I just stumbled across the above video of an American in London – what a great idea! ”WorldIsMarble” is a student and vlogger and I just think she’s adorable. Please watch and leave her comments.
Here’s an event tomorrow for Canadians in London with the London Vandoos, a monthly social organized by Network Canada. Here are the details:
January 2010 Vandoos! Canadian High Commission & The Iron Duke
Friday, January 22nd – The Grosvenor Club – Canadian High Commission (MacDonald House) & The Iron Duke – Mayfair.
Date:January 22nd, 2009
Time: 16:30:-21:00 / 18:00-23:00
Location: The Grosvenor Club – CHC (MacDonald House) & The Iron Duke – Mayfair.
A very happy new year to one and all! Here’s wishing you a prosperous 2010! To start off the year we have quite the rare and unique opportunity; we have been invited to The Grosvenor Club, the bar at the Canadian High Commission! While access is limited and admission is open until 7pm only we will also be gathering just down the road at The Iron Duke from 6pm to close. The Iron duke has gone out of their way to cater to commission staff and Moosehead and Granville Winterbrew available.
RSVPs are required in advance for the Canadian High Commission; please email me at davemathewsATtnt21DOTcom Photo ID will be required and bags are subject to search as part of security screening. Please note that the CHClocation is MACDONALD HOUSE closest tube Bond St. Please to not confuse it with Canada House off of Trafalgar Square.
The exact location for the Iron Duke will be forthcoming in an update, looking forward to seeing you this Friday for the first of 2010!
Dave Mathews
Have fun if you do manage to make it out to this event. I’ve been to a couple of these events myself and they are always good fun. Any other events you want me to announce here? Please email me & let me know, or leave a comment.
Also, I’m pleased to announce that next week will feature an interview with fellow blogger, Kristina of An American Expat in London fame. Kristina was kind enough to answer loads of great questions for you, with a particular focus on those readers in America or Canada who want to know what it’s like to be an expat in London. She’s fabulous & funny and will be with us next week. Watch this space!
Is there anything more American than football? I think not.
I’ve only recently begun to love the sport myself, as a Canadian with no real interest in big sports played by big men in tights.
But Friday Night Lights, the best show on television, has turned me onto the sport in a big way. My colleagues in London asked me what I did on the weekend and my only reply was, “Uhhh….watched American football of course. Hook ‘em!” They think I’m nuts. How could this artsy-fartsy-eco-chick turn into a Texas Loving Football fan?
They don’t get Friday Night Lights in London yet. One day, they’ll understand my love for American football as much as they love their own football, British-style. Just watching the videos above make me teary-eyed for gratitude for the writers of Friday Night Lights that turned me onto football and now, an understanding for the game that is America.
So, onto the subject of this blog post – where to watch the NFL Playoffs in the UK. If you’re lucky enough to live in London, then you should sign up to this event.
Here are the details that I received in my inbox this morning:
When: Superbowl Sunday, February 7, 2010
Our 8th Annual Superbowl London! 44th Superbowl LIVE from Dolphin Stadium, Miami
Early Bird Tickets are available on Paypal at the RSVP link bellow
Several hundred fellow Americans are going to converge in London next month to watch Superbowl XLIV! So don’t miss out!
Last year we had over 1,500 people at our 7th Annual Superbowl London who braved the worst blizzard in over 16 years to catch Pittsburgh v Arizona in what has been called the greatest ever Superbowl final. They also caught what was not broadcast on UK TV: newly elected President Obama giving the first Superbowl speach by any US President and live music from Journey and Bruce Spingsteen!
So join 2,000 or so fellow Americans to watch all the action from pre game shows to the last moments of play; 7:00 pm til 5:00 AM in the morning. We have a special late licence, live in-house cheerleaders and all the commercials with a live direct broadcast from the U.S.A.
The only place in London which will have this! This is where the expat community will be watching the game. Be certain to schedule the next day off!!
Sadly, I won’t be making this event as I’m in Victoria, British Columbia then. I will be hunting down my neighbours to the South to watch the Cowboys kick some serious butt in a pub somewhere here. And if it’s not the Cowboys, I’ll still watch. What about you? Where will you be watching the Playoffs this year? Or do you loathe football and want to have nothing to do with it?
Thanks to all those people who completed the survey below.
