the road, the rules of the riders for Transport for London have a code of conduct. 
Escalators: walkers walk on the left side, standers stand on the right. This is taken seriously and you will be run over or pushed if you're doing the wrong action in the wrong 'lane'. Switching lanes is also dangerous and must be done swiftly.

You cannot hug a pole or handrail, you can merely hold onto it. Hugging, or leaning your whole body against such a place for others to put their hands makes everyone sway unsteadily and causes social strife. 

There are no consequences for jay walking. 


No talking. Well, you can talk, of course, but no one else is. And whoever is, is a tourist. This rule is taken less seriously on the overground or bus where there is service but it's still widely observed. 

Speaking of tourists, every pedestrian cross walk has 'LOOK LEFT' or 'LOOK RIGHT' instructions so that pedestrians know which direction to check before they cross the road. I love this because I do actually use it a lot. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when they decided to paint these instructions on every corner and crosswalk in this massive city. The staffer to the Mayor, "Sir, for the last calendar year, we've had 11,567 accidents on crosswalks where the injured reported that they didn't understand which directions the cars were coming." "Bloody hell, do we need to put instructions to all the tourists on every corner?!!" Yes, apparently so. (If you don't get this joke, you're forgetting that they drive on the wrong side of the road in this country)

On the note of crossing the street, this is a good place to mention that no matter how confused you are on which direction to look... If you wait for the light to completely change and don't start darting across the road in between cars, you're a tourist. 

Food and drink rules are interesting. Drinks are forbidden on the buses to the point where a bus driver will not let you on the bus if you have one in your hand. Drinks are cool on the tube, but food is not. You are welcome to bring it of course, but no one eats on the tube. Especially if you have something like chips, I mean, crisps, and you're just there crunching away, you'll catch all the stares of that entire cart. 

To finish this post about rules of the London commute, I will say, if you ever happen to drop your phone on the tube tracks, its best not to panic. It's NO BIG DEAL. You'll just use the emergency button/"help pointe" to call a member of staff. They will determine, depending on where your phone has landed on the tracks if they will be allowed to retrieve it. Then, they will stop the tube cart completely, make the driver get out of the cart, and then other members of staff will use this little stick thingy to retrieve your phone from the track. If the stick thingy doesn't work, they will do the entire charade over again and use the same stick thing a second time. I wouldn't know or anything.... ;)

Seven Month Status Report

My job: I have transitioned to a new law firm. It's about 40 people, and I work in the Actions Against the Police department. 
I'm still settling in, but I am enjoying the change and I'm curious to see how I'll feel in a few months time. Our department deals with police complaints, improper abuse of power, wrongful arrest, etc. The department also takes on various human rights cases.

We LOVE the neighborhood where we live. We've fully set into routines and commutes. I'm going to reformer pilates a few times a week at a nearby studio and its really fun. I'm finally gaining abdominal strength so that's a first in my whole life! Brian was playing soccer 2-3 times a week on various teams or pick up with friends. He is nursing a heel injury and taking it easy these days. We'd appreciate your prayers for a solid answer on the diagnosis. We also really love this wine shop that opened up across the street. We've been to two excellent tastings there. One was a wine and chocolate pairing for Valentine's Day! It was so much fun.
Thanks to the wonderful visitors we've had, we have had a special opportunity to explore sights in London we had not yet seen. When the Hubbell ladies were here, we went to the British Museum where we observed giant chunks of Parthenon on display and gawked at mummies galore, and the Rosetta Stone. We also saw a play together, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. We LOVED having them here for a full week- our first visitors really made it feel like we've made this place a home. 
My Dad was here for a few days and we explored new restaurants. We visited the Churchill war rooms, which was quite the history lesson. Brian's Dad visited for nearly a week while checking in on his London office. With him, we went to the British Library which boasts an impressive collection of original Shakespeare manuscripts, Florence Nightingales notebooks, original Beatles' lyrics, the Magna Carta ! it was so cool. We also journeyed outside the city to Greenwich, where the British Naval Academy has this gorgeous park and lovely observatory showing the division of the timezones for the world, hence the name, Greenwich Mean Time. 
My sorority sister, Erin, was in town for a few days and we had dinner at a pub that is housed in the spot on the Thames River where the Mayflower left for the Netherlands (and eventually, onto America). We've been SO blessed by these visitors and hope to have many more! It's easy to get lonely here and to miss our good friends. Brian's brothers have just planned a trip in June and one of his groomsmen will be here for his birthday! 
On the subject of friends, we are still couple-shopping. We've made some good friends here, but its hard not to miss everyone back home. Meanwhile, the time difference and chaos has made it challenging to stay in touch. So hang with us, and please know that we hate how difficult it can be to get in touch. But at the same time, technology has never made staying in touch easier, so please reach out!
I guess the last important update is about the Roswell house. I had the great pleasure of coming home for about two weeks while I was in between jobs. I worked a lot on the house, but the real hero of the project has been Barbara. It's remarkable how much work she has gotten done and how much she has helped us. We are so grateful. The house has officially been listed and we are hoping for positive feedback and a loving new buyer soon! 

