Getting Acquainted: First Week Adventures

After I arrived and got settled into my apartment it was time to start working and exploring.  The combination of being confused, lost, and far from home left me feeling a little homesick, but thanks to skype, fun roommates, and very little downtime I've started feeling better already!  I was completely disoriented the first few days I was here, but after a couple of days I began recognizing landmarks and feeling much more comfortable with my surroundings.
My roommates and I spent Monday setting up our new phones.  It will be the first time in nearly three years that I've been the owner of a phone without internet access; being in a different country isn't nearly as foreign as being without instant Facebook access!  We also visited the local grocery store, Tesco Express, and wandered around our neighborhood for a bit.
Tuesday was spent lazying around.  I took a little trip to the bank to exchange my dollars for pounds.  The exchange rate is insane.  It is almost 1:1.5, which makes shopping here a lot more expensive since most brands just change the dollar sign for the pound sign.  Frugal is a key word in my new life.  We don't get paid for the first time until the end of February.  Until that first check gets transferred into my bank account I'm going to try to be as thrifty as possible.  I don't want to miss out on any amazing experiences, but I think that cooking at home and bringing lunch with me to the office will be great ways to save a few pounds.
We also took time Tuesday to find the office so we wouldn't get lost on our first day.  The office is surprisingly close to our flat and will only require a fifteen to twenty minute walk each morning.  A lot of the full-time staff in our department are really jealous of our short commute.  Many of them live on the outskirts of the city and spend an hour to an hour and half each morning just to get into the office.
Tuesday night we were invited to dinner with several of our new colleagues.  They took us to a pub located near our flat.  We've all been trying to figure out the name of the place they took us, but none of us seem to be able to remember it; maybe we can't remember because the food was less than memorable itself.  The food may not have been stellar, but the company was great!  The two professionals with us gave us some inside info into our new working environment.  They gave us a short list of dos and don'ts, but told us not to worry because everyone in the office was really excited that we were finally in town and about to start coming into work.  I hope that we live up to everyone's expectations so that when the summer interns come in they'll have big shoes to fill!
The first day of my internship was Wednesday, January 26, 2011.  I am working as a tax intern in the US Corporate Tax Services department at Deloitte London.  Apparently we're the only group of our kind in the UK, which makes what we offer our clients truly unique.
Our first two days were spent receiving training that frankly none of us understood.  The second day was much better than the first, but I have a feeling we will be learning a lot on the job that they just can't teach us in a two day training session.
I am really excited about the clients that I am going to be working on these next few months.  I think that my job is going to be extremely challenging yet completely manageable, which has put me at ease.  I don't feel like I'm the only person who doesn't know what they're doing; a very comfortable feeling at this point in time.
The first training day we were taken to lunch at Pizza Express.  I had a Margherita pizza (a fancy name for a pretty simple cheese pizza).  The food was yummy and the atmosphere was fun.  We were really surprised that they offered us wine to drink at lunch, especially considering we would be returning to work later that day.  We may have been surprised, but we certainly didn't refuse them!  Pizza Express is definitely on my list of places to return do during the next three months.
The second I visited a local chain called EAT.  I had a fruit cup and a bottled smoothie; I was in Heaven.  If I can't find anything else I like to eat while I'm here I'll just stop by there everyday!
We've visited several pubs this first week.  The drinks are surprisingly expensive considering how much of a drinking culture the British have.  Even though the drinks weren't cheap the atmosphere was fun and relaxing.  The pubs have tons of tables to sit and talk with friends at so it isn't hard to find a comfortable spot.
We started out the weekend on a great note.  We went with several of our new colleagues to a pub on the first floor of our work building.  It was great getting to know them in a more social environment.  They seem like a great group of people who will have similar interests to our own!
Besides the cold temperature, lack of sunlight, and strong winds the only thing I have struggled to get used to is the food.  It wouldn't be a stretch to say that I was the pickiest eater in America and am now the pickiest eater in the UK.  I've never been a huge fan of meat; the texture, blood, and thoughts of the cute animal that once was are major turnoffs to me, but here eating meat has been even more of a challenge.  Everything smells funny to me and doesn't make me want to try anything.  So far it looks like cereal and peanut butter are going to be my best friends.  I'll let you know if I find anything that gets my stamp of approval, because if it like it it's almost guaranteed that you will!
A weekend blog is soon to come, which will chronicle my many adventures learning the transportation system, exploring the city, and becoming accustomed to the culture!

