The Common Expat

Just another American in London.

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Writing Resurgence

When I first moved to London over a year ago I had grand plans for seeing everything, settling in quickly and seamlessly, and writing about it all on a somewhat regular basis. That didn’t go exactly as planned as you can tell from the date of my last post. What that could mean is that I was so inexplicably caught up in living life to the fullest that I didn’t have time or energy to write it down. That’s a nice idea. In all honesty it was a mixture of not knowing what to write, hanging on to insecurities of writing the wrong thing, too much or too little, or being judged. I want to write about the awesome things that i’m able to do but equally the shitty parts. Neither to make people jealous or show off nor to garner some sort of pitying reaction if everything isn’t 100% a-okay. That’s human nature and one of the reasons I wanted to document my experiences in the first place was to work on shedding those insecurities, not overthinking things, and understanding that not everything can be perfect. But guess what? That’s okay. 

Over the past year i’ve done a lot. I mean a lot. Probably too much at points. I saw concerts, plays, the opera, celebrated birthdays, had friends visit, I fell in love and then had my heartbroken, I got a personal trainer and started actually going to the gym rather than talking about it. Oh and I did some work as well - the point of my moving to London in the first place. I went on adventures to different countries, visiting new cities and others that i’d been to a decade or more ago. When I write them out it seems incredible: Copenhagen, Madrid, Toledo, Brussels, Brugge, Paris, Brittany, the Scottish Highlands, Amsterdam, and Dublin. That’s the beauty of living in Europe that so many Europeans take for granted. It’s amazing really. I have a lot of friends from continental Europe and even with the Brits, it always amazes me in their nonchalance at going to France or Spain for a weekend. Back home to even get to another state is going to be at least a 3 day weekend and will cost a pretty penny even with a good deal, definitely not a $75 round trip flight. I’m trying to appreciate it and take advantage without going out of control. I don’t think there is a benefit of going somewhere every weekend to the point that you can’t remember all of the countries you’ve visited or if that beer you had was in Salamanca or Salzburg. More on this later I hope, as it was (and now is again) my intention to write about my foreign adventures.

I’m writing this post back where I started this particular blog. Brew Dog in Clapham Junction. Next weekend i’m taking a couple of days off and heading to the Brew Dog source in Aberdeen, Scotland for the AGM. I bought a few shares back in the autumn and impulsively thought it would be a fun adventure to go solo to a convergence of beer obsessed individuals so hopefully that garners a post in my writing resurgence. I’ve spent a lot of time at Brew Dog, this one and also the others throughout London including a new bar that opened last month across from my office (can you say dangerous?) and even a few other cities (like Brussels and York). At this point it’s more of a symbol of my time in London and various events in my London life than just a craft beer oasis. It’s a good place to write, as my goal of letting go of insecurities and the like broadens with a Hazy Jane or Punk IPA.

And here ends my hiatus as a writer. Hope this gets me back into the swing of things and thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far.

kg

[thecommonexpat]

Unsettled and Settling

It is difficult to describe the feeling of being unsettled in a situation that you expected to handle with such grace and eloquence. I did not expect the transition of moving to a new city in a different country halfway around the world to be easy, per se, but i’ve historically been a pretty tough cookie. I also had the advantage of being moderately familiar with London and having a cohort (note 1) or two on call in the city. In the grand scheme of things I was incredibly lucky and my transition went pretty smoothly but damn, I think i’ve cried more in the past month than I have in the past three years. Don’t feel bad, it’s normal and if i’m honest it was kind of freeing.

On the flip side, in the past month I have felt surges of happiness and love that I can only attempt to describe. Walking across Southwark bridge to the South Bank in the evening and looking at the city lights: Big Ben, the London Eye, MI6, St. Paul’s, the lights glittering in the Thames. Sharing a favorite band I’ve listened to for years with a relatively new friend. Catching a snowflake in my eye lash while walking to work. Being overwhelmed by the number of things to do at any given day or time. I’ve definitely been busy and without trying to overwhelm you all, I’ll give a short overview of what I have been getting up to.

Concerts, etc.:

Oh my, how many there have been! The Head and the Heart at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Two Door Cinema Club at Alexandra Palace, Tegan and Sara at the Roundhouse in Camden, and Izzy Bizu back in Shepherd’s Bush. It’s difficult to even keep track of everything that is going on in this city. Thank God for Songkick alerting me of upcoming shows and when tickets are going on sale. I’ve already got a few lined up for the coming months, like Adele and Lady Gaga, and I’m sure more to come. The great thing about the shows i’ve been to so far is that they have all been different. Different crowds, different vibes, different music. Most importantly i’ve now been to three new venues. Experiencing a new venue is one of my favorite things about going to gigs, besides the music, of course. Old victorian theatres, radio halls, railway maintenance roundhouses. Moving on to the “etcetera,” not quite a concert but a crossover of music, art, and dance, I attended a flamenco performance as part of the London Flamenco Festival at Sadler’s Well. The Spanish guitar, outfits, and pure talent and stamina of the performers was incredibly impressive.  

