5/2/13

Working has really put into perspective the kind of life that the next 50 years. I got to work at 10.45 because Karina had to go to the bank. So I got to sit around for an extra ten minutes. I got on the bus and fell asleep. That made me nervous because I woke up two stops before my stop. Anyways, I got the honor of making tea, a feat in which I did not screw up. So now my record is 1 good and 1 bad. I had to go to the accountants to pick up some files, so I got to ride in a taxi. 

Taxis are incredibly scary and stressful!

I went a total of .5 miles, and I could have sworn we were going to get in about 6 accidents. We also did a three point turn in the middle of on coming traffic. The accountant's office was in an old refurbished factory. I really need to explore the East End soon. Maybe this weekend, who knows? After getting back and doing work, I took lunch at 3. I got some soup from the cafe down the street. I like where I work because the food is actually quite cheap. 

Around quitting time- 6.15 tonight, Karina asked if I wanted to go to the pub with her and a co-worker and her son. I said sure. They were very nice people and Karina and I got to have some quality conversations after they left. I ended up getting home around 9.00..So a solid 11 hour day. 

The rest of the night was just spent hanging around with people, either in my room, their room, or the kitchen (I was a little hungry). Now I am hurrying up and getting to bed because I have another conference tomorrow, like I did last week only different, that starts at 9.30. I will be the only representative there from 9.30 until 10.30, so I have to make sure I do well. 

Also, to keep up with my quest to find horse heads in London, may I present the one from Camden Market.

4/2/13

Something that I have learned about being on my own is how I classify days as a waste. What I intended to do, once I found out that I have Mondays free, is to explore a different part of London. However, today I woke up at 10:45... said no way and snoozed until 11:15. Then I got on my trusty computer and watched an hour of Superbowl commercials. After skyping with Jen, I went to work on my homework.You can see that below this post. If you notice on the right, there are numbers (which represent the date, in case that wasn't obvious) and then there are words. The words are assignments that I have to do for classes. So feel free to skip those if you don't feel like reading the boring school stuff.

Anyways, back to my story, after I finished homework, I skyped Grandma Connie and Pa. I was glad that they got it to work, and hopefully I will call back again soon. Then after a shower, I tried going to Store Street to pay for my HOST visit. So Megan and I went into the bookstore down the street, which, come to find out, is a very prominent pagan bookstore. It was very interesting.

So I came back to my house and sat on the computer a while more, figuring out things for when mom comes. I ended up buying tickets for us to see Les Miserables. So that should be a lot of fun. I also bought a student card for the train system, so that should save me money when I travel to other places in England. I then decided I needed to do something, so I left and went for a walk.

I tried walking just to Oxford Circus and Piccadilly, but I got lost and ended up walking around for about two hours. It was an interesting walk, being that I ended up in Berkeley. Why this is important is that I saw some vehicles in shops, and they were some of the most beautiful cars I have ever seen. I passed a Porsche, Audi, Lotus, Bentley, and Rolls Royce dealership.

This car costs 400,000 Pounds (including VAT taxes)

On my way back, I went through Piccadilly Circus, and I am not sure if I showed Poppy this, but hey-- Here is a quick photo of Piccadilly Circus, which is about a fifteen minute walk from my room. I'll be sure to have mom take lots of photos to show you home.

Then I went back home after my two hour walk, to find everyone in the lounge. So I went over with Joey, Alyssa, and Tayler, who are working on planning our trip to Paris. So I helped with that as little as I could, but was there for support. I think most of it is all planned, so that will be super exciting. Then I made dinner and here I am, getting ready to shave then go to sleep.

