Everybody knows that the bird is the word. And everybody also knows like father, like son...
...which I guess is true for our son as well!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
A Season of Change
So you can tell that it has been super busy as work because I haven't had the time to post anything for awhile. Everything was kicked back into high gear once I got back from London and I haven't looked back. Another Fall semester starts with a new group of incoming freshman and we're ready as we'll ever be.As the summer comes to end and, for us in Higher Ed, our Fall comes early. We have a lot of new and exciting things to look forward to now. Change is inevitable in my professional, and now (with bittersweet feelings) we will have a change in staff.
Two of my co-workers will be starting new careers this Fall and I am super excited for this. This change brings upon a lot of exciting opportunities for each of them and I know they will do great in their new role. But I am selfishly sad to see them leave. I was thinking last night of how lucky I have been to have such great co-workers that have become friends and such a great part in my life. We've experienced a lot together over the past few years that I will miss. I'll miss our fun and goofy lunch room conversations, although I'll probably save money from all the lunch outings to sushi and Thai. They were there for me through my wedding and pregnancy and early mom-hood. We've shared baby showers and birthdays, trips to Vegas, study tours to New York (and in the Penthouse Suite might I add), frustrations with students, long nights at Harvill and the Student Union Ballroom, excursions to Cold Stone on 100+ heat days, yummy cheesy potatoes and wraps from the Union (why is that a lot of our memories have to do with food? lol), and so much more that all carry a deep place in my heart.
I truly do hope the best for you and your families and this only means that we have to hang out as friends and not co-workers! I'll miss you guys. Here is to a season of change for us all.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
A Boy and his Rocks
I guess these the Stonehenge stones do have some type of magical power. They can take a man from looking like this...
to looking like this...
to looking like this...
Other Notable Differences
Floors levels start with the Ground floor (which makes sense but it always threw me off); I was staying on the 3rd floor of the house but in America it would really be the 4th.
Maybe it's just that I am staying in a old place in a old part of town, but the tub part of the shower is a foot off the ground. You have to step up to the shower and my head pretty much hits the ceiling.
Shoe sizes...I could not find a Woman's size 11 shoe. In fact, I don't even think they make it. I was told that some more of the department stores would have that size but I still have yet to find one. Do no Women in the UK have bigger than a size 10?
Plugs, obviously but it was also surprising to me that they appear upside down, with the 3rd prong pointing up.
Left side default. Obviously, they drive on the left side but everything else in on the Left side too, walking direction, escalator placement, etc. What's odd, though, is that the Underground exits (the turns where you have to swipe out) are on the Right which always through me off.
Toilets. They are just...well..different. They flush differently (and might I say rather aggressively). You pay for public use of one. You call refer to it as "using the toilet" rather than "rest room." Some places even have unisex rooms. Oh, and instead of a roll of toilet paper, I was given a box of "toilet tissue" which is basically a box of Kleenex. They do have rolls in most places, but I am only given the box where I'm staying.
People say "sorry" instead of "excuse me."
People are generally nicer. They are not overly friendly, especially just on the street, but overall people seem friendlier. The exception, however, is at restaurants. I felt most people working at the restaurants were less friendly. I think mostly because they have 2 people working in a place and they are serving all tables. Everything takes longer. They will not just bring you your bill when they take your plates. You have to specifically ask for it. Again, I think because they are so busy with all the tables as most places get pretty busy during mealtime that unless you are asking them they’re not thinking about you.
Live by the tap! Most places charge you for water. They offer sparkling or still. I thought I was doing right by ordering still until I realized that meant bottled and usually cost about 3-4 pounds. I learned very quickly to always ask for tap water!
Restaurant prices are fairly expensive, especially with the exchange rate. When Deo and I ate together, we rarely got out of a place without spending 20 pounds (which is $30). However, prices for other items I felt were actually pretty reasonable. If you went to a grocery store you could get normal items without the hike-up and even with the exchange rate were actually pretty comparable to US prices.
At the cinemas (aka movies), if you order popcorn, they ask you if you want sweet or salty. And there is no butter on the salty. And most of the cinemas serve beer.
Take-away (food-to-go) is mostly always cheaper and a lot of places even offer a lot of great deals for take-away orders. My favorite deal was a 16 piece sushi box for 5.99; can’t beat that! And I found out later that if I would have ordered online I could have saved another 5%.
Maybe it's just that I am staying in a old place in a old part of town, but the tub part of the shower is a foot off the ground. You have to step up to the shower and my head pretty much hits the ceiling.
Shoe sizes...I could not find a Woman's size 11 shoe. In fact, I don't even think they make it. I was told that some more of the department stores would have that size but I still have yet to find one. Do no Women in the UK have bigger than a size 10?
Plugs, obviously but it was also surprising to me that they appear upside down, with the 3rd prong pointing up.
Left side default. Obviously, they drive on the left side but everything else in on the Left side too, walking direction, escalator placement, etc. What's odd, though, is that the Underground exits (the turns where you have to swipe out) are on the Right which always through me off.
