So instead of lying on Jessica’s couch in Philadelphia today recovering from too many El Vez Margaritas, I am still in the the UK. I’m currently sitting at a Krispy Kreme trying to steal free Internet. Iceland and the volcanic ash have grounded me and my trip home to visit, which is already long over due, and will now be rescheduled for a 2nd time. I’ve spent the last few days sulking, feeling sorry for myself and sad over all of the important plans I’ll be missing and many cocktails I should be sharing. However, I woke up today feeling tired of my own attitude and decided to try and make the best of it. I sat down a few days ago to write about this and the entry sounded like a Dear Diary page stamped with tears and streaky mascara. I’m back to feeling like myself (dead inside) but still am not a fan of 1.) Iceland, 2.) volcanoes and especially 3.) volcanoes in Iceland. However, I realize how lucky I actually am compared to so many others that are stranded in airports all over the world running out of money, their medications, food and in many cases hope to get to where they were intending to go. To me this is just more of an inconvenience and as much as I want to visit my friends and family, I am able to wait this out from the comfort of my apartment.
Reading all of the scientific facts about the ash cloud have been fascinating and I spent a good part of my day on Friday comparing all of the stories and reports of damage volcanic ash can cause. Despite the fact that BBC news has reported that 600,000 people have been affected by the airport closures, and that this is the biggest airspace disruption since WWII, I still think the most important fact is that this has cancelled my flight and forcing me to miss my little sister’s guitar concert. I tried to call Heathrow to explain this, but strangely my calls were not accepted.
It’s somewhat funny that I did not even hear about the volcanic ash situation until I was on a conference call with work late Thursday afternoon. Since I have been settling into my new apartment this past week, I am still without proper Internet connection, a television or a radio. I was happily unpacking suitcases, packing others, and writing work reports without any clue what was spewing from the mouth of a volcano that would ruin my plans. I have decided that I now have documented proof that I should never be without a television. Not only do I enjoy sitting in front of it to watch cooking shows and silly dramas, I also am a complete and total media mole without it and miss out on internationally significant events.
I pulled myself together this morning and decided that I would spend the day enjoying what was around me and not what I was missing in the states. I grabbed my camera and just started walking. Just to be clear, I never intended to be sitting in a Krispy Kreme but it was time for a coffee break. For the past few weeks I have been walking amongst some pretty incredible history, but never stopped to notice as I am usually just in a hurry to the train station and back again. I stopped to read one of the tourist maps today and found out some incredible facts about my new address. I live on the edge of Folly Bridge which I thought was simply a picturesque and convenient spot for people to do some outdoor drinking and rent boats for small trips up the river. However, Anglo Saxon chronicles describe a settlement where people would drive their cattle across the river. They believe the town came to be known as Oxford because it was formed from the words “ox” and “ford”. The very bridge where this occurred is my new address. More interestingly, a man name Lewis Carroll took Alice Liddell and her sister’s on a rowing trip from Folly Bridge and told them stories during the trip about a girl named Alice. These stories came to be better known as Alice in Wonderland. For some reason, the estate agent left all of these cool facts out of the leaflet with the apartment measurements.
Since I needed to stop hitting refresh on the US Airways website yesterday and start talking to people again, I joined my co-worker Christina and her family with our other colleague Margaret in Bath. I was there years ago when I was here for school and it was as beautiful as I remembered it. It was a great day and so much fun to walk around and enjoy the great weather that we have been experiencing here. Also entertaining to see how people in the UK tend to wear close to nothing at the first few signs of nice weather. My co-worker Christina has two young kids so it was also fun to be around them, run around in the park and have my biggest challenge of the day be which Thomas the Train toy we would play with first. It was a great distraction for the day and Christina has already promised me that I can join her and the kids throughout the year for all of the activities that a 29 year old gal can’t attend alone anymore – LegoLand and dinosaur exhibits are always more acceptable when you are escorting little people.
So I am going to carry out my Sunday as I normally would – grocery shopping, errands, cleaning and a little retail therapy thrown in to make me feel better. Nothing rationalizes an expensive shoe purchase like a deadly volcanic ash cloud.
Stay tuned for updates on my new arrival dates for the US. I put a call in to Iceland for them to pull it together and build a lid for that damn volcano. I have a flight to catch...
