Mama, de verdad que me voy a Londres!

What should I include in my backpack?

Well, I'll be more specific soon but here you are a few objects:

a. A muppet (I told you on the first post)

b. Medication (if you are taking any)

c. Street map of central London .

d. Street map of your accomodation and instructions to get there (make a few copies)

e. Sewing kit (if you know how to use it)

f. A pair of black trousers and a pair of smart black shoes.

g. Passport, Transport Tickets (make a few copies), money.

h. Small agenda, pens,...

i. A couple of jumpers (even in summertime), umbrella (also in summer).

j. Free Telephone and charger.

k. Your Curriculum Vitae CV IN ENGLISH (ask for help if you need it), (make a few copies).

l. Pendrive, Mp3,... Laptop is not essential (there are lots of Internet cafes and free acces at public libraries) but take if u have one already.

Note: If you have read up to this it will probably means that you are serious in your plan. Now it's time to ask mum for some practical cooking recipes and start practising them. Besides, It won't be a bad idea to go to the market and buy the ingredients as well, so you will get an inside of the whole cooking experience.

Note two: This is for a friend. Job in London. Check these websites:

www.jobcentreplus.co.uk

www.visitbritain.co.uk

www.adecco.co.uk

www.manpower.co.uk

Mama, que me voy a Londres!

4. Money.

I'll write it in pounds so you get and idea (sorry, they do NOT accept euros in england apart from exchange bureaus and banking societies) . Well if they accept your euros is for a hefty commission, that's guaranteed!!

Well, you are going to live in one of the most expensive cities in Europe and you will need at least 3-5 months to recover the initial investment. INVESTMENT: this is the magic word you need to tell your parents.

What for?:
Travel: 60-80£ (buy a return ticket, just in case)

Accommodation: 80-110£ per week

Moving around: 20£ per week

Food: 60£ per week

Spares: 20-40£ per week

Opening a bank account:

Sorry, but it's not easy. You will need:

• a. As much ID as you can: Passport, foreign ID card, european driving license.


• b. A letter from your bank at home (IN ENGLISH)


• c. Letting agreement.


• d. Bills: Telephone, electricity with an UK address.


• e. A letter from your employer/ job.


• f. A smart dresscode and your best smile.

Problem:

I'm sharing a room and I don't have c. .

Ok! Ask your friends to add you in the next bill (they can do it by phone). It will take a couple of weeks.

Sometimes you can ask the bank to write a letter to your UK address and you will be back with it. I t takes 3-5 days.

Main banks:

Natwest, Lloyds TSB, HSBC, Barclays, Halifax, Abbey

Important: Barclays Spain is different from Barclays UK and you will need a UK bank.

Tip: At the bank they often will ask how long are you going to stay in London.

Answer: "At least two years, may be more."

I know, you are probably lying but ask yourself this: do you want to have a bank account or not??

Mama, me voy a Londres!

By public demand here starts a quick reference list of websites, ideas and suggestions when you have decide to move there and still it is not too LATE ( I mean, you are not already there).

1. LEARN ENGLISH!!!!:

If you can not understand this post without a dictionary, I have to be honest here, you are going to have a rough time in England... oh! yes! you have a friend who was there last summer and had a great time because all his/her friends were Spanish/foreigners and worked in a Spanish/foreign restaurant and bla, bla, bla... BULLSHIT MY DEAR! And if that is the case, why the heck are you going there???? To improve your Spanish/ another foreign language??? To save money in a fifth class crap job???

Truth is, the better your level of SPOKEN ENGLISH the better the job, the experience and the boyfriends/girlfriends you will get there.

One last issue about this point. If your English teacher does not teach the lesson almost ENTIRELY IN ENGLISH you are wasting your money and time. Buy a ticket to Gatwick, pack your stuff and go (among other things I am a qualified English Tutor and I know whot I'm talking about...sigh!)

2. PRINT THIS POST:

It's full of info (I hope) . Make 2-3 photocopies and stuff them in your backpack, jeans, etc.

By the way, feel free to copy-paste the picture. It took me an hour to find and arrange the essential items you will need there. Then feel free to zoom in and check the objects (as you probably has discovered, the most important item is the Teddy Bear! Do not leave him behind! You will need it!) .

3.GETTING THERE:

These are only the basics, ok?

Tip!: Check the official airport websites (I don't have time to include them here yet)

FLYING

London has five airports.

a. Heathrow airport.

West location. Metro: Piccadilly Line

b. Gatwick airport.

South location. No metro. Trains to London Bridge, Victoria, King's Cross,... shuttle bus to Victoria coach Station (200 metres away from Victoria Trai Station

c. Luton airport.

North Location. No metro. Trains to Kings'Cross. Shuttle bus

d. Stanstead airport.

