Every Day Is Valentine's Day

Hello!

It's me.

Aya.
(blog post opener not to be confused with the Adele song)

Obviously this is my blog, however, I do not class myself as a blogger. Well, not yet. I'm a noob... I haven't been doing it for long and I am definitely not consistent. What I will say is that I really enjoy writing and attempting to blog. I may not possess the same writing sophisticato as say, Shakespeare, but I know how to string my words together (SELF HI FIVE!). Let me tell you, when I was a young lass, I never would have dreamed of writing for pleasure. One, because I found the concept boring and two, I couldn't write to save my life.

To give you a bit more of an understanding as to how far I have come, let's go back to my primary school and high school days. My writing was horrible. My grammar was shocking. Remember Ralph from The Simpsons? Well, I always felt like him in the episode where he says, "Me fail English, that's unpossible!" I definitely didn't fail English, I'm just saying that my spirit animal was Ralph Wiggum. I struggled to construct sentences that actually made sense. My mother used to be an English teacher, my dad used to write children's poems/mini books (I think? I should know this) and my sister has a journalism (and law) degree. For some reason, the writer genes skipped me.

Throughout high school, I would get either one of parents or my sister to help me edit my assignments. Want to hear some embarrassing?  I would have these massive tantrums when my "editor" would say things along the lines of, "This is shocking...re-read what you've written, fix it up and then ask me to help you edit." But, once a sentence was written, I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to re-write it! I would sit at the computer or roll around on the floor absolutely balling my eyes out! I told you it was embarrassing. I wish I had video evidence just to further prove how embarrassing it was. By the way, it was not like my results were shocking at school. I would get Bs or B- in English, but I doubt I would have gotten those results if I didn't have my army of "editors". Unfortunately, my story gets worse.

I remember in high school, I used to have to go to an ESL or English as a second language class. This makes absolutely no sense, because English IS my first language. Even though I am half Russian and I learnt how to (poorly) speak Russian, I still heard English about 95% of the time. English was definitely my first language and yet, I had to be in this particular class. My grammar was that bad. I only stayed in this class for a few weeks. I found it pointless and ineffective. The ESL teacher would rewrite chunks of my assignments in front of me without asking what I thought about the adjustments or even educating me on how to edit my own work. I mean, how was this approach supposed to help me? So I said Bye Felicia and it was back to the drawing board.

It was after this ESL experience that mum began to read to me at night. Apparently, hearing someone read out aloud every day can assist in improving one's grammar. I guess it has something to do with being able to process how a grammatically correct sentence should sound. So, that's what mum and I started to do. From memory, this only lasted a few months to a year. We would read the Harry Potter books and my absolute favourite book, Mao's Last Dancer. I didn't always enjoy it and at times, I even tried to avoid it happening by pretending to be asleep. I mean, I was a teenager, how embarrassing, my mum reading to me at night before I went to sleep. Admittedly, this approach definitely improved my grammar. I left school with English results sitting at an A-. Congrats Aya, your writing improved! But the story doesn't quite stop there.

During my early years at university (note: I did not start uni until I was 20), my writing slightly improved after high school, but all in all, it remained at the same level. It took me a few years to get to the level I am at today. Ultimately, I think it came down to maturity and just an "aha moment" of wow, that's how you write! Once that "aha moment" hit, writing became easier. Don't get me wrong, I still struggle from time to time and I sometimes still need guidance on how to phrase certain sentences. I imagine that as you read this post, you are definitely not thinking that I should become an English teacher or that I should write a novel. But for me, I've come along way and the fact that I can just sit, write and post this online is a huge personal accomplishment. You know what, I deserve another self hi five!

Don't worry Ralph Wiggum, you is still me animal of spirit. Me love you!

Until next time.

xx

Another Bank Holiday has gone by and I spent it exploring the Natural History Museum with one of my good Aussie buds, Matty. 

Have you been to the NHM? 

