Road to Somewhere... Hopefully
Fair warning to Canadians thinking of applying for a Working Holidaymaker visa: Consider the troubles you will have in getting a foothold. It certainly helps having a base. I don't know what I would do without the Holmeses.
Last night I sat killing time in a pub in Central Derby, enjoying a half-pint of a Scottish lager waiting for my bus to take me back to Findern. The place was dead except for the barmaid with a heavy Northern accent and her tatooed partner carving jack-o-lanterns. "Road to Nowhere," a gem from the Talking Heads later career played over the speaker and made my foot tap uncontrollably in reminiscence of my years at the Roslyn. It's refreshing to see the appreciation the people of my generation in this country have of the Heads; something that seems lacking in North America.
The afternoon in Derby was generally uneventful, other than getting to know the place a bit and getting in a little bit of Internet time. I went in to get myself a phone plan, but without any bills or bank statements with my UK address I can't get a contract. Bit of a Catch 22 really, as I won't get any bills unless I have something to get a bill for.
Yesterday morning John and Marian took me to Burton-Upon-Trent, a nice town just south of Findern in Staffordshire. We went to the shopping centre there where I visited no less than three telephone places, concluding in the end that a trip to Derby would be necessary. The 3 Network seems to be the one that would suit me best.
Today I'm back in Derby again. I met with the bank this morning to make another attempt at setting up an account. As it turns out, my Manitoba driver's licence is inadequate as proof of identity, as the photo card does not contain my mailing address, even though its paper counterpart does. Now I'll have to wait another week or so for statements from my Canadian bank account to arrive from home. What a bother.
John helped me out today with the phone thing. He was gracious enough to put it in his name so we can forgo all of that proof of identity stuff. Unfortunately I'll still have to pay the bills when they come. This is a great breakthrough though, as I now have my own Internet access. No more trips to the Derby libraries required.
At 5:30 this afternoon I'm meeting, in person, for the first time ever, someone I've known since I was eleven. My pen friend Adam, who lives here in Derby, has kept in contact with me for quite a while now. We had lost contact in the last few years but he recently found me on the Internet. The Holmeses have been wonderful, but it will be nice to speak to someone my own age for a change.
So I'm very slowly getting off the ground here. My CVs should be waiting at the printing desk. The job hunt can now begin.
Cheers.
Last night I sat killing time in a pub in Central Derby, enjoying a half-pint of a Scottish lager waiting for my bus to take me back to Findern. The place was dead except for the barmaid with a heavy Northern accent and her tatooed partner carving jack-o-lanterns. "Road to Nowhere," a gem from the Talking Heads later career played over the speaker and made my foot tap uncontrollably in reminiscence of my years at the Roslyn. It's refreshing to see the appreciation the people of my generation in this country have of the Heads; something that seems lacking in North America.
The afternoon in Derby was generally uneventful, other than getting to know the place a bit and getting in a little bit of Internet time. I went in to get myself a phone plan, but without any bills or bank statements with my UK address I can't get a contract. Bit of a Catch 22 really, as I won't get any bills unless I have something to get a bill for.
Yesterday morning John and Marian took me to Burton-Upon-Trent, a nice town just south of Findern in Staffordshire. We went to the shopping centre there where I visited no less than three telephone places, concluding in the end that a trip to Derby would be necessary. The 3 Network seems to be the one that would suit me best.
Today I'm back in Derby again. I met with the bank this morning to make another attempt at setting up an account. As it turns out, my Manitoba driver's licence is inadequate as proof of identity, as the photo card does not contain my mailing address, even though its paper counterpart does. Now I'll have to wait another week or so for statements from my Canadian bank account to arrive from home. What a bother.
John helped me out today with the phone thing. He was gracious enough to put it in his name so we can forgo all of that proof of identity stuff. Unfortunately I'll still have to pay the bills when they come. This is a great breakthrough though, as I now have my own Internet access. No more trips to the Derby libraries required.
At 5:30 this afternoon I'm meeting, in person, for the first time ever, someone I've known since I was eleven. My pen friend Adam, who lives here in Derby, has kept in contact with me for quite a while now. We had lost contact in the last few years but he recently found me on the Internet. The Holmeses have been wonderful, but it will be nice to speak to someone my own age for a change.
So I'm very slowly getting off the ground here. My CVs should be waiting at the printing desk. The job hunt can now begin.
Cheers.
posted by Mark Bauche at 3:51 PM
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