Posts
We just put our latest set of guests on the plane (a tad hungover from too much fun at the piano bar the previous night) and it got me thinking...
First, how lucky are we to have so many friends who have made the trek across the Atlantic to visit? We are well aware that it ain't cheap here, and the fact that we've hosted so many people just makes us realize how lucky we are. Cheesiness aside- I'm well aware that people use us as a check in point on the way to other places as well, but just the idea of people saying - hey, let's go visit those short. loud and crazy kids John and Angie in London... we are blessed.
Then I thought of what we have come to call the guest circuit. It occurred to me as I was confusing which restaurant/pub/street we took each friend to in recent months that we do have a pretty nifty thing going for us. A visit to our hood includes a sampling of local favorites like Mr. India (our fave Indian joint), Parrs Head (where we munch on thai food AND sit in a pub at the same time) and of course- we highlight the trip with Best Mangal II. Turkish food folks. Don't turn your nose up at it, it is delicious, and I wish we could bring it back with us to OC. In fact, we've had multiple visitors who have requested repeat visits to this little gem of a place instead of trying new places during their visit.
Other things we have expanded our guest circuit to include: Piano Bar (piano players, gay nights, pure chaos, so fun!), Borough Market - on an empty stomach, and if we are lucky for some good weather, an al fresco pub drinking experience. Don't forget also a night out in Covent Garden, if your visit happens to be over a weekend.
So, just in case you are thinking to yourself "man, I wonder how JP and Angie are doing, we should visit before they move back" we are ready for you! Just come ready to walk, eat and drink (well, of course, if you are preggers, or a non drinker, you get a pass). We promise a comfy and private second bedroom, a regularly cleaned flat close to the sights, maps /guidebooks/mobile phones/travel cards and of course, our company for how ever many days you are here!
Yeah, yeah, just another overt invite in case you were unsure if we wanted any visitors!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
One year down, six months to go
Last year, on a sunny Tuesday in September, our Virgin Atlantic flight landed into Heathrow and JP and I deplaned with no return ticket to OC.
While walking into work this morning, I thought to myself how far we had come in the last year. The first thing is simply the walking- a year ago I would have driven up to the front of the OC building to see if there were any EY spots available to take for the day- it sure beat the 5 minute walk from free parking a block away! A year later, I walk at least a mile a day as part of my normal commute to work. This got me thinking of all the things that have changed…. Here is my reflection in numbers and figures:
Just a few fun facts:
Guests to date: 18 (we should start a B&B when we get home!)
Trips to date: 12
Months it took to get set up: 3 full months (including getting a working phone, internet, tv, bank, etc.)
Interviews Angie went on before getting a job: 22 (and three job offers)
Miles walked per day: average of 1.5
Pints: can’t count that high
Pubs: see previous
It is easy to capture all the funny and fun changes in our lives. What is harder to articulate are the other things- like perseverance when the phone company hangs up on you after being on hold for 2 hours, or patience when you get shoved or elbowed on the tube during a terrible commute, or humor when your peers at work are not the same caliber that you are used to, or humility when you finally realize how lucky you are to come from a country as great as the US, or awe when you travel to places that have been through bombings and wars and still emerge gorgeous, or understanding when you realize just why people might not like Americans or integration when you finally start feeling that someplace foreign is home.
I wouldn’t give the last year up for anything- mostly because of what we have seen in our travels as well as how close it has made me and JP. However, now that we are in the countdown to coming back to the US- you bet I am excited to feel sand between my toes again and see the smiles of all the friends and family we miss so much while we have been here.
Until next time…
While walking into work this morning, I thought to myself how far we had come in the last year. The first thing is simply the walking- a year ago I would have driven up to the front of the OC building to see if there were any EY spots available to take for the day- it sure beat the 5 minute walk from free parking a block away! A year later, I walk at least a mile a day as part of my normal commute to work. This got me thinking of all the things that have changed…. Here is my reflection in numbers and figures:
A year ago we…
Drove to the gym, Golden Spoon, the store and the bagel shop- all of which were less than .5 miles from our home
Now we…
Walk walk walk… (and take the bus and tube as necessary)
A year ago we…
Drank on occasion at bbq’s and had some wine with dinner on the weekends
Now we…
Drink heavily with great abandon any day of the week.
A year ago we…
Were in great shape due to regular gym activity, participation in races and triathlons and an overall active lifestyle.
