Michelle.

I meet so many cool random people all over the place... Here's one of them, Michelle. She sold Chane's stuff at market here in London last year and I met her before I started working for Chane.

Monday I went to go pick up the remaining Chane stock from Michelle in Brick Lane. I took the the tube for about 45 minutes east across pretty much all of London to get to her flat. She lives literally right off of Brick Lane, a part of London heavily populated by Bangladeshi and Indian immigrants and famous for it's curry houses, clothing markets, and artsy hipsters. Spitalfields, probably the most well-known of London markets for up-and-coming artists as well as vintage finds, is right around the corner, as at the Upmarket and Backyard Market, where Michelle and Dave sold Chane's line in fall up until Christmas. Up and Back markets are in an old brewery that's been converted, that's a neat tidbit for you.

Anyways, the first thing that happens when you walk in to a Brit's house is he or she offers you a cup of tea. A "cuppa." I've learned that there is no point in politely declining because she'll probably proceed to put on the kettle anyhow, and then make herself and cup and say "Are you sure?" and you're like "Well, since you've boiled the water..." And that's how it works. So you end up sharing a cuppa tea and chatting for about 20 minutes.

This Michelle used to work in managing accounts for an advertising firm, but recently resigned because she "wanted to do something else." Now she's taking some horticulture classes and volunteering twice a week at Kew Gardens. Larnie, I have a feeling you would like her. I told her about my MA program and my English major and she said that in her experience with the advertising firm, any background in writing and editing would prove to be very useful no matter what kind of field I end up in. We share a pet peeve for little mistakes like your/you're and there/their/they're... which probably appear frequently in this blog, oops. But good to know my degree might be useful.

I asked about her husband, and get this - He's in charge of the international programming schedules for BBC World Radio. Cool huh? Apparently there are entire islands in the pacific that are owned by BBC and are there just to provide transmission to other remote areas... Ha they are only reachable by helicopter, and if you visit, your only choices are to stay for 24 hours or an entire week. No length of time in between. Like, don't miss the 'copter ride back or you're stuck on BBC Island for a whole week. Dang.

Easter.

For Easter Dom had us over to her house for a loooovely spread of ham, sausages, salads, dips, nibbles, and wine and beer. Jessica's friend Dan was in town from California and the three of us went together to Dom's. Even though she moved out of our flat back in November when I moved in, somehow this was the first time either of us had been there. She had several other friends over: a couple guys from Spain (didn't hear much from them); Inga from Lithuania; Maria from Mexico (a fellow Graham& Green employee!); and Mortischa from Poland. [Dominika and Mortischa are friends from Poland... how is that for a duo? They sound threatening, like witches from a Disney animated movie or something. Have I ever mentioned that Dom's last name is Dominik? No kidding. Her name is Dominika Dominik. And her middle name is... drumroll please... JoAnn. Dominika JoAnn Dominik.]

It was a really jolly Easter. We kept wanting to go across the street and carry our little feast on into a picnic, but every 30 minutes there would be a little shower of rain while the sun was still shining so that idea didn't materialize. Once when that happened I shared a little nugget of southern culture: I mentioned that when that happens (rain while the sun's shining) we say "the devil's beatin' his wife." They got a kick out of this.

After a few hours of snacking on grapes and cheese and leek salad and cookies and wine, and sitting around chatting, I pointed out that it reminded me a lot of Thanksgiving. There aren't many holidays when you just sit around enjoying the food and company. No presents, no costumes, and maybe when you're little (or if I'd been home! haha) there would be chocolate bunnies and baskets, but this Easter made me think more about being thankful, really. Usually on Easter I would have donned a white linen dress and headed to St. Mark's, sang the "Christ is risen" hymns that remind Allie and me of the Who-ville Christmas song, then maybe had lunch afterwards with the family and Neena and D-Daddy. But for the past four years I've had to hop in the car and drive back to Jackson on Easter day to be back in time for class Monday. Recently it's been such a squooshed-in holiday. Easter Monday is a bank holiday here (as well as Good Friday) so everyone seemed a lot more relaxed on Sunday because no one had work or class the next day. It was really nice to be able to take advantage of Easter as a holiday for once!

