Where is the shower? Where do I dry my clothes? (A very long update!)

We have not had internet access for a few days, so this one is quite long.

9 November 2009

Showers are an afterthought in houses built in the 1930’s. So, most showers are retro-fit to work with the claw foot tub. It’s an interesting setup. Also, no shower curtain. A piece of glass on hinges, about 1/3 the of the length of the tub is supposed to keep the water off the floor. I suppose it works most of the time. I tried to take photos- don’t know if you can see it.
We have also learned that most households don’t have clothes dryers. They hang their clothes out to dry (do they not know that it rains A LOT!?!), or they drape them over the radiators to dry. This is actually pretty effective. Our clothes were dry in about 30 minutes that way. They hung outside ALL DAY, and only got cold, then we draped them over the radiators and in half hour, they were toasty. Fortunately, our house has a dryer. Though it is in the garage, which is detached from the house, in the back of the garden (small back yard). So, washing machine in the kitchen, dryer in the garage (unless we choose to use radiators.) I suppose it’s an energy savings to use the radiators, particularly if they are on anyway.
For the first week, we stayed with a friend, Kimberly. She hosts people who come to England to learn English in an immersion program. Since she has students for the next few weeks, and our house is not available until 1 December, we are officially transient. We are in a small, privately owned hotel for a few days, and then our estate agent will have a 2 bedroom apartment for us to stay in until our house is ready. It’s very much a bohemian existence at this point! But, it’s what we chose, given our housing options. I will say that our choice of area in which to live has been very much validated by our colleagues. They have all affirmed that we have chosen a nice, decent area with great schools. So, I suppose it’s worth the wait in the long run. (Particularly since leases are for 2 years!)

We started training for our jobs on Monday. It was a good day, lots of information, meeting many people. We both enjoy the people on our units (we call them teams). Everyone was very nice and helpful. I have to mention Camille. She moved here from New York at the end of September. She has been extremely helpful, meeting with us to find a hotel in a decent area, providing directions to get to work. The biggest glitch is that there was a bus driver’s strike on Monday, which affected ALL of the busses we knew to take to work. We even had a couple of routes available to us, and all of the buses were affected. So, making a great impression, we arrived at work 45 minutes late! It took over 2 hours to get there! It should take no more than 30 minutes, if the buses are running, even if traffic is horrible! We were able to call and let them know, and we were in touch with Camille by phone. She was in the same position as us, but knew a little more about bus routes and provided some guidance that eventually got us there. Fortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence, so everyone was very understanding, particularly since we couldn’t be expected to know the bus routes yet. (The Tube routes are very easy to figure out, if you know where you are and where you’re going. Bus routes are too numerous to post publicly the way the underground routes are posted.)

On Saturday, we were able to play tourist. We went to Greenwich Park, which is home of the Royal Observatory and Planetarium. It is also a very large, beautiful park. What’s amazing, is that these huge, green parks are all over the city. Greenwich is one of the bigger parks, but they are everywhere. In the city! The Royal Observatory is home of the Prime Meridian -- it is where 0 degrees longitude is defined (the line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole.) It is also where Greenwich Mean Time is defined. You see on world clocks that time zones are defined in terms of GMT + or – some number of hours. For example, Kansas City is in the time zone defined by GMT – 6 hours. So, this is where GMT is defined! Our time zone is therefore Greenwich Mean Time. This was defined in the late 1700’s, based upon astronomical observations and mathematical analysis of early astronomers. Very fascinating! The Royal Observatory is also home of the World’s 7th largest telescope-- a 28 inch telescope. It is HUGE!
We had lunch at The Trafalgar—a pub famous for early figures of literature, including Charles Dickinson. It sits right on the bank of the Thames. After lunch, we went to the Royal Naval College. The “building” is split in half so that the Royalty in residence (at the Queen's House-- but a Queen never resided there) when it was built could maintain their view of the river. In one building is a large, very ornate chapel. This is where Lord Nelson laid in State when he died. The other building has what is referred to as “The Painted Room.” Again, very large and ornate. It houses a very elegant dining hall.
Oh, and all of this is FREE! Most of the museums in London are free. Don’t worry, though. There are plenty of sites and activities where you can spend your money!

10 November 2009

Second day of “work.” We are training with our work units, so we are getting to know the people with whom we will work the most. Everyone is very nice and helpful. There is a nice mix of people who have been working in this area for a long time and people who are new. There is certainly a lot to learn!

Public transportation, while convenient, is a bit of a pain, particularly at rush hour. The buses have to drive on the roads with all of the cars. It’s pretty amazing that very small cars take on these big buses, fighting for their space in the road. Additionally, both buses and tubes are VERY FULL during rush hour. We’ve watched people squeeze into the tube such that the are almost closed in the doors, just to get on the thing! People are crammed in like sardines. I try to remember Mandt stances: strong front to back with a front stance, and strong side to side with a side stance. It’s VERY useful when you are balancing on a bus or train. (Our Mental Health Center colleagues will understand that reference, but the principles are true for everyone.)
After work, we signed the lease on our house. It was 20 pages long! We did read through it, and it’s mostly about what the landlord gets. We just get the place for the agreed upon amount and have to take good care of it.

After that, we met up with my friend, Rich. Rich and I went to junior high and high school together. He has been in London for about 12 years. He took us through the area where he lives, which just happens to be very near the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. It’s funny how such deep, rich history sits amidst modern buildings. (Or rather, modern tall buildings sit amidst history...) All around the Tower and Bridge are fairly new office, retail and restaurant buildings. Of course, this is all along the banks of the Thames, so it’s very high end. I have enough city girl in me that I really enjoyed it.

It's been quite a week-- learning about our jobs, meeting the people, securing housing (both permanent and temporary, since our permanent home isn't ready until 1 December.) All the while, trying to figure out this thorough and complex public transportation system. We'll get it though. Today, David and I got seperated on a "bendy bus." These are buses with an accordian like thing in the middle that help them take corners. They are pretty funny looking. Anyway, we got seperated and since I have been the navigator, and keep numbers in my head, David got lost and confused. He did find his way, but it took a long time!

Are you tired of reading yet? I'm tired of typing!

Until next post...