Today is my first weekend as what I would consider something of an actual Londoner (I go to work, therefore I pay taxes!). So what did I do? Some sort of insider activity unknown to the outside world? As if, people! I went to the Tower of London!
A witty Yeoman Warder led the tour. He had good tales and kept us all amused. We learned about historical facts and how everyone died before seeing the crown jewels. After a quick trip to the gift shop we were out of there. Plus it didn't rain! Very nice place to spend the afternoon, and even more exciting to know that it's on my relative doorstep! On the way back, however, we tried getting on a train that was blessedly empty. Upon climbing in and being confronted by an odor similar to rotting meat, we learned why and got off. And then ended up with some sort of BO situation on the train we were on. There's a bit of a ventilation situation when you're in the bellies of the earth!
After the Tower we went over to Kensington High Street and got Mark a new pair of 'trousers' for work. Now he has 'options'. Tomorrow I'm thinking V&A exhibit!
Oh, and the first work of week ended alright. Had a trip to the pub after work on Friday, which was a step in the direction of being social! Although, I was shocked to learn that there was no casual Friday. That's not too cool with me. Not cool at all!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
The commute
So I've gone to and from work 4 times now. Aside from not being able to fit on a few trains and having to wait short whiles for the correct trains to arrive at Earl's Court, the mornings have not been too bad. Now let's go over my evening commutes.
Monday - decided to walk, walked. Was wearing flats, so was not unreasonable. Took 65 minutes, including brief stop to pick up dinner items.
Tuesday - decided to take the bus, took bus. Not really sure how long it took, but was back home by 6:30 and probably left around 5:45. Bus goes from very near work to Fulham Broadway, so 15 minute walk at the end
Wednesday - decide to take tube, didn't take tube. Walked down into Notting Hill Gate station, scanning my card at the ticket gates. Learn that District Line trains are suspended between there and High Street Kensington, and next Circle Line train (which also goes to High Street Kenginston) is 20 minutes away. Walk out, having to scan my card again and pay 1.50 for the privledge. Take bus, which is addition 1 pound. Took little over an hour. Had to walk from Fulham Broadway again.
Thursday - decided to get home by whatever means possible. Checked the tube status before leaving work. Learned that District Line trains were running from Kensington, just not Notting Hill. Walk down to Kensington High Street station, about 10-15 minutes. Pay to get through ticket gate. Learn after several minutes that it would be 25 minutes until a train showed up. Went back through ticket gate, walked to Earl's Court station as traffic was at standstill and would be quicker than taking a bus. Took tube to Parsons Green from Earl's Court. Took 60 minutes. Feet really hurt!
So like, what's up with this TfL? Apparently the drivers were complaining that the trains didn't have 'brakes', and like they only want to drive trains that have them. So therefore the reason for the suspended services was lack of available, aka 'able to stop', rolling stock. Pain in the neck, I say. Oh, I guess I should also mention that my smooth Wednesday idealized morning commute took exactly 25 minutes, door to desk. That puts the 60 minute thing in perspective. If I didn't fear eminent death and getting sweaty while going to work, I would seriously consider riding a bike to work. But helmet hair and 'smart' dress doesn't suit me I've decided.
The District Line is apparently up and running again. Hopefully it will be tomorrow morning. I might also add that I avoided having to deal with the suspended services this morning by starting out my day with a site visit to Islington, in northeast London, which then required returning to work via the Central Line which also stops at Notting Hill and was working fine. Oh, and you can't get anywhere in the remote vicinity of where I live by taking the Circle Line from Notting Hill, either. So it's not to much an option. Anyways, let's hope tomorrow's commute goes smoothly. It's tough becoming a bitter London commuter after only 4 days.
Monday - decided to walk, walked. Was wearing flats, so was not unreasonable. Took 65 minutes, including brief stop to pick up dinner items.