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
There is no place like home... or a temporary one anyway
My dear friend Jessica has lovingly informed me that a blog with one entry is not actually a blog. I could fill many pages with updates on the status of my work schedule and projects, but then this would just become a blog that no one reads :)
After next week I can say that I not only had the chance to moved to the UK this year, but that I lived in a few apartments while here. The current apartment I am living in has come with too many quirks than even I have the patience for so I am moving to a new address. I’m not looking for much, just consistent plumbing and heating so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I quickly discovered that searching for an apartment in the UK is not unlike the search in Philadelphia. Estate agents sound so surprised when you tell them that meeting at the property for a viewing at 10:23 am on a Wednesday is actually not a convenient time and when you request a Saturday viewing, through the silence on the other end of the phone you can actually feel them disliking you. They also do not care what your likes or dislikes are with the particular apartments because right after they spoke to me on the phone, five other desperate people called for a Saturday appointment as well and if you don’t like it someone else will. I’m fascinated by real estate though and love seeing what apartments look like inside buildings that I walk by everyday and never have the chance to peek inside. In Philly I would sometimes go to open houses just out of curiosity while I was out running errands or I happened to see an open house sign, so my apartment searching here felt a little like home. After a few failed attempts including a viewing of a room with a hotplate in London, my most recent experience in searching for a new apartment here was very successful. I met with a great estate agent who showed me a few really nice places in Oxford and next week I’ll be moving in to a new flat closer to the city centre (yes I have converted this to European spelling just to see how many of you reading this are annoyed). For the first time in my life I can say I have waterfront property since the flat is right on the river. The building comes complete with a café in the lower level with outdoor seating. It’s a dream come true for a gal like me who doesn’t really like to walk too far for her glass of chardonnay. I’m not sure the estate agent really knew I was joking when I asked his opinion on whether he thought the café would let me in wearing my “comfortable pants” since I will be a building tenant. He just smiled politely and asked how quickly I could hand over the cash to secure the place. So I’ll be packing and moving and settling again in a week’s time and even though it will be a bit of a pain, this experience has provided a valuable life lesson – avoid moving abroad and selecting an apartment online two weeks before you move. Securing an apartment is not like buying a handbag on eBay.
Last week also brought the Ricky Gervais show. The seats were fantastic. I was in the 5th row and sitting so close that I could actually see how badly he was sweating. You know you have good seats when that happens. It was a much needed break in the week from all of the drama and stress at work. I decided not to stalk him in the alley since he started off the show with how much he dislikes people that do that. Of course he was referring more to geeky guys that do that but there was a small part of me that felt like he was speaking to me, so I decided to put my celebrity crazy on hold for the evening.
I made a bit of sad discovery last week in the grocery store. I can’t seem to find ham steaks anywhere in the UK. I have somewhat of a routine on things I make for dinner, and ham steaks were always the star of the menu. Everyone has always argued with me that this is just like any other type of ham and I disagree. There is something tasty and comforting about an individually packaged slice of ham and now there is a void in my life and diet. I’ve discussed this with my British colleagues and they have recommended I try something called a gammon steak. So, with Easter this weekend perhaps I will take on the challenge of preparing a gammon steak feast. Thank you for being the friend that you are Jessica and listening to me give you an update on my grocery list. The $32 phone call to discuss the limited availability of pork products I like in the UK was totally worth it.
As some of you know, I was actually supposed to be leaving for a return trip to the US last week. However, some changes in my work schedule have delayed my arrival for a visit home for a few more weeks. Instead of the US, I am writing this blog from a small town in France where I have spent the last two days for work. It is a town near the French Alps that requires you to utilize many forms of transportation to get here. I navigated a plane, bus and taxi with directions I received in Frenglish so it has been an interesting experience. I don’t have a lot of criteria for hotels. If a quick look under the duvet at the sheets and towels in the bathroom appear to be clean, than I am usually fine. However, I also added to my list years ago to try and avoid hotels that don’t leave the hairdryers in the rooms and require you to walk down to the front desk to request one. I want to meet the people that go around stealing hairdryers from low budget hotels and find out their motivations. This was the situation I was presented with here and since I did not know the French word for hairdryer, it resulted in me waving my hand around my head like a maniac making a wind blowing sound. Luckily it did the trick and I walked away with hairdryer in hand. I’m sure the hotel staff also enjoyed that dramatic re-enactment of how I style my hair each morning. Most importantly, the work portion of my trip was successful and am leaving with a sense of relief that all of my hard work and insane hours this week paid off; however I still have not been able to find a fridge magnet, so if that doesn’t happen this how whole trip could quickly end in disaster. I’m longing for my safe return to the UK in a few short hours.
