Anglotopia » Dispatches from London http://www.anglotopia.net A Blog for Anglophiles Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:41:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Dispatches from London: How I Googled My Way to Being an English Lawyer in London http://www.anglotopia.net/anglophilia/moving-to-uk/dispatches-from-london-how-i-googled-my-way-to-being-an-english-lawyer-in-london/ http://www.anglotopia.net/anglophilia/moving-to-uk/dispatches-from-london-how-i-googled-my-way-to-being-an-english-lawyer-in-london/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:30:53 +0000 kat http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=3966 lawschoolfriends

Me and Law School Friend Winter 2006

I was a college graduate working a low-level but upwardly mobile assistant position (can you say Devil wears Prada?) at a major corporation in Boston and was in the midst of a bitterly cold winter in 2005. I spent a lot of time on the computer between tasks Googling a way to be anywhere but where I was. As I had a English boyfriend that I spent most of my days desperately missing in that way that you can only miss a love on another continent. He wanted to move to America so I Googled “English citizens moving to America” extensively and realised that it was a dead end with his lack of qualifications, money and martial status.

Next, I tried to figure out how I could go to England. I set up a few informational job interviews for that February. My main grasp of the interviews was that the job market was going to be more difficult than I expected as I would need to be on a “graduate scheme” for most careers starting in September and the applications were already in. Also, no one was willing to give me, as a recent grad, a work permit. I looked into the possibility of a fiancée visa and, gulp, a UK marriage visa.

My boyfriend didn’t have the haphazard approach to marriage that I had in my early 20s (think: “if Britney can do it, why can’t I?”). On our next holiday, he proposed and we were then engaged to have a normal engagement and wedding rather than a rushed one to bring us to the same continent. As one cannot work on a fiancée visa, this left me with only one choice for entering the UK without a wedding band and having something to do with my days: back to school.

Returning from the trip in February, I resumed my post Googling my way to a future abroad. After eyeing the cost of graduate degrees ranging from $20k-$60k for a year I was becoming increasing disheartened. Then, like every other good political science graduate in America I thought, “what about law school?”

Now this seemed remarkably easy: if you already have an undergraduate degree it only takes 2 years to become a lawyer (split into two types—solicitors and barristers) in England and Wales. The application cost was £5 and I happened to have a five pound note left over from February so I attached it to the simple one page application, added an international stamp and poof! I’d applied to three law schools in London in the course of an afternoon. Do not pass Go. Do not take the LSATs.

Further research showed me that while law school was easy to get into if you already had a degree, the tricky part was getting someone else to pay for it and that’s where something called a Training Contract (solicitors) or Pupillage (barristers) came in. If I were to get one of those, not only would the firm or chambers granting them pay my way and give me a small stipend, they’d employ me for two years when I finished school. Sign me up, I said!

In March I heard that I had been accepted into law school and in April I heard back from several firms granting me interviews. I lined up in the interviews for a week in May and flew over for a stressful few days. Two weeks later I received an email from my current employer telling me that they were offering me a contract and I accepted.

Four years down the line it’s strange to think of sitting all those miles away dreaming of working in London and that it’s actually what I’m doing now. Certainly things haven’t gone the way I’d planned then –the least of which being that the English fiancé never materialised into a husband. I’m very happy with my London life and having found a career and law firm that I love from Googling my way through that long Boston winter

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]]> http://www.anglotopia.net/anglophilia/moving-to-uk/dispatches-from-london-how-i-googled-my-way-to-being-an-english-lawyer-in-london/feed/ 3 Dispatches from London: Overcoming the challenges of cycling to work in London http://www.anglotopia.net/london/dispatches-from-london-overcoming-the-challenges-of-cycling-to-work-in-london/ http://www.anglotopia.net/london/dispatches-from-london-overcoming-the-challenges-of-cycling-to-work-in-london/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:30:26 +0000 kat http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=3874 kateandbike2

Although already a recreational cyclist, I have finally built up to taking on the ardent task of cycling at rush hour into work in the past few weeks. Luckily, I live only 1.5 miles from my work and the ride there is a downhill one. Of course it makes the ride home a bit more arduous, but at least I only arrive sweaty on the end without shared space with 800 other people.