Tuesday - decided to take the bus, took bus. Not really sure how long it took, but was back home by 6:30 and probably left around 5:45. Bus goes from very near work to Fulham Broadway, so 15 minute walk at the end
Wednesday - decide to take tube, didn't take tube. Walked down into Notting Hill Gate station, scanning my card at the ticket gates. Learn that District Line trains are suspended between there and High Street Kensington, and next Circle Line train (which also goes to High Street Kenginston) is 20 minutes away. Walk out, having to scan my card again and pay 1.50 for the privledge. Take bus, which is addition 1 pound. Took little over an hour. Had to walk from Fulham Broadway again.
Thursday - decided to get home by whatever means possible. Checked the tube status before leaving work. Learned that District Line trains were running from Kensington, just not Notting Hill. Walk down to Kensington High Street station, about 10-15 minutes. Pay to get through ticket gate. Learn after several minutes that it would be 25 minutes until a train showed up. Went back through ticket gate, walked to Earl's Court station as traffic was at standstill and would be quicker than taking a bus. Took tube to Parsons Green from Earl's Court. Took 60 minutes. Feet really hurt!
So like, what's up with this TfL? Apparently the drivers were complaining that the trains didn't have 'brakes', and like they only want to drive trains that have them. So therefore the reason for the suspended services was lack of available, aka 'able to stop', rolling stock. Pain in the neck, I say. Oh, I guess I should also mention that my smooth Wednesday idealized morning commute took exactly 25 minutes, door to desk. That puts the 60 minute thing in perspective. If I didn't fear eminent death and getting sweaty while going to work, I would seriously consider riding a bike to work. But helmet hair and 'smart' dress doesn't suit me I've decided.
The District Line is apparently up and running again. Hopefully it will be tomorrow morning. I might also add that I avoided having to deal with the suspended services this morning by starting out my day with a site visit to Islington, in northeast London, which then required returning to work via the Central Line which also stops at Notting Hill and was working fine. Oh, and you can't get anywhere in the remote vicinity of where I live by taking the Circle Line from Notting Hill, either. So it's not to much an option. Anyways, let's hope tomorrow's commute goes smoothly. It's tough becoming a bitter London commuter after only 4 days.
Monday, September 24, 2007
First day of work
Today was my first day of work! After weeks of relatively mundane weather, I awoke this morning to pouring down rain. And I also awoke before 7 am. This hasn't gone on in quite some time either. While it was rather scary, all fears were somewhat appeased by the fact that Adrian was going in at starting at the same time.
We met up at the Starbucks across the street from the building at 8:45, to pass our last 45 minutes of full-time student-ness. Post-muffin, we headed in and waited for the HR lady to show us around. After the tour we were dropped off individually at our new desks. Adrian didn't have a computer, and mine was in the process of getting set up for my use. About half of my 'group' was out, including my boss, so one of the others showed me around a bit more and got me set up with a mug and a notepad and such. Once my computer was ready, I got to read the employee manual. All in such was a bit dull, although I was intrigued by the maternity leave policy. I think the US one was that you could pop one out but had to be back the next day. Here you were allowed to take an entire year of at somewhere around 90% pay. On the slightly unfair side, men could only take two weeks paternity leave.
I got a sandwich for lunch from the Tesco across the street and consumed it on the 6th floor by Adrian's desk. It seems like an interesting lot down there. Back on the 8th floor, my boss returned and briefed me on some projects I'll be working on. Most were in London, including the main one for which I will seemingly be writing the better part of a transport assessment for in the next two weeks. This made me suddenly realize that I'm going to have to do actual work. Involving thinking. This is worrying!
We met up at the Starbucks across the street from the building at 8:45, to pass our last 45 minutes of full-time student-ness. Post-muffin, we headed in and waited for the HR lady to show us around. After the tour we were dropped off individually at our new desks. Adrian didn't have a computer, and mine was in the process of getting set up for my use. About half of my 'group' was out, including my boss, so one of the others showed me around a bit more and got me set up with a mug and a notepad and such. Once my computer was ready, I got to read the employee manual. All in such was a bit dull, although I was intrigued by the maternity leave policy. I think the US one was that you could pop one out but had to be back the next day. Here you were allowed to take an entire year of at somewhere around 90% pay. On the slightly unfair side, men could only take two weeks paternity leave.
