Solid first day. Successfully made it to the office and met my new team. Working in learning & development will be very different than sales, but I'm looking forward to the change. The two UK offices I've visited are both beautiful buildings in a really cool neighborhood about a mile from my 'flat.' (editors note: I'm going to continue to put horns around the British slang I use because I don't believe 3 months, never mind 1 day, is enough to pick up a dialect...)
Couple of learnings today, courtesy of my friend Ann: In the UK,
- they will put tuna, egg and mayo on everything if you don't specify
- Rocket is a bitter lettuce, like an arugula
- If you order a sandwich, 'salad' means they're going to throw lettuce and tomato on it
- "white coffee" is just the regular, filtered coffee we're used to in the states (as opposed to silty, unfiltered coffee)
Few troubles I ran into, related to trying to get cell phone service
- My phone is locked, so I can't just pop an international SIM card into it to get usage
- Apparently, there are people on any corner who will unlock your phone for 5 pounds (a pound, luckily, is only worth 60 cents, so its cheap)
- The basic "pay as you go" cell phone plan allows something like 500MB/month of data for a set fee. I have no idea what that means in terms of how much email, text messaging or "F, I'm lost, lemme look this up on maps" data that adds up to. Apparently, no one really does, because everyone I ask just repeats back to me "500MB/month." If you keep repeating the same thing to me, it doesn't make it easier for me to understand. It just frustrates me. If you say it louder, the effect is just...louder.
- I still had some real issues understanding people with a Brittish accent, and having people understand my American accent, which made me think of the following scenario:
The guy at the phone store, when I first conveyed that I couldn't understand him, repeated the same thing, but said it a little slower. When I didn't understand the second time, he started to almost mimic my accent, to help me understand. That just made it seem more garbled. I realize its something that happens a lot. I mimic the accent, or affect, of whoever I'm talking to.
I have a friend who grew up in Memphis and he has a very cool, laconic drawl when he talks. If I hang out with him long enough, I don't notice it, unless other people he grew up with are around...in which case, the accent gets more pronounced, and then I have a hard time understanding him. I then realize that when I'm talking to him, I tend to mimic his accent; not to mock him, or help him understand me...but because that's how he talks. I wonder how often this happens.
Also, because of the aforementioned issues and my unwillingness to pay a gypsy 3 dollars to unlock my phone, I found myself making plans without a phone. Non-mobile social life requires thorough planning and precision execution. I had to meet a friend at 630 to get on the 'tube' with her, to ride 4 stops out to meet another friend at a 'pub' who wasn't sure exactly what time we were getting there, so had to be positioned at a 'bar' sipping a 'pint' with a clear line of site at the 'tube' exit. IT worked quite well. There is life after cell.
And for those who know my sense of direction, be impressed...I expertly navigated a full commute to and form work with 8 total subway stops spread across 2 trips to say hi to some friends and have dinner.
Not a bad day.
Tomorrow, I'll be spending time at the third office and meeting some of the local retail team.
Not a bad day.
Tomorrow, I'll be spending time at the third office and meeting some of the local retail team.
Cheers
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