I’ve decided to spread my blogging wings and meet some more Canadian and American bloggers in the UK. I’ll ask them what life is like where they are, how they got there, what they advise others to do and any other questions that spring to mind.
So, if you know an American or Canadian in the UK and want them to be featured here, please let me know by leaving a comment below. If you have any specific questions you’d like to see answered, please share those as well.
If you’re moving to London, England from Canada or America (or anywhere else for that matter), you might want to take a look at London Relocation Services. If you mention this blog, or my name, or Classroom Canada – they’ll give you a deal. I met with three members of their team, Anthony, Nick and Colleen, back in November to discuss what they do, and I absolutely LOVE this company.
Here’s why:
They help you find a flat in 24 hours, from your arrival to the next day. This is such a brilliant way to help foreigners settle into London. It can take months on your own to find a good flat, and to weed through all the scams out there these days, so a company that guarantees they will find it in a day is amazing. And, their testimonials agree!
They know what they’re doing, and how to find the best place for you, within your budget (within reason of course), and in safe, comfortable areas of London
They show you 15 or more flats in one day. Crazy right? But it works. You’ll want one of them by the end of the day, and can usually move in the next day.
I found them through blogging, so…well…that one is obvious. Of course I love them!
They read the same business marketing books that I do (Seth Godin anyone? A little purple cow goes a long way).
They enjoy coffee at the same restaurant in Notting Hill that I do. Need I say more?
They’re down to earth, all round good people with really smart business sense.
Colleen was a teacher just like me, and she’s from Chicago, my favourite American city (as of last month when I visited good friends there for the first time).
They are expanding to include more staff and a larger office, which means business is going well. I like that too.
When I moved to London, there were no services like this, or none within my price range anyway (teaching isn’t exactly the best paying job out there!). So when I found this company through blogging, I thought it was such a great idea for all those Americans and Canadians who move to London and need a bit of help. Especially if you have a job that starts right away and don’t have the time to hunt around yourself. Makes perfect sense to me.
What do you think? Any other subjects you’d like me to cover here? Please share your thoughts below.
If you’d like to know a bit more about me, my ebook and why I write these blogs, please see Marsha Moore’s blog today. She interviews me about living in London, what I do now and how I wrote my ebook, Guide to Teaching in London: A Survival Guide for Canadians.
Plus, it’s a contest to win a free copy of the ebook, so get on over there right away to enter. Good luck!
Marsha Moore is the author of 24 Hours London, a new book all about what you can do in London, hour by hour. She’s a former teacher and recruiter as well as a fabulous blogger, so I figured you might like to know a bit more about her. To win a free book, just read this Coffee Time and see the contest details at the end of this entry. Good luck!
Coffee Time with an Author
Name: Marsha Moore
Educational Background: BA, English Literature (Dalhousie University); Masters of Journalism (Carleton University); Bachelor of Education (University of Ottawa)
Congratulations on publishing your book. Can you tell us a little bit about it in a few sentences?
There’s so much to do in London that it’s hard to know where to begin! ’24 Hours London’ is an hour-by-hour guide to what’s on, day or night, in one of the world’s most diverse cities. From naked discos to an underground loo-turned-pub, just flip to the hour you’re free and take your pick of the best London has to offer – both on and off the tourist track.
What made you decide to write this particular book?
I love London and I love to explore, so it just made sense to write about my adopted city! I wanted to show there’s so much more to the city than Big Ben and St Paul’s, and I wanted to make it easy for locals and tourists to find out what’s happening without having to flip through lots of information, like in traditional guides. By breaking the book into hourly chapters, people can hit the places they want without worrying about whether they’re still open. It’s kind of like having a ready-made itinerary with lots of things to choose from. And it was a ton of fun to research!
How long have you been in London for?
I arrived in May 2004, just after I graduated with my Bachelor of Education.
It’s hard to believe it’s been five years! I met my husband here, got married here, and it’s definitely home. I do miss Canada, though (but not the winters!).
Your background is really interesting, and actually, quite similar to mine. Can you take us through your journey from teacher to recruiter to author?
With two parents as teachers, I grew up always wanting to teach. But I also loved writing, and at the last minute I decided to do a Masters of Journalism. I worked as an editor and then in PR for awhile, but the teaching (and travel) bug refused to die! So I packed in my corporate career and headed off to Poland to teach English. It was an incredible experience, and it definitely convinced me that I wanted to teach. I returned to Ottawa to complete my teacher training… and this time the travel bug wouldn’t let me be! England needed teachers, so as soon as the school-year finished I moved to London.
