Megan, what's new?

[Megan]

Now is the hour !!

The removal van has been, the flat in NZ is empty ready for tenants on Saturday , the cat and I are at Mum and Dads and I fly out Saturday night. Next time I write I will be living in England. Thanks for all the good wishes and will see some of you very soon !

[geordy]

Oh wow! What excitement Megan!

I'm so happy for you embarking on this great adventure and new phase of your life..not to mention proximity to Paris!!!! ;D

See you soon!

[Sandy M]

Best of luck to you, Megan. What an exciting, new adventure for you and a very interesting chapter in your life.

Have fun in Shanghai and I hope you will enjoy living in London. And I know that you will love being so close to Paris. How fun to be able to "go to Paris for the weekend"!

[framboiseetrose]

Have a safe trip, Megan! And a wonderful life in London. Now you can spend all your extra time and funds in Paris, lucky you!

See in in a little over 3 weeks - what fun that would be!

[GitteK]

Megan - you rock !!

Only sorry about the kitty, whom you'll have to leave at home. You will miss each other terribly. BUT then you'll think of how close you are to Paris and woop-tee: you smile again !!

[Jody]

Oh Megan, it's getting so close. I'm almost as excited as you are!

Safe travels

[afds]

Bon voyage Megan! Your adventure is on its way at last. I'm glad you're leaving the cat behind, quarantine would have been traumatic. Question is will he/she ever forgive you?

[mossie]

Bon voyage Megan. And good luck in your new home and job, always a very exciting time.

[Megan]

Hi All

Well I am here - and I thought I would post my trip update that I sent home ( with a few explanations ) to let you know how I am getting on . Denise has been worrying about the weather but it is really similar to what we have at home in Auckland so no worries there D !!

Here goes

Hi All

First of all apologies for the delay in this long overdue update but of course there is a very good reason. I am staying in the middle of nowhere ( Farley Green ) – who would of thought in a country smaller than the size of NZ one could be so isolated!. Because of the distance that I am from anywhere I have no access to the internet. It is my third day at work so I have now sussed out that its ok to quickly flick into hotmail so that I can send this .

I am going to start at the beginning and give a rundown on what I have been up to – I have been living in the log cabin in the English equivalent of the wop wops for just over a week now and I have lots of words stored up as I haven’t had anyone to talk too!

For those of you that I didn’t get in touch with before I left and I said that I would – apologies too. As usual there was drama and I thought that I was going to have to put the cat down so was in a state ! I know that I profess to not being one of those woman of a certain age that treats their cat as their child but I really am so had a minor meltdown. She is ok tho and with liver tablets and special food and monitoring she will be ok. She loves it at Mum and Dads as she always has company and would not have coped with the trip here due to the liver issues that have come to light so it is the best for her. She doesn't appear to be missing me according to Dad - NICE !!!!!

Well – I departed Saturday 23 rd late at night and was lucky enough to be upgraded to business class which on Air New Zealand is pretty flash. I had my own little pod and when I wanted to go to bed they made me up a little bed with sheets and everything – so for the first time in about a month I managed to get a really good nights sleep . Which is just as well as little did I know that that would be the last sleep I had in a while as I had two more countries to get to before I got here.

I landed in Shanghai and took the fast train into the city centre – it goes 400 miles an hour and runs on magnets ( as a daughter of a train enthusiast I need to share that information ) . After working out finally that the train only goes to the outskirts of the city – (that took me about an hour to work out, I was thinking that something must have been up as it was very shabby shopping for such a big city and I was the only non local wandering around causing me to be stared at, talked about and just quietly there was a little too much laughter being directed my way. I hopped a cab to Peoples Square. I wasn’t really sure what that was but it sounded important. I am not sure if it was because of the Olympics – Shanghai held the football events – but it was one of the cleanest cities I have ever been too. Unfortunately while the city was clean it was really really hot and humid and the effect on my hair was unbelievable – Fuzzball was an understatement so to ensure that I wasn’t locked up as a complete and utter nutter I found my way into the air-conditioned lobby of a 5 star hotel and booked myself a private guide and his very nice air-conditioned car. Intrepid journeys it was not !!!

