September 29th I headed off to Bristol to do a training with the staff there, along with agents from Cardiff and Bath who came over for the session.
STA Travel - Bristol (formerly a bank)
The staff were super cool and aside from some pizza-ordering challenges the session went off without a hitch! There were definitely some future CSR champions in the group :)
University Road leads to the STA Travel store--how fitting.
In keeping with my all-work and no-play makes me a dull boy mentality, I went for a long walk to explore the city a bit before the session. Bristol was definitely one of those cities where right from the first moment I got a good vibe, but it was really difficult to peg down exactly why I liked it.
Bristol reminded me a lot of Brussels, which I visited for about 23 hours last September. Everyone I ever talkto about Brussels seems to think it's nothing special. I don't get it, I loved Brussels! I would move to Brussels tomorrow if I had the opportunity. And Bristol reminded me very much of Brussels. I can foresee a conversation sometime in my near future where I'll be telling someone how much I like Bristol and they'll reply, "meh, it's nothing special." Who, knows.
I really loved the way the light bounced off all the buildings in the afternoon. The only other city I visited that had a comparable twilight effect was Manchester.
I was sad to leave so soon, but I had to get back that night, for a had a very busy next couple days back in London!
Cheers,
-Dan
Playing around at a cafe across the street before the session :-]
PS - I can't believe I fly home in a week--yikes!
PPSS - Thanks again Helen (or was it Ellen? lol) for giving me a ride to the train station after the session!!
This week I had some more visits to branch locations starting with Birmingham on Tuesday, September 28t. Everyone I met seemed quick to inform me that Birmingham was Englands Second City, and curiously, even quicker to clarify that the second city was not Manchester, as some might claim! I'll be in Manchester next week and you can be sure I'll be asking them which city is England's 'Second City'! ;-)
[St Martin Church]
[St Martin Church]
[St Martin Church Detail]
[STA Travel Birmingham]
[A most gracious staff!]
I had a really fun time in Birmingham. The training went well, the staff was awesome, and drinks afterwards was a blast (a little too much of blast as I was a touch hungover at work the next morning). I really hope I get the chance to go back some day.
As I leaf through the London Evening Standard on the tube ride home I chuckle as I read the weather... "a few spotsof rain... Rather cloudy, with spellsof rain... largly dry, with the risk of heavy rain..."
I can't help but laugh when I see something as simple as the weather be so, well... English!
A short moment later my smile fades to a frown as I realized that I have less than two weeks left in the UK--worse! I have less than ten days...
Soon I'll be back in Arizona where reading the weather is not only boring but downright depressing...
I knew my time in London would fly. Heck, even if I had been here for a year, I'm sure at the end of the 12 months I'd have been asking myself, 'where did the time go?' But it is what it is, right?
Rather than think about how fast the time went--or how little time I have left--for the next 10 days, I'm going to just enjoy the moment, and be grateful for the time I have!
Newcastle might not be on the top of everyone's list of favorite UK cities, but I have to say, it's darn near the top of mine!
With so little time in each place it's difficult for me to get a full impression of the places I see but with Newcastle I got a good feeling right from the start.
From the moment the last-train of the night arrived and I staggered off, exhausted from a full day of travel and training, and a group of freshers* behind me staggered off, drunk from a full day of drinking, I though to myself, this is my kind of town :)
[STA Travel Store - Newcastle]
It helped that the Newcastle branch staff were super cool, and the training session went really well. Also, the beautiful surroundings and perfect weather probably didn't hurt the impression!
[St Thomas Church - LITERALLY across the street from the STA Travel Store]
[How COOL is that!?!]
All work and no play make me a dull Dan, so before heading over to Durham for another training I stopped by St James Park, home to Newcastle United Football Club for a tour of the stadium!
Our tour guide Bob was fantastic. The tour lasted almost an hour and a half and took us all through the stadium from the top to the pitch!
As I said, the tour was great, but the best part? That would have to be getting signed on as Newcastle United's newest midfielder!
Cheers,
-Dan
*freshers or Freshmen were everywhere. I love college towns when school starts in the fall, they're always abuzz with activities, events, and good times :)
On September 21st I had my second regional training session. The agents from Edinburgh, along with some of the agents from Glasgow would be meeting up at the STA store in Edinburgh after close for pizza, beer, and of course, some good ol' fashion Planeterra training!