Brian's job: there's not much to report here. He likes his job a lot and is enjoying all experiences associated with the big law firm life. We live very close to his office, so these last months he has been able to walk home for lunch which gives Grey a great deal of joy. 

We've just returned from ICELAND and it was the most amazing trip. I'll post about that next! 

That pretty much covers a good chunk of it. 

Dressing Whoever You Are

Halloween is about grim and gore in this country.
I lost count of how many dead brides I saw. I found this the most disturbing. Halloween is definitely celebrated and the American trick or treat tradition is growing in popularity here. 


This year, unfazed by Britain's take on the holiday, Brian and I were party animals. I dressed as a cat, and he wore this awesome elephant onsie. Brit told me I would have been better off as a "dead kitty," and I wanted to slap him. That should not be an acceptable thing! I did, in fact, sadly, see a "dead kitty" on the Tube. Somethings I will never understand.

On October 31, I was roaming around the streets of our neighborhood attempting to distinguish between who was dressed up and who was not. We live in a very hipster-y neighborhood. There are about 20 Vintage clothing stores within a few blocks of our apartment, and their customers are quite characters. The collection of clothing you may see on any one individual in the same motley outfit is actually remarkable. I haven't kept a precise count, but I know I cycle through the entire rainbow in hair colors every day or two. Sometimes, multiple colors on the same person! Green and blue, or purple and black. So you can understand how I wasn't sure as I walked past the other pedestrians, are you dressed up, or are you not? The streets around here haven't changed too much. I like that. I like I live somewhere that everyone gets to dress as they please and tell a story with their appearance and just rock it. So, I often walk Grey in my Alabama sweat pants and my hair in a rat's nest on the top of my head, and it's fine. Because its Shoreditch, and all things are "cool." Shh, don't tell me otherwise... 

We went to a party with Pepperdine students doing the program that I did in 2013. It's very weird to think about the mountain of changes that have happened since I was a Second year law student. I didn't realize how much OLDER I've gotten since then until I was standing there. We felt two beers behind all night and a bit like uninvited chaperones that didn't belong at a college party, buuuuut we had a great time and had a good, long laugh when we processed the whole thing the next morning. 

Guy Fawke's Day was November 5th. Fireworks were randomly going off throughout the week. On Saturday, I went with friends to this giant fireworks show in Victoria Park. I felt very oddly like all the sudden it was 4th of July and I was at home. It's amazing how many celebrations translate across cultures. Somethings are just undeniably amazing. There is something about that little explosion of light and color in the sky that makes everyone's face mirror its glow. No matter who you are, it's likely that fireworks in the sky will make you gasp in awe and bring a smile to your face. Something about sharing that with other people is a cool feeling. Instant. Happiness. 

pantyhose and paychecks

I recognize this need to beautifully package some kind of theme in order to blog. Perhaps the readers of this blog would prefer I just use it as a pure communication tool of updating on our life here. This blog has never been that, but it could be that. So, hey, reader, express what you'd like to read. And I'll write that. 

