Late in the afternoon, after Nic left, I met my girlfriend, and I told her to ask the host family if there were any possibilities to do some work related to electrics, DIY, babysitting, or whatever so I could make some money.
While waiting for responses and possible opportunities, I walked around the Putney and Wandsworth area all day. Of course, one of the main reasons I decided to come to the United Kingdom was to become a rockstar and hit the big time just like the Beatles. I know it sounds arrogant, but I’d been playing in a band in Austria, and we did pretty well for our standards, so I always wanted more and to reach higher. Therefore, I made the decision to relocate. While walking around, I looked at people who carried instruments, and I tried to communicate with them using my limited English, but everyone just politely told me to have a nice day. Simultaneously, I spent around 5 hours at Sainsbury’s down on Garratt Lane to learn about prices and items. I got highly motivated and took it as a challenge, and my girlfriend’s speech echoed in my head, giving me the necessary motivation: “Look at the prices in England; now you’re finished with your savings! You’ll spend all your money on food and have nothing left because you can’t be stingy here.”
She had already spent three months in England and spoke reasonable English. I was the guy from the countryside, turning up in the big city, and she was the only person here, and then, in front of Sainsbury’s.
I told myself, “You just wait, I’ll show you what I can do.” Those were just thoughts. I didn’t say anything; I just looked at the floor and kept my mouth shut because she was the only person in this country, so she had plenty of leverage on me.
Anyway, checking the prices at Sainsbury’s helped me immensely because I learned a lot about the items. I translated words like custard, sausages, and baked beans into German, so I knew what was what and where to find it. The security guard always followed me, but I did not touch an item.
I always had both hands in my pockets, except when I took out the dictionary. After a while, he just gave up because he knew I wasn’t there to steal. He had no idea what I was doing at Sainsbury’s every day for five hours, but I didn’t break any laws.
I felt safe and comfortable in the shop and learned a lot about products and pricing. When I needed a break, I went outside, walked around the street, and observed the people while looking at things; it was all new and exciting.
After spending several days at the shop and in the area, I noticed an obese Caribbean man with a massive black beard at the bus station on the other side of the road, surrounded by trolleys. People went there with their shopping trolleys. The guy lifted the shopping bags and handed them to their owners, who then left the trolley with him. He pushed the trolleys into each other and inserted the money into his pocket. When he had ten trolleys lined up, he rolled them across the street to Sainsbury’s.