The Quest for Robin Hood

First weekend in England! I slept in this morning since I went to bed pretty late, just for the sake of it being Friday night. It was a relaxing day, and I strolled around Leister in the late morning. There is quite a bit of shopping in the city center area, which is pretty convenient. I have to say, though, there is just a weird vibe about the city that I am not too fond of. There a sense of shadyness in the air.

With any con, there's always a pro. A big pro is the awesome farmer's market less than a 10-minute walk away. Filled with colorful fresh fruits and veggies, it is a massive market with vendors shouting about their ripe peaches loudly in monotone song trying to get their produce sold. It was quite a scene, and reminded me a bit of the fish market in Brooklyn Chinatown. They are known to shout aloud too.

Leicester Market

As it was approaching lunchtime, I wanted to experience true English tea and planned to visit a nearby place called Mrs Bridges Tea Room but didn't quite make it. My Google map was acting wacky and it did not take me there. I will have to save that for next time. On the way, I came across a coffee shop/cellar restaurant called Crustys. It was pretty ordinary and it seemed like most of the people were regulars. I did not feel weird eating alone here, since there were plenty others doing the same for their morning coffee and breakfast. I had the Small Breakfast plate that consisted of the normal breakfast items: bacon, sausage, sunny-side up egg and toast. There was also a choice of tomatoes or beans. I chose the tomatoes, but they were not what I expected. Actually, the plate was not what I expected. The typical American breakfast usually consists of a crispy bacon, which in this case was more like a dry greasy ham. The sausage also had a different flavor profile, that was also more stale ham. The tomatoes were more like canned tomato mush that had a spoiled sour taste to it. It certainly was not the most palatable of foods, and by appearances not the most attractive either. So far, England lives up to its reputation of mediocre food. The coffee was very mild. It was the first cup of regular roast coffee I've had in England, so I can't really tell if that is just how it is in the UK. It's drastically different from the strong, flavorful, bitter Puerto Rican coffee my husband and I had on our honeymoon. Far from it! While being very mild, it was okay... this is coming from a non-coffee drinker. The meal was around 4£, although I don't remember the exact number. Overall, I would give the place a C.

Crustys Small Breakfast

The afternoon approached and I headed off to the train station to get to Nottingham. Wikipedia says it's linked to Robin Hood. I have heard my

Leicester Train Station

colleagues say it is a nice area, so I wanted to take a look and explore. It was about a 25 minute ride north and only 2 stops away from Leicester. Immediately, I felt the odd energy I got from Leicester disappear. The city center area was quite similar to Leicester with shopping malls, shops and restaurants but the people were mostly young families. It seemed so much safer and cleaner. I really wish I had the chance to visit the area before I decided on a place to live. Despite Nottingham being a 40 minute drive to work and needing to rent a car, I am seriously considering moving there.

Old Market Square, Nottingham

This is an area called Old Market Square, a large public area where people just hang out. There are festivals and events that happen there. It was the Night of Festivals today and the square had people dressed/painted as festive skeletons and dragons dancing and parading to drums and music. 

Night of Festivals

Dinner was at a Turkish restaurant, paying homage to the project I am on at work for the Turkish market. I saw it as an opportunity to immerse myself in Turkish cuisine, which I know absolutely nothing about. The place was called Anatalya. I went in with no expectations and an open mind, and asked for recommendations. The waiter pointed to the Iskender Kabob, cubes of lamb, chicken and köfte with home-made sauce served on pita bread, garlic yogurt and aubergine. It was tasty and very filling. The lamb was tender, which I preferred over the chicken. The dish was mostly meat and sauce-soaked pita bread with the occasional tomato and pepper. After the meal concluded, I was presented with a few slices of complimentary fruit. I guess that offset the meat... a little?

Iskender Kabob, from Anatalya Turkish Restaurant

I was satisfied with the food. Although I got plenty of strange looks from patrons for eating alone. Oh how I miss my other half! 

Overall, I give it a C+. It was decent but not exceptional. The final bill was at about 12£.

Where I really wanted to go for dinner was a French restaurant called Le Bistrot Pierre. It got really good ratings, however the place was fully booked right at dinner opening (5:30 pm). Most people made advance reservations. Next time!