We moved into the flat previously mentioned just over two weeks ago now. We really love it and I promise to post photos soon. It's not all perfect and we are currently boxing with our landlord (another post entirely), but everyone has reassured us that all landlords are bad words and that there is no good landlord. So, fine, we will become better boxers. We had dinner with friends last night who shared us their landlord nightmare. I couldn't tell if it comforted me in that "it could be worse" or terrified me to think "it may get worse." Indeed it is getting worse, but I have hope it will get better. 

As some of you know, I had a very miraculous email exchange that has lead to me working here in London. For me, especially in the particular situation where his arose, I consider most miracles to be gifts from Mom and she outdid herself on this one. On HER birthday, nonetheless! In 2013 when I lived here as a second year law student, I worked for a human rights law firm and they had this immediate need for some paralegal work. I started just two days after we landed in London. 

It's a dream job in many ways and I feel completely powerless to complain when this fell out of thin air without me lifting a finger. Not to mention how many of my friends have been slaving over application after application after application and are still jobless. However there is a balance between having a job and having a good job, or more importantly, the RIGHT job. 

I was hired on a temporary, project only basis, for not great pay. Obviously I was so thrilled to be employed within two days of landing without submitting a single job application, I didn't care! As the project has dwindled down after five weeks (it was initially thought to be about two weeks only), I've felt my intolerance for uncertainty absorbing substantial mental energy. But I'm hoping for some conversation with the managing partner that results in a permanent job offer. Lots of prayers. 

In the meantime, it's been a lot of fun to get paid for legal work for the first time ever and soak in the new experience. I learn so much about British culture from work. There is another American in the office, and several American trained attorneys so its a very welcoming environment. There are no cubicles so we all just work right next to each other at adjoining desks. I feel part of a team thats working on some really cool projects, and I'd love the opportunity to stay there!  

a flat out nightmare

I was unprepared.
This is an ironic way to start this blog post considering the day of our move to London, I posted a status on Facebook about the ridiculous preparation that was required for survival of May 2015 through September 17, 2015. And then, we landed in London.
I lived in London from August through December of 2013. Not once during that entire period do I recall experiencing what is commonly called, "culture shock." I still cannot bring myself to call it that, because it's just not an appropriate label. No, I had culture shock in Africa. No, I love culture. I love being shocked by culture. That's not what this was. This was a nightmare.

This is the story of how we learned London's leasing market by doggy paddling in the deep end. 

Nearly every sale or let (aka lease) in London goes through some agency. Agencies charge a lot of money. The agents are practically anti-tenant/pro-landlord, as they get paid by the landlord to get the highest possible offer. So basically, we put in an offer and then its totally unprotected and can get outbid. The list prices are all up for negotation. This is supposedly the busiest time of year in the London leasing market and the leasing market here has been repeatedly ranked as one of the worst in the world. Didnt know that! But know i believe it!! Letting in London is much more synonymous with buying a house than what we think of "signing a 1 year lease." 

We learned that agency's fees were basically unavoidable. We scheduled viewings after work and saw about ten properties in five days. Multiple times, in the short time between booking a viewing and going to the viewing, the property was let. The market is HOT. Additionally, properties on the market now aren't actually available to move in immediately. Some aren't available until late October or even early November. Landlords are also dog-averse. One landlord wanted a £2,300 deposit for Grey. FOR GREY!! 

Last thursday, we found this wonderful place, great location, with this huge terrace for Grey. Brian viewed the property at 5pm and then I came after work and viewed it around 6. We went to dinner, thought about our offer, and went to the office first thing Friday morning with our offer. We had been told by all our London friends & coworkers that asking price is negotiable and no one really pays asking price. So in our offer because of the absurd experience we had all week with flats getting scooped up like crazy, we offered a 2 year contract at asking price. Within the hour we submitted our offer, someone had come in and given £40 MORE PER WEEK. That’s like almost $300 more per month!!! I mean, WHAT?! 