Now we…
Think longingly to our skinny days while eating nachos at 2am after drinking with our friends.
A year ago we…
We had Mexican and sushi regularly and took it for granted.
Now we…
Are regulars at Mr. India and Parrs Head for Indian and Thai food.
A year ago we…
Watched TV and kept up with all of the shows with a DVR, and JP had regular access to watch baseball
Now we…
Watch old reruns of Friends and Scrubs on tv in the absence of anything better.
A year ago we…
Commuted to work via a temperature controlled car with our favourite radio station – time 30 minutes
Now we…
Cram ourselves on the tube with our book/magazines/Ipods and pray for no delays- time 25 minutes
Drove to the gym, Golden Spoon, the store and the bagel shop- all of which were less than .5 miles from our home
Now we…
Walk walk walk… (and take the bus and tube as necessary)
A year ago we…
Drank on occasion at bbq’s and had some wine with dinner on the weekends
Now we…
Drink heavily with great abandon any day of the week.
A year ago we…
Were in great shape due to regular gym activity, participation in races and triathlons and an overall active lifestyle.
Now we…
Think longingly to our skinny days while eating nachos at 2am after drinking with our friends.
A year ago we…
We had Mexican and sushi regularly and took it for granted.
Now we…
Are regulars at Mr. India and Parrs Head for Indian and Thai food.
A year ago we…
Watched TV and kept up with all of the shows with a DVR, and JP had regular access to watch baseball
Now we…
Watch old reruns of Friends and Scrubs on tv in the absence of anything better.
A year ago we…
Commuted to work via a temperature controlled car with our favourite radio station – time 30 minutes
Now we…
Cram ourselves on the tube with our book/magazines/Ipods and pray for no delays- time 25 minutes
Just a few fun facts:
Guests to date: 18 (we should start a B&B when we get home!)
Trips to date: 12
Months it took to get set up: 3 full months (including getting a working phone, internet, tv, bank, etc.)
Interviews Angie went on before getting a job: 22 (and three job offers)
Miles walked per day: average of 1.5
Pints: can’t count that high
Pubs: see previous
It is easy to capture all the funny and fun changes in our lives. What is harder to articulate are the other things- like perseverance when the phone company hangs up on you after being on hold for 2 hours, or patience when you get shoved or elbowed on the tube during a terrible commute, or humor when your peers at work are not the same caliber that you are used to, or humility when you finally realize how lucky you are to come from a country as great as the US, or awe when you travel to places that have been through bombings and wars and still emerge gorgeous, or understanding when you realize just why people might not like Americans or integration when you finally start feeling that someplace foreign is home.
I wouldn’t give the last year up for anything- mostly because of what we have seen in our travels as well as how close it has made me and JP. However, now that we are in the countdown to coming back to the US- you bet I am excited to feel sand between my toes again and see the smiles of all the friends and family we miss so much while we have been here.
Until next time…
Monday, September 22, 2008
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest: Chaos, singing, drinking, crowds, cheering, singing, drinking, eating, eating, drinking, and some incredible corn on the cob... that in a nutshell is Oktoberfest!
After almost a year of planning, we just arrived home from experiencing the opening weekend of the world's largest party- Oktoberfest. (I think I may see how many times I can use Oktoberfest in one post). I've put some memorable pictures below... we had a great time. The city of Munich is gorgeous and very accommodating. We had a super fun time with our friends while drinking, eating, drinking, singing and drinking some more.
Here is what I pictured- think "European Vacation" circa 1985 with Clark Griswold and family donned in drundels and leiderhosen drinking liters of beer while singing along with the crazy Germans. Well, Oktoberfest isn't quite that, but there are tons of people around and the whole aim is to just drink yourself silly in the various beer tents. It is a big festival- with rides, fair food, stands selling all sorts of things German and kitchy, and then there are a load of brewery tents that seat up to 10,000 people with long rows of tables and benches. If you are lucky enough to score a seat by lining up early or you have a reservation (we had both on subsequent days) then you are served your liters of lager by a fine gal in a gorgeous drundel with the brute strength to carry up to 10 liters of beer in huge steins with a nice smile on her face. There is music and loads of singing and toasting and yelling. It is pure chaos. We heard accents and languages from all over the world and toasted friends around of all ages and backgrounds. It was a fun way to spend the weekend.