Cheers to beautiful Nottingham! Operation-move-me-there-asap!

Driving Round About on the Other Side

One thing I miss quite a bit is driving. I have been driving since I was 16 years old, and have always been dependent on having the flexibility and comfort of hopping in a car and going where I want/need to. I would have to say though for now, it's a good thing I don't drive yet. First, driving on the left side of the road and sitting on the right is strange. I am sure it's just as weird for the English when they visit America in the same exact way. Even as a pedestrian, I get confused by which way I should be looking for cars. I guess looking both ways is the safest bet.

There are roundabouts everywhere! They come in all shapes and sizes, big ones and small ones... some with pork pie.

 

So without having a car, I have been carpooling or "car sharing" for the past few work days. It turns out that everyone in the car is from Spain. And a side note, I think they have really nice accents. Deep down I feel a little guilty for tagging along, because my presence prohibits them from speaking in their native tongue to each other. I guess I'll just have to learn more Spanish! Regardless, I have found them to be the most friendly and welcoming people I have encountered as of yet. The ladies offered to take me around town and even invited me to work out with them at the gym. I've also noticed that they are really open and honest people, which makes it very easy to talk to them. That is certainly something I really appreciate. The English tend to be quite reserved, which I understand and relate to also. No doubt they are friendly too, but the ice is a little harder to break.

Seabass con Gamberetti

The week finished off quite well overall as I get a better understanding of the office and make more connections with colleagues. I got moved to another flat in the building, which was an improvement but I am still trying to move out to a different one in a safer area/building. Still waiting on the relocation agency, and bags aren't unpacked yet. Fingers crossed!

Cherry Panna Cotta

Tonight's dinner was at an Italian restaurant a couple blocks away called Altro Mondo. It was a small quaint place with a homey feel. The waiter was very friendly and the owner offered for me to stay for Friday night karaoke. A small dish of black and green olives with onions were provided as a little appetizer. I had the Seabass con Gamberetti, which was seabass fish cooked with prawns, garlic, white wine and served in a creamy tomato sauce. I paired it with a glass of white house wine (only house wines were sold by the glass) that was very mild and complimented well. The fish was extremely tender and melted in the mouth, however the prawns were a bit overcooked and soggy. The tomato base seemed quite fresh, although was indeed very tomato. I had hoped that there would some cream to cut the acid as described, but I am pretty sure it was mostly just tomato sauce. I would give it a B+ overall with it being quite tasty but didn't blow me away. The place was quite affordable at 21£ that included the main course, wine and a dessert. I'll be back again for sure!

 Cheers!

First day of work!

I, along with 6 others in a multibillion-dollar global corporation, have the wonderful privilege of participating in a 6-month rotation program this year. Most companies these days have gotten rid of programs like these due to budget constraints considering this is certainly a huge investment for them. Others employees from countries around the world got placed in various offices ranging from China to India to UK to USA. No doubt this is a pretty darn awesome experience, and I am so grateful and thankful for the opportunity!

Despite a rough day coming to England, the first day of work was really great! People seem to be very friendly and helpful. Since I have been with the company for 3 years already, I have a pretty good understanding of the corporate environment which is consistent to my home office in the U.S. It feels like the same place and same approach to the business, just with different people, different projects and different accents. I immediately felt at home.

It's hard to tell how our working relationship will be yet, but I really like my manager at the first impression. She is a brilliant young French woman, I am guessing early 30's, who is very organized and relatable. I can tell that she takes her work very seriously, but is flexible to give space for others to contribute. She is very organized, but not a micromanager. Her expectation of me is to take initiative, which is actually very motivating to me. The vast knowledge, skills and technical expertise that she has is definitely something I hope to tap into and learn from during this experience. The daunting thing is that my new role now is extremely different from what I have been doing the past 3 years. It is a another skill that I have general knowledge of coming from my degree, but I think is still quite a steep learning curve especially being out of practice for 5 years. I am praying I can excel in the short 6 month time. 

