Catch up

My first (half) week of work went pretty well. I went with a colleague to court on Friday morning. I observed only, but it was really good to see. It was her first time going to court for a client, as well, so I think she was comforted by having someone with her for support. We had lunch at the Belvedere again. I really need to start bringing my lunch. The food there is really good, but it's too expensive to eat out every day. So, I survived my first few days of work.

Saturday I met up with Kate in the afternoon. We walked around London and checked out some different areas we hadn't been before. We had lunch at a pub and then walked to Green Park. On the way to the park, we walked through a pretty posh area where we went by Tiffany & Co., Gucci, and other designer stores. We hung out in the Green Park for a while, stopped by Buckingham Palace, and then wandered through St. James Park where there were a variety of birds and ponds.

We went by the Horse's Guards Parade (a building with some horse statues outside of it and a couple of the guards that won't move or interact with you, even if you try), where I took a bunch of pictures. We then walked down to see Westminster Abbey and the area north of the Thames River, again. We took more pictures of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, and the Eye, but went around the entire building, getting a new angle and some really cool shots. Big Ben looks spectacular at night and the moon was out, so it felt pretty magical to be there.

On Sunday, I had to go to the Apple Store (they have many of the same stores here as they do in the States—and especially restaurants...for example, Subway, McDonald's, Burger King, Chili's, TGI Friday's) for a new adapter to plug in my laptop and other electronics. Electronics have been a bit frustrating here. My flat iron no longer works and I am pretty sure the adapter/converter that I got right before coming here is broken. Grrr. Anyway, hopefully I won't have any more trouble for the rest of my time here.

Sunday afternoon I met Kate at Hyde Park. Before Kate arrived, I checked out the Wellington Arch across from the Tube Station. When she got there, we started down the flower walk through a garden, sat for a bit at the Italian Gardens, and then made our way towards Kensington Palace. [As Kate and I were going through Hyde Park, we noticed that parks feel different here than what we have experienced back home. People go and spend hours just relaxing in the park. Some people play sports or are doing an activity, but many seem content to simply be there, without needing a reason or activity. It is very pleasant.]

After meandering around the park, Kate and I met a few people from my hostel at the Sports Café. This is a popular place with the foreigners, as it is one of the few (if only) places around that shows American football games (remember that here in Europe they call soccer football). We hung out there for a while, had some dinner, and then parted ways.

Today, Monday, I had to get my photo taken for my work I.D. Card, so I got to sleep in a bit and then went to Ealing to get my picture taken. By the time I made it to the office, it was about time for lunch. I ate at The Belvedere (I have not yet had a lunch anywhere else since I have been employed there), again, with a bunch of my co-workers. The telephone systems and network were down for much of the day, so it was hard for anyone to be very productive (I am still working on finding a way to combine social work and technology—have all ready had some conversations with people that continue to peak my interest in how the two merge in people's daily work lives). The day went by pretty fast. Tomorrow, I have training for the computer database systems that they use, but will likely be allocated my cases later this week (wish me luck!).

After work, I met up with Michelle (former college roommate) who arrived here in London this morning and will be staying for the next six months to live, play, work, and travel. We met at St. Paul's Cathedral and then walked to Pizza Express—a yummy little Italian Restaurant with a comfortable atmosphere. I had some really good pizza and we split a dessert (Banaoffee Pie—unbelievably tasty!). Michelle did the London Business semester last year, so is very familiar with the London area. We had a nice dinner and caught up a bit on life. It will be fun to have another friend here from home to hang out with. Being she and Kate are both Wisconsinites and huge Packer fans, we may just have to see if we can catch a game or two at the Sports Cafe, among other adventures.

Oh, and I got an email today regarding the place I looked at last week. I didn't get it. Surprisingly, I wasn't as disappointed as I thought I would be. Guess it wasn't meant to be.