It’s taken me four and a bit months to feel comfortable enough to cycle to work due to the logistical considerations (mostly involving hair and make-up, honestly). Going from the point of buying a bicycle in April to feeling comfortable on the streets of London has taken me over four months. It’s a slow process and learning my way around and to share the road with expletive-spewing motorcyclists, people jumping out of cabs and squeezing between double decker buses can still be a bit frightening.

My main challenges with cycling and how I’ve overcome them.

1. Challenge: learning the streets and easiest cycle routes.

Solution: TFL maps.

When I started cycling, I only knew bus routes that I’d been taking for ages. They aren’t always the nicest or safest routes, but at least I knew I wouldn’t be going down the wrong way. The definitive guides are actually available at tube stops and put out by the TFL. I have one on my wall next to my door and every time before I leave the house I check my route. They have major roads that have signed cycling routes in yellow and quieter routes in blue. It’s how I know a lot of London now. Someone the other day mentioned a restaurant on Persival Street and I responded, “yeah I know it, that’s a blue street”!

TFL Cycling Maps

2. Challenge: The gear (or “kit” as the Brits say)

Solution: Investing over time

prettyhelmet

Getting a bike wasn’t too much of a problem – I invested a bit (£350) but have earned it back in saved tube fare alone since May. I chose a Trek T10 ladies bike that’s a good hybrid. I personally don’t like the look of the fold up bicycles and like the option of taking a jaunt in the country on my bike. More difficult has been the extras. There’s a lot to it – lights, locks, bags, helmet and hi-visibility gear. I had to invest in some things in the bike shop, I made do and asked for relatives to give me any spare neon they had kicking around (got more than you’d think), and ordered a few items from deep discounter Sports Direct. I tend to upgrade about 1 item per month putting £30 of my budget aside for cycle gear. Plus, there’s been an entire female-oriented cycle fashion movement which I’ll devote another entry to, but I will put a pic up of a gorgeous helmet I’m coveting from Cycle Chic!

http://www.cyclechic.co.uk/index.htm

http://www.sportsdirect.com/

3. Challenge: Organisation

Solution: Setting out my school bag the night before

There’s a lot to cart around when it comes to cycling. I just have to keep my bag ready with my lights, lock, make-up, water bottle, wallet, keys, hair brush, helmet, and reflective vest all packed and ready so I add my lunch from the fridge and am out the door.

4. Challenge: Not being a red sweaty mess

Solution: cycling slowly

This is a controversial tactic that I take as I am luckily not someone who profusely sweats. I can get away with cycling to work in my dress or suit and arrive unscathed if I do so slowly. It does put a dent in my ego as people fly by me in lycra and streamlined cycling clothes whilst I saunter along in my dress at more relaxed pace. I’m not cycling primarily for exercise though, I do it because it gets me to work faster than any other mode and I enjoy it. Plus, I don’t have to change when I arrive at work, I simply add a suit jacket (back of my office chair), some heels (hidden under my desk) and put on my makeup at my desk or in the bathroom. Many others shower at my office and do their full morning routine in the office or the gym. When the weather gets worse, I may have to join them. On the weekends I often just wear more comfortable clothes and cycle normally in them. Obviously if I’m going out somewhere fancy, I leave my two wheeled friend at home.

In all, it’s still a work in progress but I’ve found that I arrive to work much more energised and I see a few people that I normally wouldn’t. This morning I had a good conversation with a important Partner coming from the bike area up to the offices. We talked about cycling naturally! He was very impressed that as an American, I’ve learned to cycle in London. I’m certainly not a tourist anymore!