Adieu pour maintenant…
After next week I can say that I not only had the chance to moved to the UK this year, but that I lived in a few apartments while here. The current apartment I am living in has come with too many quirks than even I have the patience for so I am moving to a new address. I’m not looking for much, just consistent plumbing and heating so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I quickly discovered that searching for an apartment in the UK is not unlike the search in Philadelphia. Estate agents sound so surprised when you tell them that meeting at the property for a viewing at 10:23 am on a Wednesday is actually not a convenient time and when you request a Saturday viewing, through the silence on the other end of the phone you can actually feel them disliking you. They also do not care what your likes or dislikes are with the particular apartments because right after they spoke to me on the phone, five other desperate people called for a Saturday appointment as well and if you don’t like it someone else will. I’m fascinated by real estate though and love seeing what apartments look like inside buildings that I walk by everyday and never have the chance to peek inside. In Philly I would sometimes go to open houses just out of curiosity while I was out running errands or I happened to see an open house sign, so my apartment searching here felt a little like home. After a few failed attempts including a viewing of a room with a hotplate in London, my most recent experience in searching for a new apartment here was very successful. I met with a great estate agent who showed me a few really nice places in Oxford and next week I’ll be moving in to a new flat closer to the city centre (yes I have converted this to European spelling just to see how many of you reading this are annoyed). For the first time in my life I can say I have waterfront property since the flat is right on the river. The building comes complete with a café in the lower level with outdoor seating. It’s a dream come true for a gal like me who doesn’t really like to walk too far for her glass of chardonnay. I’m not sure the estate agent really knew I was joking when I asked his opinion on whether he thought the café would let me in wearing my “comfortable pants” since I will be a building tenant. He just smiled politely and asked how quickly I could hand over the cash to secure the place. So I’ll be packing and moving and settling again in a week’s time and even though it will be a bit of a pain, this experience has provided a valuable life lesson – avoid moving abroad and selecting an apartment online two weeks before you move. Securing an apartment is not like buying a handbag on eBay.
Last week also brought the Ricky Gervais show. The seats were fantastic. I was in the 5th row and sitting so close that I could actually see how badly he was sweating. You know you have good seats when that happens. It was a much needed break in the week from all of the drama and stress at work. I decided not to stalk him in the alley since he started off the show with how much he dislikes people that do that. Of course he was referring more to geeky guys that do that but there was a small part of me that felt like he was speaking to me, so I decided to put my celebrity crazy on hold for the evening.
I made a bit of sad discovery last week in the grocery store. I can’t seem to find ham steaks anywhere in the UK. I have somewhat of a routine on things I make for dinner, and ham steaks were always the star of the menu. Everyone has always argued with me that this is just like any other type of ham and I disagree. There is something tasty and comforting about an individually packaged slice of ham and now there is a void in my life and diet. I’ve discussed this with my British colleagues and they have recommended I try something called a gammon steak. So, with Easter this weekend perhaps I will take on the challenge of preparing a gammon steak feast. Thank you for being the friend that you are Jessica and listening to me give you an update on my grocery list. The $32 phone call to discuss the limited availability of pork products I like in the UK was totally worth it.
As some of you know, I was actually supposed to be leaving for a return trip to the US last week. However, some changes in my work schedule have delayed my arrival for a visit home for a few more weeks. Instead of the US, I am writing this blog from a small town in France where I have spent the last two days for work. It is a town near the French Alps that requires you to utilize many forms of transportation to get here. I navigated a plane, bus and taxi with directions I received in Frenglish so it has been an interesting experience. I don’t have a lot of criteria for hotels. If a quick look under the duvet at the sheets and towels in the bathroom appear to be clean, than I am usually fine. However, I also added to my list years ago to try and avoid hotels that don’t leave the hairdryers in the rooms and require you to walk down to the front desk to request one. I want to meet the people that go around stealing hairdryers from low budget hotels and find out their motivations. This was the situation I was presented with here and since I did not know the French word for hairdryer, it resulted in me waving my hand around my head like a maniac making a wind blowing sound. Luckily it did the trick and I walked away with hairdryer in hand. I’m sure the hotel staff also enjoyed that dramatic re-enactment of how I style my hair each morning. Most importantly, the work portion of my trip was successful and am leaving with a sense of relief that all of my hard work and insane hours this week paid off; however I still have not been able to find a fridge magnet, so if that doesn’t happen this how whole trip could quickly end in disaster. I’m longing for my safe return to the UK in a few short hours.
Adieu pour maintenant…
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