An American Worker in London
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Additional Restaurant Observations
(1) Very few have mixed smoking sections, as described many times before.
(2) You can order water 3 ways: mineral water, still water, or tap water. Tap water is free.
(3) The napkin is often small and thin. It is placed on the table when not used to wipe your hands and mouth. If you place it in your lap, you are obviously not from the UK.
(4) A spoon is rarely provided with silverware, and arrives only with soup or some other food that requires it.
(5) Bread is available, but it is a separate item on the menu -- always. If you order it, you receive a sizable portion, enough for two, and several pats of butter.
(6) People answer and talk on mobile phones even in restaurants. If the restaurant is quiet, they stay at the table and talk, even if they are with friends. If it's noisy, they will find a quieter place, like outside, to talk.
(7) When a course or the entire meal is finished, your dishes will be removed promptly. However, you won't receive the check until you ask for the "bill." The server will assume that you want to linger over your coffee, your reading, or your conversation with friends.
(8) With few exceptions, the servers will be difficult to understand because they are from another country. They may not understand you, either. Point ot items on the menu when you talk about them, and make sure they write everything down that you order. Double check. Otherwise, you may not receive your soup or salad or tap water.
(9) Tips are optional. If you have table service, a 10% tip is normal. It may be added to the bill, or it may not. When it is, the bill says so. In pubs, tips are NOT expected, but may be given for exceptional service.
(10) Doggie bags are virtually unheard of. Either you eat everything when you are there, or you leave it.
(11) Some fast food places offer "Take Away" service. This is our equivalent of take-out.
Sunday, September 28, 2003
More on Eating with the Locals
If you want to eat non-hotel, non-tourist food, you find out where the locals eat and join them. This means lower prices, perhaps more authentic food, but you must endure copious amounts of cigarette smoke. (Are you hearing a theme here, folks?)
Today I ate at the Star Cafe, about 2 blocks from the hotel, where I ordered eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, and a glass of milk. Now I smell like smoke, and I was only there for 30 minutes. Of the 6 tables occupied, mine was the only one occupied with a non-smoker!
While there, I watched another diner that was right out of a movie. One of the ugliest old women I'd ever seen, and I didn't think there could be people who let themselves get that bad. She was hunched over her coffee and ashtray, chain smoking unfiltered cigarettes, coughing spasmodically, and trying not to spill her drink or upset her table with each coughing fit. Her lower lip was hanging far below its normal position, so that drool leaked out with each sip of coffee. Her hair was reasonably combed and pulled back under a ribbon, but her eyes were blood red and her lower eyelids hung heavily and appeared raw -- from alcohol or smoking? I couldn't tell. She was quite heavy, wore clean but old clothing, and sported those nylons that went up to her calves, 3 shades darker than her regular skin color.
I won't return to this restaurant because of the smoke, but also because I may see her again. Or I may ask to take her picture. She was distinctive, actually. Remarkable.
Thursday, September 25, 2003
Meals at Restaurants or Bars
This is still sort of amazing to me. Most don't offer no-smoking sections, so now I positively reek of stale smoke, from my hair to my clothes. Febreze is my new friend. I use eye drops more. And I'm running low on allergy pills. I must resupply at Sav-On when I'm home in mid-October.
Ordering drinks in a bar is different, and I know I've written about this before. You must wait in the line ("queue") at the bar to order directly from the bartender, and then you sit down -- if you can. Some restaurants let you order drinks while you sit at the table, and the only clue is the drink menu placed on the table. In those cases, you don't have to approach the bar.
After dining, you won't get your check ("bill") unless you ask, since it is assumed that you will want to sit there and hang out. It would be presumptuous for them to bring the bill when they clear the dishes. It's just not done.
Since most servers don't speak English as their first language, it you ask for the check, you will confuse them. Some will think you want to write a personal check to pay for the meal. You must always use the phrase "I would like the bill".
Other language observations
In the underground, the Exit sign says "Way Out." That just took me by surprise, and had me chuckling. On the roads a "Yield" sign reads "Give Way." I'm sure the list is endless, and I will discover some of the differences in embarassing ways.
