Wednesday 19th June, ‘19
The roller-coaster never ends. There I was, yet again, thinking the decision itself was the most complicated part of the process. How wrong I was! I hadn’t tried to buy a car in the UK!
Finding the right car was relatively easy. Discovering that my international license is an automatic disqualifier for reasonable insurance premiums was not. And learning that the process of switching my NZ license to a UK one might be relatively straightforward – but that, in doing so, I am automatically listed as a ‘new driver’ and therefore subject to equally extortionate premiums.
Ignore the fact I got my license aged 15. It’s irrelevant.
Also, it appears that insurance is somehow linked to credit score. Which, by default – as an immigrant – is low. It’s low because I’m eligible to vote in the general election… which is impossible for me, as I’m not a UK citizen! Ignore the fact all my bills and credit card payments are made on time. That’s irrelevant.
I honestly cannot get over the ridiculous bureaucratic nonsense that defies logic and pragmatism to satisfy the system.
“It’s just how it is in the system. I can’t change it.”
This kind of thinking, language, or belief garners automatic disrespect and hatred on my behalf. Systems are designed by people, for people, and can therefore be changed by people. This idea that some computerised system somehow has more power and authority than an actual person is utterly ridiculous. Fine – have a system, have a damn process, but don’t lock it to the point that it’s impossible for the user to change it. Argh!
As a result, I now have:
- A three week wait for my license to be switched to a UK one, during which time I start the new job
- An insurance premium likely to cost £2,500. The same price as the car.
- Booked an Airbnb for the first week of the job so that I can avoid a 2 hour, £40 a day return train journey.
There isn’t much room to worry about the severity of the work in this moment. My financial situation is dire. I have back pedal significantly before I can even consider planning and saving for the future.
*
Last night Lucie and I saw Fleetwood Mac at Wembley Stadium. It was an experience we knew would be a stand-out memory in our lives; we may never have the opportunity to see them again. We were quite far from the stage but could still see Stevie Nicks dancing wistfully around the stage, her long sleeves and shawls visible even from our little chairs high up in the stand. Their sound was powerful and intense and at times, even emotional. It’s a thrilling experience to see artists at the pinnacle of creative success. Art spanning decades… getting into the heads of hundreds of millions of people. Connecting strangers to such a degree that fifty thousand people can sing the words to in unison. It’s a special and somewhat transcendent experience.
It makes me desperate to get on with my next book. I don’t want to lag behind or waste time that could be better spent creating art. But there’s a reality I can’t escape. And so yes, I am choosing the fastest, hardest and painful method to get ahead. But it gets me ahead and that’s what matters.
















