Three Months in London

My BFF Bia has bought me a ticket to London. I arrive on 26 Jan 2023 and presumably return 25 April. I say presumably because there is the option to extend – or anticipate – the return, if needed.

My lovely friends Vini and Vince (VinVin - “it’s a VinVin situation!”) have offered for me to stay with them for a month. Lovely Kirsten has also said I could stay with her in Bromley; other friends have made generous offers. Closer to my departure date, I'm sending out an email to all and checking if anyone needs house/cat/dog sitting, or know of a room that can be rented for a few months. Just so I can be sure that my housing needs are fairly well covered during those 3 months.

I’ve spoken to a few recruitment agencies and they guarantee that I can find temp work straight away. This eases my mind as I will be arriving with nearly nothing in my pockets! My plan is to: start temping immediately, start attending interviews for permanent roles, and negotiate a contract that I can do remotely from Brazil for part of the year. The ideal scenario for me would be 1 or 2 months in the UK, followed by 6 in Brazil, with then another 1 or 2 months in the UK – and so on.

Some people say that it’s not possible – that remote work is only accepted if done within the UK. However, I know some people who are working for UK charities from Spain, Australia and some African countries. I know of charities where it’s asked that you come in once a month but hardly anyone goes in. And I know of roles that are being advertised but getting no suitable responses. I’m hoping they’ll look at me and think: “well, he has the experience, he wants to make it work and while he’s in the UK he’s happy to come into the office as often as possible to make up for the months he is away in Brazil.”

With housing and work sorted out, I want to enjoy seeing my friends again. And I want to see my dad and his wife, and talk about my dad’s future and his care (he also has dementia, like my mom.) I want to go for a run around Victoria Park, eat things I haven’t eaten since I returned to Brazil (like asparagus and feta cheese – though I hear I better eat as many eggs as I can before I fly to the UK as they are now incredibly expensive?!) I want to appreciate every moment I have in London because who knows what comes next? Another 3 years without being able to visit?? We just can’t be sure of anything anymore.

I’ve been reading back my LiveJournal chronologically. I’m currently at January 2007, working for the National Theatre, and a few months into my East End flat that would be my home for the next 7 years. It has made me realise that keeping a LiveJournal was one of the best decisions I ever made. I had forgotten so many things! I am so grateful that Younger Ollie kept such detailed entries, that he sometimes just wrote about regular days – going to a picnic, watching a movie, making dinner, catching the tube, living with Kevin - because those are the memories that I cherish the most now, and I’m glad they are saved and I can return to them when I wish.

I started LJ in 2002 as a way of keeping in touch with friends in Brazil. Then it became a place for me to meet new people – and I made some friends who would become the closest people I have in my life. At its height of popularity, I was writing for them – and others that stumbled upon me – and was making a concerted effort to be a better writer. Then people left but I kept going at it, using it as place to store my memories.

I haven’t posted much these past 3 years because my life as an Alzheimer’s carer, and guesthouse manager, is mostly made up of silences. Days blend into each other. And when I write, it’s just for myself. Private entries.

I’m going to make a concerted effort to share online again – a journal of my adventures in London. Because I know Old Ollie will one day look back and appreciate this.

Three Months in London

My BFF Bia has bought me a ticket to London. I arrive on 26 Jan 2023 and presumably return 25 April. I say presumably because there is the option to extend – or anticipate – the return, if needed.

My lovely friends Vini and Vince (VinVin - “it’s a VinVin situation!”) have offered for me to stay with them for a month. Lovely Kirsten has also said I could stay with her in Bromley; other friends have made generous offers. Closer to my departure date, I'm sending out an email to all and checking if anyone needs house/cat/dog sitting, or know of a room that can be rented for a few months. Just so I can be sure that my housing needs are fairly well covered during those 3 months.

I’ve spoken to a few recruitment agencies and they guarantee that I can find temp work straight away. This eases my mind as I will be arriving with nearly nothing in my pockets! My plan is to: start temping immediately, start attending interviews for permanent roles, and negotiate a contract that I can do remotely from Brazil for part of the year. The ideal scenario for me would be 1 or 2 months in the UK, followed by 6 in Brazil, with then another 1 or 2 months in the UK – and so on.

Some people say that it’s not possible – that remote work is only accepted if done within the UK. However, I know some people who are working for UK charities from Spain, Australia and some African countries. I know of charities where it’s asked that you come in once a month but hardly anyone goes in. And I know of roles that are being advertised but getting no suitable responses. I’m hoping they’ll look at me and think: “well, he has the experience, he wants to make it work and while he’s in the UK he’s happy to come into the office as often as possible to make up for the months he is away in Brazil.”

With housing and work sorted out, I want to enjoy seeing my friends again. And I want to see my dad and his wife, and talk about my dad’s future and his care (he also has dementia, like my mom.) I want to go for a run around Victoria Park, eat things I haven’t eaten since I returned to Brazil (like asparagus and feta cheese – though I hear I better eat as many eggs as I can before I fly to the UK as they are now incredibly expensive?!) I want to appreciate every moment I have in London because who knows what comes next? Another 3 years without being able to visit?? We just can’t be sure of anything anymore.

I’ve been reading back my LiveJournal chronologically. I’m currently at January 2007, working for the National Theatre, and a few months into my East End flat that would be my home for the next 7 years. It has made me realise that keeping a LiveJournal was one of the best decisions I ever made. I had forgotten so many things! I am so grateful that Younger Ollie kept such detailed entries, that he sometimes just wrote about regular days – going to a picnic, watching a movie, making dinner, catching the tube, living with Kevin - because those are the memories that I cherish the most now, and I’m glad they are saved and I can return to them when I wish.

I started LJ in 2002 as a way of keeping in touch with friends in Brazil. Then it became a place for me to meet new people – and I made some friends who would become the closest people I have in my life. At its height of popularity, I was writing for them – and others that stumbled upon me – and was making a concerted effort to be a better writer. Then people left but I kept going at it, using it as place to store my memories.

I haven’t posted much these past 3 years because my life as an Alzheimer’s carer, and guesthouse manager, is mostly made up of silences. Days blend into each other. And when I write, it’s just for myself. Private entries.

I’m going to make a concerted effort to share online again – a journal of my adventures in London. Because I know Old Ollie will one day look back and appreciate this.