Autumn in London '06

Into the Swing of Things

It's now been two weeks of classes, and things are starting to become more and more routine. I'm still spending money at a ridiculous rate, but I'm getting better at buying food from the supermarket as opposed to eating at restaurants, which is certainly a good thing. Still, I have an awful lot of free time, which has let me spend more time exploring and experiencing the area around me.

New Cross, despite my initial impression, is actually not such a bad area. While it is true that there are an awful lot of fried chicken and kabab houses (as well as a fair number of hair stylists), I've yet to feel unsafe here. I think that because it's a lot cheaper to live here than in central London, a lot of people who may not have the most lucrative jobs simply live here and commute in every day. The bus stops are always packed with people, and the train station is always very busy. But because a lot of these people are immigrants, many from the Caribbean or Africa, it somehow seems foreign to me, which might explain my initial feelings for the place. But having been in central London visiting Kevin a lot, I certainly appreciate the cost-of-living change.

Anyway, this week has been mostly laid back and not too terribly exciting. Kevin started his internship, and so far he's loved it! The MP he's working for is named Paul Holmes (I think that's how it's spelled), a Liberal Democrat and a gentleman who is quite involved in a lot of social action committees. Kevin will mainly be doing research for him, as well as answering letters from his constituents, answering phones, and doing various other things that need doing. Unlike a Senator's office, though, MP's do not have huge staffs. In fact, Kevin will join Mr. Holmes' research assistant as the only other member of the staff! Basically, it means that Kevin will be doing real work that really matters, which is great for him!

Last night, which is the start of the weekend for both Kevin and I, we went along with our friend Matt to the Charing Cross area of London to see a comedy show. The entry was only 3 pounds, which wasn't bad at all, so we figured we'd give it a go. It was actually quite a good time, as the venue was the basement of a local bar. The space was small, but not cramped, which made it so the comic was standing right next to all of us. There were three comics total, along with the MC. Personally, I thought that the MC was funnier than any of the comics, one of whom used too much local humour, which was totally lost on me. Either way, the evening was a lot of fun, and I look forward to another weekend

posted by Zachary Nicholson @ 3:36 PM