Whats not to love

Wednesday I attended an event for work at the House of Lords. I played grown-up again but this time instead of doing it in Cambridge, it was within the English Parliament, so all the more fun. It was an impressive party on my boss’ part and an even more impressive guest list with Members of Parliament and London’s business heavy hitters. Afterwards, I went out with my co-workers for a bit. I love the rapport everyone in the office has. It makes work so much more genuine and interesting to get to know everyone outside of their professional demeanor.

I know the weather is not a fascinating topic, but I would like to take a moment to make everyone in Seattle feel jealous. For the past few days it has been sunny and around 60°F. The weekend forecast is the same, compared to Seattle’s rain and the 40-50s°F.

The V&A

Tonight I went to the Friday late night at the Victoria & Albert Museum.  Tonight’s theme was the playhouse so they have various theatrical activities and performance going on. We saw a vintage ladies’ cabaret, followed a Hamlet promenade performance around the museum, walked down a red carpet (complete with actors playing the paparazzi and deranged fans), and had our faces painted. I had a moon painted onto my right cheek! It was a very clever and entertaining event.

After the V&A, Amy, Mary and I ventured out for food. We had an impromptu banquet for frozen yogurt from Snog and a street vendor burrito. The highlights: the street vendor had Cholula hot sauce and “snog” means to make-out in England, which I find to sound hilariously unenticing. We were also attracting peculiar looks with our face paint. :) 

I see London, I see France

I spent the weekend in Paris with friends from Seattle. It was very nostalgic to be back in one house with Mike and Max, two of my roommates from last year. I love how time can pass, but those types of friendships do not change. We fell right back into step with each other and picked up where we left off. Emmett finally made it on Sunday afternoon after being repeatedly delayed. Being in the presence of that crazy cat is always a good time.

My train arrived in Paris late on Friday evening so we spent the night catching up at Max’s over booze, although I was significantly behind the boys by the time we met at the train station. Saturday we accomplished very little but I still had a great time. Since my mom and John were engaged under the Eiffel Tower on New Years Eve of 2010, we walked down the Eiffel Tower to get my mom all of her table centerpieces and wedding favors for the big day in August. Her shopping list consisted of ten 10-inch Eiffel Towers for the tables and 100 one-inch Eiffel Tower key chains for her guest. (P.S. These are by no means light weight sourvenirs). Other than the Eiffel Tower, it was so nice to just lounge around Max’s house and sleep in a bed larger than my own single bed in London that I am convinced is made of cardboard. Saturday night Mike and I continued to catch up over spaghetti and more booze since Max fell asleep early. We headed down to the Champs de Elysee for drinks and cheesecake.

Sunday it was wonderful to sleep-in until the late morning. Since we had slept past breakfast, we went to lunch at an Indian restaurant. It is such a luxury to travel with Max who knows the language. He orders for you, reads signs for you, negotiates buying mass amounts of Eiffel Towers for you, essentially I feel less like the incompetent ugly American because of Max. Sunday afternoon Emmett made it and we headed out to Sacre Coeur church as Mike was suffering from cabin fever. It was as beautiful as it was in December, just nicer weather.

All my mom's Eiffel Towers - the little piles are 10 of the keychains.

Yesterday I unexpectedly went to Cambridge. My boss needed me to come to a client meeting with him where essentially I just took notes at a gigantic table with twentyish gentlemen. It was an interesting experience. I got to play grown-up which is always fun until sooner rather than later I really will have to be a grown up. The train ride was pretty. One of the things I still find lovely and shocking about London is in the span of twenty-five minutes you are boarding a train in one of the world’s biggest metropolises and then suddenly the train is cruising through the pastures of the countryside.

This evening I went to the play, “Mary Broome” at the Orange Tree Theatre. It is a story about a maid you gets pregnant out of wedlock in the early 1900s by a son in the family she works for. It was a really interesting storyline on irony, observations and honesty. 

Should I Stay or Should I Go

I have officially book my flight home for June 1 with a 5:45pm landing at SeaTac. With the email confirmation of my booking came the reality that my time abroad is half way over. I am pleased with where I have been while here, and I am looking forward to my upcoming trips. I have learned, experienced and lived, but I am not ready to go. I don’t think I will be ready to go even in June. I love it here.

