American Tax Seminar

In a sign of what a super-nerd I am, when I heard through my university alumni association about a "UK-US Tax Seminar for Americans" being held at a local tax law firm, I could barely contain my eagerness to sign up. Seriously.

When I arrived, I was one of the first people there, but I got to chatting to another American girl who worked for some law firm. She turned out to be very nice, and we quickly found ourselves in conversation. It was a good way to spend time as we waited for everyone else to arrive, although I was surprised when my friend Sara randomly showed up! I hadn't known she was going to be there!

We chatted for a little bit, then reminded ourselves that we had plans to catch up on Sunday, and so turned our attention to the seminar.

As it turns out, the US government seems to be out to screw us all, and I think everyone got totally freaked out by all of the things they were telling us. Indeed, it made me wish I earned a lot more money than I currently do, because the US government really seems keen to take its pound of flesh from ex-pats. They even brought out wine at the end, but nobody bothered standing up and socializing, as we were all too busy peppering the panelists with more questions.

At the end of the evening, I walked back to the Tube with the girl I'd been chatting to and another American couple (super-nice people), and we suddenly had the inspired idea to go to the Chipotle in Covent Garden for dinner. I hadn't even realised that there WAS a Chipotle in Covent Garden, but once the idea of burritos was planted into my head, I just couldn't shake it. (Later when I posted on FB about my trip to Chipotle, another American-London-ex-pat friend commented, "It tastes like America in there!" Indeed, it was a real taste of home).

Had a great time enjoying a pulled pork burrito and catching up with my new friends, just telling silly stories about ex-pat life and why we loved living in London (despite the terrible tax situation). Fantastic evening with some new friends, a time I hope I get to repeat again before too long! (And yummy burritos too!)