Clockwork Orange

Sometimes I really enjoy being in a city where there is so much to do. Last night we got the chance to see a performance of this production called "Clockwork". The show is based on the book "A Clockwork Orange" and was actually sold out for the short run of 3 shows this week. Being the ultra-savvy person I am though I managed to snag a few return tickets to see a stage version of the Stanley Kubrick film I loved so much. I love London...

Unfortunately the show wasn't all that great. I guess I should read the book or something because while the plot was similar (with slight variations) to the movie, the dialogue was occasionally long and arduous. The main character would go on these metaphorical monologues filled with too much symbolism and words that maybe only British people understand. All in all though it was still very interesting to see someone put this story on a stage. Now if only someone would do a "Red Dwarf" production...

Churches, Rocks, and Baths

I got back a couple of days ago from an impromptu road trip across southern England. An American friend of ours called me up and said that he and another friend of his (a guy we actually met at a restaurant in Brick Lane) were renting a car and driving around and if I would like to come. I took him up on his offer and eventually at 6:30am on Saturday morning we all met up and drove off.

The first place we stopped at was a town called Salisbury. We went to the famous cathedral there and walked around it for about an hour. The place is huge! It was actually really cool to see because we pretty much had the place to ourselves (compared to a place like Westminster Abbey at least). I was able to see the giant vaulted ceilings and other interesting architecture. I even got to see the Magna Carta, which for some reason is there. It was neat because a little old British woman told me all about the history of it and boasted that their Magna Carta was in such better condition than the British Museum's Magna Carta. Funny lady.

Next, we went to Stonehenge. It's funny to see because it's just right off of a little highway. I'm sure the Stonehenge historic society (if there is one) is angry about the touristy nature of the site but it did make it easy for us to find. I didn't think I'd like Stonehenge that much (I dunno...rocks in a circle? come on) but with the little audio guide they gave us, the walk around the legendary place ended up being absolutely brilliant! I learned a lot about the history (did you know that the devil actually brought the stones there from Ireland?!) and absorbed as much as I could of the atmosphere around the area. Would recommend.

The last place we trekked to was Bath. This town is famous for the roman bath houses in the area and has some other very charming elements to it. We only did a small amount of touristy sight-seeing before we started just hanging out for the evening. We enjoyed some pints at a local pub, ate some nice italian food at Pizza Express (nicer than it sounds), and ended up going out to a couple of different clubs and bars that night. All in all it was a long night.

Now during the road trip it was just me and my two buddies, Jon and Jonathan. When we got to Bath, though, we met up with Erika and her friends who had taken a train that day. We all hung out and did the things mentioned above but when it was time to go to bed I decided to forego the 9-mile trip outside of Bath to sleep in the room Jon had booked (it was the only available one on late notice but I think it only had two beds). Instead I snuck into Erika's female-only hostel and slept all night there. It was kind of fun hiding under the covers when someone would walk around in the room and I ended up sneaking out early in the morning without anyone yelling at me. I felt like I was my brother Casey back at college (I'm sure he did stuff like this).

Finally it was time to go home. The guy who had rented the car (Jonathan) lived 3 hours north of London so it wasn't really on the way for him to take us home. We ended up getting a cheap bus ticket though, and made it home by mid-afternoon. 100% successful trip. I don't have the pictures uploaded yet but I'll get 'em soon.

My First Real Client!

Well it's official - I'm a real social worker! Yep, I got my first real client at Positive East today. While the work we did together was not exactly ground-shattering, I was still able to help him a little bit. His name is “Sunday” and he is from Nigeria. All I did was register him with our agency and assess some of his needs. It was actually a very simple process because all he really wanted to do was find out about the services we offer. I told him everything we could do for him, referred him to one of my colleagues for further advice on a certain issue, and said goodbye. Afterwards I wrote up case notes, made copies of the important documents, and did everything else a bona fide professional would do. Very exciting for me!

The rest of my work lately has been a little less exhilarating but I’m actually doing a quite a bit of stuff. Besides reading old case files, observing other people, and participating in FSU’s online discussion boards for my internship; I’ve been preparing for my life after graduation. This mainly includes dealing with the large amount of paperwork it takes to become registered as a social worker in the UK. I have my CV (resume) mostly done, essays written, and am halfway through all the other junk an American has to do in order to work more in Britain. I’m doing all of this in preparation for a more permanent job somewhere around London after I’m done with my internship. Even though I’m split 50/50 on my decision to either stay here or move back to the US, I’m still covering all my bases in case I decide to stay.

Although I do miss home at least a little and I could get a job much easier there, I still know there is much more for me to experience over here in this country. Also, I would be getting paid in pounds if I got a job here so effectively I am making about double the dollars…although the cost of living is expensive here and all other expenses are in pounds so the argument could easily be made that I won’t save a penny more but I’m not listening to that side right now. :)

I guess we’ll just have to see what happens…

What We Like To Do

In this installment of Big B[r]en I’d like to take a second to describe some of they typical activities Erika and I like to spend our time doing. Some of these activities have pictures to illustrate them and some don’t – so use your imagination.

Going to Museums

The picture to the above-right is of one of the many awesome pieces of art at the Tate Modern Museum. This was me going down one of the many slides of artist Carsten Holler’s. This museum of modern art has many exhibitions and wonderful pieces to look at...regardless of your comprehension of what the hell the artist was thinking when he or she painted/sculpted/threw-up-on it. Among the other museums I’ve seen so far, the John Soanes is my favorite (thank you Garrett).