So then the pressure was on big time. Saturday, we went to a second viewing of a place I had reallllly fallen in love with earlier on in the week but that had a crappy location but with so much character and space. We placed an offer and left nervous because they had several other viewings and the agent wouldnt stop viewings or reject other offers until our offer was accepted by the landlord. With little hope, we carried on with our planned schedule and saw two more flats. We liked BOTH of them! At the third place, we put in an offer immediately after viewing. Totally spur of the moment, feeling super crazy, knowing any second the other landlord could accept our first offer and we’d be in big trouble. As soon as we left that place, we called and withdrew our first offer. Feeling like crazy people, emotionally drained, we carried onto a FOURTH viewing for the day because we were afraid our offer wouldnt be accepted. About five hours later, our offer was accepted by the landlord! 

The battle was just beginning. Even after our paperwork and holding deposit finalized, OUR property was still on the market. For three days, we were nervous that someone could put in a higher offer and knock us out. The idea that this is legal under contract law just baffles me. The agency requires the 10 week deposit to come from a UK bank. Well, thanks to the complicated nature of an international wire transfer, we learned that the bank's restrictions would be unable to get the 10-week deposit into our bank account in the strict timeline we had to preserve our hold on the property. Meanwhile, our temporary housing requires 7 days notice of any extension or cancelation. Not knowing whether or not we would be able to move in on Saturday, because we legitimately do not know whether or not we have the flat, we will now be paying for next week's rent in two places. A blessing of a problem to have compared to being kicked out of any housing at all! With quite a bit of thankfulness, we were able to sort the money out and it was deposited to their account today. This whole thing has just been CRAZY. 

Now, we are waiting on a bit of finalizing loose ends but we are expecting to move in on Saturday. 

However, I will not feel reassured until I have those keys in my hands. As you tap yourself on the back for finishing this really long post, say a prayer that we will actually be able to move in and that we are not flat-less in a few days. I'm so anxious to put this flat battle behind us and start settling in! 

I'm no psychologist but, pardon me while I step on my soap box

What phase of culture shock is being sick of everything where you are?
Unlike many of my colleagues who are tempted to spiral into conversations about what we miss from home. I miss the beach. I miss my car. I miss my dog. I miss Mexican food. I am dying for Taco Bell.
Fine, I miss all those things.

But really, what I am is sick of the nonsense of London.
I'm over the food here. Eating is a chore, its something that is simply done because it's the time of the day to eat and you should eat something because humans eat three times a day. There is no joy in the food, no enJOYment of the food. No good sushi, no fresh salads or vegetables. No real kitchen or oven to make healthy or delicious food.
I'm OVER the prices. Everything is SO expensive. $6 for a coffee? Is that serious? An extra 20% charge if I want to eat it here instead of carrying it out of the restaurant for it to get luke warm and then taste even more mediocre? Um, no thank you.
The rain? Over it.
The puddles that get splashed all over you by the cars whizzing by when it rains? YUCK.
Doing laundry in the worst dryer in the history of mankind- over it.
All of the clothes that I brought here? I hate 'em all.
Watching the football games on my computer with interrupted internet connections at 3 in the morning? Yep, ready to be back on a US time zone.
Requiring I dress modestly at all hours of the day because I have two roommates and no actual doors in my loft flat? Nope.
Saying, "Can you hear me?" "helloooo" about 30 times a day trying to get a decent connection on the phone with my boyfriend? No patience for that.
Falling asleep to a symphony of sirens? I've had enough of that.
Twin size bed? Obviously not my preference.
Going to church and only recognizing one song that we sing? Na, I'm longing for the oldies but goodies that I love.
The plastic chair that sits at my desk in my apartment? Ready to throw it out the window.

Of course all of these thoughts are extreme "First World Problems" and I recognize that. Additionally, each of these can easily be translated into me missing all things home. A few of these things have also carried over because, let me remind you - I have really been away from home since May. I haven't seen the things I left in storage since May. My car, my Keurig, my TV, my beautiful large computer screen. My bed, my clothes, my mother's rings. My stuff that I feel I need.