They call Shanghai Paris of the East and it was clear that there was a big European influence with some lovely buildings along the Bund, I also went to the big market, went to a tea ceremony and saw the usual jade Buddha, reclining Buddha, laughing Buddha that seem to pop up quite frequently on tours of the east. They are the Eastern equivalent of the Brazilian Pipe Band – they are always there. ( is that an un PC thing to say – I don’t mean it to be but it is a standing joke in our family and I hope I have not offended anyone with a jibe at someones religion as I do respect peoples beliefs !!!!)

I then jumped back on the train and back to the Airport where there was a delay so I sat at Shanghai airport for the next 9 hours. I did try to start up a conversation with a man in an All Black Cap who looked remotely like Mils ( a current NZ rugby player from our national team which is known as the All Blacks ) but he spoke absolutely no English and I obviously terrified him as he took his bags and moved to the other side of the terminal so that I could not bother him again.

Once I finally boarded the plane my upgrade had not gone through and I was back down to economy – on the oldest smallest plane that I think Lufthansa have in their fleet. It might have been okay if I had a tiny Asian person next to me but that was not to be – it was ‘’the dreaded middle aged man in a suit’’ who thinks that their need for an armrest and for the legroom on my side of the seat is their right. He was also the biggest German in the world so for the next 13 hours there was a right battle going on for space. He then fell asleep and really spread out – so to annoy him whenever I felt that he was awake I pretended to be asleep so that he couldn’t get out of his seat – CHILDISH but it amused me. I managed to keep him trapped for the whole 13 hours – a personal best .

From Shanghai I then landed in Frankfurt where I spent 3 hours in the Frankfurt first class lounge – I mention this only because I feel it my duty to share that there is a fridge in this lounge that is full to the brim of white and milk chocolate Magnums. It is a magic fridge because I did my best to empty it but it kept on being refilled. I took this as a sign that things were going to be OK !!!!!!

My first week in England was pleasant and fairly drama free – there was a small incident with the rental car, fog and a hidden fence post – but other than that its been great so far.

I have had a week tiki touring – the log cabin is just down the road from a small village called Shere which is where they filmed the wedding in Bridget Jones and the church was also used in the movie The Holiday. It is a beautiful little English village which has tiny tiny streets which I probably should not have navigated after being in the air for 38 hours but I popped down there on my first day for lunch in the pub to try and get adjusted to time . It was a bank holiday so the place was heaving , I was tired and the streets ( the whole 3 of them ) were heaving with cars and tommy tourists . BAD IDEA . I fluked a park , had some lunch then came back and crashed .

Next day I was picked up by the agency that I used to find me a flat and I was taken to meet my new landlord and see the flat. It is nice – smaller that what we are used to over here but spacious by English standards apparently – the big bonus is that is is 3 doors down from ‘The Surrey’ which is a lovely pub – approximately 80 steps ( so it beats your 174 William ) to a lovely pub with a garden area, quiz night, nice pub meals, etc etc. They have Kronenburg on tap so when my brother and father come to visit they I imagine will be regulars .

Day after I hopped in the car and went to Leeds castle – AMAZING – it used to be a private home which I cannot get my head around , the wealth is mindblowing and put my one bedroom in Surrey to shame . I then went into BOC for the first time , picked up an ex colleague ) and then went to the Surrey to try it out.

Thursday I spent the day wandering around Windsor and Eaton, Friday up to Harlow to see the rellies and then Saturday I caught the train into London and met up with my cousin and her husband. It was a scorcher ( finally) so we spent most of the day in the pub , then wandered down the South bank to Borough Market where it cost me $27 nzd for 3 ice creams .

Sunday I spent the day getting ready for work on Monday. I have now been there two days and am currently in Manchester to meet with the CSC team. It looks like the majority of my work will be doing Balloon Gas Product Management- I have a conference / tradeshow to organise on the weekend that I am supposed to be going to Dublin to see the All Blacks so that is a dilemma . I really cant say on my first week that I cant go so I may lose my airfare and ticket - but I will see what I can wangle .

My ex New Zealand colleague is also going to Manchester today so we are sharing the ride up – he is a very brave man, I have my Nat Sav so fingers crossed we will make it. Manchester is also Chabal country so you never know – there may be a sighting . I will keep you informed !! (Sebastien Chabal is a French Rugby Player who lives somewhere by Manchester who makes me swoon - In my fantasy world I am sure he would take one look at me and decide that I am the woman that he really should be with - and although I abhor the thought that I would break up his family I would do what I had to for true love )

Hope I haven’t bored you all – I am keeping the homesickness at bay but I do miss having my friends and family around me , being able to pick up the phone is something I miss but once I get out of the log cabin and into my own flat with a phone , internet etc I know that it will be better in saying that I do feel happy and at home here so far and Guildford and Woking are certainly great areas – it takes 20 mins exactly on the train and I am pretty much standing outside Big Ben .


