Character Development

Well, it’s Wednesday evening and we just finished having a traditional English meal of fish, chips and peas. Chan is working on homework, listening to music, and most likely checking Facebook and Rick is telling us about his encounters with his most interesting students. Today, in fact, one of his most hum, hum needy students actually brought him a Dr. Phil book that he is reading in an attempt to understand why Rick “didn’t like him”. He actually went through all of the points that would identify if he was in fact an annoying individual and he tried to convince Mr. Teather that he did not meet the criteria. Bad choice, young man, is all I can say. Very bad choice.

So, I have also been thinking about doing some short stories around characters that I encounter on the trains. There is no shortage of strange and wonderful things that happen during my morning commute and here's a sample.

There’s the silent business type that avoids eye contact with fellow passengers and either buries his or her head into the Metro newspaper or their Blackberry. They are quiet and reserved and even if there is a ruckus of impatient travellers pushing and cursing at one another because of overcrowding, they never flinch. They are like robots, really. Must check email, must read news, must get off train and head to office, must not stop. Exterminate, exterminate. If only they were as engaging as The Doctor.

Then there are the groomers. These are ladies that enjoy making a public display of themselves by either doing their makeup (now I am not just talking powdering their noses either, they are applying the entire gamut) and/or their hair. I have to say that when I women sits next to me and she pulls out her makeup bag busting with an assortment of powders, blushes, mascaras, lipstick, and oversized brushes, I start to squirm. I often wonder how it makes a man feel, if it makes me squeamish.

The third type of passenger that sticks out to me is the cell phone junkie. Their biggest fear is leaving their phones idle in their hands for an extended period of time. They have to call someone, anyone, to say someone or nothing and no matter how personal the conversation may become, fellow passengers will have the pleasure of listening to it. Why just the other day, I had to endure a woman explaining to the doctor how she yes indeed does clean her ears out, and another giving full names to a client (hope one of them wasn’t on that train), and yet another talking about her custody battle and her visits to the lawyers. Why, oh, why do you want a train full of strangers hearing these things?

So traveller four is the music enthusiast. The difference with these avid music fans on the trains from say maybe you or me, is that they assume that the rest of the world enjoys the same kind of stuff they are listening too. So much so that they have to play it at a volume that gives other commuters no choice but to listen to it line by line, bar by bar, chord by chord, bloody friggen beat by beat.

Interestingly enough, I think I have a solution for this dilemma. What if I made like I really dug the song that was blaring from the music enthusiast's head and I just got up and started boogying? Man, I wish I brought the taps shoes. Would the silent business type stop scanning the Blackberry? Would the Avon lady lay down her mascara? And would the cell phone junkie tell their caller to call back?

Into a Groove

Well, it is the middle of January and it is hard to believe that it is winter. No snow, the birds are chirping, and the streets smell of dirt. It seems so odd not to be battling sub-zero temperatures and mounds of snow. I have to say that although I do miss the sunshine (which we really don’t get a lot of) I don’t miss Canadian winters. They are so wearing. Boots on, undershirt, t shirt, turtleneck, sweater, double up on the socks, and ensure little skin as possible is exposed. I would feel like Randy in the Christmas Story. And that was just to take the garbage out!
Rick often jokes about how green things are here and just the other day said, “It’s time to cut the grass again.” Well, obviously, it is too wet to do that but the concept alone that the grass continues to grow even in January is very amusing to us. People still have flower pots at their doorsteps and hanging baskets on porches. The market sells bulbs of hyacinth and primrose and English Ivy continues to thrive along fences.

Apart from the differences in weather, we seem to be adjusting nicely to our new life. Rick comes home less freaked out than he did in those crazy early months as a new teacher. He laughs and jokes more than when he first started his job and he tells some terrific stories of his antics at the school with students. His new year’s motto is “Don’t get mad, get even.” And for those of you that know Rick well, he is brilliant at that!

Now that I am working, I have established a routine, which is always important to one’s mental health, as far as I am concerned. Having a purpose for the day is what helps me spring out of bed. I was feeling so incredibly lonesome and isolated without a job. This time alone, however, was a very positive experience in that it made me appreciate the work that I do every day. Not that I didn’t before when I was working for the school board. It is just that this is so different. Working in another country and in the private sector with so many different cultures is such a treat. It has been a mind altering experience for me. It is also a confidence booster in that I have been able to take my past experiences and skills acquired in my life so far and apply them somewhere else and be successful. I know I shouldn’t doubt my abilities, but hey, who doesn’t have pangs of anxiety over making a huge leap outta the comfort zone and into unchartered territory?

Well, Chan maybe. He’s a star, really. No complaints from him. As I have shared with you before, this transition has been practically seamless for him. I admire his keen sense of self at such an early age. I wish I had that at 15. His friends are great boys and stop by to meet him as they head off to Bluewater (one of England’s largest shopping malls) to hang out or see a movie, go for a workout at the local fitness club, or head to a party only minutes away from our house. He loves having his independence and this is due to the fact that the bus is at our doorstep and he can come and go without having to rely on us to taxi him around.