Now, back to the part where I was discussing wasted days. It is hard to think that I am in London, like the capital Europe. I could go see anything I wanted to. Honestly, I could have had lunch in Brussels, dinner in Paris and made it here to write home. That would have been a full day. But I don't think I wasted a day sitting here, doing research, taking a short walk and planning a trip with friends. It is difficult though because I wanted to do more. I usually go to bed with the anticipation of 1) sleep and 2) [more importantly] being able to wake up in this marvelous city to honestly see what happens. I don't know, besides work, what I will do tomorrow. I may see the queen. Who knows? All that is certain though is that I have decided that days are no longer wasted just because I sat for most of it, doing things on my computer. They are even necessary for planning ever better trips!

BES First Five Weeks: #2

Things are getting a lot easier here. To keep with the assimilation point I brought up in week 1, things are going well. Something that I have found, at least to my advantage, is that I have a unique accent. When I talk to people, most of the time they ask where I am from because they can never quite place it. I was out with Megan walking in Leicester, and we were stopped by a guy from the World Wildlife Foundation. He asked where I was from and I said New York, and he commented that my accent was not from New York, but it was "Spicy." I think this helps because at least at first, people I meet will not automatically classify me as an American, but rather focus on how I am talking.

I have realized that in a city, it is very obvious who the tourists are, who the locals are, and what they are trying to do. For example, on the bus at 9.00, there will be people in suits, fellow students and young people, all looking exhausted without a smile or a word uttered the entire trip. Then on the way home, it is more or less the same, except on my bus, there are usually students who are chatty in the back. Weekends though the bus is buzzing with languages, people look happier, and the stop button is pressed every five minutes (annoying). I have noticed that I am able to fit into both groups, depending on my mood, who I am with and what is expected of me.

Another thing that I have noticed that I will have to do by the end of this month presumably, is buy a pair of shoes. Everyone in London seems to have wonderful looking shoes that are subtle yet complement their outfits in ways an American wouldn't think of. I expect I will go either to Camden Market or Spitalfields to get a pair of cheap, chic shoes.

Other than that, I am quite happy with my progress in London. I have made friends with both locals and the people in the program, which I was nervous about. We are planning a few trips and really getting settled into life as a Londoner.

Internship Assignment B

The Hoxton Trust:

Stated Purposes and Policies:

Mission Statement: "Through consultation and partnership, Hoxton Trust facilitates community initiatives to enhance the social, economic and environmental potential of Hoxton."

The Hoxton Trust helps people who would otherwise not get help. Whether it be through legal advice or a horticulture program which culminates with a Level II Certification, the Hoxton Trust looks to better people, which transpires unto improving lives of community members, and the community as a whole.

Chain of Command:

The Hoxton Trust is a very relaxed place to work. Karina van der Mewre is the manager, who deals with everything from compiling financial paperwork, oversight of the property, and dealing with some phone calls. Under her is Margaret, who is in charge of the Legal Advice Service. Gwen is a member of the Legal Advice Service, and there are a number of Volunteers who come in on various days to clean, do paperwork, and other small things. There is a board of trustees (8) who are above Karina, who she reports to at bi-monthly meetings.

The building has three floors. The first floor is a waiting room for clients of the Legal Advice Service. The second floor is Gwen and Margaret's offices, along with a small kitchen. The third floor houses Karina and mine's office, plus a toilet and a second office.There is also a classroom in the back yard, for students of the horticulture program. 

Policies:

A new policy may be introduced by anyone, but when reporting these policies, they must first be approved by Karina (Director). Once she gives it the green light, she will take it to the Trustees, who will vote and decided whether or not to accept the policy.

The members of the board are as follows: Andrew Large, Chair; Andrea Rawlings, Secretary; Tunde Akande, Treasurer; Ahmet Arikan; Irena Edgcumbe; Malcolm Grant; Nicky Moule; Tousaint Walters.

Competition:

Competition against the Hoxton Trust include other charities, legal advice services, solicitors, community colleges and other horticulture training programs. Having this competition, the Hoxton Trust has to quantify the impact they have on the community so they can stay competitive for government funding (their main source of income). They also have to spend money on infrastructure (computers)  so they seem to be up to date and modern to appeal to people from all generations. 

