I moved to England in 2008, with an overseas hiatus beginning late 2011 and a return in 2012. In that time, I've spent considerable time and energy (both thought and physical) learning to get by in England: to keep calm and carry on. My achievements in this realm have been hard won, using ammunition of fatigue, numb feet, bad jobs, wrong spending, wrong speech. Through this blog, I share some of the things I've learned: big and small, philosophical and practical.

My suggestions, advice, musings are mainly for women. Mostly because I am one, and I've learned that we face particular challenges in adapting to this country, whether working out which London neighbourhoods are safe for walking from public transport to flat at midnight, to knowing how to stay warm in winter, to finding out where to shop for our various necessities and pleasures. Some things will be applicable for both genders, and there will of course be ways in which your experience as a woman in England will differ from mine.

To this end, allow me to declare, from the outset, some of my particularities and biases: always cold, seeking warmth; style (but not fashion) conscious; enjoy shopping for clothes, often secondhand, and occasionally making them; strong preference for being comfortable, fed and watered, well rested, warm(...); tire quickly; seek out green spaces, nice running spots (but not when it's cold), nice cafes; very safety conscious; independent cinema over Hollywood movies; always reading, writing and thinking; seek out intellectual culture; education researcher so extensive knowledge of and concern about higher study in the UK. Additionally, I have spent my years in the UK as a mature student, and have had to approach most endeavours with an eye toward balancing an uncharitable budget with the preservation of sanity and humanity.

Et voila! Nous allons commencer.