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]]> http://www.anglotopia.net/london/dispatches-from-london-overcoming-the-challenges-of-cycling-to-work-in-london/feed/ 0 Dispatches from London: The Secrets of Primark http://www.anglotopia.net/british-identity/british-products/dispatches-from-london-the-secrets-of-primar/ http://www.anglotopia.net/british-identity/british-products/dispatches-from-london-the-secrets-of-primar/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:30:35 +0000 kat http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=3498 september 083

As someone who occasionally suffers from anxiety, shopping in London on the weekends is not always a pleasurable activity. And the store that gets my stomach churning with the mere mention of its name is Primark, or Primani as its ironically called as a play on the fact that everything there is as far from couture as one can get.  Typical prices would be: sunglasses and tights for £1, bathing suits for £3, suits for £20–the place is a bargain hunter’s dream.

When people find out I don’t shop at Primark, they assume its for moral and environmental reasons.  Nope, I just cannot cope with the massive crowds, endless queues, non-existent fitting rooms, incorrect sizing, and utter chaos.  Yet, half the time I give a compliment, the woman retorts “Primani!” with a wave of the hand and a smile on her face.  The grin suggests she found it against the odds — and paid next to nothing for it.  When the 7,000 square foot Oxford Street opened in April 2007, a near riot ensued.

september 023

For North American visitors to England, there’s isn’t really an equivalent.  It’s H&M before it became overpriced or Target with only clothes and accessories but no website because the stock turns over too fast. I think it’s a must to visit in the UK– yet I am obviously not qualified to explain how to maximize your experience. I took the featured photos on a recent attempt on a Tuesday afternoon during which I lasted three minutes.

There was only one person to ask: my friend Kate. She follows high fashion and is able to find Primark pieces to mix with her staples that in turn results in a classic, tailored look. Here are her top tips for a successful Primark experience and her three fave recent finds.

Kate’s Primark Shopping Tips:

1. Go at off-peak times. This can include Mon/Tues/Wed, at 1030 and 3, or Saturday morning at 830.

2. Be open-minded about what you’ll find; don’t bother going with something specific to look for.

3. Don’t wait an hour for the dressing rooms. Guesstimate whether or not something will fit you (my tactic), or wear a tank top and leggings so you can try something on in the store.

4. Don’t pay any attention to sizes! Try on the size you would normally wear first and then go up or down according to fit. I’ve had everything from 10 to 16 fit me perfectly just in the last few months.

5. If you find something you absolutely love and know you’ll wear out, buy two (or three), as it’s pretty much guaranteed you will not find that item again on your next shopping trip. This is particularly relevant with their flats.

6. Always check the sizes on shoes. I came home once to discover I had two different size boots!

and finally…

7. Don’t buy something just because it’s a bargain!

photo 4photo 5photo

The boots (£11) she says are near perfect replicas of Jimmy Choo for Hunter and the shoes (£6) and headband (£1.50) are very Chanel.

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]]> http://www.anglotopia.net/british-identity/british-products/dispatches-from-london-the-secrets-of-primar/feed/ 3 Dispatches from London: Exploring London’s Other Markets http://www.anglotopia.net/london/dispatches-from-london-exploring-londons-other-markets/ http://www.anglotopia.net/london/dispatches-from-london-exploring-londons-other-markets/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:00:41 +0000 kat http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=3292 september 013

A sunny Friday in London with my boss out of town led to a perfect opportunity to take up my new friend Sally’s invitation for lunch at Borough Market. She claims to have seen Jude Law the last two times she strolled its isles, however with Jude away in New York for his role as Hamlet on Broadway, we had to look out for other treats.

blog_paella

Sally led me straight to her favourite stall in the Backyard Market and soon I had a huge slab of Spanish omelette with the choice of three sides for £5. My choices: lentils, mushrooms, and beets. We grabbed a seat on a slab below a lamp-post and “tucked in”. Usually an omnivore, I was pleasantly surprised to find the meal very filling.

blog_fishchips

Over lunch, I explained that I’d do a little write up for Anglotopia and Sally (half English, half Chinese, raised in England) instantly took to rushing around the market saying “Americans would like that!” and me snapping away. The meringues looked especially nice and based on further smells and sights, I decided next time I’m try the large vats of paella.

blog_mer

I deposited Sally back to her office and made my way back across London Bridge to the City and paused to look at all the people escaping their offices for a slice of afternoon sun. I love the autumn days in London where each moment of sunshine may be my last with the heavy weight of winter’s anticipation hanging above–it makes me enjoy every moment.