Today at the office, a co-worker was describing the Oracle system and said "D is buggered." At first, I didn't know what she meant, and she could read it on my face. She had to explain that the Development instance was down for 4 hours. Oh, now I get it!
I am also starting to see a little office humor shared with (and sometimes aimed at) us newcomers from the US. When I offered to give this co-worker my cell phone number in case she needed to call us in to work that weekend, she said, with a straight face, "I don't know you well enough yet for that." (She is a woman, so the joke was intended to have that kind of slant.) Then she told me to give my new cell phone number to another person, who is the team leader. But this was my first experience with the dry humor dished out to us without malice. Just plain old dry humor.
Thursday of the First Week
Wow, it's been a busy few days both at the office and after work!
Tuesday was the "going for beers" event that Andy (the Motion International consultant who was primarily responsible for getting us in here) hosted at a local pub. He did this so everyone could get to know us. This is a formal process, of sorts, that enables co-workers to be introduced to us in a social setting, and talk about things unrelated to work. That way, subjects of family, where you live, what your hobbies are can all come up without guilt that we are squandering the client's time and money.
The event began at All Bar One at 7:00 PM and went until 12:30 AM, although I left at 10:30 PM. We stood the entire time on a hard wood floor andmy legs are still trying to revover 2 days later. Music in the bar was deafening, and we shouted to one another, leaning close to hear what the other person was saying. I enjoyed meeting the other workers, and it definitely broke the ice, making us part of the team.
This was my first experience watching how you run a tab in a bar. The host -- in this case Andy -- gives the bartender his credit card, and the bartender gives the host a numbered white plastic card. Anyone who belongs to the group and wants a drink uses this numbered card, and the total goes to the host's credit card at the end of the night. This is a little better than how I have seen it done in the US, where no numbered card is provided to the host or group.
Wednesday night Andy, Samira and I went to Oxford Circus (an underground stop), where he shopped for clothes and we bought cell phones. I am starting to figure out the cell phone concept here, since everything is based on GSM phones and they are only now starting to become available in the US. We opted for £90 phones, which included £5 SIM chips and a pay-as-you-go plan. We can refill the SIM chips with more money any time by buying scratch-off vouchers almost anywhere, and the best part is that it's free to receive phone calls from anywhere in the world. Text messaging between account holders (we selected Virgin Mobile) is 3p per message, or 10p for out of network. Calls to the US are 20p per minute, or about 35 cents a minute.
Monday, September 22, 2003
First Day at Work
It was a long day at the office, but totally unproductive. It reminds me of the County of San Diego project: the lack of central direction, the teeming masses of consultants, contractors, and employees, the schedule falling behind, the overriding dreariness of it.
This is going to be a long project. I'd better come up with a short list of objectives I can accomplish during my time here. I should assume it will be a long time, such as 1 to 2 years, and plan accordingly. That way, if the project goes on and on, I may accomplish many of these objectives. If it ends early, at least I made a little progress toward these objectives. And always, no matter how long-term this seems like it will be, I should be ready for it to end. My resume ("CV") should be ready for the job boards, my network should be current, and my finances should be in order.
Feeling Robbed
Reflecting on the items that were stolen from my large suitcase, I noted these feelings:
(1) Fury over being robbed so blatantly.
(2) A nagging feeling that I still haven't discovered all the missing items.
(3) Stupidity by including such obvious items in my checked baggage.
(4) Determination to avoid this in the future.
I am not sure if Virgin Atlantic will do anything to ameliorate my losses, but I will begin the claim process and see what develops.
I can understand how someone in baggage handling at LAX could steal a small pocket knife or a bag of pens, but a CD case? That's hard to imagine, and it's difficult to believe that individuals have unmonitored, unrestricted access to baggage while those bags are awaiting the loading process for the outbound flight.
But maybe I just don't have a devious enough imagination...
It was difficult to fall asleep last night. I think I tossed and turned for over an hour, but I didn't stop to check the clock at any time. Maybe tonight I will have to take some of that medication the doctor gave me so I could sleep on the flight to ensure I get a few more hours of sleep at the hotel!
