the past few weeks i’ve been in a bootcamp-like training for my new job slinging japanese style food at wagamama, a uk chain of noodle bars. making money in ££ is definitely nice, but now i barely have any time to spend it. that’s the way it goes though i guess. it’s been so strange not working for the past four months that it took me a bit to get back into it, but now that i’m getting used to it i’m starting to enjoy myself again. the new restaurant is so different to anywhere i’ve worked before because you have huge sections and run around with a little handheld computer taking orders by typing in numbers that you have to memorise for every dish and drink. starting tomorrow i’ll be officially done with training and finally start making tips meaning my paychecks will be much bigger. that’s what’s so addiciting about working in the restaurant industry. making tips. even in this country where 10% is looked at as really good and it’s not rare to have people leave nothing, or just a few pence, the sheer volume that the place does makes it all add up to quite a bit.

besides working i’ve been trying to spend as much time with my friends as i can since uni starts up again tomorrow and i’m sure that i’ll be very busy from now on. i’m really looking forward to classes starting and this term my classes seem like they’ll be really interesting. one is a second year module on globalisation and the economy, two are about sustainable development (yay!) and the last is a GIS module, so i’ll basically learn more about the map-making software that urban planners use.

i learned recently that there is an option to extend the study abroad for a second year and i was so tempted at first to look into it as i am falling in love with england. ultimately, i realise that i should just graduate already and the classes i need for that are in san francisco, so it’s back to the states in fall. being here is becoming such an odd experience because now that it’s a reality i’ve settled in and made this temporary life for myself, but in the back of my mind i have that it’s just that, temporary. it’s so hard, i’ve make incredible friends here and the thought of leaving them is so depressing i keep it far from me as much as i can. leaving my friends at home knowing when i’d see them again was hard enough but these kids are going to go on with the next two years here at kingston and who knows when i’ll get to see them again.