I won't go into terrible detail, because in essense we arrived Friday, started drinking and eating almost immediately, and didn't stop until we left the last tent yesterday at 5pm. If you have a chance to go, I would recommend it. It does take some years off your life though- but we'll recover. I 'll leave you with some memories:
Rachel travelled all the way from CA for Oktoberfest and even taught us some German phrases!
Here is part of the group as the day was winding down on day two:
We had reservations in the Hofbrau tent on Sunday- the biggest and craziest scene I've ever seen!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Communicating British style
Almost a year into our stay here and I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of it. I understate more at work than I ever did. I give indirect and confusing answers to straight forward questions. I use terms like "brilliant" "straight away" "rock up" "queries" "queues" "if I'm honest" and "proper" in my daily vernacular.
In my old life, I did well at my job for a variety of reasons. One of the skills I used to pride myself on was the way in which I communicated. I was clear, direct and concise mostly and it saved a lot of useless time and energy in my day to day worklife. To illustrate- I would get a request from someone at work via email. It would be straight forward- say, " Hi Angie, are you the person responsible for ______?" My answer would be fairly direct- I would respond "Hello ___. No, I am not responsible for that. I suggest you ask _____." See how easy?
Here, it is a whole different story. There are no answers like "Yes" and "No". In the UK, you are considered rude for responding directly with a clear answer. It has tripped me up countless times as I sit in front of my laptop and ponder the right way to respond to various requests. Here is where I am at. "Angela (they call me that here- another quirk of this culture is they don't like nicknames and if my email address says Angela, they call me Angela even after repeated requests to call me Angie) "Can you do _____ and _______ ?" I read the email and immediately my answer is - actually no, I can't because either I am not the right person or don't have the authority. However, I can't respond accordingly. It would be rude. Here is how I might respond.
"Hello ____. It seems that you are asking me to complete ____ while doing_____. I understand this is important but may not be the right person for this. My suggestion is that you might want to try to ask _____ if they are aware of the right person/way to do this. It seems they may know better. Thank you, Angie.
This will invite much more chasing through the organization to find the right person and even the right person will not say they can do _____ and ______ as requested. This leads to frustration, gossip and inefficiency. This also leads to us never getting decisions made or questions answered.
This probably seems like such a minor point, but for someone who values efficiency and gets frustrated easily by extra work - I sit at my desk daily and remind myself to take deep breaths and count to 10 before answering requests. Otherwise, I'll be branded the brash and direct American- heaven forbid that!
It is the same everywhere- not just at work. You can be on the platform at the train station and ask someone in the orange jacket making announcements on trains when the train you are waiting for is supposed to arrive. The answer you get is (and I promise promise, this is true): "oh, it may come in about five minutes." OR, "umm, yeah, I'm not sure where that train is (while he is holding a walkie talkie and a schedule) or "it probably will be here within the next 15 minutes". Basically, if you hear that, your train isn't coming, but the guy doesn't want to tell you. We have since learned how to intrepret such answers.
On a separate note, we are heading into September and nearing our one year anniversary of moving out here. It is overwhelming to think that we have a little more than six months left. There is still so much to do and see! We are looking forward to the next few months with a steady stream of visitors and trips to Germany, Cotswolds, Paris and Italy.
Finally, I start my new job tomorrow (technically). I joined the new team about a month ago but have been working on a project that has taken up my entire time so I haven't really transitioned to the new role yet. That starts tomorrow and I can't wait for some more normal hours and to learn more about my new job. Until next time!
In my old life, I did well at my job for a variety of reasons. One of the skills I used to pride myself on was the way in which I communicated. I was clear, direct and concise mostly and it saved a lot of useless time and energy in my day to day worklife. To illustrate- I would get a request from someone at work via email. It would be straight forward- say, " Hi Angie, are you the person responsible for ______?" My answer would be fairly direct- I would respond "Hello ___. No, I am not responsible for that. I suggest you ask _____." See how easy?
Here, it is a whole different story. There are no answers like "Yes" and "No". In the UK, you are considered rude for responding directly with a clear answer. It has tripped me up countless times as I sit in front of my laptop and ponder the right way to respond to various requests. Here is where I am at. "Angela (they call me that here- another quirk of this culture is they don't like nicknames and if my email address says Angela, they call me Angela even after repeated requests to call me Angie) "Can you do _____ and _______ ?" I read the email and immediately my answer is - actually no, I can't because either I am not the right person or don't have the authority. However, I can't respond accordingly. It would be rude. Here is how I might respond.