I had no problem waking up or hearing the alarm, but I also didn't sleep soundly. At this time, 8:30 AM, I don't feel tired, but we'll see how the day goes.
Sunday, September 21, 2003
Further Observations from Upper Street
(1) People are enjoying the good weather, except for little children who have been dragged all over town so long they just need a good nap.
(2) Parking meters have been replaced with machines that dispense a coupon you display in your car. There appears to be one machine per block or street.
(3) Motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles are common, but cars still outnumber them.
(4) Motorcycle helmets are mandatory, and many riders have orange vests to enhance visibility. Some bicycle riders also wear orange vests or clothing with reflective stripes.
Pub Protocol
From what I can observe so far, ordering a drink in a bar involves the following procedures:
(1) If you sit at a table, you must still order your drinks at the bar from the bartender. You pay there and take your drink to the table. This works best if you are with a small group, so that others can hold the table and watch your things.
(2) If you are alone, you order the drink first at the bar, pay for it, and then try to find a place to sit. Failing that, you stand at or near the bar.
(3) On-tap beers may not be very cold. When available, I always selected the ones called "Extra Cold", which were said to be 5 to 10 degrees colder than regular on-tap drinks. They tasted more like beer from my refrigerator.
(4) The word "beer" is rarely used. Generally, you order a "lager" or "bitters", or you order by name.
(5) Tables are always dirty. One I selected (after looking for the cleanest) was covered with bread crumbs, which I brushed off, but it was still so dirty that my hand stuck to it.
(6) Coasters and napkins are not readily available. Some pubs offer coasters that are so thin they will stick to your glass no matter how dry it is.
(7) Smoking is serious business. Those who smoke -- and most do -- smoke like there's no tomorrow.
(8) The telephones ring quietly, if you can hear them at all. Everything else is very noisy!
(9) In one pub, a dumbwaiter delivered the food from another floor, and an alarm -- just like an alarm clock -- announced its arrival.
Another park in Central London
The city is divided into many townships or boroughs. My hotel is in Islington, and it borders Pentonville, Finsbury, and Clerkenwell. I have walked much of this area today, just looking at the sights -- the houses, businesses, cars, and finding several small parks.
I am sitting at this one, called Wilmington Gardens, watching a little boy play ball with his dad, hearing him laugh and enjoy the warm early autumn day. Nearby, a little girl in a pink dress runs around, and her laughter carries across the park on the light breeze. In the background, I hear the steady din of cars and trucks on the city streets, the occasional wail of police or ambulance sirens, and I also hear the wind moving branches on the trees above me, so that the leaves fall and strike the gound silently in a final, last act of life.
Autumn has arrived quickly in this little park in London.
First Sunday in London
It's a warm autumn day, with more sunshine than clouds. The locals say that weather such as this is a bit unusual, and certainly more welcome than days of overcast dreariness or long periods of rain. The sidewalks ("pavement") are crowded with shoppers. The flea market covers 3 or 4 city blocks down Chapel Market Street, just 2 blocks behind the hotel. All of the chairs at the outdoor cafes are occupied with people drinking beer or coffee. Yes, they drink coffee here. I found 4 Starbucks outlets in a 7-block stretch of Upper Street, just near the office.
People are dressed for a warm day, and so am I. It's comfortable with a T-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes.
I let myself sleep in because of the time zone change, waking up at 11:00 AM, which was 3:00 AM back home. Here, they tend to use a combination of military time with a decimal separator, so that 11:00 AM is 11.00 and 9:30 PM is 21.30. That will be easy to understand, although it was confusing when I saw a list of times at the underground station that said the last subway ran at 00.30 -- it took a moment to lock that one in.
I am writing this from a small park behind the office location, sitting on a park bench that has been rubbed shiny by thousands of bottoms ("bums") over the years. Nearby is a small playground, populated with about a dozen children and chaperoned by several elderly people. An ice cream truck just arrived, announcing its presence with a melodious and loud tune that played maybe 6 or 8 measures, and then stopped. Sort of like the break trucks that drive from one work site to the next in the US. So, perhaps in urban areas, ice cream trucks don't play their tunes continuously as they do in our residential neighborhoods back home.
