Stanley, Nigel, and Sudha - The First 8 Hours

First and foremost, we made it safely to England.  We hope to update this blog regularly now, starting with this entry, our second installment.  Upon arrival at Heathrow, step 1 was the UK Border Agent.  He started quite stoic with "What is the purpose of your visit?".  We said excitedly "We are moving here."  He answered with "Oh why?" (in a very sarcastic "what the hell are you thinking" kind of voice).  We told him about the job transfer and that we would be living in Sydenham.  He said "Sydenham! You mean where they post all the yellow street signs to announce the daily murders?".  We decided he was basing his opinion on Sydenham of 10 years ago (when it was more like a den of iniquity) as opposed to the charming and safe area it is now.  We never caught his name, so we decided to call him Stanley Penderfoldhamshire, the Border Agent.

After a problem with Jon's fingerprints (right thumb...fidn't dit...right index finger...fidn't dit...left index finger...fid dit!), we were on our way to baggage claim to collect our life stored in 6 very heavy checked bags.  All 6 bags arrived safely and fit snugly onto two rolling carts after we borrowed a crane to lift them off the baggage carousel.  Then out to the arrivals area to meet our car service.  While waiting for the car (problems because the flight was three hours late arriving), we grabbed some coffees and tried to maneuver the carts and coffees.  This did not go well as we were on an apparent double-sided incline where Debbie's cart rolled out into one street and I couldn't stop it because I was chasing my cart down as it rolled the other direction towards the other street.  Coffee went all over the bags but we met a nice English chap (who we now call Nigel the Helpful) as he maneuvered Debbie's cart back onto the sidewalk.

Sudha the Driver (this is an actual name, not one we made up) managed to pack all 6 bags + 4 carry-ons into his small minivan with room for us too.  This was no small feat as he was a smaller man, probably weighing less than at least two of the bags.  A quick stop at the letting agent to get the keys and we were at the flat.  Sudha unpacked the car and saw the tiny stairwell up which the bags needed to be moved.  He refused to let us do it alone, so he helped carry the bags all the way into the flat.  We love the British sense of propriety when it comes to opportunities to be helpful.

So, there we were in the flat.  We had officially become UK Residents.  Congratulations to us for making it through the 4-month process of getting here.  Then, it appeared we had no sheets or pillows so a trip to the store was in order.  Bus #356 was the answer.  The bus stop is about 200 yards from the flat and the bus drops you at the front door of possibly the biggest Sainsbury's in all of London.  We were golden!  Armed with our Trader Joe's and Conduct Happiness canvas and reusable bags, the first shopping trip began. 

Leaving Sainsbury's, we were loaded with bags and had to figure out how to get it all on the bus - 4 pillows, complete bed set, a wok, groceries, and a duvet; 3 bags each + the backpack filled with milk and soda jugs. we made it on the #356 and got back to the flat, tired but with the prospect of a sheeted and pillowed bed.  We noticed that it was rather cold in the flat...more on that in our next posting...

Till then,
Deb & Jon in South London