It has been almost a month since I last updated this blog. After Europe, I have had very little money to go anywhere or do anything, so I have spent quite a bit of time at home or exploring around my community on foot. Even more importantly, we cancelled the BT pay-as-you-go phone/internet package that my housemate Anne had on September 18, and after more than four weeks, my provider Sky has still not managed to reconnect us. It has been an eye-opening experience. In Canada, there is an attitude that the customer is always right, and usually businesses try very hard to look after their customers. Here there is no such attitude...rather, they only answer the questions you ask, and if you are not aware enough to know what questions to ask, they won't volunteer any extra information to you. The onus is very much on the consumer/client to do all the legwork, to make sure they get looked after. While in Europe this summer, we noticed a much more relaxed attitude towards being out of things as well. If a restaurant was out of the first three things you tried to order, you just had to keep going until you found something that they did have...and no apologies for it either.
I have found good friends in my housemates and the house of teachers just down the road. Jessica (the other house) and I have attended the Baptist church in Chase Cross several times, which is very friendly. We have had several invites to dinner already. I just joined a choir in Hornchurch too. It gives me an opportunity to exercise my voice and my piano skills, as the only pianist is the conductor, who is usually not there for the first 15-20 minutes, and who was unable to make it last week.
My keyboard is being stupid and not writing m's, I have to copy and paste them in (and apostrophes and colons have disappeared altogether...sigh...two-year old Toshiba laptops suck), so I think Ill cut it short here.
Ciao!
Uh, that conductor sounds pretty subpar, if you don't mind my saying so...I'm glad you are enjoying your housemates, church, and choir, even on a budget.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with "AF" that your conductor is ...interesting. It sounds as though you could be promoted pretty quickly! Does the group go ahead and practice without him for the first half hour?
ReplyDeleteBut glad to hear that you are having some chances to use your piano accompaniment skills!
And that Toshiba isn't that old yet... is it?
To be fair to poor Rex (the conductor), he is an elderly man whose wife is in late stages of cancer and who was absent last week because the carer who comes to stay with his wife while he's gone failed to show up (without notice). And most of the other choristers are 60-80 year old women who know Enid (his wife)and are empathetic. Anne takes some leadership in getting things started, and between her and I, we were making suggestions last week (raise your eyebrows, sing an "ah" vowel on bright) to improve the sound.
ReplyDeleteAs to the Toshiba, mom, I started teacher's college two years ago this fall now. Yes it's pathetic that it's dying on me already, but this is the crazy world we live in, where that kind of thing is accepted.