This has also meant that Rick and I finally have more time as a couple. How nice is that?! Just today we headed out to Greenwich to see an exhibition on the history of the sun at the Planetarium. We took our time because we could and had a lovely stroll through the park and talked about couple junk. With the house being maintenance free and so easy to clean, and Chan doing Chan stuff, we have time to enjoy some touring and sight-seeing and focus on us.

My Story on BBC

Dear friends and family,

I have recently entered a writing contest with BBC called "My Story". There will be several winners and five will get a book deal.

Here is the link to my entry. I would appreciate it if after reading it you would indicate that you like it (if you do in fact like it). I am hoping this will increase my exposure and set my story out from the many that have been submitted and perhaps it will be featured on their home page. Please feel free to pass this link along to your friends or family. If you don't have any luck with this link, the website is www.bbc.co.uk/mystory and it is under the topic of Discovery and was posted on December 15, 2009.

I hope you enjoy "My Story" called "Stranger in a Familiar Land".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/apps/vision/opinion/log2results?L2REndPage=/mystory/stories/discovery/168974/%3Fi_like_this%3D1;&source=/mystory/stories/::vapp::gallery::168974&axis=ilikethis&title=/cgi-perl/apps/ifl/queryengine.pl/mystory&max_choice=1&L2REndPage-non-js=&choice=1

Home Away from Home

Having just returned from a few days visiting my family in Solihull, I realize that our little place is feeling more like home. Rick has added some nice touches and has made himself a desk (really a must for a teacher and all of his paperwork and marking), a coat rack, and most recently a terrific pot holder in our tiny kitchen. With limited cupboard and drawer space having somewhere else to place the pots really was a must. It was a bit of a jigsaw puzzle making sure that things would fit back in their places of origin. Did they really go there to begin with? It is hard to decide whether to make this place a home given that we are here for a short time or simply a place to live.

A natural course of evolution seems to occur, however, and you see a mat that would look great in the bathroom, or sheets that match nicely with the duvet, or a lamp that would cozy up a dark corner. Suddenly the house you are renting becomes the home you are living in. And is that such a bad thing after all? Isn’t it nice to feel a sense of comfort and belonging? It doesn’t mean that I don’t still long for my rambling country home in Douro. I can’t help but think of what Rick said when he was travelling in the 80's though. “Home is where your pack is,” he has told me. Having moved a lot as a child, I wasn’t sure I wanted to think about living out of a pack. Being more grounded and permanent was much more appealing to me as an adult.

Did he mean then that I shouldn’t become attached to my home away from home? But getting back to our recent return to Dartford after our holiday travels suddenly brought something to light. My packs rest here now. And my pack could rest somewhere else in the future. Not that I am rushing off to our next adventure. But I do see what he means and I think it also has something to do with contentment which in our day and age is not an easy thing to achieve.

So when we walked in the door with our luggage in hand, that familiar smell of home was apparent, and I was eager to hang my coat on the rack, pull up to desk and check my email, and tuck our things away in the drawers.

Merry Christmas

Well, we just returned from a four day trip of Amsterdam and now we are enjoying a quiet Christmas together. There is no snow here, the temperature today was about 5 above and we decided to go for a walk to clear our bleary travel heads. I told Rick Merry Christmas a couple of times during our walk just to remind us that it really was. It did feel kind of strange not doing all of the things one normally does today. No turkey cooking in the oven, no tree, no presents under the tree (the trip was our gift to each other) and no kids. But it certainly is freeing not having all of the hassles that also come with this holiday and I do like that part of it. At the end of our walk we stopped by our local convenience store and Rick bought a couple of bottles of Becks and a pack of Dr Who action cards for me. He has played a few Christmas tunes on his newly acquired keyboard, we have nibbled on the smoked Norwegian salmon we brought back from our trip and chatted with Joyce, Lori, Molly, and Jackson and emailed friends and family. It has made me think about what Christmas is really all about. Don't you think we get so tangled up in all the hoopla and end up tired and stressed by Christmas that we are ready to kill someone? This is the first Christmas in I don't know how long that I haven't felt guilty, tired, worn out, freaked out, or wishing for the day to be over. Sounds rotten, I know. But let's be serious. If we love each other, why wait until today to say so? Why wait until December fricken 25th to call your mom, or your sister, or your best friends. Love them everyday. Appreciate them and cherish them and count your blessing whether it is your stable income, a warm home, or a terrific meal. After all, we don't need Santa to remind us if we have been naughty or nice. We should already know in our hearts what ever day of the year it may be.

Love and blessings to all of my dear friends and family and all of the best for 2010.