Relevant Links:

Borough Market

Hamlet on Broadway

Brick Lane Market

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]]> http://www.anglotopia.net/london/dispatches-from-london-exploring-londons-other-markets/feed/ 1 Dispatches from London: Guide to Couch Surfing in London http://www.anglotopia.net/london/dispatches-from-london-guide-to-couch-surfing-in-london/ http://www.anglotopia.net/london/dispatches-from-london-guide-to-couch-surfing-in-london/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:25:33 +0000 kat http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=3191 Editor’s Note: After a busy summer in London – our intrepid American Expat Blogger, Kat, has returned to a regular posting schedule. Welcome back Kat! We look forward to reading about your fall adventures in London!

I’ve been quite a lazy blogger, but not a lazy resident of London this summer and am sad to say goodbye to picnics and lidos but am welcoming to Fashion Week sales and the start of Apple season. Hello fall, I mean, autumn (as the Brits say)!

One way that I’ve been extending my love to Americans in London lately has been to “rent” out my futon in my little 1-bedroom flat to a variety of Americans coming through town. I started with Holly at the start of the summer, an effervescent Texan living in DC who was en route to Oxford for a masters program (ahem, programme) and spent an evening dancing with me at Kensington Roof Gardens. Next there was Ryan, a concert enthusiast who came to London for three days and somehow saw: Jay Z, Coldplay, Girls Aloud, White Stripes, Massive Attack, Pete Doherty, and an Arsenal game. His stamina was intense!

And today I got a booking for a couple who come early tomorrow morning. Renting a couch can cost you anywhere from free to £20 and a spare private room £25-50.

How do you find these people with spare couches? There was the time when a girl asked me in an internet café and I let her stay at mine for two days. I swear I’m a wanderer trapped in a corporate lawyer.

If you wanted crash out on someone’s couch in London, there’s a few websites that can help you out. Remember to speak to the people on the phone, get some details (passports), pay in person or through a third party server, and ask for references of people who have stayed previously!

Couchsurfing.com – the oldest online and cheapest means (free!) of crashing at someone’s house.

Craigslist House Wanted Ads – Craigslist London house wanted section

Couches on Gumtree – couches north of the river on this traditionally antipodeans website

I Stop Over – a site that acts as a go-between in the exchange between seeker and host.

With the average hotel room costing £99 a night in London, just crashing out and having use of wi-fi and a kitchen can be a good deal. And for someone like me, hosting is a nice way to meet new people and get some extra cash to put towards those pesky American student loans that didn’t disappear, sadly, when I left America.

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]]> http://www.anglotopia.net/london/dispatches-from-london-guide-to-couch-surfing-in-london/feed/ 2 Dispatches From London: A Tiny piece of America http://www.anglotopia.net/london/dispatches-from-london-a-tiny-piece-of-america/ http://www.anglotopia.net/london/dispatches-from-london-a-tiny-piece-of-america/#comments Tue, 05 May 2009 14:25:30 +0000 kat http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=1467 I’m always a bit caught off guard when an American trend invades England. Three years ago, posh bowling alleys were springing up all over SoHo and cheerleading and line-dancing are available at the hottest dance studios in London. There’s one I’ve been avoiding though, as I think it’s almost too silly. However, when one of my best high school friends asks me to indulge in the hottest trend that’s not going away, how could I say no? So on a sunny Sunday we found ourselves scouring South Kensington for a little piece of America: the perfect cupcake.

I hadn’t realised that cupcakes were oh-so-American until a few years back I was subjected to a school fete and the English bake sale. I encountered “fairy cakes” and are kind of like the American cupcake’s lackluster discount-bin version. Smaller, a bit deformed, and yes, they taste nice as anything with butter, sugar, and flour will do – but a home-baked good with none of the home-baked goodness. No wonder Hummingbird Bakery turns out 2,000 cupcakes a day.