My London life is very new to me and already, I feel like I have some wise words to throw at you. And throw them I will... just like confetti. This blog post was supposed to go online before I moved overseas, but, better late than never! Originally, this post focused on "prepping and primping for London". What I've learned is no amount of prepping and primping will get you ready for the rollercoaster ride that is moving to London. #spoileralert

The last month before arriving in London was like no other - organising, planning & prepping for the move. As a self-confessed over-planner, I wanted to sort out as much as I could before arriving. Just a tiny FYI, the term "go with the flow" can rarely be found in my vocabulary.  At the time, I felt like there was so much to plan and yet, there was so much I didn't anticipate happening.

Let me first give you a rundown of my current situation as of Thursday, 18th May: 

Okay, so now you know where I'm at, let's get into the juicy stuff! 

So, this is how this post will work. First of all, I gave it a complete overhaul once I arrived, because as I said earlier, I forgot to post it before I left. What I have done is written what I did/thought/said before moving and compared it to what happened once I moved. Anything italicised are snippets of from my original post. They had to stay in their original form because they were too funny to edit. I've also added commentary moments now and then. In my opinion, it's very interesting (and hilarious) to see how I thought things would pan out before I left. Enjoy... 

Job Hunting

Before moving

It's funny, now that I think back, I was so naive! I legitimately thought I would be able to interview and secure a job before leaving. There are rare occasions where this does occur; people are transferred within the same company, have good professional & international connections or have previously lived in London.

So what did I do? I conducted a lot of research and found a bunch recruiters within my field of expertise; Marketing and Social Media. I contacted several of these recruiters weeks before leaving. While it was great to chat to the recruiters and let them get to know me and understand my expectations of a role and salary, that's basically all that happened. I secured one interview before leaving but that fell through. Otherwise, I was told that everything would be a lot easier once I arrived in London. Whilst signing up to recruitment agencies, I also did my own research. I worked on my LinkedIn account, created a Reed (job website) profile and even found some other job websites.

I also researched how to construct a resume suitable for the U.K. job scene. They like to see the dates (exact months) worked in each role and they also like a personal statement and a list of key skills at the top of your CV. I'm sure recruiters and employees would like to see these elements on a CV back in Australia and when I come back, I'll definitely be keeping the structure of my CV the same.

After moving

An obvious difference before and after moving has been having a U.K. phone number. It's been nice not receiving emails that say, "When's the best time to Skype you?". I think once recruiters and employers saw the U.K. number on my CV, they understood that I was definitely in the country. I honestly think some recruiters did not believe I was actually moving. One recruiter confirmed my suspcisions when they asked me over Skype, "So you're actually moving to London, right?" Nah mate, I just feel like talking in depth with recruiters for fun.

Once I arrived, I set up a handful of face-to-face meetings with my recruiters, to show I was actually in the country #eyeroll. Recruiters definitely like to meet you in person so that you can talk in more depth about your experience and what roles are on offer. You also generally have to fill out forms with details such as previous salary, expected salary, NI Number (haha) and references. As an expat, your BRP Card, Visa and Passport also needs to be scanned.

I have had a few unsuccessful job interviews, but that's completely understandable. I've also been put forward for jobs that have no excited me one bit and that have absolutely nothing to do with the field I want to work in. I guess once I arrived, I was brought back down to earth a bit. All those unrealistic expectations of having this amazing job straight off the bat just flew out the window. My level of experience has been a hindrance to me landing some jobs. I get that. I'm newly graduated and I'm lucky I have the experience that I have thanks to internships which eventually turned into paid work. So, now that I have had to re-adjust my expectations on what roles I am qualified for, I've also had to re-adjust my thoughts on salary...not an overwhelming drop, but it's noticeable.

Overall, London is a competitive place. Don't get me wrong, jobs are constantly popping up, but there are about 100+ people waiting to receive an interview for the same jobs that I'm applying for. All I need (or anyone in this city needs), is one employer to believe that I am great at what I do and hire me. Temp work is where I'm at right now and that's okay. I can continue finding the right job for me and it also gives me the opportunity to focus on my blog and YouTube channel. 

Finding a Home
Before Moving

Look, just read below.