I got a sandwich for lunch from the Tesco across the street and consumed it on the 6th floor by Adrian's desk. It seems like an interesting lot down there. Back on the 8th floor, my boss returned and briefed me on some projects I'll be working on. Most were in London, including the main one for which I will seemingly be writing the better part of a transport assessment for in the next two weeks. This made me suddenly realize that I'm going to have to do actual work. Involving thinking. This is worrying!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
work work work
guest blog entry:
so its gone from education education education to work work work even though (and I think margo is in the same boat) we still have quite a lot (American quite) of work still to do with school.
so we are both starting work tomorrow morning margo at 9.30 and me at 10. so should be an interesting day - will be very strange walking around town in a suit! not really looking forward to my first experience of peak time London public transport if its anything like peak time driving in Southampton should be a nightmare!!!
so we've been living in fulham for 2 weeks now and its definitely a very multicultural city! the first people we heard in sainsburys in Earls Court (which I think Margo found strange because she went there on holiday 2 years ago) were Americans. There are also a lot of French speaking people - I could almost be in the minority! It's a very different deal to Southampton in what I've seen so far - just wish there was more time/money to enjoy all that's on offer. We've been quite adventurous so far though :-)
Margo had some friends over from your side of the pond for the last two nights. I got grilled about the British school system (questions that relate from harry potter i think). I think was like the opposite from when my dad met Margo...lots of questions though i guess its just interesting leaning how different cultures do what is basically the same thing - school! They were cool people one was from Portland and the other Seattle (well living now) - hit a soho bar and they got chatted up by some 40 year old Australian which i thought was funny! Good effort though!!!
Anyways margo's excited because theres a Coldcase on TV that she hasn't seen before!
Have a good week
Mark x
so its gone from education education education to work work work even though (and I think margo is in the same boat) we still have quite a lot (American quite) of work still to do with school.
so we are both starting work tomorrow morning margo at 9.30 and me at 10. so should be an interesting day - will be very strange walking around town in a suit! not really looking forward to my first experience of peak time London public transport if its anything like peak time driving in Southampton should be a nightmare!!!
so we've been living in fulham for 2 weeks now and its definitely a very multicultural city! the first people we heard in sainsburys in Earls Court (which I think Margo found strange because she went there on holiday 2 years ago) were Americans. There are also a lot of French speaking people - I could almost be in the minority! It's a very different deal to Southampton in what I've seen so far - just wish there was more time/money to enjoy all that's on offer. We've been quite adventurous so far though :-)
Margo had some friends over from your side of the pond for the last two nights. I got grilled about the British school system (questions that relate from harry potter i think). I think was like the opposite from when my dad met Margo...lots of questions though i guess its just interesting leaning how different cultures do what is basically the same thing - school! They were cool people one was from Portland and the other Seattle (well living now) - hit a soho bar and they got chatted up by some 40 year old Australian which i thought was funny! Good effort though!!!
Anyways margo's excited because theres a Coldcase on TV that she hasn't seen before!
Have a good week
Mark x
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Birthdays
Happy Birthday, Kathy! Hope it's a good one! I didn't do any exact calculations, but I think the matron is about 36 today. She was very young when she had me.
I also took a look back a couple days ago and realized that blog is now just over a year old. My very first entry, done the day of blog's creation, was September 17, 2006. It's really quite bizarre to think of all that has happened in the past year! The terror of quitting work and selling my car and getting on a plane last September was certainly much more intense than my current worry of starting a new job on Monday. It may even really be too bizarre to dwell on, I think. Things of rememberence are always strange, and I'm not quite up for doing a recap.
Of primary interest, it is go-see-Kelly-Osbourne-in-Chicago evening. Apparently she should do a good job, but in these sorts of things you really just havce to keep your hopes up for some kind of slip-up. The show will be good, I'm sure.