It also goes without being said that it is November 26, my first final is in less than a week, I am dreaming of law school in the few hours I get to sleep… and it's just a general trend that I currently hate almost everything.

I post this not because I need pity, but to make you laugh and be reminded that the life of a gypsy isn't nearly as glamourous as we'd all like to think. And sure, I'm no psychologist but I just don't believe the stages of culture shock go in some chronological order. They spiral around like a roller coaster. One day you go to bed thinking you're fully integrated and the next day you wake up feeling like everything you thought you'd become acCUSTOMed to, you actually resent. And then the next day you wake up feeling fine. In all moments, attitude and outlook is critical. In these moments, you have to be honest with these thoughts then move onto focusing your mind on something else.
It's not like you pass stage 3 and never look back.
That's just not how it works.
Abroad, or anywhere.
Fellow expats and travel lovers, care to chime in?

Where have all the Londoners gone?

About life and thoughts on London

I am living in a brand new apartment building about a thirty minute walk from the school. Most days when the weather is nice, I try to walk. I can also take the tube (London's underground) or a bus. There's a huge grocery store just a few blocks away and the apartment is in a really beautiful, quaint, quiet residential area. On my walk to school I can hear anywhere from two to five languages. London is one of the most international cities I've ever lived in. It's such a melting pot, it has me constantly wondering where all the Londoners are! 

I like it a lot. The weather has been remarkably good, but I expect that to change any day and that many miserable rainy days are ahead. There are about fifteen other Pepperdine students that live in the building with me and about forty students in the program all together. Pepperdine rents out a huge house that hosts two large classrooms, two student lounges, a big kitchen and library and living spaces for about forty undergrad students. The undergrads and law students don't really mix too much, but I expect the library will get a bit territorial around finals time. The schools location is great- in the heart of a nice walking plaza and museums galore just two blocks from Hyde park. 

London food isn't nearly as terrible as everyone always says it is. But what it absolutely is is mediocre. It's almost like someone comes around to every restaurant tasting the dishes and saying, "nope, it's too good. remove the pepper and that one ingredient so it's merely mediocre." Everything we eat is completely edible, but it's just not great. Food is really an afterthought- many of the restaurants are merely take-away cafeterias catering to people who want to walk in, grab something quick, walk out and eat while on the way to doing something else. Sound familiar??

I feel that calling this experience a "study abroad" is a misnomer for many reasons. In no way does it meet any expectations you carry of a typical "study abroad." I am not studying at a University in London, I am still enrolled completely at Pepperdine University School of Law. I will not have transfer credits, and my professors are Pepperdine-employed. There are three visiting students in our classes, but they're all Americans, and it's in no way an "international" school. I haven't met any real Londoners, have hardly any interaction at all with the culture (by comparison to living or traveling anywhere else) and haven't had any culture shock at all whatsoever. Of course, there are differences between the US and London, and there are things about living here that really manage to irk me. For example, the fact that the toilet flush handles are usually inconviently placed in a way where you have to SHUT the toilet lid in order to flush - like, seriously? WHY? Or that ATMs = cash point, cents = pence, buggy = stroller, chips are fries and chips are crisps. The guy at the PETROL station yesterday straight up laughed audibly at my "so funny accent." The lack of RUBBISH BINS in the city is appalling, and will leave you carrying your trash for over thirty minutes. Indeed in three months, I will be able to list on two hands every single trash can in this city. No doubt. But annoyances are prevalent anywhere you live, and the opportunities to meet Brits and to do all the amazing things that London has to offer are endless. However, I am a law student and its all I can do to work hard from sun up to sun down during the week, and let my gypsy side run wild on the weekends. 

view from the roof of our building

Proof we do actually work. Occasionally. (Taken in Pepperdine's Library preparing for our Internal Moot Competition) 

At Hillsong (a major producer of phenomenal worship music) London