The Land of Oz

Having just finished week three of my new job in London, I still find myself in awe of this amazing city. Every lunch hour, I walk across London Bridge and make my way through the busy streets exploring and scouting out new places to shop. It seems that there is no shortage of tourists, too, despite the fact that the weather is cool and blustery. So often I see them stopping to take photos on the bridge which looks onto the Thames, of course, and not far off to Tower Bridge. People often confuse these bridges. I think it is because the Tower Bridge is so much more majestic and ornate with golden tipped peaks. The London Bridge is, well, a bridge over the Thames and if you didn't read the signs you could easily pass over it without knowing it's importance. The lunch hour is a blur of businessmen in suits talking on mobile phones, people jogging, women in sky rocket heels and teeny skirts (don't they ever get cold?) and so many different languages being spoken as people pass by that my brain is whirring from trying to take it all in. I can't help but feel excited to be amongst this hive of activity.

The offices of Ernst and Young are situated next to City Hall and when I pass through the revolving doors into the reception area, I feel like Dorothy in the Land of Oz. Just the other day, when the weather was particularly wet and nasty, and I was entering the building with my umbrella dripping, the reception personnel/greeter dudes were at the doors with a machine that I have never seen before. When I asked what it was, my favourite greeter guy said that he invented it just for me. He took my drenched umbrella and stuck it in the machine and it came out dry with a long plastic sleeve over it. I must have looked like a complete dork standing there gawking at my umbrella then the machine then my umbrella and then as I walked towards my department, again at my umbrella.

So the umbrella service was pretty awesome and the fact that I had inspired an invention was even more uplifting, but get this, each floor of the building is colour coordinated – so red for floor #4 and orange for level 5 and yellow for 6. But to top it off each floor has it's own latte/coffee/tea/hot chocolate/mocha machine and we can have whatever we want for free. There is also an in-house catering service that looks after all of the meeting rooms. They have staff, dressed in black suits, hired exclusively to look after the catering and push trolley's around to replenish each meeting room with herbal teas, sparkling water, and coffee served in china cups and saucers with pictures of the Tower Bridge on them.

There is also a coffee bar on site which serves speciality coffees and breakfast foods and, in addition, a main cafeteria with a buffet bursting with homemade soups, salad bar, fresh pies, desserts, deli sandwiches and hot pasta dishes, roast beef meals and curries. And I am sure I have missed mentioning other things that are offered there too.

Now that Christmas isn't far away, the most magnificent decorations with a theme of white and silver are tastefully appointed throughout the building. My favourite are the two enormous urns that are filled with white branches and clustered with a wonderful array of interesting floral pieces and Christmas bobbles. I really wanted to take a photo but another greeter dude said I had to get permission. My favourite one wasn't there the day I brought my camera to work. Apparently, I am not supposed to take photos outside of the offices either. So when you see my photos which I have attached I have taken them from a distance. I was afraid they would cart me off, if I got too close. Not sure of the reasoning for this but when I get the chance I am going to ask the inventor of the umbrella machine. He might even pose in a shot with me. So stay tuned for that.

London Good

Hello, dear friends and family. You have probably wondered where I have been. Well, first of all I have been having some internet challenges. Almost got to the point where I was going to throw my lap top out onto the lawn with utter frustration. Well, that is hopefully behind me now. Rick was able to sort out the issue and I am up and running again. My big news is that I have a temporary job working in HR for Ernst and Young in London. I have to say that I am pretty happy about getting this assignment. Firstly, I didn't realize just how lonely I was getting staying at home while the boys went to school and secondly, I missed my financial independence. When the temp agency called about this opportunity to work with their recruiting team for three months at a good salary, I would have had to check my sanity (for the 50th time since arriving, I might add)if I said no.

Working in London has been pretty interesting so far. It is truly a melting pot and I get to work with people from all over the world. So when I open my mouth and my very Canadian voice comes out, I don't feel like a freak. Instead, I fit right in. At lunch I get to go for a stroll along the Thames and pass City Hall, gaze at the Tower Bridge and examine the Gerkin. I can't tell you the number of times I have uttered to myself, "OMG, I am working in London!".

My commute to work is simple. I catch a bus outside our doorstep and within 5 minutes I am at the train station in Dartford. The train to London Bridge takes me 35 minutes and after a 5 minute walk, I am at the EY offices. I plan to write something in my blog about the happenings on the train. People get weird after a long day at work, the darkness at 4:30pm and being crammed into a car with 100 other riders. So look for my stories on these adventures.

I have already made several friends from my corporate induction on Monday and we had lunch together today. It was so good to chat and laugh with the ladies and I felt a bit of a lurch in my heart when I thought about my dear friends at KPR. I do miss all of you! When we talked about our families and I explained my situation, I felt emotional when I remembered Keaton and Molly, my mom, my sister, my dad, and my best pal, Debbra (sorry, I mean Chickie). But I know you will all be there when I get home and we will have so many more new stories to share with each other.

So now the next time I go to see our friend, Robert, that works in the convenience store around the corner from here, I will indeed let him know when he asks, "London good, London good?" Yes, so far London is good. London is good.