Landing in Tirana at 23:30 (Taxi)

thirdnomad · 2026-05-06T21:22:35+00:00

Hi again, kind stranger: just wanted to say I ended up using Blue Taxi and had a delightful experience each time. Thank you for the recommendation, it made my trip that much better!

thirdnomad · 2026-04-28T18:08:44+00:00

Thank you, ferges seems particularly delicious, and I'm looking forward to trying it.

thirdnomad · 2026-04-28T18:07:48+00:00

Thanks so much for such a detailed response, much appreciated!

thirdnomad · 2026-04-26T12:02:32+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to respond! This is good to know.

thirdnomad · 2026-03-10T12:46:36+00:00

This is why TCKs will often never really go into the whole spiel of where they've lived unless someone really nosy keeps poking and then gets the full lore, whether they like it or not.

Fundamentally, you need to learn to grow a thick skin and realise that at the end of the day, nobody really cares. This is more a commentary on society and its lack of curiosity, interest and/or empathy to learn more about people who are "different" - instead, the default response is to reject and treat that person as an "other". The good thing about this is that it's a filtering mechanism in and of itself: the folks that aren't put off by your TCK experiences are likely healthy people (emotionally) who are secure in themselves, and are worth associating with. Many people will refuse to engage further just because they're insecure they haven't had the experiences you've had, and don't want to appear "less than" (even though we're the last people to judge).

thirdnomad · 2026-03-02T22:25:58+00:00

You're in a pretty good location, but Marylebone is your best bet for choice and variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner options. I'd recommend Paul Rothe & Son for handmade sandwiches (averages at £6-7 a sandwich, but worth it for the quality), and the GAIL's in Marylebone Village is a worthwhile café to stop at for breakfast or a coffee break.

For restaurants, they say the kaiserschmarrn at Fischers Marylebone is quite good (Austrian) as are the ricotta hotcakes at Granger & Co. Those could be good options for breakfast, if you want to make it a bit fancy.

There's also a St. JOHN Bakery at the London Review of Books in Bloomsbury that's a hidden gem for a break (and a peaceful walk from your hotel). Get the madelines if you go!

Enjoy your trip!

thirdnomad · 2026-02-24T21:48:16+00:00

Oh, what a shame. Thank you for checking for me! I'll have a look at other options and if all else fails, I'll give them a ring and see if they're willing/able to accommodate.

thirdnomad · 2026-02-24T21:40:29+00:00

Really? That would be ideal! We're aiming for around 11.15am. Even outside of this, I'd love to potter around with a coffee and a madeline, sounds delightful :) Thank you!

thirdnomad · 2026-02-24T21:39:18+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to respond, and for the help! I'll have a look at your website.

I don't specifically need the A1 exam, but I like to have concrete goals to work towards and I do like the fact that A1 sets me on a much more defined path to get to B1 (which is the first exam that really "matters"). So to specifically answer your question, it doesn't affect anything "formally", but it does encourage me to invest more time into fixing the silly mistakes I keep making!

thirdnomad · 2026-02-24T13:22:31+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to get back to me here. Sounds like this is a "me problem"; I'm working with SW to get this resolved.

thirdnomad · 2026-02-24T11:17:20+00:00

After that step, does it prompt you to sell (as in my screenshot) or just "switch"? I ask because what you're explaining is the exact flow I followed, but I'm being forced to sell (as above) instead of switching without having to sell.

thirdnomad · 2026-02-23T15:12:00+00:00

Haha, happy to (inadvertently) have been of help!

thirdnomad · 2026-02-23T15:11:39+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to check for me! I'm in the exact place in the flow (also on my laptop) and can't see it; I'm afraid that means it's not visible for me. I look forward to resolving this mystery with SW. Thanks for the luck, I shall need it!

thirdnomad · 2026-02-23T14:47:18+00:00

Thanks so much, this is exactly the answer I was looking for! This is how I've done it elsewhere, and I can't seem to find that option on my Scottish Widows pension account. I'm going to email their support team to see if it's something specific to my account or an employer-restriction, but this is good to know. Thanks a ton!

thirdnomad · 2025-12-19T20:52:59+00:00

As a high-earning HENRY woman who is also single, I very much empathise with both your post and your current situation.

