London week 3

Hey you lot!

I have been promising an update…. So here it is!

I made it to Salisbury and Stonehenge as planned! Stonehenge was amazing and the weather couldn’t have been better.

Salisbury has a large and beautiful cathedral and the best copy of the 4 remaining Magna Carta's. The town is famous for the market square and the cathedral. I was there on a Market day so I got to see the hustle and bustle…after a bit wandering with my ice cream cone and I headed home.

I have not made it to Windsor or Greenwich like I said… but I plan to this weekend!

I moved out of my temporary flat and into my new place on June 8th. I only had 2 suitcases so it wasn't too much trouble! The rest of my things from the US (a shipment of about 20 boxes 430 lbs!) was to be available for delivery on Friday the 9th… but it didn't arrive until the 13th! I had to start work on the 12th so that meant time for shopping!

I spent the weekend getting to know the neighbourhood relaxing a bit. I am close to a shopping "mall" (Whitley's), Hyde Park, Notting Hill, etc. There are many restaurants nearby including Indian, Brazilian, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, American (even a soul food place called "Harlem"!), Jamaican, Pakistani, even a Mexican Taquria! (it's really good!), and of course plenty of English Pubs. Sometimes they have funny names… (well at least funny to me!)

Just around the corner I have a grocery, dry cleaner, shoe repair, library, gym, etc. which is good because I have to walk everywhere! I took a lot of pictures of my flat as I knew some of you wanted to see it… so here they are:

A couple of times recently I stopped by the Ten Bells pub. It was very close to my temporary flat. It is famous for being the place where Jack the Ripper used to pick up prostitutes. Yikes! The area is pretty up and coming these days. It is right next to a big church! Weird.

Oh. Here is a picture of how cool I am standing outside the Tate Modern. Pretty cool huh!

I am trying to write things down that I see or hear that are funny to me… because I figure soon it will sound normal! Mom suggested a journal..and I think that may be a plan… maybe I can just print these e-mails and paste them in… (wow very accountant like Scott!)

Here is some funny words or phrases and their translations:
1) A-"zed" = A-Z
2) "Splash Out" = spend lots of money on fancy things
3) "Petrol Head" = "Gear Head" - US person who likes cars
4) "Flash Car" = fancy car
5) "New Joiner" = New Hire - what they call a person who just started at a company
6) "Hash Key" = this is the pound sign to us!
7) "Top Up" = add to
8) "Dressing Gown" = robe
9) "Jumper" = sweatshirt
10) "advert" = commercial, advertisement
11) "you lot" = "ya'll" -Texas, "yoos guys" - New York, you all - the rest of the world
12) "Junction" = intersection
13) "Bird" = girl, girlfriend (just girl works too.)
14) "Bloke" = guy (guy doesn't work for this one!)

There are many others but most of them you have probably heard before, so I wont bore you.
I have been watching a lot of world cup football… go England! It is quite the experience at any local pub! (well America is out already…) Not this weekend but next I am going to watch the matches at Wimbledon!

My next big adventure is in July. I am going to Madrid and Pamplona Spain for a 4 day weekend! I will be visiting Pamplona during the San Fermin festival, where I will take part in the running of the bulls! Cross your fingers for me! :os In Madrid I will visit the museums (world famous!) and just wander around the city. In Pamplona, besides the bull run, I will try to attend a bull fight and just wander the festival.

Work is going well. Mostly because I haven't had to do much yet! It is just like starting a new job, the workload will ramp up. I have had lots of paperwork, and training, etc. to complete. The strange thing in the UK (that will kill some of you in the US!) is a standard workday here is 7 hours! The extra hour seems to be taken in the morning because the normal work arrival time is 9-9:30am… my colleagues consider 8:30 early!! Granted I will probably not be working 7 hours, but when I have little to do I have been! :)

My big excitement for work is our annual global offering services (my group or "service line") meeting in September. It is a 3 day training in Athens, Greece! They were kind enough to schedule it on a Tue- Thursday, that way you can stay a long weekend and make a trip of it. All of the people who work in our group from around the world will be there. It will be very interesting.

Now what should I do in August…. Hmmm.

Anyway… that's it for now. I hope all is well with you and yours!

Cheers!

London week 1

Well.. I made it to London and survived my first week. Despite not always remembering to look the correct way when crossing the street. Thankfully the British have had a few visitors before me with this problem so they paint directions on the ground!

My wallet is a bit lighter and I get the feeling it is going to stay that way. The prices on pretty much everything looks the same as you would expect; Fast food combo meal 5.50, Bottle of water 1.10, Starbucks blackcoffee 1.45…. But then you remember that it's in pounds so youhave to multiply by 1.9 to get to US dollars. So a plain black coffee atStarbucks (or any of the competitors) cost me about $2.75 - ouch! I havehad to stop converting otherwise I think I would starve to death. (I saw aTGIFridays.. A burger=10.95= $21 US!)

My first couple of weeks I am not working. I am staying in a serviced apartment paid for by Deloitte while I look for a place. I have toured the neighborhoods a bit. Then went out with estate agents looking at places. They quote the rent here in weekly amounts (even though you pay monthly). I think it is a way of making it sound cheaper as a small weekly diff can add up to a big monthly diff when you multiply by 4.33! Additionally occupants get to pay "counsel tax" which as far as I can tell is like property tax..but they may have that too. The fun starts again when you convert to US dollars!

All of the estate agents spoke English, and were young… but hell if I could understand everything they said, between their accents, different terminology, slang, etc… I started getting a little frustrated with the process by the end of the week, because every agent will listen to your particulars then show you 3 (always 3 for some reason) properties that are the closest they have to what you want… even if the closest they have doesn't match at all! Argh! Salespeople!

I eventually wound up "letting" (renting) a "flat" (apartment) in Bayswater which is next to Notting Hill. It is within a 10 minute walk of 4 tube(subway) stations servicing 5 lines. It is also about a 10 minute walk from Hyde park or the shopping, bars, clubs and cinema's of Notting Hill and not too far from the west end. My flat backs up to a beautiful communal garden(to which I have access), and faces a building across the street with nowindows facing my direction and a big tree! (A surprising amount of privacyfor the city) I am guessing my commute to work will consist of a 10 minwalk to the tube, a 10-15 minute tube ride and a 5 min walk to the office.

My flat is furnished (many are), somewhere between 400-450 sq ft, and a third floor walk up. To you that translates as 4th floor (they start with Ground here) no "lift" (elevator). Anyway.. all those stairs offset the price of being in a desirable area to a mere 300 ppw, plus annual counsel taxes of "only" about 800 per year. For those non-accountants that's about:1,365 "quid" (bucks) a month or about $2,600 US. Now ask me how I am coming up with a6 week deposit and the first months rent?!

What else have I been up to besides calculating how much everything costs in $$? I went to the Tate Modern (museum) yesterday. Today I wandered around the Portobello street market in Notting Hill and saw the house where George Orwell lived. Monday I am going to the Templar church for a tour and talk on the Da Vinci Code. Tuesday I am going to Greenwich to visit the observatory and see the point where 0 longitude was established (woo hoo!). Wednesday I am going to Stonehenge. Thursday/ Friday I am moving in to my new place! Anyway… I have bored you all enough.. Expect an update when I feel like I have something to say or some pictures to share.

Until then,

"Cheers"