That is not to say I don’t miss Seattle. I have waves of homesickness still. The most recent surge of melancholy was during the last week of February when I felt like I could weep on command. It could be a postcard of Seattle, a dog in the park that I wished was Parker, or a couple holding hands and the tears would flow without my permission.

I feel so emotionally confused by wanting to stay and missing home that the only feeling I am decided is one of conflict. I felt like "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash has become my personal anthem.

Women, Queen and Spitalfields

I celebrated International Women’s Day on Tuesday with Amy in true feminist fashion. We participated in Women for Women International’s “Join WoMEen on the Bridge” campaign where women (and gents) gathered on bridges all around the world to celebrate females. We started at Borough Market, crossed the Millennium Bridge, walked past Victoria Embankment Gardens, crossed the Thames again on the Hungerford Bridge and ended the walk at the Royal Festival Hall. The march was led by Annie Lennox, which was pretty cool and she spoke for a little at the end. It always feels wonderful to be surrounded by women who want to celebrate our gender, but also acknowledge the needed global improvements for basic gender equality. Check out this video for a summary of the walk in London and around the world: http://womenforwomen.org.uk/, then click the button that says, “Join me on the bridge 2011.” You can actually see Amy in the crowd at the one minute and eleven second mark. Unfortunately, I am blocked by a banner!

Annie Lennox

Wednesday evening I went to the musical, We Will Rock You. It is based on the music of Queen. The show was incredibly energetic with a live band, clapping and audience participation. The play is set in a future world where individuality is banned along with musical instruments. This rebel group must save humanity from mass brainwashing – interesting futuristic plot. The show ended with Bohemian Rhapsody, which is hard not to love.

Today I went to the Spitalfields Market with my friend Brian. We wandered among the street vendors, feasted on crepes and perused the boutiques. I made two happy purchases for the day. The first being an antique looking pocket watch necklace for £4. I love it. The second is an oil black and white painting on canvas of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament with their reflections in the River Thames. I love this perhaps more than the necklace. Between my savory goat cheese crepe, the purchases, occasional rays of sunshine and good company, it was lovely day.  

My painting from Spitalfields Market

Hakuna Matta

Last Monday was a colleague’s going away party after work. The entire office went out together and this type of British office culture is one that is entirely new to me. I have been out with co-workers before but this was something entirely different. Long story short, we partied. The next morning I was one of the few people into the office on time as everyone else straggled looking haggard. Including Monday night, last workweek was fun. For work, I have gone to a couple of Gorkana breakfasts. These are morning breakfast receptions where public relations professionals come and listen to the editorial staff of various British press publications. We learn about the best ways to pitch stories to the editor or a certain section of the paper. A couple of weeks ago I attended the one for the Financial News and this past Wednesday was for The Observer, which is a Sunday only paper on business and economics that is affiliated with The Guardian. On Thursday, I went to lunch with my consultancy’s CEO. I found him to be a highly intimidating northern Irishman until we sat down for lunch. I was appreciative for the chance to break the ice with him as well as get to glean some of his PR knowledge.

My kitchen before the Ministry of Sound

On Saturday night, I went out for Mary’s birthday to one of London famous dance and concert venues called the Ministry of Sound. I kept calling it the Ministry of Music until a co-worker corrected me, while Mary kept calling it the Sound of Music. Luckily, we figured it out and made it there.

On Sunday, we went to the musical, The Lion King, at Lyceum Theatre. IT WAS THE MOST EPIC PLAY I HAVE EVER SEEN. I am in love with it. The costumes and set were incredible. My favorite costumes belonged to the elephant with one person in each leg, and the giraffes (people on stilts moving with the grace of a real giraffe). The space was used wonderfully with the cast in the aisles and the balconies were used to make it look like birds were flying overhead during the circle of life song. It was magical. (Click this link and as the page loads you will get to glimpse what I saw. http://www.disney.co.uk/MusicalTheatre/TheLionKing/)

Hakuna matta