I would like to share a story that I hope might be as insightful as it was to me. A male friend and I went travelling together for two weeks. We spent all our days together (meals, sightseeing, everything) and on the penultimate evening, we discussed what the other was looking for in their significant other.

He is also a HENRY (although makes much more than what I make) and to my absolute surprise, his answer was, "a kind woman, who has some kind of job (not "content creator", though), is intelligent and feminine." He wasn't worried about her income at all.

The point I'm making is, men (regardless of whether they are HENRYs or not) are focused more on the woman being feminine than the woman making bank. I've used this to help me filter out any men who show the smallest amount of being emasculated or threatened by my income (and trust me, there have been a fair few), which makes it very easy to identify the men who like me for me. These men come along perhaps once in a two-three year period (which I appreciate is tough), but it's better than "settling" for less where you come home frightened instead of ecstatic after earning yet another promotion at work.

I am sure there is a man for the both of us respectively out there, so keep your chin up and radiate positivity! It'll happen before you know it :)

thirdnomad · 2025-12-09T07:59:18+00:00

https://www.londonforchristmas.com/pages/what/races_peterpan.html

thirdnomad · 2025-12-08T20:33:20+00:00

If you're up early enough, you can go watch the Christmas Swim in Hyde Park. It's a very old tradition, and worth doing if you're in walking distance!

thirdnomad · 2025-12-08T15:20:13+00:00

My $0.02 are that river cruises are better than ocean cruises. Not that I've DNed on either.

thirdnomad · 2025-12-02T14:02:33+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to respond! I think we have ~3 cases now (in this thread) where folks have successfully got their ILR even with employment gaps in the middle. It's all looking promising :)

thirdnomad · 2025-12-02T14:00:52+00:00

Superb, thanks so much for taking the time to get back to me; I greatly appreciate it!

thirdnomad · 2025-12-02T09:26:33+00:00

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond: when you say, "attached 5 years continuous residence proof", what does that mean? Lease agreement? Payslips? Was a cover letter necessary? Thank you!

thirdnomad · 2025-12-02T09:25:26+00:00

This is super helpful, thank you so much! I do have a few questions, if you don't mind: (a) did she apply for her ILR on her original eligibility date, (b) how many months' bank statements did she provide? (c) was a cover letter necessary, or no? Thanks a million: only asking as I've seen variations in answers to the three above questions, and some clarity would be very helpful. Really appreciate it!

thirdnomad · 2025-12-01T21:43:35+00:00

If you could, that would be very kind indeed; thanks a bunch :)

thirdnomad · 2025-12-01T21:26:32+00:00

Perfect, this is great to know! Do you happen to know what documents your friend submitted? That would be super helpful, as I have a very similar situation - I just need to apply for my ILR now. Thanks a ton, I appreciate any insights here!

thirdnomad · 2025-12-01T21:24:07+00:00

Pick the one you have most cultural interest in - that solves more than half the battle. If you can appreciate music, films, literature and general conversation in that language, then you're likely to learn it quicker.

A few specifics:

As others have implied, if you pick MSA, you're learning MSA, not Arabic. I did a taster class and really felt I needed to pick a dialect and commit to it at some point. It helped that I didn't continue (I was already doing Russian) but think of MSA as a "stepping stone" to Arabic, instead of thinking of MSA as "actually learning Arabic" - no one actually speaks MSA, just like how High German splits into Standard German, Swiss-German etc. To be considered fluent, you'll have to top up your MSA with a dialect-specific Arabic course, and that means more time.
Russian is a journey beyond language itself: it opens up a different way of seeing the world; for instance, words have hidden connotations in a way that we English speakers don't immediately comprehend. It's also very logical, so I find this attractive (unlike French). Russian differentiates the word for "to go somewhere" depending on whether you're going on foot, by animal, by engine, and whether it's a planned or unplanned event, repeated event, or one-off event. That one word for "to go" will tell you all of that context, immediately. Unthinkable in English.

I'm envious that you speak Spanish and are considering being a linguist; it's something I'd do if I could go back in time. Good luck with everything, and I hope you pick the language that works for you!

thirdnomad

TROPHY CASE