Hi all,

You may remember a few months back on this very blog a photo of a grinning Aussie decked out in green and gold and proudly holding up a Socceroos poster. Well, that was me! I’m Michelle, Pru’s friend from Sydney, and I’ve come to London for the wonderful experiences this city has to offer… and to hang out with Pru of course!

Today is actually my two-month anniversary in London. I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed, it seems like only yesterday my boyfriend and I were dossing at Pru’s - which brings me to my first point, finding a place to live! I didn’t think finding a flat would be the difficult task it was. After seeing studios the size of my bedroom at home, share houses in various states of disrepair and a flat where we weren’t allowed to watch the television, we finally found our pad. Those of you who have run the flat hunting gauntlet will understand the feeling you get when you know the place is right for you. Not having to step over scaffolding as we did at one place was a good sign, but as soon as I saw the bright open living room (which is also the kitchen, I never said it was big!) and courtyard outside our room I knew this was a place I wanted to live. The only mistake we made was not meeting our flatmates before we moved in. It’s not a major problem, but let’s just say they’re not ‘our kind of people’, i.e. tidy and friendly. But, if you’re going to flat share I guess you have to prepare yourself for fights over the remote and complaining about other people’s mess.

The next major task has been finding a job, which unfortunately is still a work in progress! I’ve been applying for just about every job that looks vaguely like what I want to do and am still waiting for a phone call or an interview. I can’t wait to start work, mainly so I can start earning pounds! At the moment I’m technically still spending Aussie dollars and checking my bank statements is possibly the most unpleasant thing in the world.

But I’m here for the full experience, and if that means unemployment, fights with flat mates and living on a budget, then so be it. Besides, Pru and a whole bunch of us are off to Venice on Friday for a weekend of friends, food and wine. What do I possibly have to complain about??