Since Hummingbird opened its doors in 2003 in West London’s Nottinghill they unexpectatantly started the London cupcake craze winning over the likes of Elle Macpherson and Gwyneth Paltrow. Suddenly Kate Moss led the fashionistas to the cake like moths to the flame after she was seen buying them at Primrose Bakery in North London. Soon Outsider Tart became the official cupcake provider at London Fashion Week and Lily Jones, a designer-turned-cupcake maker (Lily Vanilli), started selling in trendy East London at Swanfield Market and at the Vintage Heaven shop on Columbia Road. And they’re all expanding. Hummingbird opened in South Kensington (where I did my “research”), released a cookbook, and is due to open a third location in SoHo. Covent Garden is now covered by Candy Cakes and a second Primrose Bakery.

Keen to cash in on the tiny cake, megachain M&S recently sent a team to the Institute of Culinary Education of New York to study—you guessed it—American cupcake baking in hopes of adapting them to the mass British market. Outsider Tart appears to be  the only true ex-pat enterprise on the cupcake scene, (even Hummingbird is owned by an American-educated Brit). Their website explains their journey:

“A couple of professional guys moved from the United States to live and work in London last year -but discovered that good, wholesome, home made cupcakes, sweet pies and fresh tarts were hard  to come by. Outsiders as they both are, they set about rectifying what they saw.”

You can find them at farmer’s markets and SoHo on Sundays.  

Not all Brits have been pleased about the cupcake invasion. Columnist Jan Moir at the Daily Mail weighed in on the debate with this pleasing anti-American rant:

“What is going on? There’s something so un-British about the cupcake. It’s all flounce and flummery, paved with butter cream so thick emit bat creams of horror. Yet just like the GIs, it is oversexed, over-paved and over here.”

Fairies and Frosting

So why all the fuss? What’s the difference anyway between American cupcakes and British fairy cakes anyway? Can’t we all just get along?

Firstly, it seems to be in the design. Fairy cakes have a domed, rounded top while cupcakes are flat. Fairy cakes are smaller whilst the American counterpart is, well, American-sized. Then there’s the cake itself or lack of it—cupcakes have a higher ratio of frosting to cake (1/3 to 2/3) and there’s butter cream in the sponge. Research has found that the British palate cannot handle the sickly sweetness of a traditional cupcake and M&S product designers had to tone down the cakes for the Brits with some fruit compote in the centre.

And most importantly according to my cupcake companion Katherine, is the topping. Call it icing in England or frosting in America, the design is where the cupcake puts the fairy cake to shame. Cupcakes are drowned in butter cream and ornate designs and traditionally, fairy cakes had a thin, watery layer of icing sugar with lemon. Judging by the display in the storefront, Hummingbird has capitalised on there just being something innately cute about cupcakes.

After some debate in the fast moving queue, Katherine settled on a cherry cupcake. “It’s a tiny piece of luxury in tough times,” she explained. We emerged into the sunshine to walk along the Thames and catch-up about our respective ex-pat lives in London. And the cost for a tiny piece of luxury? At Hummingbird they range from £1.55 to £1.85.

Check out the Hummingbird Bakery’s Website here.

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]]> http://www.anglotopia.net/london/dispatches-from-london-a-tiny-piece-of-america/feed/ 3 Dispatches from London: St. George’s Day With the Girl Guides http://www.anglotopia.net/columns/site-news/uncategorized/dispatches-from-london-st-georges-day-with-the-girl-guides/ http://www.anglotopia.net/columns/site-news/uncategorized/dispatches-from-london-st-georges-day-with-the-girl-guides/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:49:31 +0000 kat http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=1398 Ten screaming 6 year old girls in red sweatshirts ran between two walls of the gym while one lone five year old tried to catch them as they ran past. I had entered the scene of my new volunteer post: Rainbows Troup Assistant in The Girl Guides.