I knew right away I’d made the right decision. I loved the city; I was constantly in awe of all there was to do. Supply teaching was challenging but I looked it as a good introduction to London’s different boroughs. I found a full-time job in a secondary school for the following year and taught there for two years. Like any job, it had a variety of highs and lows but it was a great experience. I think teaching gives you unique cultural insight that no other position allows. After a couple years I wanted to try something that would combine my corporate skills with education, and recruitment seemed a natural choice. It was really rewarding helping teachers get settled in a new life overseas.
All of this time, I’d been trying to write but getting side-tracked by my job commitments (and generally being lazy!). I got to the point where I knew I really had to give myself the chance to have a go at writing. I’m extremely lucky that my husband was willing and able to support us in the meantime. So I quit my job (scary!) and hunkered down in my flat to try! Two years – and six books – later, I finally got published.
So, now that you’re a published author, do you have any advice for our readers who might be considering making the same leap?
It is very hard to make a living as a writer, so unless you have someone who can support you I wouldn’t recommend giving up your day job! In fact, I recently read an article that you’d have to write one New York Times best-selling book a year just to stay above the poverty line. If you do want to get published, you have to be persistent. Keep trying – and be prepared to get a lot of rejection letters! Write every day and set yourself a target. Don’t just wait for ‘inspiration’ to strike. Writing is something that can be improved with practice, and you really need to be prepared to work at it. Even if the rejections keep rolling in, when you see how much you’ve improved it’s hard to get depressed.
Okay, it’s 2:00pm. What can I do in London right now? What about 2:00am?
If you’re around Buckingham Palace, trot over to St James’s Park to watch five pelicans have their daily fish feed. The park’s pelican tradition was first introduced in 1664 when the Russian ambassador presented Charles II with the birds. Fancy some food for yourself? Head to Time for Tease for a ‘dollop of burlesque’ with your scones. If the weather’s not great, take a tour of the BBC or see where old sewing machines are laid to rest at the London Sewing Machine Museum.
The night’s no less interesting: you can get steamy at Club Aquarium, the only club in the UK with a pool; eat some tardy Turkish at Somine; hit the dance floor to Bollywood beats at Mango’s; or club with an eco-conscience at Surya.
What’s next for you? Any plans for writing and publishing another book?
’24 Hours Paris’ is due out in Spring 2010, and we’re planning more in the series! I’ve also just finished a young adult novel and I have my fingers crossed it may actually see the light of day!
Anything else you’d like to add for our readers?
If you do get the chance to travel – whether it’s for a week or a year – take it! It’ll definitely be a worthwhile experience. And the marketing spiel: my book is available on Amazon or through my publisher (http://www.prosperapublishing.co.uk/) with free shipping and delivery to Canada. I blog about my ups and downs in the publishing world at http://marshawrites.blogspot.com/ if anyone would like to follow along!
Thanks to Victoria for hosting me here!
Contest Details:
To win one of 3 copies of 24 Hours London, email me (victoria at classroomcanada dot com) with the answer to this question:
“How High is the London Eye?”
You have until Friday morning at 7am Pacific Time and I will then announce the winners on this blog and on my other blog about teaching in London. The contest is open to residents around the world.
The first three people to answer correctly win! Good luck! Questions? Comments? Please share below.
Here are two events for Americans and Canadians in London:
Thanksgiving Day at St. Paul’s Cathedral
The U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Louis B. Susman, would like to invite everyone to a special Thanksgiving Day Service at 11 a.m. on Thursday, November 26th at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The event is free and open to all.
The event will be a non-denominational, American-style service, organized by the American Church in London (ACL). ACL’s Reverend John A. D’Elia will be reading the sermon and a volunteer American choir will be singing hymns. U.S. Ambassador Louis B. Susman will also be giving remarks.
No tickets are needed for the service this year, but each person may be required to pass through a metal detector and have bags searched. Given the high level of security, it is important to arrive at the Cathedral early. Photography in the Cathedral is not permitted. Mobile phones should be switched off. The doors open at 9:45 a.m. Please plan to arrive no later than 10:30 a.m. Entry will be via the west end of the Cathedral. Closest Tube stop: St. Paul’s (Central line). For more information please visit St. Paul’s Site.