"At this point, I definitely know where I want to live and so in my spare time, SpareRoom has become an extremely useful website. In case you don't know, SpareRoom is an awesome U.K. website ideally for house sharing. Now, I have no intention on living on my own; one, it's bloody expensive, and two, I would be too scared. So, SpareRoom is the perfect option for me. Me being a planner, I've created a rough as guts monthly budget in London which include my expected salary (I have done my research), the cost of a monthly travel card, a monthly grocery amount as well as a monthly phone cost. Knowing all of these major expenses, I can decipher what rent I am willing to pay. I have the highest standards in the world, but in order for me to live a fun life and be able to travel, the standards have slightly lowered (hahaha no they haven't). Now that I know what I will be able to afford to spend on rent and what boroughs I would like to live in, the rental search is a lot easier."

I would like to add to this section, that before I moved and even within the first week, I was expecting to find my permanent home within two weeks of moving.

After Moving

I laugh, I laugh and I laugh. Look, SpareRoom can be a good source to find a home, but there is some weird shit on that site as well as weird people. Photos can be deceiving...oh boy can they be deceiving. I definitely want to expand on my house hunting journey, so that will eventually go up onto my YouTube Channel (subscribe to it to keep up to date...link at the bottom of the post). Trust me, it's better to hear it spoken rather than written.

I will give it to my past self, having a rough as guts budget was a good idea. I based my budget on a salary suggested by recruiters. It has helped me understand what I can afford to spend on rent. Obviously, most of your pay is going to go to rent and you want to have money for a life and for travel. The focal point of moving here IS to travel, after all. I really wanted a place that offered a price including bills. My future place doesn't do that, but I have been told what the bills come to, which is fine. I'm taking over a couple's room so I would be shocked if I used more water or electricity than two people. But, you know, crazier things have happened.

In a nutshell, I went to some crappy places, I went to some awesome places and about two weeks ago, I even thought I was moving into a place (again, will eventually discuss in further detail on my channel). I've had to search for places on other websites and even in Facebook groups. After a month long search for a home, I will be moving in with my friend, Matty. He offered his housemate' room probably a few days after I arrived. I, obviously wanted to move in with him but knew his housemates weren't moving out for a month. And as I previously and stupidly stated, I was hoping to move into a place within the first two weeks of being here. Oh well, a big lesson learnt. It's taken a bit of time to move into a place, but I'm so glad it's with a close friend.

Gaining and Maintaining Contacts

Before Moving

I knew before leaving that I was very luck to have some very close friends who live in London. I was super excited to hang out with them and enjoy several glasses of wine. I chatted to them about areas to live, bank account information and one set of friends, Jordi & Rach, even offered me a place to stay when I arrived!

I was also lucky to have a sister who previously lived in London. She still has friends who live here and she got in contact with them and had a chat to them about how I was moving very soon.

A few months before moving, I began to follow a blog called London New Girl. It was extremely helpful in offering advice on how to save, how to budget when moving, how to find a job & a home and of course, travel suggestions and stories. Extending from the blog is a Facebook group, which of course I joined. It's an amazing online space to chat to other expats, ask questions and make new friends. Before leaving, I had every intention of posting in the group and seeing if anyone wanted to catch up over drinks. I also added myself to other groups and liked Facebook pages such as Aussies in London.

After Moving

Far out, I am so grateful I was able to spend a few days with friends when I arrived. I received a cute, little welcome pack from my friend, Jordi. Seeing and hanging out with my friends has definitely put me at ease and has also given me some confidence that everything is going to be okay.

I have made some use of the London New Girl group - I have asked questions to the group and even made a post about finding a place to live (classic). I'm still yet to organise a get together or even comment on other people's posts. To be honest, I'm not in the right headspace to actively meet new people. I want to feel slightly more settled. Once I move into my place, I definitely think I will have more drive to be more involved and organise some catch ups. Does anyone want to be friends with me? I'm really cool and write in blog posts about making new friends.