The Girl Guides are England’s version of the Girl Scouts with the badges and all but without the cookies and ferocious salesmanship. Turns out “Brownies” are ages 7-9 and “Rainbows” are 5-6.  I wasn’t even a girl scout. The closest I came was an intimate relationship with the Samoa and Thin Mint cookies once a year.  I was much more into sports, adventure, and avoided uniforms that you weren’t meant to get muddy.

One thing I miss about my life in America is being around children. I’ve always babysat, had many family members reproducing, and have generally always been around children. Now in London I’m in the age where my friends are getting engaged and married, but children are still a few years away and without family around, I find myself feeling out of touch with the youth of Britain.

So, I called up the Girl Guides, and next thing I knew I was being a citizen by looking after 5 and 6 year olds.  They were not very forgiving that I knew none of their game. As it turns out they don’t teach you children’s playtime games and English nursery rhymes in English law school.  I hadn’t even considered that they’d be different.

The two official leaders rounded up the 11 girls and said “grand old Duke!” and suddenly all 13 of them were stomping their feet and singing. I stood there, attempting to mouth the words, feeling like a bad influence.  

“Why aren’t you singing?” one ginger haired girl asked expectantly.  I started laughing at the image of English children singing about the grand old Duke of York. Of course they are. And me standing there like a right twat. It was one of those moments I get in England, less often now four years on, when I say, “How did I get here?” The only Duke of York I know is a pub close to my old flat.  I was starting to think that I wasn’t Rainbows material.  If I were in a developing country, I’d feel like I was changing the world. Instead, I just felt awkward.    

“Who can tell me what special holiday is this week??” the Lead Assistant asked. I had no clue. I thought about my Outlook calendar. No, I’d know if there was a holiday.

“St George’s Day!” yelled the girls.

I knew I was in for it. I was to help them construct flags according to the Lead Assistant. The girls ran to a table the real assistants had set up with red tissue paper, glue, cardboard crosses, and white sheets of paper.  I pulled the 20-something assistant aside and lowered my head as though in confession. “I don’t know what the flag looks like exactly” I whispered sheepishly. 

“Bless” she replied.

Now, “bless” is a phrase that people say to me often in England, generally after I’ve said something very stupid. Basically, you can replace “you idiot” for “bless” and you’ve got the real meaning, but initially sounds nice and British and formal–until you’ve lived here a while.

So I couldn’t even assist the children, instead the junior assistant had me join the children and make my own flag, so I, too, could learn about St George’s Day. Another child turned to me and asked me “why are you here, you’re not helping?” and I felt oh-so-involved in the community.

When the hour of torture was up, I went home a bit deflated and slid further when my flatmate saw my decrepit tissue paper flag she asked if one of the children had given me a present. On the 23rd I made sure that I waved my St George’s Cross flag with vigour, upon having to look up what exactly it was on Wikipedia, of course.

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]]> http://www.anglotopia.net/columns/site-news/uncategorized/dispatches-from-london-st-georges-day-with-the-girl-guides/feed/ 1 Introducing Dispatches from London http://www.anglotopia.net/columns/site-news/introducing-dispatches-from-london/ http://www.anglotopia.net/columns/site-news/introducing-dispatches-from-london/#comments Fri, 24 Apr 2009 03:38:09 +0000 jonathan http://www.anglotopia.net/?p=1331 Very exciting news here at Anglotopia, we now have an American Ex-pat blogger based in London! Kat Martin, a former student turned lawyer in Britain has agreed to write a weekly post for us on Tuesdays telling us all about her life and adventures living in London.

I’ll get out of the way and let Kat tell her story:

I came to London for three months in 2003 to work in Parliament and attend the London School of Economics through my American uni. I’d always been a wanna be Francophile, not Anglophile, but I met an Englishman during that time and moved back in 2005 to live with him and attend UK law school.  Four years later, the relationship with the guy is no longer, but I’ve fallen hard for London and am training to be an English lawyer at a firm in the Square Mile.  I studied politics and journalism at university in Boston and am from Portland, Maine originally. In my late 20s, I’m single and trying embrace the English way of life–baking scones, gardening, and walking holidays–without losing my American charm!

Let’s give Kat a big Anglotopia welcome!

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