On queue for a dream called Wimbledon

Hi guys,

How is going? Today I want to tell you something about one of my passion. It's about tennis. Since I've been teenager I was dreaming to see a Grand Slam tournament. When I arrived in the UK I said to myself now I have no excuse, It's just behind the corner... At first I was worry about the price but then I discovered something that not everyone know... You can afford "The Championship" for 20 quid... Amazing!!!
How? Just queueing... Where? In the park. Ok ok let me explain better.
You have to wake up a bit earlier than usual I would say 5:30 am and jump on the tube direction Southfields!!! Get out of the train and just follow the crowd... A sane tennis vibe It will start to surround you and step by step you can smell the addictive perfume of a can of tennis balls just opened... Anyway sensory activity apart you will arrive in a park where at 6:30 am surprise surprise is plenty of people. Yes someone probably slept there. The stuarts who are welcoming you will give your queue ticket saying that there are more than 3000 people before you. S**t!!! No worries It's not a big issue remember you are in the UK they know how to organise queue. It's a kind of party and there are all the necessary facilities but my advice bring your own food and drinks... The time goes quickly and you are in between friendly people and trust me you cannot realise how fast the queue is moving. In a while you are on the way to the court the queue is now in full flow!!! I was almost forgetting CASH ONLY  keep with you something more some good tickets for the mains courts can be available but with 20£ you get the ground. He we are you are now live inside a dream!!! At first you feel lost but just check the order of play and run to take your seat for your first match. Being seated not more than one meter from the court you will be impressed from the surface of the courts absolutely perfect and the grass seems unreal. Before the matches start have a look to the central court you will feel like a child during Christmas day. The day goes quick but you can satisfy your tennis desire. A big tips in the afternoon they resell tickets for the main courts and with an additional 5/10 quid you can see top players.
Tennis is on till there is daylight and trust me watching Sharapova playing during the sunset is something unbelievable!!! I don't want to bother you longer I hope I have caught your attention and curiosity and to see you soon in the place where magic can happen...

Last thing listen to this song below is something that explain perfectly Wimbledon's atmosphere...

Unique London

It is time for us to explain why we live in this crazy and stressful city. Anyone can visit London and being delighted by its tourist attractions but if you live here you will soon get used to it and that is not the reason why you would stay here. The best of London is that you can find your passion, whatever it is, and finding the best way to enjoy as you had never done.
For me this was Rollerblading. I love rollerblading and I used to do it back home, but the experience of joining a free rollerblading group (London Friday Night Skate) that every single Friday and Sunday put their skates on and go to enjoy their passion all together through central London is Priceless. Besides that they do special skating events like Halloween Skate or Santa Skate. Last Saturday, 15th of December, I joined them for the second time on the Santa Skate 2012 and, as expected, was unforgettable.

Little Venice... a peaceful walk!!!

A sunny Sunday after a quiet Saturday night what to do? Well between the thousand and thousand of things  that you can do in London, today I want to tell you about one in particular. No it is not to bungee jumping from Tower Bridge or to climb the Shard. It's simply an healthy and wonderful walk in a fabulous  neighbourhood far away from the crowded city centre. Was my first trip alone to discover the city. My mobile wasn't smart enough, so backpack on the shoulders, map in one hand and camera in the other one. The footpath starts from Paddington and and since the beginning you can feel a peaceful emotion surrounding you. It's nice to see the colourful houseboat and the life that is going on. Walking down the canal at a certain point there is the heart of Little Venice the canal enlarge and that's the place where you can have a break drinking a cup of coffee, looking swans and other canal bird life. By the way there is even a lovely Muppet's theatre that is running shows several time a day.
Time to keep walking, but please check the right direction don't do like me that after some miles I realised that I was going outside London. Anyway I walk back. The next part of the footpath was on Regent Canal passing through some marvellous mansion. The landscape is absolutely awesome and there is the possibility to have a stop to the zoo in Regent Park. Walking walking you can feel that the air is becoming vibrant, and you can smell multiculturality. Yes, the silence you were surrounded by is smoothly leaving but why? Welcome to Camden Town!!! but this one is another story...

NIN What's that???

Hy guys,

Its is with great pleasure that I'm introducing to you Mr NIN!!! No unforntunately in not a funny Chinese guy...
Sometimes abroad if you are not on holiday happen that you have to work, and as long as your employer is not Italian to be paid and to pay taxes you need to have the mitic National Insurance Number. No worries is free!!! By the way, be careful if you google it there are companies that provide the service charging you.
How to get it for free? Well nothing impossible. You need just to call the number below and they will book an appointment to interview you and get some basic information. Just to check that you are not a terrorist and that you really live in the UK. What do you need? Your ID or passport and a document which prove that you are settled in the UK. Copy of rent agreement or bills statement are fine. This number will be required from your future employer and most of the time without you can't even apply for vacancies.
Sometimes could be possible start to work without but in this case you will be taxed with emergency taxes, that's mean that you are going to pay more. In the UK you once you get your NIN you can claim back the overpaid taxes but it requires a couple of months more or less. So boring this post isn't it?
Coming back to the phone call I remeber when I called I was in London since a two or three weeks. I took a long breath and in the silence of my room I tried to understand the lady who were speaking with me other the phone. Every question she asked me were repeat at least two times. She was really patient with me but I think they are quite used to deal with foreigners. Anyway I understood the 20% of what she said but was a good 20% or at least what allowed me to attend my appointment. The key informations I've got were: reference number, time, post code and Friday? Yes but which Fridays? Anyway thanks to Saint Post Code I knew where to go at what time and the first Friday available I went there. I was lucky was the right one. In a week time but sometime takes longer I received an evelope with my NIN and they lived happily ever after...

