No More Temping!

Today was my last day temping...actually it was only 1/2 a day as we finished early for the company Christmas party which is tonight (I'm skipping it). I'm so glad to be done! The job was ok, but I dreaded the incredibly long journey to and from work each day.

I'm also so glad to be done with the job search process...and that was the first feeling that emerged when I got a phone call tonight from the NHS who I interviewed with 2 weeks ago. Apparently, their first choice candidate has backed out and so they've now offered me the position. Initially, this job was my first choice, but even though it's very close to where we live and the pay is slightly better, I have declined their offer. It's just no longer worth the stress. I made the decision to work at Newman College and I'm sticking with it!!

The pictures below show a couple of my co-workers. The first picture is of Becky, who has become a good friend of mine. She's temping because she just graduated from college with a fine arts degree and is saving money for an "around-the-world" trip in 2008. She and her boyfriend will be visiting India, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Peru.

This picture was taken by my co-worker Racheal who grabbed my camera when I wasn't looking. Bob was definitely one of my favorite co-workers, I really enjoyed sitting across from his because he's just an incredibly nice guy.

Winter Solstice

Today was the shortest day of the year, with the sun rising at 8:16 am and the sun setting at 3:56 pm. When compared to Madison, WI, where the sun rose at 7:26 am and set at 4:25 pm, it's evident that we are quite a bit further north (same latitude as central Canada and southern Alaska).

The shorter days are barely noticeable on weekdays here. Leaving work at 5:00, it doesn't really phase me if the sun sets at 3:56 or 4:25. However, I do not enjoy waiting for my bus in the dark at 7:45 am! Summer, of course, provides longer days here which I enjoyed when we first arrived in August. I'm really hoping to get up to Iceland, Norway, Sweden or Finland during the summer to experience 24 hours of sunlight. However, I have no desire to experience what is known as a polar night, which is 24 hours of darkness.

We're lucky to be living on an island because otherwise the temperatures here would be quite a bit colder given our latitude. The climate here is known as a maritime climate which means we experience cool summers and mild winters, with a much smaller annual temperature range. The wind and rain can be horrible, but I have to say that I really like the mild winter temperatures. Everyone is freaking out this week because the low temperatures are expected to dip below freezing...it'll be our first frost of the year!

Traveling Takes Courage

I definitely would not say that I'm a courageous person, in fact I probably lead a more fearful life than most. However when married to someone who is intent on exploring every corner of this earth, I have to put my fear aside. In just one short week, I will be in Frankfurt, Germany. My first non-English speaking country. I'm already in a panic about how we're going to find our hotel shuttle...what if no one speaks English? I confessed this fear to my friend Becky, my British co-worker, who assured me that it would be fine and that she's traveled throughout Europe only speaking English and never had a problem.

I had never really considered just how much courage it takes to travel. We've been hearing horror stories lately as people share their tales of travels to Egypt. One woman, who was traveling with her sister, mother and father had a man harrass them for not wearing a head scarf (Egypt is 90% Muslim), but then offered to give them scarves for free. 5 minutes later another man was harassing them for not paying for the scarves! I'm lucky to be traveling to Egypt with three men as I think it will greatly diminsh the amount of harassment we receive.

Gingers

I discovered a new British word today. It came up during a discussion about dating. My co-worker Racheal informed me that as a dark-haired girl she'd never date a blonde guy for fear of having a ginger. She had to explain to me that she meant a red-head. Another co-worker Becky went on to explain "you know those people who are really pale and have lots of freckles." Apparently it's a horrible thing to be a ginger in this culture. More co-workers then joined our discussion and explained to me that gingers should always dye their hair and fake-bake to try and not look like a ginger.

At the Staff House tonight (a Friday night ritual) I asked Chris' labmates about the term. They all knew of it and agreed that it was bad to be a ginger. They also mentioned that if it's a red-headed girl who's especially ugly, they call her a ginga-minga (rhymes with ring). I'm so amazed at how different red-heads are treated here...maybe it has something to do with the often Irish heritage of red-heads?

The Legalities of Self Defense

So after starting my first temporary job I decided that I needed some pepper spray to keep me safe while walking the mean streets of Birmingham :) In general, I feel quite safe living here, but there's something about the last stretch I walk from the bus stop to work that leaves me feeling uneasy. So after a quick internet search, I found that I could buy pepper spray for Germany. It amused me to see that it was called Pfefferspray.

The name was so amusing to both Chris and I that he shared the story with a couple labmates who informed him that pepper spray is illegal in the U.K. It had never even occurred to me that it could be illegal. I really should have looked into because my first experience with pepper spray was having it offered to me from my freshman year roommate in college who had gotten some from a neighboring state because it was illegal in Wisconsin. To quote the U.K. law "carrying or using pepper spray leaves you subject to arrest." So I asked my coworkers about their thought on the matter. They both said they carry tiny cans of aerosol deodorant to use in the same way as pepper spray. The ironic part is that spraying deodorant directly in someone's face presents the possibility of leaving them permanently blinded, whereas the effects of pepper spray last for a maximum of 30 minutes. So who's method of self defense is truly more dangerous?

Miss America

I'm extremely amused by the nickname which a co-worker refers to me by and that is...Miss America. His name is Jim and he's a very interesting guy to talk with. He and I take lunch at the same time, so we often end up chatting together for 1/2 an hour each day. I recently discovered that we have a shared love of country music. When he first told me he liked country music, I asked him who his favorite artists were because I was assuming I'd here names like Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Loretta Lynn. So imagine my surprise when he said Faith Hill, Brooks & Dunn and Lonestar! Oh, I should mention Jim is retiring this year and appears to be in his mid-60s, so that's why I was guessing he'd like more traditional country artists.

Jim was born in Northern Ireland, but his parents had to leave when he was very young because of the Catholic/Protestant divide...his Mom's Catholic, his Dad is Protestant. I'm really glad that I'm getting the chance to get know some Brits on a more personal level.

Below, a picture of Jim, who refused to smile for the camera :)