"Hello ____. It seems that you are asking me to complete ____ while doing_____. I understand this is important but may not be the right person for this. My suggestion is that you might want to try to ask _____ if they are aware of the right person/way to do this. It seems they may know better. Thank you, Angie.
This will invite much more chasing through the organization to find the right person and even the right person will not say they can do _____ and ______ as requested. This leads to frustration, gossip and inefficiency. This also leads to us never getting decisions made or questions answered.
This probably seems like such a minor point, but for someone who values efficiency and gets frustrated easily by extra work - I sit at my desk daily and remind myself to take deep breaths and count to 10 before answering requests. Otherwise, I'll be branded the brash and direct American- heaven forbid that!
It is the same everywhere- not just at work. You can be on the platform at the train station and ask someone in the orange jacket making announcements on trains when the train you are waiting for is supposed to arrive. The answer you get is (and I promise promise, this is true): "oh, it may come in about five minutes." OR, "umm, yeah, I'm not sure where that train is (while he is holding a walkie talkie and a schedule) or "it probably will be here within the next 15 minutes". Basically, if you hear that, your train isn't coming, but the guy doesn't want to tell you. We have since learned how to intrepret such answers.
On a separate note, we are heading into September and nearing our one year anniversary of moving out here. It is overwhelming to think that we have a little more than six months left. There is still so much to do and see! We are looking forward to the next few months with a steady stream of visitors and trips to Germany, Cotswolds, Paris and Italy.
Finally, I start my new job tomorrow (technically). I joined the new team about a month ago but have been working on a project that has taken up my entire time so I haven't really transitioned to the new role yet. That starts tomorrow and I can't wait for some more normal hours and to learn more about my new job. Until next time!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Olympic fevour
Well, not really. Why? BBC coverage stinks. We don't have fancy cable packages or crazy network coverage. And, in this day and age, you would think we have the internet to rely on for videos and replays... not so much. After much searching to see a replay of Michael Phelps win one of his many medals, we came up short.
Why is she complaining about Olympic coverage? Well, that is the extent to what I have to bitch about. August has been quiet and rainy and we are enjoying a bit of routine and a little less booze than normal. It is a welcome change. I sidelined myself with an ankle sprain a couple weeks back which has rendered me antsy and a little moody (poor JP). I don't do well being unhealthy and hate not being able to do much. I'm back in action though, with the help of some physio (as they call it here) and regular RICE-ing...
This weekend we stayed in on Friday night after enjoying a few after work cocktails at the pub. I forgot to mention that now JP and I are in same office, so now I can bug him constantly like in the old days! Last night our friend Chris organized a night out for those of us straggling GEPers who are in town and not travelling the continent. We started our night at a tapas restaurant in Mayfair (whom, our spanish friends say is muy autentico) and then hit up a couple pubs in the area. After they closed down we ended the night with "fifteen pounds per drink but great view bar" on the top of the Hilton in Mayfair. It was a fun night out, which ended with a very engaging discussion with a cab driver who encouraged us four times in the ride home to practice our right to vote this November. Don't worry we will.... Today we went to see the Dark Knight and really enjoyed that.
So, quite boring right?! That is why I've ceased posting so much. Next weekend we are heading out to Wales and staying in a Fisherman's cottage in Mumbles (home of Catherine Zeta-Jones). The cottage has a kitchen so we can buy from local markets to cook in and relax by the water. A perfect break from the city before we start a 6 week stretch of back to back visitors and trips.
Until then...
Why is she complaining about Olympic coverage? Well, that is the extent to what I have to bitch about. August has been quiet and rainy and we are enjoying a bit of routine and a little less booze than normal. It is a welcome change. I sidelined myself with an ankle sprain a couple weeks back which has rendered me antsy and a little moody (poor JP). I don't do well being unhealthy and hate not being able to do much. I'm back in action though, with the help of some physio (as they call it here) and regular RICE-ing...
This weekend we stayed in on Friday night after enjoying a few after work cocktails at the pub. I forgot to mention that now JP and I are in same office, so now I can bug him constantly like in the old days! Last night our friend Chris organized a night out for those of us straggling GEPers who are in town and not travelling the continent. We started our night at a tapas restaurant in Mayfair (whom, our spanish friends say is muy autentico) and then hit up a couple pubs in the area. After they closed down we ended the night with "fifteen pounds per drink but great view bar" on the top of the Hilton in Mayfair. It was a fun night out, which ended with a very engaging discussion with a cab driver who encouraged us four times in the ride home to practice our right to vote this November. Don't worry we will.... Today we went to see the Dark Knight and really enjoyed that.