Toilets. They are just...well..different. They flush differently (and might I say rather aggressively). You pay for public use of one. You call refer to it as "using the toilet" rather than "rest room." Some places even have unisex rooms. Oh, and instead of a roll of toilet paper, I was given a box of "toilet tissue" which is basically a box of Kleenex. They do have rolls in most places, but I am only given the box where I'm staying.
People say "sorry" instead of "excuse me."
People are generally nicer. They are not overly friendly, especially just on the street, but overall people seem friendlier. The exception, however, is at restaurants. I felt most people working at the restaurants were less friendly. I think mostly because they have 2 people working in a place and they are serving all tables. Everything takes longer. They will not just bring you your bill when they take your plates. You have to specifically ask for it. Again, I think because they are so busy with all the tables as most places get pretty busy during mealtime that unless you are asking them they’re not thinking about you.
Live by the tap! Most places charge you for water. They offer sparkling or still. I thought I was doing right by ordering still until I realized that meant bottled and usually cost about 3-4 pounds. I learned very quickly to always ask for tap water!
Restaurant prices are fairly expensive, especially with the exchange rate. When Deo and I ate together, we rarely got out of a place without spending 20 pounds (which is $30). However, prices for other items I felt were actually pretty reasonable. If you went to a grocery store you could get normal items without the hike-up and even with the exchange rate were actually pretty comparable to US prices.
At the cinemas (aka movies), if you order popcorn, they ask you if you want sweet or salty. And there is no butter on the salty. And most of the cinemas serve beer.
Take-away (food-to-go) is mostly always cheaper and a lot of places even offer a lot of great deals for take-away orders. My favorite deal was a 16 piece sushi box for 5.99; can’t beat that! And I found out later that if I would have ordered online I could have saved another 5%.
London in a Nutshell
Seeing as how I am entering my last day in London, I figured I should blog about all that has been happening. I will try not to bore you and keep it short, but we will see how that goes. Maybe if I categorize it will be better. Whenever I try to explain something to tell someone what it's like out here all I can say is, "it's different." Here we go.
Culture Shock
This has been my first experience oversees. I've been to 2 other countries (Canada and Mexico which I don't know if they really count...maybe I get 1 point combined), and to Hawaii (which I only highlight because it was flying over the ocean. I was scared but figured it wouldn't really be too different. I mean, everyone here speaks English so it wasn't like I was going to Japan and couldn't even understand writings and such. But to my surprise I experienced quite a bit culture shock. I read online that this is actually very typical for Americans because we don't prepare mentally for it like we would if we were visiting some place more foreign to us. That, in addition to me desperately not liking "fish out of water" feeling, I stayed cozied in my room most of the first day. The next day, however, was better. I forced myself out to explore and once I started feeling more comfortable, things got better...a lot better.
Business First
Going on the internship site visits was very interesting to me. I really do feel like I got a pretty good glimpse into the work culture here in the UK and let me tell you...it's different. My first experience was meeting with a group from the FIE (organisation - see I'm turning British already - that is coordinating the internship for our students). I walked into an room where three employees shared this one office, and there was a couch. I was immediately offered tea as I sat on the couch. I pulled out my file folder with notes, full-sized note pad, and pen and waited as the other three ladies pulled up little chairs around the couch with teas in one hand and a little note-card sized note pad in the other. None of them took notes as I frantically tried to write down everything they were saying. I had to laugh at myself as I left the meeting at serious we take ourselves in America. Me with my gigantic office filled with filing cabinets and shelves, my very own computer and printer, our huge board rooms where we schedule very important meetings with very important people with very important titles. I mean come on, I work at a University, I'm not curing cancer here....my head immediately deflated a size.
As I went on site visits seeing a variety of industries from a 2 person staffed independent record label to a American-owned health care agency, I noticed that even their "more professional" industries aren't as professional as Americans. The dress, for instance, isn't as formal. You rarely saw full suits, you saw jeans at even more professionals places, and for some reason nothing ever seamed ironed. My husband walking around the streets even noticed how men's ties weren't tied as neat and were always all wrinkled. When I asked about work hours, I chuckled to myself when they said that some industries, like finance, has to put in long hours of 8a-6p. And it's not that they don't do good work or don't work hard, it's just...well...different.
Biggest Disappointment
Westminster Abbey, which we fondly referred to as W.A. the rest of the trip because we refused to say it's name. It was 18 pounds to get in and the biggest waste of our hard earned money. I don't know why but we just weren't into it. You walk around and look at graves. I had really wanted to see it but just wasn't into it while we were there. I was kind of like, "this is it." Maybe because we refused to pay the additional 4 pounds each to get the audio sets. Who knows. We went to this on one of our first days and it made it difficult for us to spend any money to see something after that because we didn't want to waste more money. We kept saying, "oh I wouldn't mind paying 10 pounds each to go see that if we hadn't spent that money on W.A." Finally, we had to get over our disappointment and more forward. They next thing we paid to see was London Tower and we were so glad we did. It ended up being one of both our favorite things of the trip. The better deal, Westminster Cathedral. I really liked that and it was free (well, a donation to the church upon entrance...cost us 3 pounds and another 2 to light some candles). To pour salt in the wound, we found out later you can see W.A. for free if you attend during a service.