Hanging out in the Cold



Okay, so maybe things to do with the weather shouldn’t really constitute “what we like to do” but the two days we had snow here were enough to make this Florida boy feel pretty excited (notice the incredulous "I'm tired and don't know what face to make" look I'm giving to the camera). Erika even built a snowman at her work one of the days...I think she looked much happier in her pictures.

Going on Dates

Erika and I occasionally treat ourselves to a dinner, show, or something else “date-like”. Here we are out on the Millennium Bridge after going to a club. I believe this is the last night we ever went to a club though because they are way too expensive and the DJs play truly awful music. It’s a mix of American 80’s pop (slow and fast songs), British techno, and other generally crappy selections (like multiple tracks from the Grease soundtrack). Mingle Mixx where you at?!

Aimlessly Walking around Town

You never know what you might find just walking around central London. We’ve seen plenty of musicians, street performers, or BBC-related stuff…like this picture here shows. The guy in the red sweater was doing a TV spot for some kind of contest that featured tickets to the “Rocky Balboa” London premiere as well as a dressed up chicken and bread-ninja in the background. Here, I’ll zoom in for those not-so-sighted individuals:

As you can see, the “bird-person” is about to tackle the television host. London is an awesome place.

Well, that’s some of what we spend our time doing (aside from work and sleep). We also go to pubs, do our grocery shopping at Tescos, and are currently planning a few trips over the course of the next few months (our first one is in a couple weeks – Amsterdam here we come!).

Remember, if anybody wants to visit us, you are definitely invited. It could be you in the background of that “bird-person” picture next time!

Our Adventure, Of Sorts

Well, Erika and I got back from the hospital a little while ago. She woke up this morning suffering from severe waves of pain in her stomach (I started thinking of you Gabe). She said it had happened before though so she still went to work (she's kind of stubborn like that). About an hour later after we were both working she called me and told me that she was definitely going to the h0spital and asked if I would come with her. My supervisor was gracious enough to let me go so I packed everything away and met up with my aching girlfriend a few tube stops down the line.

We eventually found the Chelsea something or rather hospital and signed in for Erika to be seen. Eventually someone saw her and gave her an examination. They didn't find anything like appendicitis but told her that if it got worse to go to the Accident and Emergency immediately (British version of ER...without George Clooney). Erika got a prescription for some stomach muscle relaxers and we went on our way. She is feeling a little better now but still doesn't want to eat much. I think this ailment will pass though and I hope it doesn't come back.

The thing about this little adventure is that we were so worried the hospital wouldn't want to treat Erika because she was not a British citizen and we didn't have much money. Low and behold, the National Health System (NHS) is colorblind (or nationality-blind?) to its patrons. We were able to simply sign in like everyone else and they took care of Erika like anyone else. The best part of it is - all of Erika's care was FREE (except for a small, 6 pound charge for her meds)! Yep, they pretty much don't charge for anything short of elective surgery here...no matter who you are. Go Britain!

So all in all, even though we were dreading both the results of the trip and the process itself, it ended up being as pleasant as a hospital trip can be. I know people take a much bigger blow in the form of taxes when it comes to funding this health care system, but it sure did work out for us in the end. Cheers.

My Mum's Visit

A week or two ago I received a gift via airmail. It showed up at my work one Wednesday morning and after going downstairs to check on it, it turned out to be my mom! When she arrived we had the usual exchange of pleasantries with lots of hugs and kisses (and a report of what I’d been doing). Finally after all the updates though, we set off on a weekend of adventure!

During our few days together I managed to see more of the city than I had been able to in the entire previous month. We went to Westminster Abbey and she explained all the different histories of the kings and queens buried there. We went to Trafalgar Square with it's many visitors and saw an artsy/neat but confusing light show (no pictures of that one unfortunately, although we couldn’t really tell you what the purpose of it was anyway). We visited little sites like the Royal National Theatre, walked the Millennium Bridge, and pretended we were rich whilst shopping at High Street Kensington (The only thing we really contemplated buying was a little bit of chocolate though).

The most fun for me, however, was dining in the little cafes, pubs, or other eateries. We got to have wonderful food AND sit in each other’s company in a warm, quiet place (except the pubs). Truly the stuff I know my mom and I like to do most. Also, we spent quite a bit of time riding around the tops of the double-decker buses so I could impress my mother with my keen, but sometimes-faulty sense of bus direction. For those of you who don’t know, anyone can figure out the Tube – it takes a hardcore adventurer to brave the bus system of London…not that I really fall into either one of those categories yet.

If truth be told, I had one of the best visits ever among all the years of inter-family holidays I’ve experienced. It turns out my mom still knows how to party…or at least walk like a soldier involved in a land war across Asia.

Enjoy the pictures!

Here is a picture at the Abbey - apparantley my Mom took the exact same one years ago.

-

This is Me and Ricky Gervais...er...my Mom eating at a little cafe (I think I've improved on Gabe and Shirin's method of concealing her identity)

Here is me riding a lion in Trafalgar Square:

Next week's pics - The day it snowed! (really cool for Florida natives...not so cool for those living in the colder parts of America already)

Digital Camera mishaps

Well, I wanted to post all the pictures from my mom's visit this weekend but it seems that we don't have a working cord that will get the digital pictures onto the computer. In the meantime, here is a picture of Erika and I in front of where we had our first meal in London - a Rice Noodle place.