So I booked a train to London (much more expensive than London to Manchester) and a plane ticket. I had to print the plane ticket and my hotel could not help me do it. The Internet café they recommended weren’t open so just before my train would leave I had to find another place to print it. Luckily I found a place.
Then boarding the train I discovered that I had accidently booked a first class ticket. In hindsight it is actually something I don’t regret at all. I was served like a king and had food, fruit, tea and other cold drinks served. Once in London things went super smooth and while I did have some weight issues with my luggage that worked out as well.
On the train from Stockholm Central to my home station the troubles started again. It was in the middle of the night, might have been the last train of the night, and it suddenly stopped between two stations. It was announced that there was a total stop on the station ahead and we had to return to the previous station and wait for the special busses. I have been in this situation before and I know it takes time, a lot of time, for these busses to arrive so I and 4 others shared a taxi and sometime before 01:00 AM I was finally home. SL, the train company, will pay for the taxi so its ok after all.
I have been home over a week now and I am super bored. So its soon time to return I think. After all I don’t want to fail with this experiment. Its enough that I didn’t make it at my first try. My English phone cant be charged from Sweden so the job searching has come to a halt (I cant be reached and people don’t seem to like to call to a Swedish phone – understandably so). I guess I’ll send the hotel an e-mail and ask when they have about a week free for me to stay and I will go back then.
Thursday, 4 March 2010
And it became worse...
Yes, it has been a good while since I wrote but I just saw a movie and felt inspired to blog again. After my last post things did indeed become worse. I decided to go to Manchester to stay with two internet friends. I thought it would be god for me. It would mean some place to stay for free while I charged my batteries to go out on the field again.
I had met these two people once before and it was a disaster then. No personal chemistry at all and after that I was sure I would never see them again. I guess you don’t think rational in desperate times. As soon as I was picked up I knew it would be no different this time around. The trip from Machester Picadilly felt like it took forever but I though it would be alright once we arrived. How wrong was I? Well very wrong.
Once there the flat was horrendous. It had no floors just the foundation. The only furniture one could sit on was one bed and one sofa. There were no internet connection whatsoever in the flat (necessary for me because of my job searching). On top of this they had two cats. I knew it beforehand and had ok’ed it. I am allergic but cats are usually fine or rather usually were fine as long as I didn’t touch them. Well, my reaction didn’t wait. Runny nose, some trouble to breathe. I called my friend and said “I need to get out of here” and I got some advice on how to make it happen (we’ll get to that).
Then they bring out my bed. The most uncomfortable thing I ever slept in. I did manage to go to sleep however and when I woke up and heard one of them was also up I faked a phone call. Then announced that someone from London had called and wanted me for an interview and that I had to leave the same day. I just couldn’t tell them the truth but my guess is that they also felt relieved when I left. It took a while but I got a ride to the train station and was dropped off there.
Trust me I have learned a lesson. I didn’t really have to go that day and I did take in to a hotel that night which felt great. Then and there I decided I would go back to Sweden for a while to save me some expenses for a few weeks and return to London when I was ready for another try.
I had met these two people once before and it was a disaster then. No personal chemistry at all and after that I was sure I would never see them again. I guess you don’t think rational in desperate times. As soon as I was picked up I knew it would be no different this time around. The trip from Machester Picadilly felt like it took forever but I though it would be alright once we arrived. How wrong was I? Well very wrong.
Once there the flat was horrendous. It had no floors just the foundation. The only furniture one could sit on was one bed and one sofa. There were no internet connection whatsoever in the flat (necessary for me because of my job searching). On top of this they had two cats. I knew it beforehand and had ok’ed it. I am allergic but cats are usually fine or rather usually were fine as long as I didn’t touch them. Well, my reaction didn’t wait. Runny nose, some trouble to breathe. I called my friend and said “I need to get out of here” and I got some advice on how to make it happen (we’ll get to that).
Then they bring out my bed. The most uncomfortable thing I ever slept in. I did manage to go to sleep however and when I woke up and heard one of them was also up I faked a phone call. Then announced that someone from London had called and wanted me for an interview and that I had to leave the same day. I just couldn’t tell them the truth but my guess is that they also felt relieved when I left. It took a while but I got a ride to the train station and was dropped off there.
Trust me I have learned a lesson. I didn’t really have to go that day and I did take in to a hotel that night which felt great. Then and there I decided I would go back to Sweden for a while to save me some expenses for a few weeks and return to London when I was ready for another try.
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