Finding a place in London

After staying overnight in Leytonstone in East London at Latitia, a friend of Jessica's, I was able to finally meet up with Tom for a coffee to discuss living arrangements... It became quite clear that he wanted to live by himself, had already secured a studio apartment and was very tired of looking for a place... This left me looking for a spot for Andy and me.

I discovered a few things about looking for a spot in London:
1) Most places are let-out by agents, often making commissions on showing you spots (they charge the tenants 60 pounds for viewing). As this goes against my principles, I will refrain from going that route.
2) Private dwellings are easier to find but often come with strings attached (like you have to babysit their children as my friend Shirley from China discovered when she moved in with a family)
3) Flatsharing appears to be the best course of action, living with strangers, but they make it very difficult to rent out 2 rooms (usually, they are looking for one flatmate only).

All this makes the search a tad bit difficult... I went to Nottinghill to visit an agent and was very disappointed with the outcome. I am viewing an apartment tonight next to Piccadilly circus but way out of my price range (160 pounds a week plus 20 pounds per week utilities)... In CAD terms, that $1700 a month! So the apartment searching has resulted in me feeling a bit down today but tomorrow is a new day and I hope to get cracking sooner in the morning.

I just hope to find something by the end of the week or before class starts... My father called me this morning which really hit the spot... I needed the familiar voice of a friend and it really helped.

Keeping my spirits up, after viewing the apartment, Latitia and I will be going to Brick Lane for some curry... I love Indian food!