I also took a look back a couple days ago and realized that blog is now just over a year old. My very first entry, done the day of blog's creation, was September 17, 2006. It's really quite bizarre to think of all that has happened in the past year! The terror of quitting work and selling my car and getting on a plane last September was certainly much more intense than my current worry of starting a new job on Monday. It may even really be too bizarre to dwell on, I think. Things of rememberence are always strange, and I'm not quite up for doing a recap.
Of primary interest, it is go-see-Kelly-Osbourne-in-Chicago evening. Apparently she should do a good job, but in these sorts of things you really just havce to keep your hopes up for some kind of slip-up. The show will be good, I'm sure.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
+ 1
First off, work resolution. My future employer is allowing me to start work in my current visa situation. I'll be signing a new, 4-month contract when I show up for my first day on Monday. Now this means I start work on Monday. Now I'm scared for entirely different reasons. Eek. The first day outfit is worked out, but what about the second? Hopefully I won't be confronted with the need to produce additional suits. I'll be trying to get more of the scoop from my inside source later this week and then will be wheeling in with another bud, so I'm pretty lucky in that regard. Of course, none of us are actually in the same group so there still will be mingling!
Moving on to dear old television. For some reason there is a plethora of channels that are simply shadows of other channels, one hour behind. They call these 'plus one' channels, so there is E4 + 1, for example, that shows everything E4 shows but an hour later. It's sort of like tevo, only it's everything and just a straight hour later. I'm almost surprised there aren't plus two for those who are running two hours behind. I admit to watching the channels, of course. Sometimes there are two things on that you want to watch and nothing on afterwards, so you just watch the +1 and you're good to go. Two birds with one stone. While this ensures that either Friends or Scrubs is always on, it's a little tricky because you can be paying not that much attention and come across an episode you'd just watched an hour earlier.
And I'm still intending to upload some more pictures, I just haven't gotten around to it quite yet...
Moving on to dear old television. For some reason there is a plethora of channels that are simply shadows of other channels, one hour behind. They call these 'plus one' channels, so there is E4 + 1, for example, that shows everything E4 shows but an hour later. It's sort of like tevo, only it's everything and just a straight hour later. I'm almost surprised there aren't plus two for those who are running two hours behind. I admit to watching the channels, of course. Sometimes there are two things on that you want to watch and nothing on afterwards, so you just watch the +1 and you're good to go. Two birds with one stone. While this ensures that either Friends or Scrubs is always on, it's a little tricky because you can be paying not that much attention and come across an episode you'd just watched an hour earlier.
And I'm still intending to upload some more pictures, I just haven't gotten around to it quite yet...
Sunday, September 16, 2007
The fear
I think it's safe to say that I'm terrified about having to deal with my lack of visa and its influence on my future employment. It seems most likely that I will not be getting the required go ahead from the University in time for starting work a week from tomorrow, meaning I have to go to plan B. Plan B involves me writing a very nice and carefully worded letter to the people who will still hopefully be willing to employ me, telling them that while I don't have my nice 12 month visa quite yet, I can work if they give me a 4 month contract and can then get the 12 month contract in January. All this meaning that instead of getting me for only 12 months without having to pay for my visa, they will get me for 16. Or they will laugh at me and tell me that as the visa is part of the requirements for employment I can go take a long walk down a short pier. Whilst perhaps I should have writtent this email on Friday after regaining internet, I was too scared to do so. So tomorrow I will write the email and then go crawl into a hole and rock back and forth in the fetal position.
Email aside, I have somehow managed to book numerous activities for the week. I have two plays, a dinner in Maidenhead, and am meeting a fellow American in town to boot. This is slightly bizarre as I never had anything to do in Southampton. Oh, and I will be spending my days frantically finishing dissertation, of course.
In other work preparation news, I went shopping today and bought a pair of 'trousers' from Zara. Now I have 3 pairs of 'trousers' (but the other two pairs go with suits and might seem odd on their own as they have a bit of an odd flow) and plenty of skirts. I also bought nylons. As I had none yet all the skirts. I hate nylons. I also got a pair of opaque tights. It's a bit of a different flow for myself, but they certainly seem to be the local fashion so I figured I would take the risk. Working up the nerve to wear them is a totally different story.