Best Food
Belgian Waffle from the Belgian Waffle Company outside of the Baker St. station. I recommend fruit and ice cream topping.
Frae - organic frozen yogurt company across the street from my house. Three flavors: natural, strawberry, and green tea (I preferred the natural). You could add toppings of fruit and sweets. In the short time we were here, I almost racked up a full frequent visitor card to earn a free Frae.
Thai Curry has become London's home dish. Brick Lance is a street you can find a whole row of Thai restaurants. On a good night, you can walk by and have restaurants bargaining for your business (I'll give you 10% off plus a free appetizer). We tried Rosa's after a few online reviews which was actually just off of Brick Lane. I had a yummy pumpkin red Thai curry. Kensington Arms was also great and very reasonably priced. It's a pub with a Thai kitchen in the back, both of which are always packed. Also, it's like a 5 minute walk from my place so very convenient.
Summation
Well, so much for keeping it short.
Culture Shock
This has been my first experience oversees. I've been to 2 other countries (Canada and Mexico which I don't know if they really count...maybe I get 1 point combined), and to Hawaii (which I only highlight because it was flying over the ocean. I was scared but figured it wouldn't really be too different. I mean, everyone here speaks English so it wasn't like I was going to Japan and couldn't even understand writings and such. But to my surprise I experienced quite a bit culture shock. I read online that this is actually very typical for Americans because we don't prepare mentally for it like we would if we were visiting some place more foreign to us. That, in addition to me desperately not liking "fish out of water" feeling, I stayed cozied in my room most of the first day. The next day, however, was better. I forced myself out to explore and once I started feeling more comfortable, things got better...a lot better.
Business First
Going on the internship site visits was very interesting to me. I really do feel like I got a pretty good glimpse into the work culture here in the UK and let me tell you...it's different. My first experience was meeting with a group from the FIE (organisation - see I'm turning British already - that is coordinating the internship for our students). I walked into an room where three employees shared this one office, and there was a couch. I was immediately offered tea as I sat on the couch. I pulled out my file folder with notes, full-sized note pad, and pen and waited as the other three ladies pulled up little chairs around the couch with teas in one hand and a little note-card sized note pad in the other. None of them took notes as I frantically tried to write down everything they were saying. I had to laugh at myself as I left the meeting at serious we take ourselves in America. Me with my gigantic office filled with filing cabinets and shelves, my very own computer and printer, our huge board rooms where we schedule very important meetings with very important people with very important titles. I mean come on, I work at a University, I'm not curing cancer here....my head immediately deflated a size.
As I went on site visits seeing a variety of industries from a 2 person staffed independent record label to a American-owned health care agency, I noticed that even their "more professional" industries aren't as professional as Americans. The dress, for instance, isn't as formal. You rarely saw full suits, you saw jeans at even more professionals places, and for some reason nothing ever seamed ironed. My husband walking around the streets even noticed how men's ties weren't tied as neat and were always all wrinkled. When I asked about work hours, I chuckled to myself when they said that some industries, like finance, has to put in long hours of 8a-6p. And it's not that they don't do good work or don't work hard, it's just...well...different.
Biggest Disappointment
Westminster Abbey, which we fondly referred to as W.A. the rest of the trip because we refused to say it's name. It was 18 pounds to get in and the biggest waste of our hard earned money. I don't know why but we just weren't into it. You walk around and look at graves. I had really wanted to see it but just wasn't into it while we were there. I was kind of like, "this is it." Maybe because we refused to pay the additional 4 pounds each to get the audio sets. Who knows. We went to this on one of our first days and it made it difficult for us to spend any money to see something after that because we didn't want to waste more money. We kept saying, "oh I wouldn't mind paying 10 pounds each to go see that if we hadn't spent that money on W.A." Finally, we had to get over our disappointment and more forward. They next thing we paid to see was London Tower and we were so glad we did. It ended up being one of both our favorite things of the trip. The better deal, Westminster Cathedral. I really liked that and it was free (well, a donation to the church upon entrance...cost us 3 pounds and another 2 to light some candles). To pour salt in the wound, we found out later you can see W.A. for free if you attend during a service.
Best Food
Belgian Waffle from the Belgian Waffle Company outside of the Baker St. station. I recommend fruit and ice cream topping.
Frae - organic frozen yogurt company across the street from my house. Three flavors: natural, strawberry, and green tea (I preferred the natural). You could add toppings of fruit and sweets. In the short time we were here, I almost racked up a full frequent visitor card to earn a free Frae.
Thai Curry has become London's home dish. Brick Lance is a street you can find a whole row of Thai restaurants. On a good night, you can walk by and have restaurants bargaining for your business (I'll give you 10% off plus a free appetizer). We tried Rosa's after a few online reviews which was actually just off of Brick Lane. I had a yummy pumpkin red Thai curry. Kensington Arms was also great and very reasonably priced. It's a pub with a Thai kitchen in the back, both of which are always packed. Also, it's like a 5 minute walk from my place so very convenient.
Summation
Well, so much for keeping it short.
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