Well, how have I been faring after three weeks. I would say fair enough, but it has been far from charming. I guess it is different now that I'm not studying and have to work for a living, and realize that although I could do so many things, or travel to so many places, I won't be able to because I either have to work long hours (and I never leave the office before 18h30), or I don't have enough money to treat myself to a Eurostar ride to Paris or even to a Ryanair flight to Dublin. My standard living, with what I'm earning, is borderline, and I guess it doesn't make much sense to live abroad if you get into a worse situation. Well, if I manage to survive the year here, at least I will go back appreciating my country much more (for some time that is, before I go back to the typical rant mode!).
I have finally managed to find Portuguese papers for sale on the stands. I bought Diario de Noticias today, so that I could read DNA and it's wonderful interviews and chronicles. It's a pity Expresso (a Portuguese weekly) costs 8 euros here, otherwise I'd buy it.
My social life has been quite low profile, I go once a week to have dinner with Pedro, who lives across the river in New Cross (some 40 min. by bus!), and I meet up every now and then with Deborah, who is an architect and is working at a top engineering company just close to my office.
But again, no time, and a need to keep expenses under control!
I have been using the Holmes Place Health clubs here (A British chain), thanks to a special card I got from my club in Portugal allowing me to use the clubs in London, but last week, Holmes Place Portugal was sold to a Spanish company and is no longer part of the chain. So, I started being barred from using the clubs here. My club in Portugal says I am entitled to use the clubs here for a few more months, according to instructions from the Iberian CEO, but here they say they don't know anything about it, so I triggered a diplomatic rout between Portugal and the UK! But see, this is a good example of globalization, how an event in Portugal affects the life of a poor Portuguese man in London!
Anyway, my folks are in the Algarve, and I am just trying to find an easyjet to run away next weekend to the sun and good food of the Algarve and join them, since next week there's a bank holiday here on monday (long weekend), so I don't feel like staying here!