Morning in London

This morning was one of those occasions when I feel lucky to be living in London .  A pleasant autumn chill hung in the air.  The Thames and the “ Belfast ” lit up by fuzzy light coming through the faint clouds casting a glow across the landscape as I walked across London Bridge .   I could just make out the tops of the Tower of London.

It makes you want to stop and soak it up and remind yourself that you are in one of the great cities of the world with all its history and grandeur. 

The Commute

Do you ever look at people on the train or in the street and wonder what they do or why they are here?  Why the gentleman (I use the term loosely) dressed in a dark pin-stripped suit is wearing red trainers.  Where the young blond woman snoozing in the corner has come from? Where the people with suitcases are going?  Some dressed casually and others in business attire. How often do they do this trip?  Are they happy?  Have you ever asked yourself?

Why do people commuting never smile or talk.  They seem to walk zombie like to and from wherever they are walking to and from.  Eyes glazed.  That is unless they have shut out the world by cranking up the music through their earphones.  Either way, more often than not they are totally oblivious to the world.  Maybe I should envy them, their sense of routine and acceptance.

Worse still there seems to be an evening phenomenon of young women (mostly) talking on their phones making arrangements I guess, wandering ever so slowly across the footpath into everyone’s way, mindless and totally unaware of the  havoc they are creating with those of us who have somewhere to go – usually home to the safe haven of my living room.  I always wonder if they drive like this too!!  You know the ones I mean.  The girls who seem to think they can text and hold a conversation – and drive all at the same time when in reality… well I won’t be too disparaging.

People spend their lives commuting – it would seem mostly to jobs they hate.  I guess this is their way of getting through it.  Their way of making it better.  I am so glad that I have had an interesting job, something on the whole I enjoy going to, that gives me variety in places and people, a release from the mundane of the masses.

Setting the Scene

In March 2009 I received a phone call from HQ asking if I would be interested in a transfer to London.  While being based in the UK I would have responsibilities for part of our Eastern European and CIS (Commonwealth Independent States or the old Soviet countries) business.  I didn't have to give it much thought and was pretty sure that my husband would share my enthusiasm.  I had always been interested in working outside of NZ/Australia, particularly in the London market and this combined with the opportunity to travel throughout Europe was extremely exciting for me.


Little did I know that saying "yes" was the easy part.  There was the interview with the regional president and HR.  Then we waited.  I was told there was planning and thinking to be done. There was a suggestion of an offer - we waited. Finally a letter of offer and the mandatory negotiations that always seem to accompany these positions.  Once that was finished the decision about how best to enter the UK, the visa process and more waiting.  It went on like this for about 8 months - our life on hold.  


We finally arrived in London about 6 weeks before Christmas and right in time for winter with headlines like "Arctic weather continues to create chaos across the UK in what some are saying is the coldest winter since 1963". For us at least it was something quite lovely.  Living outside of London meant a couple of days working from home when the trains didn't run but more particularly a beautiful winter wonderland - we are lucky enough to have the 1,000 acres of Knole Park at our door step in Sevenoaks, Kent. 

I got one trip in before the New Year - a 4 day trip to Moscow.  Then Helsinki, Budapest, Prague and Warsaw over the first two months of 2010.  I experienced -23 in Helsinki, an ice covered Danube in Budapest and the Walt Disney scene that is Prague Old Town in winter.  I was looking forward to doing it all again as it warmed up.  (If you are interested in seeing some photos visit me at kiwicorrespondent)


As an aside, you might recall that the "Global Warming Conference" was held from the 6-18th December 2009 in Copenhagen with representatives from over 170 countries.  Am I the only one asking the question - "...is it possible that all the hot air created by the politicians in Copenhagen that week upset the weather patterns so much that Europe experienced its coldest winter in recent times."    I vote that they hold a conference every year!

 

THEN, after 2 months of persistent rumours it was announced at the beginning of March that the company was to undergo major changes and amongst other things the countries I was responsible for would be rolled into a "super" region which consists of all EU countries - effectively meaning my current role would disappear.  Six months have since gone by and again life is on hold - more of a "hurry up and wait" situation while the company sorts itself out.  
It has meant that all the travel I had planned for the summer months has been put on hold so excepting for our own holidays opportunities travel into Europe have been limited. 


So in the meantime, you are likely to hear from me more about the frustrations and tedium of commuting to London than the excitement of travels through Europe.  I am unaccustomed to the daily commute having always enjoyed breaking it up with a bit of travel.  Coming up with a commuting story each day might just be the therapy I need...