Take Two of Week One

Take two of our first week:

I wanted to take a moment to share my impressions after my first week here (as the first post was mostly about the journey to get here).

There are a few things that I find interesting about how my mind is working after being around British-English for a week. I find that instead of naturally switching to Spanish (like my brain does when I hear any other foreign language), I'm actually thinking with a British accent. It's funny, really, because I can hear the accent in my thoughts but when I speak it doesn't just come out that way. I also haven't learned all that much of the British lingo yet, though there are a few things that I'm catching on to already.

The swans think all the little people have food.

I've already started regularly saying these words:
lift = elevator
push chair / buggy / pram = stroller
pub = bar

Other words I'd like to start using but usually forget:
loo = toilet
brilliant
hob = stove/oven
...(any observation followed by)... now, isn't it?
Cheers!

Anyway, I have some work to do. :)

Another cultural note that Spencer and I discussed was how cheerful we've noticed the British people to be (at least in Windsor). Though I have not gotten to know anyone, yet, more personally, everyone I've talked to in the shops and around town have been very upbeat and helpful. And Spencer said his colleagues, perhaps because of their sing-songy intonations, seem not to be bothered by anything. Seems like a nice perspective to try to adopt.

As for me, I am thinking that it is going to take a lot of effort on my part to find a community of people to befriend (due to my lack of employment), though I believe having Emmett with me will break down some barriers. We already got library cards and plan to go to the story times and rhyme times each week. And through purchasing used items on Gumtree (the British equivalent to Craigslist) and at the "charity" (thrift) shops, I've learned of other venues to try to find play groups. That is where I'll start, as soon as the house search dies down.

After bath time last night. :)

On that note, we made an offer on the rental we were most excited about and, pending the credit and reference checks work out (which shouldn't be a problem as far as we know), we should be able to move in by next week. AND, we even are able to stay in our current vacation rental through next week. Whew! I think we can start settling in soon!!

Having my mom here through this beginning part has been very helpful. This past week she stayed with Emmett both while he was napping and while he was awake, nearly every day, so that Spencer and I could make appointments at the bank or to see flats. She has also been a trooper in helping to haul Emmett around the city as we've gone to see the sights (we're all very happy to now have a stroller) and hanging out with him in lobbies and hallways while we're in said meetings. Thank you, Mom. Thanks to her, Emmett now knows how to suck on hard candies. :)

Alright, that is all for now. I'll check in again sometime soon.

Week One in Windsor

The view of the castle from the highway

The journey began on Wednesday February 10 when Spencer's Aunt Jen drove us and all of our bags to Denver International Airport. Emmett napped for about an hour (as compared to his normal 2-3 hours) in the car but was a trooper through the airport. Aside from having to adjust where some of our things were packed so that all bags were under 50 pounds (23Kg), we had a very smooth airport experience. We departed at 4:30pm (or so) and were hoping Emmett would sleep around 6:30pm, so we fed him and entertained him for 2 hours and then put on his PJs and... he refused to shut his eyes. For about 2 more hours. So since our flight was about 7 hours to Iceland, we figured 3 hours of sleep would be enough for a one-year-old, right?! Needless to say, I was holding Emmett on my lap and his thrashing and cries out didn't wake up Spencer during those precious three hours... only me.

Exploring the phone booth

The Iceland airport is small but modern and impressive. I brought Emmett into the restroom with me where we were blinded by the whiteness and brightness. We found a stall and saw that there were sinks in the same spacious stalls as the toilets. And, the automatic faucets not only provided water for washing, but upon finishing rinsing, one could pull their hands toward each side of the sink and a frightfully loud burst of air would dry them off in a cinch. That startled both me AND Emmett. He demanded to leave the stall immediately. We finished our Icelandic airport experience with a snack (Spencer loved the fresh fish sandwich he purchased), a diaper change (yay - another chance to try to the hand driers!), and a snowy and cold walk out the gates to the stairs up to the airplane. Luckily, we all slept more soundly on the 2.5 hour flight from Iceland to Heathrow.

The River Thames

We arrived to England midday on February 11 and had no problems going through customs at Heathrow, though it was a long wait in line. My mom was waiting for us as we exited the security area as she had arrived 2 hours prior in a different terminal. Spencer used Skype to confirm our vacation rental apartment, to call the Windsor taxi service for a ride, and we waited patiently in the terminal, entertaining passersby with Emmett's antics. The taxi came, the driver found us, and he helped to load all of our 7 bags (including my mom's, mind you), into the mini-van. Then he crawled into the right side of the vehicle (read: the wrong side), and we were off. The drive from Heathrow to Windsor was delightful. The sun was out, the sky was blue and we got some stunning views of the Windsor Castle. Plus, it was only about 25 minutes long. :)

Emmett's Bedroom

We arrived to our vacation rental, waited about an hour for someone to come and let us in, and felt thankful that it was sunny. Spencer took a walk around the block (searching for a wifi signal) and found a couple of local pubs to check out. Emmett played in the grass, flowers and trees behind the apartment building. Grandma kept watch over our luggage. The flat is cozy and nice. We found space to open Emmett's pack-and-play in one of the 3 bathrooms - also a dark, quiet sleeping space. We're on the 3rd floor (ground floor is level zero), which has been most fun for Emmett who loves watching the traffic. We have made ourselves at home preparing most of our meals here and walking into town for most everything we need. The walk is about 15 to 20 minutes for us to get anywhere - not bad.

Emmett's favorite feature of the park near our flat

We have spent most of our time this week walking to potential furnished flats in search of long-term housing and walking back and forth to the bank trying to open an account. We were successful, as of today, with opening a British bank account (after 4 visits to the bank), and have a favorite flat that we're hoping works out for a longer term rental, as well as one or two backups if that one doesn't work. We have enjoyed the historic buildings, the swans along the River Thames, and the Windsor castle from many angles. We hope to do more site-seeing once we get the housing predicament settled.

We hope you are all happy and well. Enjoy the few photos we've managed to take!