Saturday, September 20, 2003
Ventilation
Many of the buildings are not air conditioned, probably because they are ancient buildings endlessly renovated with each new tenant or owner. Consequently, the pubs and restaurants are warm and stuffy on days like this, where the temperature is in the high 80s (Fahrenheit), which really complicates matters when they allow unrestricted smoking. In most cases, the establishments have large entrance doors, which remain open, but mostly for show, since they have little effect on the overall ventilation.
The Hotel Area
A lot of people smoke here. They smoke everywhere -- in restaurants, pubs, on the street. So far, I haven't seen them smoking in the hotel lobby, and I hope no one smokes in the offices. (Update: they smoke in the hotel lobby and in the elevators -- or "lifts".)
There is a pub next door to Jurys Inn so I stopped in for a pint of Guinness and a sandwich. No food on weekends! So I will have to wander back to a real restaurant for food, and then I can turn in for the night.
This hotel doesn't provide irons or ironing boards for each room, but they loaned me a set, just like at a Motel 6. Housekeeping expects me to put them in the hallway when I'm done!
I found a laundromat around the corner. Actually, the local phrase is "Launderette" and I can either wash my own clothes, or have them do it. If they do it, then it's called a "service wash" and it only costs another 20% or so.
There are lots of grocery stores and restaurants near the hotel. So, I will explore more this area in the morning. Now I should get some food and prepare for some much-deserved sleep.
A note on drivers: They have the right of way, as far as I can tell. Sure, I looked right (and left) where indicated, but I still barely escaped sudden death at the hands of a horn-honking, speeding sedan turning a corner. I haven't even been here half a day and already I'm dashing across the street when I see a car coming.
Coins of the Realm
The coins here are not what I expected. At first glance, the larger the coin, the less it is worth, although the 1 pound coin is about the size of our nickel, but twice as thick, plus it has Latin words on the scored edge which says "NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT," which means "No one provokes me with impunity." (I found out later that this inscription is limited to the Scottish Pound, which looks different than the English Pound. The reverse of the Scottish Pound has The Order of the Thistle, while the reverse of the other Pound coins in my hand include, on one coin, 3 bearded lions, while on the other coin, what appears to be 2 unicorns facing a shield. All of the coins, from the 1p to the 2 pound, have the Queen's profile on the front.)
(Later, I found good summaries of the currently produced British coins at http://www.24carat.co.uk/britishcoinspecsdecimalsummary.html and at http://www.24carat.co.uk/photogalleryofcurrentbritishcoinage.html. So far, I have not seen the 5 Pound coin, so it may be as rare as our Silver Dollar coin.)
The First Afternoon
After arriving at the hotel (and paying 63 pounds, or approximately 100 dollars for the taxi ride), I met Samira, who was checking in at the same time. She had been on the project for a week prior to my arrival, but was moving to this hotel. The previous hotel was farther away and not to her liking. We left the bags with the hotel since our rooms weren't ready and went to lunch. I don't remember where we ate, since I was probably still in another time zone. I do remember walking through the streets thinking that I would never find my way back.
After lunch, and after checking in to my room, I discovered that my bags had been pilfered. My large suitcase had been opened (in fact, both checked bags had been inspected by TSA, since they had stickers on the handles) and some of the contents had been rearranged. Whoever did that replaced my bright neon-colored cable ties, which I used to secure the zippers, with new cable ties contained in an exterior pocket. That was supposed to remove suspicion, I suppose, and make it appear that my bags had not been opened.
Even so, I was missing a black CD case containing about 20 blank CDs, which was no big deal. What angered me more was that I had travel copies of my notebook PC's installation CDs in the case -- everything needed to get me back and running if I had a software crash while away from home. Sure, I still had the originals of everything at home, but I had unwisely labeled each CD with the installation serial number, so that whoever took them could use the CDs to install and run the software! They might have trouble registering some of the newer XP versions, or they may not. I lost copies of Windows 2000, Office XP, and Quicken 2003 Home & Business, not to mention Adobe Acrobat 6.0, which I had purchased weeks before the trip.
