Looking back at the past year, and considering our living arrangement, and talking to lots of families who have had a similar experience, I think the difficulty arriving here lies with the horror of trying to find housing in, like, one day, and being taken advantage of, because they know you have to pick something, and there are no options that you like, so you have to pick something that you don't like. Yuck. This second time around, looking for a rental place was an entirely different experience. There was no pressure at all. In fact, we weren't even going to move for sure. We were just looking - for fun. Our one-year lease either needed to be extended or ceased. So, what was the risk in looking elsewhere? We had the advantage of being there as things came onto the market. And knowing the market. And knowing exactly where life takes us. And where lots of families live, and what prices are, and again...no pressure.
It was almost too easy!
We are settling nicely into our new rental place. Ten days we've been here. Happiness oozes from the kids and I am sometimes - cheesy as it may sound - nearly brought to tears feeling so grateful to have this place. It's not like we were suffering at our first place. By London standards it was very nice; just a bit small for us, but kids were not welcome (by two neighbors) to play in our courtyard, which stands empty and lonesome under the sign "No ball games, No scooters, No biking of any kind". Yes, indeed one of the neighbors told me that the children
can't play there. I shrugged my shoulders at her, "it doesn't say they can't PLAY here". "Well," she said, "that is what the parks are for".
Hallelujah, here at our new location, most of the residents are families, and kids voices actually float through the air like sweet music I haven't heard for a year. It's wonderful. It's fantastic. It's free-ing! Our outdoor space is probably similar in total square meters to what we had in the last place, but there, it was an "L" shape with steps, a patio, a broken jacuzzi tub, etc. This place has a nice, plain, one-level, boring, square kind of a garden. Which means it is perfect for jumping rope, lightly kicking a ball around, four-square, scootering in circles, lounging, ETC.
The house is not updated; in fact, it is probably in need of some major remodeling. We couldn't care less. I like the traditional decorative moldings, dated built-ins, and the small kids rooms. Others would see these as painful; I find them practical. The plumbing, like most British homes, is questionable. On the third day here, we had massive water running from the ceiling of the third level and dripping -flowing- down the staircase. The water tank bulb (which monitors the water level) had become stuck and the over-flow drain pipe had broken. Still can't grasp why the water system is in the attics of the homes here, but it's just the way it is. Once it began to rain inside the house and drip down the stairwell, pooling in the entryway of the home, I panicked, but immediately called our manager, who promptly arrived within 15 minutes and fixed the problem within a few hours. Unsettling, yes, but we are trusting that this was a rare occurrence.
Closets. Can I talk about closets. A major adjustment from US suburbia to London living is no storage space. There is no basement. There is no garage. There is no entry closet. This is where I put STUFF. Now we actually have a garage (hooray) and we are spoilt for closet space - may I say there are still some empty spots.
Fridge. Now let me rave about my fridge. It is more than double what we had at the last place. Can you see me smiling?
Safety. Hmmm. We're in an area where there are more break-ins, so we have those cages on our windows and doors on the first floor. It's kind of weird I must admit. We did have a sense of security at the last place, despite having a bike stolen from the parking area. Here, you don't leave your house unlocked, and you set your alarm. Another trade-off.
We are no longer a few blocks away from the green open spaces of Primrose and Regents Parks. But now we have useable garden and a street that includes a few basketball hoops and indoor space that is comfortable. I am sooooo grateful.