So, quite boring right?! That is why I've ceased posting so much. Next weekend we are heading out to Wales and staying in a Fisherman's cottage in Mumbles (home of Catherine Zeta-Jones). The cottage has a kitchen so we can buy from local markets to cook in and relax by the water. A perfect break from the city before we start a 6 week stretch of back to back visitors and trips.
Until then...
Friday, August 8, 2008
Praha
Last weekend we jaunted over to the Czech Republic to see their capital city- Praha, or Prague. It was a quick trip, we took off Friday after work and then returned on Monday morning (well, that is a loooooong story).
So, anyhoo, the purpose of the trip was really to celebrate Jamie's birthday. We joined Jamie, her husband Matt and our travel friend Aimee and her friend Megan. We stayed in the center of town and enjoyed all the sights. Our itinerary included all that Rick Steves told us to do- so we hit up the old town, the new town, Jewish Quarter, the Castle, the St. Charles bridge... The city is beautiful as well as easy to get around. We enjoyed the low key trip. We arrived late Friday night, so we just had a couple drinks. On Saturday we went walking around the whole city. On Saturday night we enjoyed a nice night out to dinner at a restaurant called Ambiente http://www.ambi.cz/index_eng.php and enjoyed some yummy pasta. (Don't worry, we enjoyed the traditional fare like goulash and schnitzel for lunch...) After dinner, JP and I retired to our hotel casino for some blackjack while the others went out to the biker bar in town for people watching.
All in all, it was an incredible trip, very low key and loads of sight seeing. There wasn't a lot of craziness or partying which aided our trip- we actually enjoyed a city without being hungover or tired!
We'll post pictures shortly. For the next few weeks we'll stay local in London and then enjoy the bank holiday weekend (the weekend before Labor Day) in Wales.
So, anyhoo, the purpose of the trip was really to celebrate Jamie's birthday. We joined Jamie, her husband Matt and our travel friend Aimee and her friend Megan. We stayed in the center of town and enjoyed all the sights. Our itinerary included all that Rick Steves told us to do- so we hit up the old town, the new town, Jewish Quarter, the Castle, the St. Charles bridge... The city is beautiful as well as easy to get around. We enjoyed the low key trip. We arrived late Friday night, so we just had a couple drinks. On Saturday we went walking around the whole city. On Saturday night we enjoyed a nice night out to dinner at a restaurant called Ambiente http://www.ambi.cz/index_eng.php and enjoyed some yummy pasta. (Don't worry, we enjoyed the traditional fare like goulash and schnitzel for lunch...) After dinner, JP and I retired to our hotel casino for some blackjack while the others went out to the biker bar in town for people watching.
All in all, it was an incredible trip, very low key and loads of sight seeing. There wasn't a lot of craziness or partying which aided our trip- we actually enjoyed a city without being hungover or tired!
We'll post pictures shortly. For the next few weeks we'll stay local in London and then enjoy the bank holiday weekend (the weekend before Labor Day) in Wales.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Poppin' Bottles!
Just a quick posting- I can finally rest easy. Not only do I have a new role in this newly formed HR organization here- but I was promoted and will be doing a role that is actually much more suited to what I like to do!
What is it? Well, effective Monday I will be a Learning & Development Manager in our central people team. I will move to our other London office closer to home (but, not as nice as this one!) and will be joining a new team. This new role does not sit within the business like I currently do- which definitely has its drawbacks... but I'll be involved in designing cirriculum and facilitating training- two things I really have wanted to do since coming to the UK!
So, to celebrate, I imagine we'll have some fizz and some sushi - which will basically cost the amount of the meager raise I got- but who cares? Finally, a manager title (it is about time!) and a little more job security than I've head since I joined. Life is good... let's pop some bottles!
What is it? Well, effective Monday I will be a Learning & Development Manager in our central people team. I will move to our other London office closer to home (but, not as nice as this one!) and will be joining a new team. This new role does not sit within the business like I currently do- which definitely has its drawbacks... but I'll be involved in designing cirriculum and facilitating training- two things I really have wanted to do since coming to the UK!
So, to celebrate, I imagine we'll have some fizz and some sushi - which will basically cost the amount of the meager raise I got- but who cares? Finally, a manager title (it is about time!) and a little more job security than I've head since I joined. Life is good... let's pop some bottles!
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