In addition, the thief took 2 small baggies containing ink pens, highlighters, and my expensive laser pointer. Maybe they were attracted to the Mont Blanc fountain pen that was in one of the bags; hard to say. The thief also took my brand new Petzl head lamp, which I had planned to use for night hikes and night geocaching. That really irked me.
If that wasn't bad enough, then I realized that the thief had taken my little black Swiss Army knife that had been placed in an exterior pocket of the large suitcase, only because the TSA wouldn't allow me to carry it aboard the plane. And now it was missing. Sure, it was only $15 to buy again, but it was so unnecessary for someone to steal it!
Realizing that there was little I could do on Saturday about this, I left to find an internet cafe so I could check in with Mary by E-mail. There was one about half a block from the hotel, and I paid 50p (half a pound) for about 15 minutes of on-line time, although the minimum time was 30 minutes. I didn't need that much. Nice to know that the internet cafe is open 7 days a week, and usually open late -- like to 11:00 PM at night. The "cafe" part is a misnomer at this location; the only food they serve is cold drinks from a soda machine. But their computers are new and the connection is fast.
And with that, my first afternoon in London drew to a close. I was instructed by Samira and others at the office to avoid going to sleep earlier than 10:00 PM the first night, or I'd wake up early in the morning, so I planned to walk around, find more food, and turn in as late as I could.
Wheels Down
Finally, we have landed after slightly over 9 hours in the air. We had a good tail wind. It is going to take a bit of time for all the passengers to leave the plane -- maybe as long as it took to load us up.
The first stop was immigration and there was a long line. That took over 30 minutes. I had prepared the simple form on the plane, and when I handed it to the immigration agent, she took only a moment to look it over. She asked why I was in the country and how long I'd be there -- standard questions. She stamped the passport and I was out of there.
Baggage claim was simple, but the baggage conveyor belts were small -- not like LAX or even Long Beach. Each conveyor belt made only one "U" shaped turn and then went back into the building. We saw the same bags many times over, and as the unclaimed ones started to pile up, the resulting mess made some of the bags fall off the belt onto people's feet. Mine came eventually, and I hooked everything up for the trek through customs.
That was easier than expected. I walked through a "Nothing to Declare" door and was almost immediately outdoors. No one was there to question me or look through any of my bags. Not at all like entering the US or some of the South American countries I visited last year.
It took 2 to 3 minutes to obtain a taxi. There was some kind of queue (line) and I made sure to follow it; the British are very aware of American's habit of crowding or trying to move to the front of lines. After loading the bags into the taxi, I had to remember to board on the curbside, which was opposite the driver. I was already getting confused!
At first take, I was perplexed to see all the drivers on the right side of their vehicles, and driving on the left side of the roads. It just didn't make sense. I am assuming that I will get used to it eventually, and will not notice it any more. Or when I return home, it will look odd then.
The taxi ride is bumpy. It seemed that the schock absorbers are either worn or just plain missing. There was no air conditioning but the open windows helped a lot. The day was already getting warm in London -- in the 80s (using our Fahrenheit measure).
The trees and terrain looked like everywhere else, but the freeway signs were different. I expected more signs in metric, but distances were measured in miles or yards, just like in the US. However, I don't recall seeing signs at home saying "400 yards to exit". We tend to say "3/10 mile" or something like that.
Still on the plane
By my watch, it is 9:36 AM and we are due to land in a couple hours. The flight attendants have turned on the cabin lights since it's daylight outside, and I think they are preparing to serve a hot breakfast.
The cabin windows are still closed, however, since the attendants told everyone to shut them last night but have not yet instructed them to reopen them. My guess is that the polite British are generally also compliant people and will either wait for instructions or land with the windows still closed.
The night seemed to pass quickly, and I'm not sure how much I slept, but whatever sleep I got was a deep sleep. Figure from 2:00 AM to 9:00 AM and maybe it was 7 hours of sleep? Those pills the doctor gave me were helpful, that's for sure.
