Settling In

Hello Again!!!

So it has been over a week and a half since I have been here, and it feels as though I have been gone for months. I have to tell you, it feels like I left everything I have ever known to be in this strange place by myself. Just writing these thoughts and reading them back to myself puts me on the brink of tears. It's good though, I feel as though after putting myself voluntarily through something this hard I will forever be able to experience anything that comes my way unexpectedly with high hopes. Now I don't mean to seem down on this whole thing, but I never expected to be as hard as it has been thus far. I find myself going back and forth. Some days I am doing really well, stoked on all the new things around me, but other days I feel like I made a grave mistake in ripping myself from all my best friends in the world, and from my most loving of families. I truly appreciate all that I have, not like I didn't before, but they seem all that much more important to me now. I feel at times like this place isn't at all what I expected; Reasons for coming here (music, art, exciting people and places) aren't really even here (or so it seems to me at the moment, still waiting and looking I guess). My experiences thus far have led me to believe that it is just the same as the states. Not progressive in art (specifically photography), and the music scene seems to be just as fabricated as back home. OK...so now that I have made you think I am having a horrible time, I'd like to talk about why I feel like I am going to have a good day today. (I just wanted to get all that negativity out in the beginning, now its gone...don't you feel better, I do. I actually wasn't going to write about it to help me keep my head high, then I realized it's all part of the experience, and if I were to leave it out, I would just be lying to myself. I feel like I need to remember the struggle as well.)

So now for a funny story. So about three nights ago I went out drinking with my roommate, and most of the cooler housemates I live with. We all had quite a good time, and when we got home we were hanging out in one of the girls rooms with about 9 or 10 of us listening to some music. Some of the people in the room were smoking (which the girls whose room it was were ok with, of course). After a few minutes of being in there, we were stoked to find that the fire alarms actually worked. Now seeing as I was in a room full of people in my same shoes, just having moved to London that is, none of us had come into contact with this type of fire alarm. This fire alarm is LOUD! Large bells in every room (BELLS!) began to go off, even in the rooms of the flat-mates that didn't come out with us. All of our first reactions were to try and find a way to turn it off, but seeing as none of us knew how these things worked (by that I mean they were not at all like the common smoke alarms that one is annoyed by, rips off the wall and throws the batteries out in rapid fashion.) we were all running around the house like chickens with our heads cut off. Each of us going in different directions with different ideas, at times running into one another. All of us were laughing historically the entire time as well. I hope you get a good visual of this, because it was one of the funniest things I have seen in a while! So there was this box with fire escape propaganda that I recalled being in the entry way of the house with a key in it, so that was the first stop for most of us. Others went looking for the fuse box and so on. Ideas were flowing people, let me tell you. Anyway, while all this is happening, one of the american girls, in true american fashion, called 999 (english equivalent of 911). On the phone, over the blaring bells, she proceeded to tell them, "Do not send trucks. Were are OK!" To which the operator exclaimed, "What?! DO NOT send trucks?" This is when the true confusion set in! She responded, "YES! DO NOT send trucks! We are OK!" The british woman then took it upon herself to hang up the phone without a response. The american girl later explained that she had figured that as in the states, when an alarm is set off, the police and fire department are automatically sent. She also made the assumption that when you call 999, they know where your calling from. Which could be true, but definitely not when your calling from your mobile (as they call it here). So the confusion on the other end of the line must have been immense, which in a way coincided with the confusion were were faced with, and the utter retardation that the american girl was experiencing. After a few minutes of this, someone found a labeled button on the top of this fire box, which you had to be on a chair to see (wankers!). The fiasco had ended. What a night.

So today, thursday, I have decided to go and get a work visa, and put a stop to all this nonsense of living in London as a Mexican (YO BIG C and T-NASTY!). I feel like it will help me to have more of a purpose here. With a job I feel like I will have more of a schedule, a better way of meeting some locals, and more of an income. This income will not be cut in half before I even see it, which I look forward too immensely. I am still going to continue to do my contract work from the states, but I need to start making the pound so as to stop myself from feeling sick every time I buy something. You see, I have learned that converting things is not a healthy habit. And I am not joking when I say this, I get physically sick! Anyway, I feel like I have done enough soul dredging at this point for one day, so I leave you with this one thought. Three meals a day are better than two. Try to keep that in mind while you eat three, because it is definitely on my mind as I eat two.


Love You All I'm Sure,

Blake


Here are some photo's from my first week. Sorry it took so long. There will be more as I take em.

My roommate Ben and I in our room.



The Hostel I stayed in for one night before I found a place to live.



The bar conveniently located under the Hostel I stayed in the first night.
(too expensive even there to afford a beer, crappy.)




Shepherd's Bush Green, the park in my area of town.



The Train crossing just East of the hostel. Cool Graffiti.



Some city life shots in the early morning (couldn't sleep, jet lag).



Kids going to school, all dressed in suits. That'll teach elm to screw around!




More city life shots in Shepherd Bush (my home Burrough).




Again, more city shots. Bright large licence plates. More cool Graffiti.





A long shot of another kid walking to school. The back of the houses on my
street.




Tree that just jumped out at me. Austin Powers (well, just plain british)
phone booth.




Interesting poster for the band Oasis. Bridge that I have yet to learn the
name of crossing the Thymes River.




Tube (subway) Shots. "I'm Ron Burgundy?" (YO EMILY!)



Cool shot of sculpture at the Tate Modern Museum! Chisum buddy, doesn't this
look like your sculptures you made for Chong's class. I was blown away, it
was just massive!




More shots near the Thymes.




Shot of Broder, an Auzzie friend I made that went to the museum with me. I
saw my first Picassos in person. Gave me chills. Still does. Got any extra
shoes. Place them in this convenient bin on the main streets of london....WHAT!!?!





Dizzee Rascal BABY!!! Hell Yea. Too bad i'm broke.



Another Tube shot. Can't you just smell it! Try not to breath.



Broder on the train. I liked the composition of this one. You be the judge.



Siamese twins of yourself are as easy as riding the etude with "tubed"
windows.

Now that one was just too easy. Pretty cool though, huh?



Interesting mural under one of the bridges in shots above.



I almost got killed taking a picture of these paintings. Apparently they are
copyrighted. Who knew? The artist was pretty pissed. I was gonna tell him
I liked them, but he started yelling at me in Italian before I could. They
shall live on forever now. You better like elm too, and be thankful i'm still
here after that experience. Lessons to be learned I guess.



More street shots. Kinda getting into this. There are a lot of crazy looking
people here. I bet I am just as crazy looking. Write back to me! Comments,
suggestions, thoughts, love, I read it all.

Love you all!