I am pretty well. Healthier mentally than I’ve ever been. But my big internal gripe lately is that I miss having a home base, miss being in a community, I miss having friends. The Internet frustrates me; it’s still an artificial way to keep contact, as satisfying as saccharine.
We have one friend here in London and a number of friendly acquaintances, and we feel friendly towards the people who’ve lent us their house. But because we’re not settling here, we’re not sending a whole bunch of feelers out, and it’s difficult. The human animal requires sunshine and friendship.
Talked to a lady customer in the salon the other day. I said we couldn’t legally stay in London more than 6 months without a work visa. I was surprised to hear her say that we could work under the table and just stay. I guess a lot of people do that. She recommended bartending or watching kids (babysitters get about $14/hour here.)
(There’s a lot of room for “getting by” here. For example, the local trains do not conduct frequent checks to see if you’ve purchased a ticket. That’s probably why tickets are so expensive. I imagine a lotta people are getting freebies.)
When I talked to the woman in the salon I realized how starved I am for female company. It’s just me and Smith all the time. She gave me her number to go get a cup of tea together. I think I’ll call her. There’s nothing like having a girlfriend.
I wouldn’t mind staying in London because it’s got such diverse inhabitants and a poetry scene. It’s visually pretty boring, kinda like the super capital of the business world, but if we settled here we’d pick up our lives and interest again. Legally, it’s tricky for Smith to get in because of his past. Even though the felony took place before I was born, he’s marked for life unless he gets a pardon and they seal his record (which costs $1500 in legal fees). It’d also cost more than $2000 for both of us to apply to live in the UK.
Canada is appealing, but also costs. They have a criminal rehabilitation program for potential immigrants (which costs), but it is an option. I took an online test to see if I qualify to immigrate to Canada, and I pass. (Factors include health and employability among other things.) There is also a citizenship test for which I’d have to study.
So now the plan is to move to Chicago in December. We’ll stay at Smith’s old friend/my new friend’s house for a week or so while we arrange a rental. Prior to our arrival, I’ll book a number of viewings. We found a decent online site and verified there are affordable apartments in the lower west side, my area of interest.
I’m not worried about it at all, because we’ve landed in cities not even knowing the language, and we always found an apartment within a week.