Jordi & Rach have honestly been lifesavers. I thought I was moving into a house about two weeks ago and then that backfired. My Airbnb accommodation finished up and they have been kind enough to let me stay with them until I move into my place.

In all seriousness, having a handful of friends who already live here has been amazing! I am loving exploring London with them. 

Bank Accounts & NI Number 

Before Moving

The two most important things needed to live and work in London happen to be the most difficult to obtain. Can you guess? A National Insurance Number (NI...Tax File Number equivalent) and a bank account. Well done if you got it right!

I didn't understand what a vicious cycle it would be before leaving. I understood that they were not easy things to organise, but I definitely underestimated the level of difficulty before moving. Any information I read about it or anything my friends told me, turned out to be 100% irrelevant...soz friends, but times and regulations have changed. Even BritBound was somewhat irrelevant (read italicised bit below before continuing). Originally, when I signed up with BritBound, I was getting a Lloyds bank account. A week or so after I purchased the package, I was told by the company that due to law/regulation changes for expats, the process of obtaining a bank account would require more documentation and more solid evidence of residing in the U.K. For example, a bill with your U.K. address or a letter of permanent employment with a U.K. address. So, with these changes, I was told by BritBound to create an online account through a "virtual bank" called Monese. I was also told that it would work the exact same way as a Highstreet bank and that, "many BritBounders have used the Monese account and have stuck with it rather than going to a Highstreet bank" (not an actual direct quote, but close enough). I accepted this information and organised my bank card to be sent to my friends' home in London.

Now with the NI Number, obviously you need one to work. My understanding of this wasn't of a high level and I didn't really think I would have to understand too much as I was relying on BritBound to sort it out. So I knew once I moved over and went to their office, I would be able to organise my NI Number pretty much straight away. One thing I did learn before leaving is that a place of residence is required for the NI Number application. This is where BritBound would come into play. As part of my package, I paid to use their address for the first two months (for both bank account and NI Number issues).

"So, there are several companies that assist expats in setting up these essentials for a reasonable price. I decided to go with the company BritBound. They offer a variety of packages. You can either go all out and purchase a Tier 5 visa package, or because in my case I sorted out my own visa, grab "The Basix" package. The main features of this package include a bank account, NI number, U.K. sim card and unlimited money transfers. Now within this package, I have paid to use a certain address for the first 2 months in order to get my NI number and bank account sorted quickly. I highly recommend using a service like BritBound, it really makes life slightly less stressful and there ain't nothing wrong with that!"

After Moving

Bank account: Look, I'm not going to bore you with details of how complicated this whole bank account situation is. Again, I will direct you to a video on my YouTube channel - check out the list of links at the bottom of this blog. What I will say right now, is that bank accounts are extremely hard to get and like me, you might have to wait until you are really settled in to get one. I've been here for a month and I don't have a Highstreet account. I'm still using Monese for the sake of getting paid. But once I move into my new place which will become my permanent address, I will definitely be swapping over to a proper bank. BritBound did mention to me that once my NI Number came through, I would be able to just use that as proof of living here to get an account. This is not a thing anymore (can the company be anymore out of the loop?). I enquired about the necessary documentation at a bank branch recently and they told me that just an NI Number wasn't going to cut it anymore. Yayyyyyy...more ways to make life difficult.

NI Number: Soooo, I've been waiting for my NI Number for a few weeks now. On Thursday (18th May), I called to check on the progress. I was informed that my application was ready to be processed, however, I did not submit all the documentation needed. I clearly did not read the form correctly and missed the part where you have to send copies of your Passport, Visa and BRP card. Such an idiot! I'm always so thorough and I triple check everything. How could I have possibly missed this! I'm so angry at myself. Anyway, I sent off that documentation immediately (unforunately by snail mail...). My application has now been delayed for another few weeks. The only positive thing about this error is that I can still work without my NI Number, however, I think there is a time limit to that.

- Over-preparing is not always the best thing
- Just go with the flow and let the chips fall where they may.  The journey is going to have bad moments and it's going to have great moments. Let it all happen naturally.