After several meet and greets and a building tour, my day concluded at 5 pm. I learned that unlike the U.S., people take work-life balance very seriously. In America, it always felt like the longer you stayed at work, the better of an employee you were aka you're a hard worker. The European mentality is if you're working too much, you must not be productive and something needs to be done to fix that. Avoiding long hours and taking holidays are big deals - everyone gets 5 weeks of vacation! I heard stories about new mothers getting 6 months of paid maternity leave with more time as an unpaid option!! Say whaa?? Can I have a baby in the UK? America, get with the program. People would seriously be more happy and seriously productive if work-life balance was a reality. If the rest of the world can do it, you can too. No more pretending to work and faking to be busy bodies to be impressive because it's really not that impressive.

Las iGuanas Tapas

Upon arriving home to a semi-gross apartment, I had nothing to eat. The positive thing about where I am located is that it is walking distance to the city center where there are a lot of shops and eateries. The not so great thing about it is I have to go out before sundown because the street I live on is pretty shady. The weather was pretty cold and dreary, so I did not venture out too far. Dinner was at a nice Mexican fusion restaurant called Las iGuanas. It was pretty mainstream, and certainly not authentic but was decent. I got the tapas deal, 3 tapas for £13.80. Not exactly the best deal ever, but it wasn't bad. I ordered the Spectacular Fish Taco (battered white fish with corn and sweet chili salsa on the bottom right), Pato Taquito (shreds of roast duck & caramelised onion rolled in a flour tortilla & char-grilled, with a spicy cranberry salsa on the bottom left) and Gambas (whole prawns, split & cooked in a garlic, lemon & chilli sauce, served with bread at the top). I would give it a B/C+ border. It was just shy of average on the slightly better side.

Uh... are you supposed to tip restaurant servers in the UK? Where's the tip line on the receipt?

Cheers!

Leicester... rhymes with Molester? :X

After getting off the plane, it was a whole chain of crazy events. Riding first class gave me the advantage of going through the fast lane at customs, but to my dismay the line was quite long and there were only 2 agents checking passports and visas. Then following that, getting my bags was a huge adventure as I looked for the trolley carts to hold my 5 huge bags of clothes and shoes. I looked pretty ridiculous pushing a tall cart full of luggages through the airport, bumping into random things and people. Huffing and puffing from practically running and pushing this heavy almost-tipping trolley, I find the car driver waiting for me outside of arrivals. It seemed like he almost ready to leave, thinking I would be a no-show. Thankfully he didn't, because I had no phone or means of communication.

I stepped outside and was welcomed with cold rain and grey skies. The ride was long. Nearly 2 hours through a very uneventful drive of grasslands, highway and traffic. I ended up drifting in and out of sleep in the back seat from travel fatigue. During the whole ride and even when I was half asleep, I was extremely worried about the "serviced" apartment that I was supposed to arrive to. The confirmation I got from the relocation agency said I had to pick up keys or call some guy to meet me there. I sent my itinerary to the agency a week before, REALLY hoping they passed the information on. I also sent a personal email to the guy on Sunday night to be absolutely certain they were aware of my arrival. Unfortunately, I never got a response. About halfway through the car ride, I was jolted awake by a nagging feeling that I really needed to call someone to make sure I could get into the apartment. The car driver kindly let me use his phone. Wow, thank God I was able to because the guy didn't know I was coming and said he was an hour away!!!

Certainly, that was not a good feeling to have... not knowing where you are going or where you are

Front Entry - Outside

going to live in a foreign land. Will I just sit on a street corner with 5 huge bags?... probably crying my eyes out! I arrived and waited 5 minutes. The car driver had to leave for another pickup and the entire I was thinking... crap... crap... CRAP!!!

Inside the front door,
cold and dark

Fortunately, the landlord's wife stopped by with the keys and let me in. I was so relieved... UNTIL...

I walk into this cold, dark building that tried to look nice. There were no elevators, no lobby, no receptionist desk... nothing. I look to my left and there is a mail slot with random envelopes messily scattered on a ledge and on the floor. In front of me were nothing but steps, concrete steps and brick walls. There were a few lights here and there but it was dark and some lights needed to be replaced. Instantly, I felt uncomfortable and scared. Crap...