Christmas Carols – Canadian Style
The Canadian Women’s Club invites you to join their Christmas Carol service in London on Friday December 4th. Click on the image above for the full details. Please RSVP directly to info@canadianwomenlondon.org. Happy singing everyone!
I am considering posting a monthly calendar of events for Canadians & Americans in the UK. What do you think of this idea? Would you swing by this blog once a month to check out events for Americans & Canadians in the UK? If you know of an event listing like this, please let me know so I can tell others about it. Thanks! As always, comments are welcome & encouraged.
Since I’ve been writing this blog for a few months, I figure it’s time to review the steps you need to take to move to the United Kingdom from Canada or America.
Step One: Legalities
Can you legally make the move to the UK? It’s not enough to have a Canadian or American passport!
How to Find a Flat in the UK - watch this space for more details about my arrangement with London Relocation Services. They help you get a flat within 24 hours, and I’m working with them to get you a great deal on their services. Watch this space!
Step Three: The Job Hunt
Depending on your profession, this might actually be step 1 or 2. In any case, here are my two cents:
Step 4: Network with other Canadians and Americans in the UK
Make new friends! You are not the first American or Canadian to move to the United Kingdom, so why not make some new friends with others in the same boat as you across the pond?
Ahhh, shopping for Canadiana while abroad. What is Canadian food anyway?
Well, we all know it’s poutine, and the chances of finding cheese curds & gravy on french fries while abroad are very slim. In the UK, you can go to the Maple Leaf Pub and order their version of poutine, but they use shredded cheddar instead of curds (“P’shaw! That is NOT poutine!” as I have declared every time I’m there, all the while stuffing my face).
What else will you miss while abroad? Tim Horton’s if you’re a die-hard Timmy’s fan, which isn’t actually Canadian by the way. Tim’s is owned by an American company – Wendy’s. I can’t stand Tim Horton’s myself, but I know loads of Canadians jones for their Timmy’s while in the UK. So after searching everywhere online, including Canucks Abroad, I finally just called Tim Horton’s here in Canada and got the up to date list of places you can purchase Tim Horton’s in the UK.
It’s a big list, but for those of you out there who are desperate to find your Tim Horton’s in the UK, I hope this makes your day! The formatting is hideous, but I just don’t have time to fix how Tim Horton’s sent it to me, so I hope you can find your location on here.
1 TH ROI Spar Dunboyne Main Street, Dunboyne
2 TH ROI Spar Grafton Street Grafton Street, Dublin 2
3 TH ROI Mace IFSC IFSC Dublin 1
7 TH ROI Eurospar Killorglin Co.Kerry
10 TH ROI Spar Eastgate Cork Eastgate Industrial Estate, Little Island, Cork
11 TH ROI Spar Blacklion
13 TH ROI Spar Kilkenny Newpark Shopping Centre, Kilkenny
14 TH ROI Spar Killarney Tralee Road, Killarney, Kerry
15 TH ROI Spar Bolton Street Bolton Street, Dublin 2
25 TH UK SPAR – TYWYN SPAR 16 High Street Tywyn Gwnedd LL36 9AD
4 MS ROI Costcutter Galway Eyre Square Galway
Don’t ask me what the numbers and codes mean. I have no idea. I guess this is just what Tim’s does when customers ask where to find their shops.
As for beer, I know you can get Moosehead, Sleemans and Keith’s at the Maple Leaf Pub and the Porter House, both in Covent Garden. You can also purchase most food items (like Shreddies, Crispy Crunch and Coffee Crisp) at the Canada Shop, but don’t expect to pay what you would pay in Canada.
You can also purchase Kraft Dinner in some grocery stores in Scotland. I’ve heard a few of my teachers with Classroom Canada say that they are desperate for Bick’s Pickles and that the pickles in London just aren’t the same as back home. I’ve personally never noticed, but hey, I guess I’m not much of a pickle conosseur.
Any other food and drink items that I’ve missed? Please share your thoughts below!
Ahh….shopping in the UK. I lurrrrve shopping in London. I live on Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada now, and trust me, there’s no better shopping than in the UK. It’s cheap, it’s stylish and it’s all ’round awesomeness.