Moving:

I spent an entire day with a relocation service taking me around flats across Clapham and Brixton. I think we saw about 12 in total and I was absolutely knackered by the end. I went into the search thinking it would be fairly easy and I would find several places I loved. That was not the case and in fact I didn’t see a place that I even liked enough to occupy until about the 4th place. By the end of the day I had three that I were on the shortlist and ultimately I think I ended up with my favorite. Now that I’ve finally moved in, I’m starting to feel less like this is a trip but that I actually live here. This is an especially great feeling as I have been homeless (that’s a strong word but I had been living off the generosity of friends and family) since October. So at the end of February, after 5 months of living out of suitcases I’m finally in one place.

A few anecdotes with links to cool places:

WC: Two of my good friends here in London are a married couple that i’ve known since high school. How we all ended up living here, in the same borough no less, is crazy. A couple of weeks ago another Chicoan (Chico is where we hail from) was in town for a wedding and we had a bit of an ad hoc reunion. WC had been on my list of places to check out so when it was suggested as a meeting point I was all over it. Located in an old toilet for the Clapham Common tube station, WC doubles the name for ‘water closet’ but more cleverly is Wine & Charcuterie, the latter is a bit more appetizing. It’s adorable, cozy, and a fun bit of history right in the center of Clapham Common.

http://www.wcclapham.co.uk/

69 Colebrooke Row: We checked out this bar after the Flamenco show, it had been on my radar and I like being a little mysterious in leading friends to random spots. It’s tucked away on a side street in the general vicinity of Angel station but technically in Islington. It feels like walking into 1920s New York or London. There’s live piano music and a solid cocktail line-up. We stayed in the main small room but it looked like there was a bit more upstairs. It’s also called “the bar with no name” as 69 Colebrooke Row is the address. This is something i’ll need to investigate more and that’s fine with me as I will definitely be going back.

http://www.69colebrookerow.com/

Craft Beer Rising: 

This one is going to get it’s own write-up on my sister blog, Craft Beer for the Modern Woman but I had to give it a shout out at least. In it’s fifth year (I think - will confirm) this is a helluva craft beer festival housed at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. A good mix of London, British, Scottish and International breweries are on show. My best friend Ellen and I attended the preview night, which was a Thursday and in retrospect possibly a mistake in that we both had work on Friday. Sierra Nevada was the first booth we saw as we entered so I felt immediately at home. We made loads of friends and learned a lot about a ton of new and old breweries. Check out the ‘Craft Beer’ button at the top of this page in the coming days to get my full assessment.

http://craftbeerrising.co.uk/

Our new Scottish cider viking brother friends. 

Note 1 - this is a word i’ve learned from Ellen, my super smart PhD obtaining friend, and am going to commandeer it as it makes me smile. I’ve since consulted a dictionary and realized it has some interesting meaning such as: an ancient Roman military unit, comprising six centuries, equal to one tenth of a legion. However, I think i’m using it more in the sense of: a supporter or companion.

[thecommonexpat]

An Introduction

Ah, England. When I was a child I seemingly out of nowhere picked up an English accent that I liked to use from time to time. I read historical fiction that told tales of the middle ages, the 1920s, 30s and the Blitz. The Plantagenets and the Tudors were my bedfellows as I fell asleep dreaming of castles, kings and queens, scholars and court clowns. I was certain I would attend Oxford and catalogued the colleges based on subjects each was known for and the virtual tours online that were technologically advanced for the early aughts. Despite my best efforts I didn’t make it to Oxford but don’t worry, reader, it all works out in the end.

My first glimpse of England came when I was sixteen and managed to crash one of my best friend’s family vacations. It was followed a year later after high school graduation for a stopover in London before spending a week in Paris. Another year passed and I found my way back for an international summer school opportunity on the south coast near Brighton. The next year I was in the North for a year of studies in York. Since then I have managed to find my way back every two to three years until I was lucky enough to land a job that afforded me the opportunity to make the journey across the pond several times and ultimately move to London. Which brings us here.

I wrote regularly when I studied for a year at the University of York under the pseudonym: The White Rose of York. Before leaving for London my mom asked why I didn’t start writing again and I couldn’t think of a reason not to. I love writing and sharing experiences. Usually it’s at a bar with a stranger that has become a new friend but I like the idea of sending words out into the ether to see who reads them. I mostly expect it’s my family and some friends that are bored on a Sunday night but if it reaches out to anyone else and gives some form of entertainment then I think it’s worth it.

Although it’s in the “about” section, as this is the introductory post I’ll quickly explain the title of the blog. I would have started writing sooner but I was waiting to come up with the perfect name. I thought I might piggy-back off of the area I chose to live and so was waiting (or procrastinating) until I found a home. Less than a month in i’ve moved into my new flat on the north side of Clapham Common. The common, it’s got a ring to it, doesn’t it? Expat was a given in the title as it just sounds badass. From there it seemed I had no choice and thus The Common Expat was born. A quick domain check showed that no one had claimed this, although instagram holds several thousand hashtags for the term. This seemed to confirm that it had been sitting there waiting for me.

And so off we go on our blogging adventure. I’m glad you’ve joined for the ride, I hope it’s a fun one. If there’s something in particular you would like to read about leave a note in the comments section.

Cheers,

kg