The landlord's wife helped me lug the 5 huge bags up 4 flights of stairs. It reminded me of the dreadful New York City walkups. I was feeling nervous again. I get to my floor and walk into a hallway with 3 flats. She opens the flat door... as I step in BAM! I get hit in the face with an unwelcoming smell of body odor. I look around, and yikes... there were crumbs and dust everywhere, a big oil forehead print on the window, cobwebs in the ceiling corners, broken kitchen cabinets, moldy grout in the shower, filthy and stale carpet and an even smellier closet. I really wanted to cry... and pretty much after the lady left, I did. The thoughts raced through my head, What is this place? What am I doing here? Did I make a mistake coming here? All I want to do is go home. 

After I got my composure back, I took out my Lysol wipes that I thankfully packed in my bag and went

through a good half tub wiping everything down. I did not bring paper towels, so I walked over to the local Poundland (equivalent to the American Dollar store) and bought some, along with some bottled water, Glade air freshener and toilet paper (yeah... there was only a quarter of a roll on the holder with no refills in the flat). On my way back, I walked across the street of a small alleyway and happened to have crossed too soon as a car was coming. The New Yorker in me is a natural jaywalker with the expectation that cars would stop for pedestrians. Out of the tiny little hatchback came a man's entire upper body and a boitesterous stream of loud obscenities in a heavy British accent. The only thing I could understand out of him was "FUCK YOU FUCK YOU!!!" among a whole lot of other words that I didn't quite make out. The echo of his screaming tapered off into the distance as he briskly drove off.

I get back in. The beds were made, but I really didn't trust the cleanliness of it. I took off all of the bedding and ran it through the washer. Strangely, washer and dryers are in one machine here. You might think it sounds practical and efficient, but it wasn't. I ended up spending a good 8 hours washing just one load of sheets because it took forever to dry. As the machine went to drying mode, there was too much moisture in the linens and the machine to be able to properly dry. By 11 pm, I gave up and just took everything out because I was so exhausted. After a shower in the seemingly cleaner separate bathtub (because the shower stall was nasty)... that's right I said a shower in a bathtub with no curtain or glass door- I was basically squatting on my tippy toes trying to shower in the tub so the water doesn't spray everywhere (thanks Crossfit!) - I head to bed to try for some rest before day 1 of work.

It's 12 am, there are people shouting outside... just GREAT!
So much for a "serviced" apartment. Surely not serviced at all.

My first night in England... not the best one I would say but hopefully, tomorrow gets better as I start my first day of work.

Nothing against Leicester itself. I just felt "molested" by a chain of unfortunate experiences on my first day in the country.

I do have faith, however that it will get better! Cheers.

UK BOUND!

After visiting my parents and in-laws at home down in the sunshine state as well as having a busy extended weekend of intense birthday celebrations with my nearest and dearest in New York, I am headed off to begin my adventures in the UK. This opportunity is really a huge privilege... still quite surreal!

Hubby LOVE!

To my colleagues, friends and family: I'll surely miss you all very much! I have been told that 6 months will fly by and I am sure it will, but without all of you it will be that much tougher.

To my beloved husband, I am so blessed and lucky to have such an awesome guy support me through this. We have only just gotten adjusted to being man and wife exactly 6 months ago getting married, and now we will have to part once again. I will definitely be missing you the most, no doubt about that. Love you bou!




I headed off on a hip Virgin Atlantic flight, purposefully taking the red-eye to better help with jet lag.

Little guest seat in
my upper class quarters

My hope was to sleep on the plane as if I was going to sleep at night. Arriving would simply just be waking up to morning in London Heathrow. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out that way. I was far too distracted by the awesome food/service and huge selection of movies-- ended up watching The Great Gatsby, eating a nice steak and spinach dinner and then finally catching a couple hours of shut eye.

Unfortunately, because the plane arrived late I did not get to enjoy the nice perks of the Heathrow Virgin Lounge and eat tons of food. I was pretty sad about that. After a 7 hour flight, all I wanted to do was relax and eat some nice food, maybe catch a shower too. The "car hire" was waiting for me and I had to go through customs, which the fast lane was already a huge line or I shall say "queue".

Good thing I was able to get in a good hour at the JFK lounge before taking off. I was too late for the complimentary massage and haircut in the salon, but was able to have a few meals and a couple drinks to prep for the flight. YUM!

This was my first time enjoying an airline lounge and flying first class. I have it say it was pretty awesome! On my way back, I am definitely going to the airport a good 3 or 4 hours in advance to enjoy it to the max.

Cheers!