Jobcentre Plus application line

Telephone: 0845 600 0643

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Click the image below to link to the Government website:

                        

Learn English? It's long way to the top (If You wanna Rock'n' Roll)

Are you ready??? Today's post is with a soundtrack, so Let's click the link below and enjoy...

English what is that? Well is the language that everyone nowadays is using to communicate and you like or not is becoming just a default setting (such a nerd metaphor) in the digital and globalisation era. Unfortunately I had to update my system (oh no again). Honestly is still something ongoing but since I put my feet in the UK I've improved a little bit. It wasn't a kind of magic. I had to work hard even if I've been studying English since the secondary school (I don't know why but seems to be a common problem for Italians). A good knowledge of grammar is useful but nothing you can't learn in a few time. The main issue I found, was understand and feel confident. First of all I joined a course. Especially if you are new in a city is useful to meet new people (by the way I met one of mine best friend here "Hi Lucia hope you are enjoying the blog"). At the same time is a kind of warm up, speak with other foreigners with my level made me comfortable and the pronunciation of the teacher got me used to the British accent. Surprise surprise, outside the school's wall is totally another world.
Yes mates that's the real world and is not populated just of English teachers or foreigners. How I faced the problem? Putting myself in uncomfortable situation. I attended meet up (here's the link, just find the topic you like and meet people to speak about it http://www.meetup.com/ ) understanding one word every ten, conference better avoid the understanding rate and at the end I found a job, where I had to speak ten hours a day in this "bloody language". I'll save this story for another post. Learn is a really natural process and I had to pass through each stage. Of course sometime I felt upset, tired and stupid but I've never lost the motivation. As I said before I'm still learning and I'm trying all the time to challenge myself. The lasts were remove the subtitles in English and call in English for business purpose foreign countries. To achieve this point was a footpath ten months long. Ending today's post the only advice I can give you is just TRY TRY and TRY AGAIN and of course dont't be SHY because It's a long way to the top if you wanna Rock'n'Roll...

Homeless in London

Yes, that's how you might feel in London at first. I was not homeless, but all I had was a 2 weeks booking at a really shitty hotel in Royal Oak. It was quite cheap to be London, about £80/week and after all I just had to sleep somewhere for a few days and then get started. After getting there with my 2 big suitcases I just thought. I need to find something tomorrow!! That was how I ended up finding a great student accommodation at Notting Hill, yes, Notting Hill!! It's called Bowden Court I recommend any of the hostels of London Hostel Association. Great quality at an affordable price. In this one I was sharing a bedroom with 2 more Spaniards with breakfast and dinner included, I was paying about £90/week.

What about funny stories?? Ohh Yes, I had lot of funny stories there. Especially because one of the flatmates was a crazy sick guy who worked in a hotel and used to wake up at 5:30 being as noisy as hell so the other guy and I used to annoy him as much as we could hiding his stuff like lighters or slippers and when he didn't find it the difficult thing was to hold from laughing in his face. Yeah, I know what you are thinking...like kids, but it was either that or killing him so at least we had a good time.

And that was the starting point to finally move temporarily to a friend's flat where I stay another 3 months and fianlyyyy I found my current flat in South London...because SW8 Rules!!

Find a place that you can call home!!!

Hi guys,

Yep, is the first tough test you have to pass abroad. Find a place where to sleep is not easy but not impossible. You need to be flexible and forget comforts and standards of your country. The rooms market in London is something really quick, take it or leave it! So don't be picky. First of all you need to work out what you can afford and be realistic. Flat sharing, studios, rent an entire house or squatting these are the opportunities, OK the last one is a joke. Live in Notting Hill or some other cool area would be great, but definitely wasn't my instance. The research was focus on the south side just below the mystic river Thames that currently is still a quite affordable zone close to the city centre. Well let's go practical. I was lucky a friend of mine just moved a couple of weeks before me so I had a place for the first days, if not just find out an hostel.

http://www.ukhostels.com/
http://www.booking.com/
http://www.generatorhostels.com/

Set up your mind thinking that nothing is definitive and you can improve from time to time and make a decision shortly. How to do research? London is a Digital City, on line is one of the best way. Let me past some useful links so if you need  you can start playing with filters and search criteria.

http://www.gumtree.com/
http://www.spareroom.co.uk/
http://uk.easyroommate.com/
http://www.flatshare.com/
http://www.zoopla.co.uk/

It is boring isn't it?
Yes OK a funny story is coming about my research...
The main problem was understand what people were saying over the phone so my trick was just try to catch the information I needed (day, time of the view and the POST CODE).
After my first appointment I was ready to face every situation. I booked the appointment with a guy who spoke a kind of Italian but at the meeting a dodgy English one who seemed coming out from the video game "GTA" met me in front of Oval tube station. I didn't get the name and other hundred words he said.
The only sentence I understood was "Jump on my car" were other three guys were seat in the back. I put my seat belt, he didn't but he started driving like Colin Mcrae, swearing to everyone on our way. He show me two rooms, the first one was just with a mattress on the floor and a kind of wardrobe, in the meantime he was flirting with one of the tenant. The second was in a massive building but he didn't have the key so he show me another room inside the flat saying "well looks like this one but a bit smaller". Great I have good imagination but as a letting negotiator that guy wasn't any good. After that experience and the quality of the rooms worthy of the movie "Trainspotting" find my first London's room was absolutely a joke...

Below another of the flat I saw but I didn't like the actual flatmates...