So, here’s my advice on where to shop when you first move to the UK:
No good foreigner can move to the UK and not shop at M&S. Now, before ya’all get upset that I’m pointing out a major UK chain here, let’s put this shop into context. In Canada, we had Marks & Sparks for a few years, where my grandmother loved to shop but complained about the prices every time. At that point, Marks & Sparks was an older person’s shop, with plaid skirts and cashmere sweaters.
Since that time, Marks & Spencers has re-branded itself as M&S, trying to get that younger clientelle to shop there and spend our disposable incomes on clothes, food and wine. And well…we do! The food is great – well made, with good clean ingredients and at reasonable prices all things considered. The clothes can still be a bit grandmotherly, but they do have the younger line of clothing called Per Una that I would wear myself. I think I’ve even bought a few pieces there in the past, particularly for teaching in London schools. They are a bit pricey compared to a few of the other shops I’m about to tell you more about.
You want cheap, hip, young clothes? PriMark is your shop. We’re talking pennies or pounds for all the latest fashions and styles for men, women and children. Made in China? By children? You betcha’! But if cheap & stylish is what you want, you’re going to love Primark. These are the kind of clothes you wear a couple of times and throw out but hey, it only cost you a pound or two.
They actually have a link on their website about Ethical Trading which I find quite interesting to note. So, they know their image is that they have small children making their uber-stylish and darn cheap clothes and clearly want to change that image. I wonder if it’s working? Anyone know anything else about this one? I’d love to hear it!
For women who are well endowed, this is your shop. It will change your shopping experiences for life! For bras, swimwear, business suits and casual, this is the store that women with an above average chest size will adore. You can order from the States and Canada as well, so if you check out their website be sure to ask for a catalog. Their prices are good, (for a bra that I can get here in Canada for $150, I can get it in London for 25 pounds. Bargain!) and their sizes are ideal. You will never go back to wearing the wrong sized bra again. Men, support your ladies in this one. Their confidence will soar, and we all know confidence is sexy.
Okay, okay, I know you already know this, but Harrods is an experience all on its own. Spend a day here, dreaming of your new life of luxury and abundance in London. Sure, you’ll probably only buy a bag, but a Harrods bag is like no other. I personally love their nuts and dates. They’re delish!
Selfridges is a large department store chain that you will likely run across if you go to Birmingam, Manchester or London. It’s good if you like a department store and want to get everything in one place. Very stylish for a department store!
Now, this is my store! Cheap, stylish, hip and on almost every corner in Europe. We just got H&M in Vancouver, and while I still take the ferry all the way from Victoria to Vancouver just to go to H&M, I find H&M to be a million times better in the UK than here. I think they’re trying to break into the North American market, but as far as the UK goes, they have that one down! I buy t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, dresses, pants (aka “trousers”) and all the basics from them. I get shirts in every colour, because for 5 pounds, I can’t go wrong.
H&M is great for men,women and kids so it’s a great shop for everyone. Everyone young-ish that is. My grandma wouldn’t shop here, that’s for sure (although she would love the prices!). Some people love the swimwear, although I find it to be cheap (not in the price way, but in the way, ew-this-is-too-cheap-feeling way).
Neal Street is just outside of the Covent Garden tube station. It’s a half day’s experience all on its own for shopping in London. You like shoes? Neal Street is the place for you. Funky, fun and fabulous, Neal Street is an amazing experience for you to have when you first move to London, or the UK in general. For lunch, grab a cheap lunch at Food for Thought, a great vegetarian restaurant that always has a line-up.
I should just write another blog post about markets in the UK and explain more about Camden there, but for now, just know – this is a day and a half for those who love shopping in unique, off-the-beaten path type places. Amy Winehouse is often spotted drunk and disorderly in the evenings in Camden, and during the day, you’re bound to see people of all fashion-senses in Camden. Alternative, funky and strange. Often cheap, sometimes ludicrously expensive for a special designer piece. This is the place for the shopaholic and punk rock diva alike.
Right, so that’s as much as I have time for today. I could write for hours about shopping in the UK! Please help our readers know more by sharing your two cents in the comments section.
I will also write a piece about grocery shopping, and house & home shopping in the UK for those who are just getting settled in. Any other ideas for blog posts? Please share below! Thanks
Victoria Westcott
kikimoo