North Location. No metro. Trains to Kings'Cross. Shuttle bus

e. City airport

East London. Shuttle bus to Metro (Docklands rail and Jubilee line in Canary Wharf Sattion)

AIRLINES:

I ususally fly with Low cost: Easyjet and Ryanair. Mid week tickets are cheaper than weekends. Get morning flights, please. Even if they are 20 euros more expensive. You don't know the city yet.

BY BUS:

National Coach will get you to Victoria Station from Madrid- Mendez Alvaro in 29 hours only (I know it too well).

BY CAR:

Are you joking??

...Have you read up to this so far?? Well ,I need a cup of tea... I'll write back soon.I promise...

...Uhm I haven't written anything since last week for a reason but this is off topic...sigh

Star Wars Madrid

Back again! It was very hard to choose one picture of this exhibition ( until 15th March 2009 - Paseo de la Castellana 24 - metro Plaza de Castilla - Madrid- tickets 12 euros by the way).
I went with some friends and soon I discovered that everyone has preferences for one (and only one) character of the saga. Soon I discovered myself imaging my friends dressed up as their favourites characters...mmm...if you are reading this post...no hard feelings...well, I wonder why anybody wants to be identified with Jabba el Hutt!!??!!..., I have my preferences too!, like R2D2!.
With R2D2 I have a special relationship. I met the actor (yes, there was an actor inside the robot) thrice while I was living in London (I have some signings (which I don't have any intention to sell in e-bay) and dedicated pictures). His name is Kenny Baker and he seemed an extremely fair man when we met. It's the only actor who actually works in all the chapters of Star Wars. Also I remember there was a smaller replica from Lego o Mecano that you could connect to your Pc and direct with the camera supplied.

The exhibition itself is not the same I saw in London years ago. This is less interactive (unless you consider interactive 20 xbox 360 with the newest christmas SW game) and quite challenging to picture as most of the "relics" are behind glass with poor lightning. All in all I consider it mets the expectations of children and general public.
Another remark is the shop. Nothing that you can find in your nearest Carrefour, toys r us,... except the Tshirts (18 euros for a "may the force be with you" and a back and shoulder print of the SW logo). I bought one (which I intend to sell on e-bay) for the record.
Special mention to the "Jedi's School"!!!. In a dark room, next to the main entrance, padawans and wannaby jedis may find enlightment from two Jedi masters, and they take this matter seriously. I tried to join but I was told that I'm too old to learn the path of the Jedis (well, everyone 18+ is apparently), so my party and me decided to try the "dark side" in an Irish bar nearby!!...sith!....I mean...sigh!

La bicicleta

Here we go! This picture was taken last September in Piccadilly Circus around 20:00pm. The usual rider is a paramedic. In busy cities like London this is possibly the quickest response that can be given to injured people. It's also eco friendly and contributes to paramedics' fitness. So why don't we have these facilities in Spain??? Is it because of the weather??...

During the past 30 years Spain has walk a long path to be "the 8 economy of the world" (that's what politicians say) but it is still a couple of miles behind the modern Europe. Why do we have this situation? Simple: While Spain has been walking the rest of the countries has been riding on a bycicle. "Statitstics" show that we are on the last wagon of Europe but Spanish newspapers, people and politicians refuse to admit the evidence. I know that some statistics and articles are biased but not most of them. See the reaction of Catalans against the The economist's review about Spain. Today the financial world is diving into a deep recession. While some countries are accepting their guilt and taking measures to improve conditions of THEIR OWN PEOPLE, Spain is still waiting and blaming the global circumstances.

So what the bycicle has to do with it?:

Social Security, Education, Gas, Water Supply, Housing, Recycling... are key factors were radical measures must be taken to avoid the hardest recession we have had since the Civil War. How can we start? Just buy a few thousands of bycicles and let the people ride...sigh!

Musica

See! got an idea! Every week I use to pick up a song from you tube and play it endlessly. It's my method to keep up with new music and don't forget the good old tunes (don't be concerned, my neighbour is deaf).
So why not sharing it with you?? Soon you'll discover I have a "wide range taste" of music (e.g.: Aretha Franklin, Iron Maiden,...). The ideal way to enjoy this videos is connecting your computer to a 42" plasma TV (that's what I do), sit back, relax and amuse yourself...sigh!

Me habeis convencido

After deep sinking (yes, I used to dive) I have decide to start up a blog.

My life is not very interesting: born in the Canary Islands, seven years in London, currently breathing in Madrid; I like travel to Finland, ornithology in shopping centres (in the morning), and architectural photography (whatever it is) among other sins; also speak spanish, some italian, little english and less mandarin. I'm not expecting you like this site (I'm not sure I like it either) but with some pictures and flowers I'm pretty confident that It will look like a proper Blog.

Finally if you are reading up to this line thank you for doing it. Now go to the fridge or nearest vending machine and celebrate!

PD: A spanish or chinesse version of this text is not available at the moment, sorry!