Funding:

Because of the location of the Hackney Community College, the Hoxton Trust has started a partnership with them, and they pay a set amount per student. Donations are a big source of income, along with corporate donations such as ones from Lloyds TSB. Other sources of funding come from the government: Department of Work and Pensions; Social Action for Health; Shoreditch Trust; St. Anne's Church Community Hall Committee, European Regional Development Fund. 

Clientele:

The Hoxton Trust has two main groups of clients: Those seeking legal advice and those seeking horticulture training. However, input from the local community is also very important from the trust. 

Employees:

There are four members of staff that are paid, as well as interns, volunteers, and the board of trustees. 

Benefits:

Being that the staff would be considered part time and funding is tight for the Hoxton Trust, there are few benefits. Karina, due to her status, does get Child Care Tax Vouchers. She get a set amount taken from her salary each month. This money is not taxed but it goes directly for nursery fees. All paid employees also get some taken from their salary to pay for National Insurance.

Positive and Negative Issues:

Positive:

• The community garden brightens up the otherwise drab and building laden Hoxton Street.
• Over 300 clients a month are seen by the Hoxton Trust
• Courses offered help people get back on their feet, build confidence, and make relationships. 
• Gives corporations the opportunity to volunteer.

Negative:

• Building is hidden, entrance is not on Hoxton Street, so hard for the public to find.
• The website is not up to date, so that could be discouraging to people.
• Funding is very limited and based heavily on government discretion.

Internship Assignment A

Goal: To build professional and friendly relationships with my colleagues.
Skill: Tea making- Everyone talks about making a cuppa. I want to learn how to properly make a cuppa and be sure to offer others one when I am thirsty.
Skill: Small talk- Strike up casual conversations in the hallways, offices etc. This will hopefully build relationships and make it seem like I am a more permanent member of the staff.

Goal: Learn about the financials of a small business.
Skill: Budgeting- Help with the budget figures and learn how to calculate them, project them, and make a budget, projected cash flow, and other reports.
Skill: Decision making- Learn the thought process of determining how to cut costs, how to be creative when finding streams of income, and how to deal with employees.

Goal: Small business management
Skill: Marketing- Learn how to be creative when marketing for a small business, especially for a charity, where any marketing campaign must be attractive enough to gain exposure and hopefully volunteers and/or donations.
Skill: Networking- Learn how small businesses network among themselves. Also, how charities network with each other to talk about problems, income raising plans, and other issues.
Skill: Management- Observe how Karina deals with day to day problems with employees, clients, vendors, funds, the statutory, along with other things.

Self-evaluation: To consider this internship a success, I want to have attained the following:

• Confidence in myself to be able to step into a workplace and strike up a conversation.
• Have the skills to go to a meeting with other firms and introduce, network, and befriend peers.
• Understand the undertaking of composing a budget.
• Learn a base of British Fiscal Policy i.e. classifications, dates, statutory.
• Leave the Hoxton Trust with the confidence that I have learned skills that are transferable to America, and relevant in the accounting and business field.    

3/2/13

Today, I woke up and realized that I may be forced to do laundry soon. That is a very sobering thought. On the bright side though, I got asked to go on a trip to Paris, so that is exciting.

Around 4, we went to the pub to watch the Manchester City Liverpool game. It was solid. The crowd was really getting into it, so we could yell along with them. Afterwards, I made some dinner. It was prawn curry with rice. Not too bad for only costing a Pound. I am leaving in about 45 minutes to go watch the Super Bowl. So on that note, I will leave you all and this short blog post. Go Ravens!

2/2

It is getting slightly harder and harder to blog everyday, but I do try my best. So sorry.

