My Favourite Places in Florence

So, I've recently returned from a 3-day trip to Florence. While I've enjoyed all of my adventures, Florence is very close to topping the list of my best trips. Amazing food, friendly people and lots of shopping - totally my kind of holiday.

I stayed in a lovely apartment in the Oltrano, referred to by the landlord as the "authentic Florence". There are few tourists in this part of town, but the locals are not averse to dealing with bumbling foreigners like myself. There were several inexpensive but great restaurants, art galleries and vintage shops - so, totally up my alley.

Tea Time: Drinking My Body Weight in Steeped Leaves

I’ve consumed more tea in 10 months than I have in the previous 24 years of my life. I thought Brits just swapped tea for coffee in the morning, but they swap it for every other drink at any other time of day. When you think of tea, I’m sure you think of a couple of delicate old women sitting huddled around around teapot on a doily-laden table. But, that’s not the case. Most people drink tea at any time of day, regardless of what activity they are engaging in or how hot it is outside.

Bravery, and Traveling Alone As A Woman

I have never been described as ‘brave’. I’m the kind of person who rehearses all of her conversations in advance. I only rode my first upside-down roller coaster after about 12 years of persuasion. I have to get a second opinion on everything. As such, I’ve always demonstrated characteristics that are the opposite of what it takes to make a person courageous.  

I've always aspired to live life like this internet meme character. 

Culture Shock: Being Black in England

I’ve never defined myself by my skin colour. I came from a place where I never had to. Toronto is one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world, and race never seemed to be a big issue. Everyone managed to blend into the mosaic without compromising their own identities, and I feel like I may have taken this for granted. When I moved to England, I expected things to be similar, since I was under the impression that it was an equally-multicultural country – but that has not been my experience.
I live in a small town called Long Eaton, about a half hour away from the Nottingham city centre. On occasion, I see one or two people of colour, but I’m basically the only Black person around. When I go out in public, I’ve never been made to feel so out of place. People passing me in the street stare me straight in the face, silently interrogating me, trying to figure me out. When I try to start a friendly conversation or ask for help in a store, I am dismissed immediately. A woman clutched her purse as I walked past the other day.

Spending Abroad: UK Living Expenses

This isn’t my first time living on my own, but it certainly feels like it. I find that the UK requires a lot more in terms of taxation and living expenses. A few of them came as a shock to me, but I got used to them. This is my experience with living expenses in the UK thus far, and how I've managed them.  

St. Patrick’s Day in the UK

I must be pretty naïve. I told myself I wanted to get in and out of town before 4pm because it’s St. Patrick’s Day, and I didn’t want to be pulled into the festivities. Who would go out drinking at midday anyways?

But, if there are two things I’ve learned about British people, they are:
[1] Brits love to drink.
[2] They love to dress up.

So, I should have known better. If there is holiday set aside to do both, you’d better believe they would take advantage of it. We celebrate the occasion in Toronto. A few pubs will sell green beer and encourage patrons to wear green. The few authentic Irish pubs in the city will have line-ups outside that span the entire block. But, I was not at all prepared to witness St. Patrick's Day on a British scale. 

Meeting New People Abroad

I made my first British friend today!
It's not just someone I met once and I stalked on Facebook for a month, or made light conversation with and now believe we're BFFs. It's a friend I met in September, and we've been hanging out for a while - but I feel like we've now reached 'good friend' status! This is a huge accomplishment for me, since I feel like making friends as an adult is nearly as difficult as it was when I was in 3rd grade and wore braces and snowpants all year 'round.

NHS and NI on YMS, OMG

That's quite a lot of acronyms you got there, England.
And, it can be quite daunting when you're planning your trip, not knowing what any of them stand for. Well, NHS is National Health Service (sort of like OHIP) and NI is National Insurance (like Social Insurance). Having personal numbers for each is essential to starting your life in the UK, but figuring out how to register can be a bit of a maze.

Maintenance Funds for YMS

One of the major requirements for the UK Youth Mobility Visa is proving your maintenance funds. It was actually the part that caused the most trouble for me in an otherwise easy process. So, this is my take on getting this done right the first time!