Dispatch from London

Hello, everyone.

We are now established in London. We like our house, our flatmates, and our neighbourhood, and we are now both gainfully employed. We celebrated by going out for sushi, which ended up costing a mere £40 ($100). Needless to say, we won't be going out to eat much.

Kirsten found work through her temping agency almost immediately. She works for the Department of Health, as a PA (Personal Assistant) to two people. This mainly involves printing e-mail, sorting mail, and telling people that the boss is in a meeting.

Kirsten's co-workers at the Department of Health: Sophie, Charles and Genevieve (note Millennium Wheel in the background)



Tim has finally come to the sad realization that nobody wants an engineer for 3-4 months. They either want one for a few years or not at all. He has a job working in an outdoor equipment store called Snow and Rock, similar to Coast Mountain Sports, selling skis, hiking boots, clothing, camping equipment, and the like. The store is located on High Street Kensington, in Diana's old neighbourhood. He starts on Wednesday, but he is still trolling the job boards for an engineering job, as it would pay 3-4 times as much as he will make in retail.

You may have heard that the British Fire Brigade is on strike, asking for 40% more money. While they are on strike, the London Underground has closed its stations which use "lifts" (elevators) instead of escalators. This includes the two stations closest to where we live, so we have had to find other means of getting around.

We have learned how to scam the transit system in London. You can buy "carnets" of 10 Zone 1 tickets, which are valid on the tube and on certain rail trips, including trips starting from a station near our house (Elephant & Castle). When used in the tube, you pass the card through the gates on the way in, where it validates the card and gives it back, then again on the way out, where it keeps the card. If you start your journey by rail, however, there is no way to validate your card, so you are allowed to travel with an unvalidated card. At the end of the rail journey, you can put your card back in your pocket and keep it for next time. Unfortunately, this only gets you a select few places.

Kirsten is working near Waterloo station, which is a 25 minute walk from where we live. She is getting her "trainers" (running shoes) sent over from Canada so that she doesn't wear out her office footwear. Tim just bought an aged, 5-speed bicycle for £23, and is currently testing out the feasiblity of cycling to work. One obstacle is London traffic - there is rather a lot of it, and the drivers don't much care for cyclists. They also tend to drive on the wrong side of the road, and they have these menacing roundabouts, which are a bit intimidating to enter when you really don't know the intentions of each and every driver whizzing about in the circle. Fortunately, there are a few designated bike lanes, and a good chunk of the commute is through Hyde Park, where there is no traffic.

We have been keeping up on our sightseeing and culture on the weekends. Last weekend, we listened to the mad ravings of religious nuts at Speakers Corner, then went people-watching at Camden Market. If you are ever looking for leather clothing, t-shirts with rude slogans, or a new body piercing, Camden is the place to get it. The market sells all sorts of other stuff, too, and is very packed with interesting people. We also hit the Natural History museum (dinosaurs) and a photographic exhibition of "Earth from the Air".

We haven't been truly homesick yet, but we have certainly learned to appreciate some of the things we take for granted in Vancouver. When we come back, we will not be complaining about the traffic, the cost of real estate, or the cost of a restaurant meal! We miss you all, and enjoy the e-mails we get.

Bye for now!
Tim and Kirsten