I move into my flat on the 17 Sept – and it is actually in Knaphill Mossie so will be neighbours with your son. It is only one bedroom but plenty of room in the lounge for visitors and am happy to turn it in to Surreys first marae ( NZ Maori meeting place and gathering place for visitors to the local tribes ) .


Off to Buckingham Palace this weekend and Paris next weekend so very excited to be meeting up with my fellow OPF friends


Love to All

Megan

XXX

[Shoesy]

Megan - What a pleasant surprise to see you today! ;D You seem to be doing fine, and I'm sure that once you're in your flat, things will be even finer and you'll finally feel at home.

That was quite a journey you had. At least you were upgraded for one leg of it, and you certainly survived the tough part where you had to sit next to the guy who was hogging up your space.

You're a real toughy, Megan, and you're full of such spunk. Good luck on your job, my dear. Keep us posted whenever you get the chance. It's great hearing from you.

One more thing.......please don't break up Chabal's family. I don't know the guy, but I'm sure there is someone more special just waiting for YOU.

[Shoesy]

Sorry I forgot to comment about your cat, Megan. What a shame that you went through such an ordeal, especially at a time when you had more than enough to cope with. However, I'm glad that your sweet kitty is doing well with her medication and special food, and she's obviously getting lots of TLC from your parents.

[Megan]

Thanks Shoesy - she is getting lots of TLC. Mum was telling me that Dad gets up at 4am when the cat squeaks and gives her a snack of catfood, heats it up in the microwave slightly and then to add the finishing touch grates a little cheese over the top!!!

As for Monsieur Chabal - I promise that the situation would never arise !!!!!!!!

[Shoesy]

Hmmm.....Cat food au gratin must be quite a yummy treat.

[Anne]

It's great to hear from you Megan !

As for Chabal (not my type of guy I must say), I once heard him speaking English during the World Cup and, well, let's gently say that communication between the two of you may be difficult ;D ;D ;D ...

See you in Paris and I hope that everything will be fine for you till then !

[Katharine]

Megan,

I have had such fun following your big adventure. I do so admire you for moving half way around the world. What a brave soul you are. Sounds like you have lots planned to keep you busy, adnit's great you have relatives close. You have the right attitude and will have such a great time in your "new" life. What a wonderful opportunity!

On a side note, I have a cat that sleeps on my pillow every night, so I completely understand about the separation issue. When we were in France in June for 18 days, I called to talk to the answering machine so he could hear my voice. He was so glad to see me he would not leave my side for two weeks!

Good luck to you, friend, and have the time of your life.

Katharine

[annettecinca]

Oh Megan, it was so fun to read what you've been up to! You sure had quite the adventure getting there, didn't you?! Good luck getting settled in your place on the 17th. And thanks for checking in with us!

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

What a fun read! (Also fun to try to deduce what some of the slang expressions might mean - you might be surprised what I've concluded was happening at some points!) Thanks for posting this, and do keep us updated. But, I hope I misunderstood about internet access - do you have access from your new apartment, or was the problem just that you weren't moved in yet, or ?? I mean, how are you going to keep us all up to speed on the fantasy you're living for us?

[ouiparis]

Hey, Megan! Thank you captivating us with your latest adventures. I hope you will love your new humble abode and I'm glad to hear that your beloved cat is doing well.

[cigalechanta]

What a trip! Lots of happiness in your new location.

[mossie]

Hi Megan, I pleased to see you have survived the transition and are settling in.
My son is single (Very), although he goes on holidays with a Slovakian girl (Just good friends, he tells his mother). He is of course not aware of this forum or that I contribute to it. We don't see him often but he may appear for his mothers birthday later this month, so I will talk to him about you.
He has a 3 bed semi, which is an awful tip, and I always say any decent girl would run a mile if ever she crossed the threshold. Always excepting the rash types like my wife, who think they can civilise the worst of us. Now that I have to do the shopping I tell the checkout girls that I will pack as I am "semi-domesticated"