Cait

Ready, Set, LONDON

After interviewing with several Big Four accounting firms, I was presented with an opportunity to move to London near the end of August and became fully committed to the idea sometime in October.  I chose the London internship because of its unique location and the challenging material that I was promised would be presented to me.  I wanted to take the internship that would provide me with the most opportunities for personal and professional growth, and after reviewing other offers I thought London would be the best fit for me.

After accepting my offer I started the long visa application process.  It took several months and a lot of paperwork to get everything submitted and approved in order to be ready for my January 26 start date with the firm.  I couldn't really get excited about the process until I had my visa in my hand because without that I still had so much to do and a lot of anxiety about getting it done.

But, that's in the past!  I sent my visa into New York on a Wednesday and had it approved and on its way back to me by Friday.  The only obstacle that I had to tackle after that was actually getting it back in my hot little hands after Mother Nature dumped about 8 inches of snow in my hometown.  UPS decided that they, unlike the United States Postal Service, would not travel in any weather and delayed the arrival of my visa by a couple of days.

After getting my visa I was finally able to get a flight booked.  Having a confirmed travel plan, an apartment, and a driver awaiting my arrival really made everything seem so much more real.  I was ready to start the process of packing or procrastination as I like to think of it.

The last week building up to my departure I made sure to sneak in all of the American goodies that I knew I would miss.  I'm not sure how much Mexican food I ate that last week, but looking back I wish I had eaten more!  My parents also surprised me with dinner at Olive Garden for my going away dinner...so delicious!

I experienced a mini disaster packing the night before I was scheduled to leave.  The suitcase I thought I was going to be using turned out to be broken; several of the zippers were missing or completely off of the track, which made it impossible to use.  My sweet Dad got up early the next morning to go scout out some new luggage so that I wouldn't be a walking disaster upon arrival in my new city.

I got to the airport around 4:30, which was about 2 hours before my flight was scheduled to depart.  I checked my bags, said my goodbyes, and headed through security.  I tried to make sure I wore nice underwear so the TSA people wouldn't be completely offended when I went through the body scanner!

My first flight was scheduled to leave around 6:30 from Nashville to Atlanta.  Luckily, this flight was on time because when I got to London I found out that my flight to London had been canceled and Delta had booked me on another flight that was supposed to leave about an hour earlier that mine.  Everyone on the plane was uncomfortable and a bit grumbly because it was so crowded.  Some of the business class people had to sit with us lowly coach fliers and they were NOT happy.  I'm hoping that since Delta acknowledged how awful the flight was through email I'll be getting some extra frequent flier miles...Medallion Club here I come!

I finally arrived in London's Heathrow Airport at noon local time.  I was tired, sore, and not in the best mood from the flight.  It took awhile to clear border patrol; they were especially curious as to the nature and longevity of my stay since I was entering with a visa that wouldn't expire for three months.  The border patrol agent was not the friendliest guy I've come into contact with here so far.

After clearing border patrol I went to collect my bags and meet my driver.  The only problem was that my driver wasn't there.  Since my flight had been canceled my driver got canceled too.  I had to call the car service after a lot of waiting and a few tears.  Once I got hold of the car service they were very friendly and sent a driver right out to meet me and take me to my apartment.

I loved seeing all of the sights on the way to my apartment.  The driver must have taken the long way because my roommates said they didn't see any of the things my driver drove me past, but I wasn't paying for it so I'm not too concerned!  I had a great introduction to the city getting to see Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, and Parliament.  I also saw a few donkeys, which made me feel right at home.

I arrived at my apartment about an hour after hopping into the car.  London traffic wasn't too terrible, but I could tell it was going to be an adjustment getting used to which side of the road and car on which the drivers were positioned.

My apartment is in the financial area of London directly in the center of the city.  It is a two-story, three bedroom, two bath flat with a kitchen and living room.  Luckily it is furnished so we didn't have to worry about bringing anything of that nature with us on our trip.

I have two roommates who I really like so far.  One of the girls is from Texas and the other is from Ohio, but has spent some time in Mississippi, which was fun to talk about!

The next three months are going to pass so quickly, especially with work being so hectic during busy season.  I can't wait to get out into the city and begin exploring and taking pictures to share with y'all.  I'm hoping to get some quality travel time in while I'm over here.  I really want to go to Italy, Spain, France, and other parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland.  There is another intern who spent some time in Prague who really wants to take us there and show us the sights so we're all really excited about planning that weekend trip!

I hope you enjoy following my travels as much as I am going to enjoy writing about them.  I will try to keep the blog up-to-date, but it may be awhile between posts!

Cait