I really miss all of my friends and family. I missed my usual Easter activities like the white dress, the Easter service, the hymns and baptisms and family brunch. But this year, surrounded by new friends from all over the world sharing our particular Easter traditions, I kept thinking about how thankful I am for so many things right now: the opportunities I have here in London, my loving and supportive parents and family, the friendly companions I have made over here so far... So yes, with Easter and the nice spring weather came the notions of rebirth and life and resurrection and all that, but it also signified blessings and thanksgivings. Sappy, I know.

Thanks for everything y'all. I can't wait to come home and give you each a hug in May :).

Xoxo Stephanie

Hussam.

I don't think I've ever written anything about our landlord, Hussam. When I first moved in, he was a force to be feared and for good reason. He was moody, demanding, and never seemed too thrilled about coming over to collect rent. Jess and Jen said that one time shortly before I arrived he came over to collect rent but 2 of the roommates had forgotten to leave it... he was furious and threw the money that they handed him back at their faces, like "Do you think I have time to come down here any time? I have 30 tenants, I want the rent when I say I'm coming to get the rent!"

So you get the picture... not exactly a cuddly old man.

And since I moved in, it seems like we have a new issue that arises every month that we need him to take care of: a broken washing machine, another bed bug spray, a new bed or two, getting the buzzer fixed... I always figured that it's part of the landlord's job to take care of these issues, but we would always get so nervous when he was coming to rent and we had one of these maintenance requests to make!

Rent is always due at the beginning of the month (obviously), so he usually calls in the last week of the preceding month to arrange a date and time to stop by our flat. Like I said, he's usually very interested in picking up his money, so we were really surprised when February 28th rolled around and he hadn't called yet about March's rent. And then March 1st and 2nd passed, and then the entire first week of March... Jose and Trini hadn't been around long enough to quite grasp how unusual it was for Hussam to have not called. Jess was like, "I hope something's not... you know... wrong or something..." I answered, "What, you mean like dead?" ess and Jen were more freaked out than entertained by this little "joke" I had going that Whoops, Hussam had died, and we wouldn't have to pay rent anymore! Haha.. I know it's morbid, but Mom, I figured you at least might think it was funny, too.

Anyways, don't worry... Hussam is alive and well, and finally rolled around to Gunterstone around the 2nd week of March to take our money. And we've noticed that since then he has been so friendly, so helpful and understanding! All of a sudden he's offering to buy us new furniture, to arrange for someone to pick up our new couch from Ikea so we don't have to bother going all the way out there... When he came for April, Jess mentioned that she was going to Canterbury over the weekend, and this spawned a slew of stories about Hussam's days as a student in the 1960s in Canterbury, and the pub he worked at and the people he met there... it was like we had a surrogate great uncle counting quid in front of us instead of an ornery old landlord! Very nice change.

Jess thinks he likes us better now that there aren't any Australians in the house... apparently he didn't like Aussies. I reckon it has to do with the fact that we haven't had such a turnover of roommates recently so he's actually seeing the same faces month after month, but that's just me.

I wish I had a picture of Hussam to post! Maybe when he comes for May's rent I'll snap one... haha, awkward.

Spring!

Spring has sprung in London. It's beautiful. My favorite flowers - daffodils - have popped up all over the place almost over-night. For the most part it is warming up... you still need a jacket if you are going to be outside when the sun sets, and I don't usually leave without my trusty umbrelly, but during the day when it's sunny it is GLORIOUS.

On one of the first very lovely days last month Jessica and I decided to venture to Camden Markets to have a wander and a gander. It's a different world from being there in the winter. The canal is lined with people eating Asian take-away on refurbished motorcycle seats attached to picnic tables and the old horse-stables-turned-vintage-market is definitely more inviting in the warmer weather.

Posing with a lion in Camden (silly.)

With Natasha in Putney. We met back in November when she was working for Graham& Green in Wimbledon with me.

On St. Patrick's Day I met Jessica and Marley at a Scottish pub off of Edgeware Road called the Rob Roy. They had met some of the guys that work there earlier in the week at the St. Patty's parade in central London, and these fellas had suggested we come by on the actual holiday for free pints (holla!). So we had some fish n' chips, couple pints of Guinness, and they even gave us funny holiday hats... awww.

In march, we also had to say goodbye to one of our pals, Benjamin. But before he headed back to Chile we had a small going away party at our flat for him... I say small, but little did we know that he was going to bring almost his entire English class over to our place, haha.

Dom, Veronica, Jess, and me with Benjamin! He's the butt of half of our jokes, we will miss him dearly.