Part 2

We got back to the hostel and got ready to go out for Halloween. Bunac had some space reserved at an Australian club called the Walkabout. Basically, we told the guy on the door that we were with Bunac, and he'd let us skip the line and get in free. Halloween here is not a big deal--people don't really get dressed up, not many kids actually go trick or treating-very different then home. Being good ol' North American gals, we went all out. Nicole was the most brilliant--everywhere you go here, you hear 'Mind the Gap' on the Tube. So she had the idea to cover herself in red paint (which got all over the rest of us) and write on a shirt 'I didn't Mind the Gap'. People on the Tube thought it was pretty funny. Nathalie got some black wings and went as a dark fairy. Jac, with only my sailing knots and a belt to hold her up, went as a Greek Goddess. And I recycled last year's Disney social costume and went as Alice in Wonderland. I think we turned out well.

We went down to the ISH bar first. That was more like a classic Halloween party. The only downside: Creeper McCreeperson who hit on Jac in the first 3 minutes in there, then bought us all a round of drinks and left his friend to try to distract us while he tried to get Jac alone. She gave him her number because he said he worked at Sony and could get us all jobs, then we left to go the Bunac thing. We were literally gone 5 minutes before he called her, 3 times in a row! He was trying to come with us, so she finally blocked him and we headed out. The club was cool. It was in a restored church, and had 2 dance floors and 3 levels. They played everything--I mean everything. Pop, rock, techno, hip hop, showtunes, everything. Bre, I thought of you during '5, 6, 7, 8' ;-) We were there until 3am, then got the night bus back to ISH where we crashed hard.

We got up early to go back to look at the dream house. We met up with T, the really cute agent, and Nicole of course loved it. After much hemming and hawing, we decided to take it. EXCITEMENT!! T drove us back to the office to sign the paperwork. Now, the guy we dealt with was nice, but there were things we weren't aware of-such as, the landlord wanted us to pay 75 quid each to pay for our background checks, and that plus deposit plus security would have wiped me out. I literally would have had nothing left until my first paycheck. After talking it over, we decided to sign the papers, and that we would figure something out for me. I left the other girls, grabbed a 65p sandwich from Tesco, and trudged back to my hostel. The whole time, I am stressing and anxious, because this is a big scary decision. But I'm resolved. I'll call home and cash in some savings bonds, take the money I have in my Key account, whatever it takes. I get off the train, and am in the hostel uploading pictures and figuring out how exactly to tell my parents and then ask to borrow some survival cash, when my phone beeps with a message. Apparently, the landlord (who we never saw) has decided that he doesn't want to let the place go for a 6 month lease, and isn't comfortable giving it to girls who don't have UK references. So even tho we signed a deposit and gave the guy 400 pounds, we're out. Luckily, we get the deposit back, but still!!! I called the other girls to tell them, then got on Skype to talk to Mom and Dad.

Honestly, part of me was a little relieved. It was a big step, and a LOT of money. Any place is going to be like that, but I don't want to be somewhere where they jerk us around like that. It was disappointing and emotionally draining. Not cool. Sunday, I took the day off. I called some places and prepared for my interview today. In the afternoon, we got a call from another place. This one is in West Dulwich-about 15 minutes outside of the central city. Cheaper then the last place. Still a house. I called the girls and we decided to take a peek. Jac and I met up in Covent Garden and walked around for a while before, and went to a pub called The Wellington for Sunday Roast dinner. Really good, and pretty cheap. We had treacle tart for dessert, because I'm a huge dork and have read about it in Harry Potter for the last decade having NO IDEA what it was. It was like a blond brownie--but better. We took the train out and met Nicole and Nathalie. Then, we saw the place. I really really like it. It had high ceilings, access to a private community garden, and was really close to the bus and train. The others were a little worried about the distance, but I told them for me, I've always commuted. And it might be nice to be a little outside the city and be able to explore. I mean, its only 15 minutes across the river.

I think we may end up taking it, but I don't want to get my hopes up. I have my interview at WATG this morning for a receptionist gig. The more I look at the website, the more I want this job (www.watg.com) Its a company that designs hotels and resorts all over the world. It looks interesting, and the mission statement is “to design experiences that lift the spirit.” Sounds like me, huh? Wish me luck!! Maybe by the end of the day, I'll have a job and a house!!

-Emica