Email aside, I have somehow managed to book numerous activities for the week. I have two plays, a dinner in Maidenhead, and am meeting a fellow American in town to boot. This is slightly bizarre as I never had anything to do in Southampton. Oh, and I will be spending my days frantically finishing dissertation, of course.
In other work preparation news, I went shopping today and bought a pair of 'trousers' from Zara. Now I have 3 pairs of 'trousers' (but the other two pairs go with suits and might seem odd on their own as they have a bit of an odd flow) and plenty of skirts. I also bought nylons. As I had none yet all the skirts. I hate nylons. I also got a pair of opaque tights. It's a bit of a different flow for myself, but they certainly seem to be the local fashion so I figured I would take the risk. Working up the nerve to wear them is a totally different story.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Internet!
This time blog abandonment was totally not my fault. I made my final move up to London this past Monday only to discover that the phone line had a fault in it that wasn't fixed until this morning. This meant many long, hard days with no internet. Luckily this is London and there was plenty of other distractions to keep me from working on my dissertation.
On Tuesday, after finishing the unpacking process, I went down to the local park, called Bishop's Park, to take a look around. It's a big park that fronts the Thames, and its name is derived from its centrepiece, Fulham Palace, which for hundreds of years was the home of the Bishops of London. It's not much of a palace, but it is a big house. Sort of something you'd see in a Jane Austen movie to represent one of the slightly simpler homes in rich people terms. The park itself has a very nice path around the perimeter, with trees overhanging. If I ever feel like jogging, it will basically be the place to go. After hitting the park, I walked up an alternative route to Parsons Green, then by some other green on my way to Fulham Broadway. See, I had to stay away from the flat as the landlord was varnishing the floors. I finally returned in the evening to lose thousands of brain cells whilst watching television.
Wednesday was a day about town which saw me get and use an Oyster card. I felt like I belonged. Walked around Mayfair a bit then headed down Brompton Road past Harrods to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum yet again. I feel like I go there often. There and the British Musuem.
Yesterday I attempted to do work, but instead I walked around Bishops Park and did some grocery shopping in preparation for dinner guests. I'm a grown up, its seemingly what we do. And today I'm working again. It's not that great. And I am comteplating having a breakfast burrito for lunch. It would lend the day an exciting twist.
I took some pictures but have not uploaded them yet. Expect some new images soon.
On Tuesday, after finishing the unpacking process, I went down to the local park, called Bishop's Park, to take a look around. It's a big park that fronts the Thames, and its name is derived from its centrepiece, Fulham Palace, which for hundreds of years was the home of the Bishops of London. It's not much of a palace, but it is a big house. Sort of something you'd see in a Jane Austen movie to represent one of the slightly simpler homes in rich people terms. The park itself has a very nice path around the perimeter, with trees overhanging. If I ever feel like jogging, it will basically be the place to go. After hitting the park, I walked up an alternative route to Parsons Green, then by some other green on my way to Fulham Broadway. See, I had to stay away from the flat as the landlord was varnishing the floors. I finally returned in the evening to lose thousands of brain cells whilst watching television.
Wednesday was a day about town which saw me get and use an Oyster card. I felt like I belonged. Walked around Mayfair a bit then headed down Brompton Road past Harrods to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum yet again. I feel like I go there often. There and the British Musuem.
Yesterday I attempted to do work, but instead I walked around Bishops Park and did some grocery shopping in preparation for dinner guests. I'm a grown up, its seemingly what we do. And today I'm working again. It's not that great. And I am comteplating having a breakfast burrito for lunch. It would lend the day an exciting twist.
I took some pictures but have not uploaded them yet. Expect some new images soon.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Last day on campus
So today is essentially my last day on campus in Southampton. Ah yes, lifetimes spent in around Hartley library have culminated in a day of me doing no work and not getting the scanner to work. The highlights included my sandwich and going to the student services center to hand in a form. Indeed, it is quite the mind-blowing day.
