Settling in to life in the UK
It hasn't been all that much of an adjustment, but things are a bit different than Ireland and even more so compared with Vancouver.
In the absence of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms the job application process is a bit intrusive. I knew that in many parts of Europe it is required that you attach a photo of yourself (understandable if you are applying to say, the adult entertainment industry, but not if you are working a regular desk job). However, in all the applications for positions in labs or offices over here it has been necessary to state my living situation, any dependents (currently living with me or otherwise), sexual orientation and race. It all seems a bit much.
Monday I went out to a pub quiz with Sarah, Donna (flatmates) and Donna's friend from Uni. Apparently just about every pub has a quiz night at least once a week and they are really popular in the winter. In Ireland the questions would just get in the way of drinking - probably wouldn't go over too well. It was tons of fun though. There were 10 teams in all and it ended up being a fairly full bar for a Monday night. I think I did pretty well on the General Knowledge and Music categories, but dropped the ball when it came to sports (as expected they only had rugby, football/soccer and Brit Olympic questions). In the end we came 5th and stumbled away with a free bottle of wine - not a bad deal at all considering there was no entrance fee.
I am still in the midst of searching for work, but have an interview lined up for tomorrow and have my fingers crossed for a lab position just outside of the city that I applied for yesterday.
It's looking like I will spend Christmas on my own here, but I have heard that Christmas Eve is just about the busiest night of the year in the pubs, so there shouldn't be a shortage of things to do. As for New Years, I have bought a ticket to Hogmanay here in Edinburgh. I have heard that it is the largest New Years party in Europe - it's a 4-day event here! My flatmates were even saying that in the past (in Scotland) Christmas wasn't a holiday, but you got January 1st and 2nd off. England, on the other hand, always has Christmas and Boxing Day like in Canada. Ireland has Dec. 25th and 26th off, but have St. Stephen's Day instead of Boxing Day.
I still haven't ventured out for a meal of haggis with neeps and tatties, but my lunch today consisted of beans on toast with ginger biscuits and a cuppa ... much better than I expected.
In the absence of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms the job application process is a bit intrusive. I knew that in many parts of Europe it is required that you attach a photo of yourself (understandable if you are applying to say, the adult entertainment industry, but not if you are working a regular desk job). However, in all the applications for positions in labs or offices over here it has been necessary to state my living situation, any dependents (currently living with me or otherwise), sexual orientation and race. It all seems a bit much.
Monday I went out to a pub quiz with Sarah, Donna (flatmates) and Donna's friend from Uni. Apparently just about every pub has a quiz night at least once a week and they are really popular in the winter. In Ireland the questions would just get in the way of drinking - probably wouldn't go over too well. It was tons of fun though. There were 10 teams in all and it ended up being a fairly full bar for a Monday night. I think I did pretty well on the General Knowledge and Music categories, but dropped the ball when it came to sports (as expected they only had rugby, football/soccer and Brit Olympic questions). In the end we came 5th and stumbled away with a free bottle of wine - not a bad deal at all considering there was no entrance fee.
I am still in the midst of searching for work, but have an interview lined up for tomorrow and have my fingers crossed for a lab position just outside of the city that I applied for yesterday.
It's looking like I will spend Christmas on my own here, but I have heard that Christmas Eve is just about the busiest night of the year in the pubs, so there shouldn't be a shortage of things to do. As for New Years, I have bought a ticket to Hogmanay here in Edinburgh. I have heard that it is the largest New Years party in Europe - it's a 4-day event here! My flatmates were even saying that in the past (in Scotland) Christmas wasn't a holiday, but you got January 1st and 2nd off. England, on the other hand, always has Christmas and Boxing Day like in Canada. Ireland has Dec. 25th and 26th off, but have St. Stephen's Day instead of Boxing Day.
I still haven't ventured out for a meal of haggis with neeps and tatties, but my lunch today consisted of beans on toast with ginger biscuits and a cuppa ... much better than I expected.
posted by Trevor Schofield at 3:49 p.m.
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