Much like the crew at Southampton, the team in Scotland was very excited about our Planeterra partnership. I'm excited to know that I can count on them to get the word out!
[The Edinburgh/Glasgow staff showing their enthusiasm for the new brochure]
The only thing I didn't like about my trip to Edinburgh, was the duration. I took the 10:30 am train out of London's Kings Cross St. Pancreas and got into at Edinburgh Waverley train station shortly after 3:00 pm (that train ride was pretty cool btw; beautiful pastoral views, and free wifi do occupy me during the boring parts!). The arrival part was fine, it was the departure that was the problem... Just six hours after I arrived I had to be on the 9:00 pm train to Newcastle (I had a 9:00 am training in Newcastle the next morning and knowing myself, didn't think it would be a good idea to try to catch the six am train in the morning).
So I had approximately six hours to see Edinburgh, but to give a proper illustration of my time constraint you need to subtract the time I was busy from my total time designated for exploring the city. First, subtract the first and last hours which I needed to use for getting to and from the STA Travel store/train station. Then subtract an hour and a half for the presentation, questions, and the setting up breaking down of my projector and seating. Finally subtract another hour and a half spent in Starbucks reviewing and amending my presentation. What I'm left with a total of 60 minutes to explore one of Europe's finest cities.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not soliciting pity for poor ol' me, who only got one hour to explore Edinburgh on his free trip... I appreciate that I got to see it at all, but I will definitely have to make another visit because as it stands now, the entire city was little more than a wonderful blur of beautiful buildings, bagpipes music, last-minute-cramming, nervous-presentation-giving, pizza-eating, kilts, and beer (actually not too different than my memory of the College of Wooster!)
[One more pic of the Edinburgh/Glasgow crew. I hope they don't get too mad that I posted these!]
I'm on a train from London to Edinburgh right now and I decided that I should really throw a few of my personal 'volunteer vacation' photos into my slide show. These are a few of my personal favorites, let me know which photo(s) you like best with a comment at the bottom of the post. Which ever photo(s) you like best, I'll put in my powerpoint. :)
On Monday September, 20th I did my first regional branch training in Southampton! After boarding a southbound-train at London's Waterloo station I sat back in my comfortable 1st-class seat to relax a bit, review my training notes, and have a read through the Southampton chapter in my copy of Lonely Planet England.
Chapter is a generous word as the Lonely Planet dedicates a little under one page to the city, and with what press it does give Southampton, it's not particularly complementary. The first line reads: "Frankly, there isn't much to see or do in Southampton...". Admittedly it did go on to give some interesting details of Southampton's history and it's few claims to fame (most notably that it is where the Queen Mary and the Titanic were built--although I'm not sure you'd brag about your great achievement of building the Titanic, would you?)
Anyway, even with the lackluster picture painted by the Bible I noticed that as the train approached my destination I could hardly contain my excitement. A big part of the reason I was in the UK was to get face time with individuals and speak candidly and informally with them about Planeterra, our Partnership with the not-for-profit, and the new Travelling with Purpose brochure. Although I had already done a hand full of training sessions in London, this was my first time 'going on the road' and I was ready!
Although admittedly small and not terribly exciting, I found Southampton to be most enjoyable (I suppose might have changed my tune if I had more than a couple of hours to kill, but I didn't.) After spending sometime exploring the city I went to the STA store, put in an order for pizza for the staff, and went to pick up beer and wine.
The presentation went great, the staff was awesome, and I think everyone was really excited about Planeterra (Mission Accomplished!)
Immediately after the presentation I had to run to catch the 9 PM train back to London. The sooner I could get back to London the better because the next morning, I had a train to Edinburgh to catch!
Cheers,
Dan
Apologies for the poor footage (cutting my eyes off and instead centering the camera on my teeth and big nose). I'm pretty new at this :)
I went for a long stroll yesterday and by chance made my way to Trafalgar Square.
On the weekends especially, the square is a magnet for tourists, protesters/demonstrators, and street performers.
On this particular visit I witnessed one street performer (who had just finished putting lots and los of work into her craft) only to learn that her display did not meet certain regulations!