Will I miss being in the library all day everyday? Signs point to no. Altough I will surely be longing for the freedom to make my own hours once I start working. Assuming I get all the necessary stuff taken care of for that! There's still a chance I'll be deported soon enough. Although it most likely won't happen.
In the broader sense, I am not sad to see Southampton go either. While it is a nice enough city in many respects, it's been sort of done and it's certainly no London. Quite frankly I'm not really sure what else to say about the place. I like the Bargate. And the old town walls.
Mind you, I say all this now. I may be back again on Monday...
Will I miss being in the library all day everyday? Signs point to no. Altough I will surely be longing for the freedom to make my own hours once I start working. Assuming I get all the necessary stuff taken care of for that! There's still a chance I'll be deported soon enough. Although it most likely won't happen.
In the broader sense, I am not sad to see Southampton go either. While it is a nice enough city in many respects, it's been sort of done and it's certainly no London. Quite frankly I'm not really sure what else to say about the place. I like the Bargate. And the old town walls.
Mind you, I say all this now. I may be back again on Monday...
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Elton
Last night I attended the European premiere performance of Elton John's Las Vegas show, the Red Piano, at the O2 Arena in east London. It was very good.
The O2 Arena is located east of Canary Wharf, and it takes about an hour to get there on the tube from Parsons Green. So its a fair trek. Aside from an area probably a little larger than the Rose Garden, it holds a movie theater that contains Europe's largest screen, and a number of restaurants, all with really long lines. And it basically has its own tube stop. Anyways, so after realizing it would take ages to get food at any of these restaurants and with not knowing what time the show actually started, we ended up just getting food inside the arena. This means it was not that great, greasy, and slightly overpriced. If I had walked 50 feet further I could have gotten a ciabbatta cheeseburger, but alas, not that clever. The opener was some singer women who played cheesy songs that I'd never heard. We'll brush over her and get to Elton.
The word show is almost a bit of a stretch. It was really just an elaborate concert, with fancy videos for each song and inflatable stage items, and a red piano on a star that lit-up on which Elton perched. Elton played what can only be described as a string of classics, and he did them all amazingly well. He has a beautiful live voice, and had a few amusing stories to toss in between songs. It started on an up-beat vibe with a bit of Benny and the Jets and Philadelphia Freedom, tossed in a about 6000 more classics, including well, all of Elton John's classics (Believe, Tiny Dancer, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved my Life Tonight, Daniel, Rocketman, the Bitch is Back, etc.). I didn't quite understand all of the inflatable stage items, like the upside down ice cream cone holding a cigarette, but some of them were nice. Couldn't really see all of the video stuff from where we were sitting, but some seemed a bit distracting. When Elton is about, you don't really need all that stuff. He saved Your Song for the encore, and it was really the only song where you could hear everyone in the audience singing along. It was very touching.
Apparently he was going to take the Red Piano show over to mainland Europe but all the shows got cancelled. No clue what went on there, but if he does the show again in Vegas whilst anyone is there, I would give it my endorsement.
Things were a bit crazy trying to get back to the tube, but it wasn't as bad as one would assume and we made it back to Waterloo in time for the 11:39 train. Some of us slept on the train. Back in Southampton for a couple more days, making the final move up to London on Sunday now. I think. Hopefully.
The O2 Arena is located east of Canary Wharf, and it takes about an hour to get there on the tube from Parsons Green. So its a fair trek. Aside from an area probably a little larger than the Rose Garden, it holds a movie theater that contains Europe's largest screen, and a number of restaurants, all with really long lines. And it basically has its own tube stop. Anyways, so after realizing it would take ages to get food at any of these restaurants and with not knowing what time the show actually started, we ended up just getting food inside the arena. This means it was not that great, greasy, and slightly overpriced. If I had walked 50 feet further I could have gotten a ciabbatta cheeseburger, but alas, not that clever. The opener was some singer women who played cheesy songs that I'd never heard. We'll brush over her and get to Elton.