1 February

Today started out great. Albeit, I got up real early (8:45) and went to bed super later (4:15), we all walked down to the river at 9:30. We had to meet at the London Eye at 10:20 for our trip. It was a pleasant walk, where we all just talked quietly (we were sleepy) and looked at the people and cars as we slowly walked. The Eye was stunning. It moved pretty slow, so it took about a 29 minutes to go all the way around, but it gave us a beautiful view of London. It is such a large city, and being in the Eye really put it into perspective.

Joey and I

A look at the Millennium Bridge. Also, I live about 5 minutes
from the tall tower 

Big Ben and Westminster Abbey in the background

Buckingham Palace, and the gardens leading up to it.

Parliament, complete with Big Ben and a red bus on the bridge

A look towards London Bridge and the East End.

After the Eye came the best thing I have done in London so far: lunch. We went to lunch in the East End at a place called Tayyabs. What Tayyabs is is a Pakistani barbecue restaurant. We started out with getting.... deep fried chick peas (?) with mango chutney and a deep fried ravioli with something else in it (maybe). To drink was a mango drink, that had the consistency of a milkshake, and tasted wonderful. For our starter, we got lamb shanks, chicken and lamb sausage. It is hard to choose which was best. From there, we got some flat bread which was amazing (I mean it is bread), rice, and four bowls of food to put on the rice and bread: chicken, vegetables, lentils, and lamb. I can't choose a favorite because they were literally all delicious and all unique. I did feel like a complete waste of a person because I was too full. We were planning on exploring the East End more, but we decided to get back on the tube and take a nice nap- which we all did.

From the bottom: vegetable, lamb, chicken lentil. You can see how big the bread was. Just amazing food.

 On a side note. I am very interested to see how mom deals with this kind of food when she comes to visit. I plan on taking her to a variety of places for dinner, and undoubtedly, some sort of middle eastern/south asian food will be in order- like a meal like this.

After the nap, we all got up and hung out in the lounge for a while, then went to ULU. I played a racing game that was sponsored by Red Bull. It was a competition between everyone at ULU. I ended up in third place out of everyone who tried. So I was very happy about that, and I know I would have made joey proud.

2 February

We got up early to go to Camden Market this morning. By that, I mean we left at 11:30. It is only about a 13 minute or so walk from my room, so that is incredibly close. It was an amazing market, I am sorry, but I have no pictures because I left my camera card in the computer. So next time I will take some photos (no worries I plan on being back). We went with some girls, so they did a lot of shopping. We did get split up, which was fine because at the time, the three of us guys were hungry. So we found the food court and it blew my mind. Every stall was offering us free samples, so we got an entire starter just from those samples. Everything was great. From the Ethiopian food to the Asian and more European food- it was a difficult choice. Joey and I decided on a sandwich from this place, where an entire pig leg was lying on the grill. So on a warmed roll, we got a great helping of pig, some salad, sauce, and most importantly, cinnamon apple chutney! It was amazing!

Then we got on the bus and took it to the City of London so we could go to the Museum of London to complete an assignment. We got off in the city and walked down Fleet Street. We took an alleyway for fun, and ended up at the London headquarters of Deloitte. They buildings were nice, and they were real close to this pub, which boasted that it has been in business during the reigns of 10 monarchs. We went through the museum, but were too tired to truly enjoy it all, so we took the tube home and sat around for like 50 minutes. Then we went to the pub to watch Manchester United play (and win).

We concluded the evening in the lounge. We started playing cards, but realized that we had too many people, so we stopped that and just hung out. There was a movie playing and I am quite tired, so I just watched that. Once the movie ended, we started another one, The Hunger Games. I quite enjoy that movie. However, with like 35 minutes left, I went to go to the bathroom, and got stuck talking to Kate in the hallway for about 35 minutes. I really enjoyed it though because it is nice to know that she is having struggles similar to what I have/had, and that I could help her with some of her problems. When we finished, everyone was leaving, but somehow I got caught talking to Joey for a solid hour. I finally made it to my room around 2, where I could write this blog and most importantly: go to sleep.

Cheers!