So far, I don't feel stiff, cramped, or sore. Once I tucked myself into the little seat, making sure I had leg room by putting my flight bag above me, the narrow seat felt almost adequate. Certainly, when I was asleep, it was not something I really noticed.
I did very little reading on this flight. Because of the desire to sleep early, as well as the timing of the flight dinner, the medications and 2 glasses of red wine, I was asleep just a few hours into the flight. Good! I needed that.
Now comes the interesting part -- my first introduction to the UK, starting with immigration, baggage claim, and customs, probably in that order. Then I will find a "black" taxi and get a ride to the hotel. As we drive through the city, I will have to remember to get my camera out -- and to keep my flight bag in the car if it contains lodging information. I must be able to find the hotel.
Friday, September 19, 2003
We haven't left yet?
Later, on the plane, but before we take off, I am strapped into seat 40H. Wow, the seat pitch must be 31 inches -- or less -- since I feel like the seat in front of me is almost touching my face. As I sit here over the course of a few minutes, seat 39H keeps getting closer and closer, until it is almost touching my nose. After realizing that the guy sitting in front of me is trying to lean back, and we haven't left the ground yet, I ask him if his seat is broken. He gets the hint and pushed the button to move his seat back to its normal position. I can breath again.
The boarding process for 386 passengers has gone quickly. Within 45 minutes, from beginning to end, we have all been seated and they have closed the doors.
On the next trip, definitely get an aisle seat. Even with the tight surroundings, the aisles are sligthly wider than Jet Blue's configuration, which helps somewhat. In addition, I can stow my flight bag in front of the briefcase in the overhead directly above me, and this gives me access at any time during the flight. The briefcase goes in first, handle facing out, and the flight bag takes up the rest of the space. That also frees up the floor space, which is very small. I will barely have room for my feet, and there is no way to stretch out, either. That owuld be possible in 38H to 38K, which is by the exit door.
Once we crowded onto the plane, I began to notice a pervasive smell -- a collective body odor that I had previously thought only came from continental Europeans. I wonder if my months in London, in overheated offices or cramped cubicles, will be spent savoring the smells unique to a culture that may not have invented deodorent.
The second thing I noticed after boarding the plane was the familiar sound of people speaking multiple dialects of the Queen's English. It's familiar only from brief experiences with tourists or former co-workers, but also familiar from watching TV or going to the movies. The inflection, tone, and apparent politeness of the English language is enjoyable, at least so far. When I don't notice it any more, then I may stop appreciating it. I am finding it hard to understand 100% of what is said, especially if spoken quickly and through bad microphones.
I set my watch ahead 8 hours, so that "wheels up" occurred at 2:09 AM Saturday, 20 Sep 2003. We should land at 11:00 AM London time.
At the Airport
After more than a week of discussions with Motion International (MI), I am finally at LAX, waiting for my first flight to London. In some respects, I was worried that this day would never arrive -- that a consulting firm or client would not think enough of my skills to have me join a project. However, I guess it was inevitable that someone would eventually match my background to their project needs, but I didn't expect it would involve a UK location.
So, this is reassuring to be working again after more than 3 months of looking, waiting, interviewing, waiting, worrying, waiting, and then getting started.
And now the journey begins with a gate change, from 28 to 27, with the accompanying mass movement of over 300 people, all of them eager to return home, or begin a vacation, or leave on a business trip.
For me, this is my first time to London, which by itself is no big deal -- after all, it's just another large city, and this time they mostly speak English -- but if I feel any anxiety (and I do, a little), it's because I don't know what the project will hold, what the people will be like, if I will be prepared, and all sort of other feelings associated with journeying into the unknown. At least it's the civilized unknown, and I have money with me (and more in the bank), people waiting for me, and some good books to read.
I am ready.
Thursday, September 18, 2003
I've started this BLOG (weB LOG) to keep everyone at home posted about the project and life in London. It will also make it easier for me to refer to my handwritten notes as I make them and then move them to the Web.