Okay, okay, I must confess... I'm being bit cheeky here. The street-sweeper didn't really destroy her art, nor did he have any intention to do so (and street performers need to carry permits (not that I know of in any case)).
When I saw the artist chatting with her friend (the street sweeper) I though to myself that it would make for a funny picture if I asked him to pretend he was about to destroy the art work she spent so many hours creating. I requested their participation and although they weren't completely sold on the comedic value, they humored me. The picture didn't come out quite as well as I had pictured in my mind, but still kind of funny : )
On my second Friday evening in London I wandered down the street from my flat to meet some coworkers in Shoreditch, a very groovy neighborhood chock-full of restaurants and pubs!
[the Watermark]
What I liked most about the pubs in Shoreditch was that they were so packed that they literally spilled out onto the narrow streets! Coming from a place where bars need special licenses to allow patrons to enjoy their beverages al fresco (and even then, have strict rules and firmly set perimeters in place to ensure that no one puts the establishments' license in jeopardy) it was both liberating and exhilarating to order a pint and then promptly turn and take it out onto the street where I could walk around and mingle casually in a large group of post-work happy-hour'ers.
[Old Kings Head]
Old Kings Head was literally across the street from the Watermark (which in this part of Shoreditch was only about 12 feet). I met the proprietor Steve who tried to explain some of the finer points of Rugby to me. Without saying anything of his teaching skills, I still can't follow Rugby for the life of me...
Anyway, I've just got word that Mark Sullivan, Shane Robinson, Jeff Mathews and a few others have arrived in town and want to watch the Arsenal match at 5:30. As I had a fairly ambitious to-do list for today and it's already almost noon I better get to work!
Today I did the first of four training sessions scheduled for the Wright's Lane (head office) staff. There's another session tomorrow, another Monday September 20th, and then the fourth and final session Monday September 27th.
Should be loads of fun--I know the first one was!!
Pret a Manger, or as its simply referred to, Pret!
Ham and cheese with mustered 'toastie' with grape and elder flower soda--YUM!
I know, I know, it's a massive chain, and they quite literally blanket the city. They're all the same, they don't have a unique feel in each location, and they have probably been responsible for more than a few 'oustings' of small family-owned cafes and restaurants... but I can't help but love them!!
If all they had to offer was their almond croissants I'd still have to love them, but they have so much more good stuff! Delicious panini's, fantastic coffee, fresh ingredients, and a strong emphasis on purchasing locally grown produce and reducing waste--what's not to like!!
When I return to the states, I will no doubt suffer a sever case of Pret-withdrawal!!
I've only been in town a week but I'm happy to report that I've already mastered many of the skills necessary to prosper in London!
For example, I can now gather correct change--accurately and efficiently--from a handful of pounds and pence.
[Funny money]
I can understand (nearly) everything a local says to me.
And, I can cross a busy road with (almost) no fear of getting hit by oncoming traffic!
That last skill was a particularly helpful one to learn because anyone who's ventured to the UK from a right-hand-driving country knows, when it comes to traffic, things are a bit different than they are back home...
It was no doubt after a long and disheartening look at the years pedestrian injury statistics (and a realization that a large number of those injuries were caused by a pedestrian simply stepping into oncoming traffic after verifying that there was no traffic oncoming from the wrong direction) that city officials deciding the pain and suffering saved by painting a simple two-word advisory at the onset of every pedestrian crosswalk well outweighed the cost. Although I can't thank those people enough, I also still can't force myself to cross a busy street with total faith in those two little words.
Through much trial and error over the past week, I've come up with a simple protocol to ensure one never gets hit by an oncoming automobile.
Approach the intersection and look left for oncoming traffic (I know, I know, traffic generally approaches from the right, but certain habbits die hard. If clear, move on to step two.
Look down.
Follow the written instructions (using the above example, LOOK RIGHT). If clear move on to step four.
Before advancing check the pedestrian sign to insure the 'little green man' sign is illuminated.
Before advancing check the left once more (just to be sure).
If all is still clear, check once more to the right to insure no bicyclists have 'popped out' onto the road from a side street.
Walk briskly across the street!
If you have followed the above instructions carefully, you should now find yourself advancing confidently across the throughway! Congratulations--you're well on your way to being a Londoner!
