Return to London

I have tentative plans to return to London this September. Either I go for a couple of weeks, to see my dad and friends, or I go for a few months (4-5) to work as a temp and send money home.

My brother didn’t like the idea at first. ‘Are you going to leave me alone with mom?!’ But a few days later he said it would be good as I could then see our dad, who has now been diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s. I need to sit down with him and his wife and look at what’s planned for his future.

The exchange rate is good. If I could send home 1000 pounds per month, that would be around 6 to 7K Brazilian reais for my brother, which is plenty to pay for all bills plus a companion for my mom during the day. The guesthouse is really quiet at the moment. Inflation last year was 20% and, so far this year, 30%. Some things, like petrol, have gone up over 100%. The first thing to go when a recession bites is tourism...

I contacted my old recruitment agency in London and they said they’d find me work, no problem. My main worry is housing and that it’s cheap enough so I can save money. I hear London is even more expensive now. I’m considering house and cat sitting, or one of those agencies that places you in a building that needs a guardian to stop squatters.

When I read my old Livejournal posts from back in 2004, all I did was complain about temping... I guess this time around things are different: I’m more experienced, and I know it would be for just a short time until I could fly home again. I could probably ask for a higher rate.

In an ideal world, I'd spend half of my year in London working, and the other half in Brazil with my family.

Return to London

I have tentative plans to return to London this September. Either I go for a couple of weeks, to see my dad and friends, or I go for a few months (4-5) to work as a temp and send money home.

My brother didn’t like the idea at first. ‘Are you going to leave me alone with mom?!’ But a few days later he said it would be good as I could then see our dad, who has now been diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s. I need to sit down with him and his wife and look at what’s planned for his future.

The exchange rate is good. If I could send home 1000 pounds per month, that would be around 6 to 7K Brazilian reais for my brother, which is plenty to pay for all bills plus a companion for my mom during the day. The guesthouse is really quiet at the moment. Inflation last year was 20% and, so far this year, 30%. Some things, like petrol, have gone up over 100%. The first thing to go when a recession bites is tourism...

I contacted my old recruitment agency in London and they said they’d find me work, no problem. My main worry is housing and that it’s cheap enough so I can save money. I hear London is even more expensive now. I’m considering house and cat sitting, or one of those agencies that places you in a building that needs a guardian to stop squatters.

When I read my old Livejournal posts from back in 2004, all I did was complain about temping... I guess this time around things are different: I’m more experienced, and I know it would be for just a short time until I could fly home again. I could probably ask for a higher rate.

In an ideal world, I'd spend half of my year in London working, and the other half in Brazil with my family.