Until next time...

Aya xx

Useful links
My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAjWsSMmX08&t=619s 
Images sourced from: Pinterest & https://www.pexels.com/ 


***Heathrow Injection: Colloquial term for gaining weight when moving to the U.K. 

Well, I'm finally in London! WOOHOO!

I'm so grateful that I have friends who live here and are happy to take time out of their lives to explore with me. So my first weekend here, two of my friends, Jordi and Rach, took me out to Surrey, more specifically, Leatherhead to complete the Mole Gap Trail. 

We were so lucky that it was such a beautiful day...although that was questioned in the morning thanks to the overcast skies and the light rain. But THANKFULLY, the sun came out and it ended up being a perfect day. 

So, the Mole Gap Trail is a 10km (6 miles) walk through beautiful paddocks, cute countryside roads and even through some properties. The great thing about these trails is that a lot of the countryside homes allow explorers to trek through their property as part of the trails. I've never heard of anything like that in Australia. I made sure I took heaps of photos and lots of video footage on this walk (YouTube video link below). All photos were taken with my iPhone 7...bloody good job Apple! 

The walk was guided by signs as seen in the first picture and arrows. Such a cool way to guide explorers! 

That's right, this Aussie gal is moving all the way to the Land of Crumpets! 

Look, you might be thinking that an Aussie moving to London is completely unoriginal. Well, I'm hear to tell you... yeah, it's unoriginal... but living an expat life is something that all young people need to experience. And now, it's my turn!

Now, why do I want to move to London? Well, there are three main reasons for my decision... 

Firstly, it is something I've wanted to do for a really long time and by "long time", I mean since my sister moved to London in 2009. After visiting her, I knew moving to London was something I wanted to do too. I immediately fell in love with the city; the shopping, the architecture, the culture, and did I mention the shopping? Yep... 8 years later and I'm finally doing it! But I can't imagine moving to London at any other time in my life than right now. 

Major flashback to 2009, my first time in London. Tourist look is a solid 10/10

Secondly, it's all about getting out of my comfort zone and taking risks. Not only do I come from a somewhat sheltered family (sorry Mum, you know it's true), I am also a slightly fearful & anxious person. I have always been the one who needs to be near her family. For me, moving to London is a big deal! I mean, I'm moving my life to a new country where I won't have the same support network as I have here in Australia. It's also a huge risk; I haven't secured a job yet and I don't know where I'll be living. But, perhaps the unknown is good. As lame as it sounds, it will be a character building experience and will help me grow as a person. 

Lastly, Brisbane is just not offering me what I need and want at this point in my life. I work within the creative industries and while Brisbane has some sort of a creative scene, you know where else does? You guessed it ... LONDON CALLING!

My last trip to London in 2015. Again, tourist look is a solid 10/10

How long am I planning on being in London? That's the fun/scary thing... I have no freakin' clue! I could be there for 1 month, 3 months, 3 years or 10 years. Right now, I have a guaranteed 2 years to make the most of my time in London, so all I can say is, we'll see how I go. All I can do is just go for it, work hard and enjoy every moment. Because regardless of how long I'm there for, it will still be an amazing experience.

Now, if you want to follow my journey, what I recommend is that you follow this blog, follow me on Instagram and YouTube. Yep, that's right, you'll have the pleasure of seeing my pretty face on so many social platforms! How lucky are you!?

So here's to new adventures and not looking like a tourist in anymore of my photos!

Cheers and cheerio Brisbane ❤️

Aya x

Weekly Wishes - a curation of amazing things that I need want in my life. Whether it is jewellery, shoes, clothing, food or the perfect cup of coffee, you'll be wishing you could have it too!

{14k Moissanite Flower Ring by Luxuring: eco friendly fine jewellery)

This gorgeous ring is definitely at the top of my wish list. I am desperately wanting a flower diamond ring. Originally, I was going to get an antique ring (probably still will), but after discovering Luxuring and seeing that it is made of recycled gold and ethically resourced gemstones and diamonds, it is surpassing my original antique choice.