The word show is almost a bit of a stretch. It was really just an elaborate concert, with fancy videos for each song and inflatable stage items, and a red piano on a star that lit-up on which Elton perched. Elton played what can only be described as a string of classics, and he did them all amazingly well. He has a beautiful live voice, and had a few amusing stories to toss in between songs. It started on an up-beat vibe with a bit of Benny and the Jets and Philadelphia Freedom, tossed in a about 6000 more classics, including well, all of Elton John's classics (Believe, Tiny Dancer, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved my Life Tonight, Daniel, Rocketman, the Bitch is Back, etc.). I didn't quite understand all of the inflatable stage items, like the upside down ice cream cone holding a cigarette, but some of them were nice. Couldn't really see all of the video stuff from where we were sitting, but some seemed a bit distracting. When Elton is about, you don't really need all that stuff. He saved Your Song for the encore, and it was really the only song where you could hear everyone in the audience singing along. It was very touching.
Apparently he was going to take the Red Piano show over to mainland Europe but all the shows got cancelled. No clue what went on there, but if he does the show again in Vegas whilst anyone is there, I would give it my endorsement.
Things were a bit crazy trying to get back to the tube, but it wasn't as bad as one would assume and we made it back to Waterloo in time for the 11:39 train. Some of us slept on the train. Back in Southampton for a couple more days, making the final move up to London on Sunday now. I think. Hopefully.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
The NHS
First off, my apologizes again for forgetting to update blog for a bit too long.
So the UK has national health care. And I've gathered enough individual experiences to form some sort of bases about the whole thing. So, when I first got to Southampton I had to register with a doctor. This is done at a doctor's 'surgery' which does not mean they operate on you, it's just what the normal offices are called. There is a certain catchment area for each office so you really just go to one that you live near, and for myself that meant one of the two connected to the University.
Once you have a doctor, you can simply call them up or drop in if you need an appointment and they'll accomodate you. If you go in for whatever reason, sore joint/sickness/bleeding wound, the appointment is free. You don't fill out any paperwork at any point in time and you are free to deal with the general practioner. If you have a 'real' problem, you may then get forwarded on to a second party, such as a physical therapist or a podiatrist. Again, no matter where the office of these other parties may be, it's free and appointments don't require any paperwork. If you need an operation, again its free, you just may end up having to get sliced open on your birthday.
Of course, it's not all a total free-for-all. As alluded to, you can't really afford to be picky when it comes to services outside the GP's office. If you miss appointments, you may not get any more. And any request for rescheduling could possibly result in long delays as backlogs are being dealt with. In all of this, there's no way for me to compare the standards of care, having truly limited experiences with both systems. Also of potential interest is that the Emergency room is simply referred to as 'A&E' here. For the life of me I can't recall what it actually stands for but I think of the tv channel everytime I hear it!
So the UK has national health care. And I've gathered enough individual experiences to form some sort of bases about the whole thing. So, when I first got to Southampton I had to register with a doctor. This is done at a doctor's 'surgery' which does not mean they operate on you, it's just what the normal offices are called. There is a certain catchment area for each office so you really just go to one that you live near, and for myself that meant one of the two connected to the University.
Once you have a doctor, you can simply call them up or drop in if you need an appointment and they'll accomodate you. If you go in for whatever reason, sore joint/sickness/bleeding wound, the appointment is free. You don't fill out any paperwork at any point in time and you are free to deal with the general practioner. If you have a 'real' problem, you may then get forwarded on to a second party, such as a physical therapist or a podiatrist. Again, no matter where the office of these other parties may be, it's free and appointments don't require any paperwork. If you need an operation, again its free, you just may end up having to get sliced open on your birthday.
Of course, it's not all a total free-for-all. As alluded to, you can't really afford to be picky when it comes to services outside the GP's office. If you miss appointments, you may not get any more. And any request for rescheduling could possibly result in long delays as backlogs are being dealt with. In all of this, there's no way for me to compare the standards of care, having truly limited experiences with both systems. Also of potential interest is that the Emergency room is simply referred to as 'A&E' here. For the life of me I can't recall what it actually stands for but I think of the tv channel everytime I hear it!
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