The London Market

It's the strangest thing in London...it's actually cool to work in insurance.  It's very different here from the US, in that there's a whole "specialty" business here, where the things that get insured are very unique.  So, it's not so much your car insurance policy, as it is oil rigs and JLo's derriere.  Seriously.

So, a short history lesson.  Insurance, as you know, is a venue for risk management in which the risk of financial consequences associated with an event that may occur in the future are transferred from one party to another for a fee.  I didn't even look that up...apparently I am learning at work!  The risk management process goes back to ancient traders (we're talking BC here, folks), when merchants would spread their products across multiple ships to be transported, to make sure that one event wouldn't ruin their whole inventory.  This, I did have to look up.  Anyway, thousands of years happen, and now we are still managing risk by having fire extinguishers, door locks, and insurance policies. 

"The London Market" is the term used to describe the specialty insurance market over here.  They trade specialty risks, often through Lloyd's of London.  According to Wikipedia, "In the late 1680s, Mr. Edward Lloyd opened a coffee house that became a popular haunt of ship owners, merchants, and ships’ captains, and thereby a reliable source of the latest shipping news. It became the meeting place for parties wishing to insure cargoes and ships, and those willing to underwrite such ventures. Today, Lloyd's of London remains the leading market for marine and other specialty types of insurance." 

Every day, insurers actually physically go to booths at Lloyds' and meet with brokers to make deals and take on these speciality risks.

As you can see, there are no online quotes, or geckos, or annoying advertisements involved.  It's like doing business many years ago, and it's highly based on the expertise of underwriters (the people who decide what risks to take on and the terms of each policy).  The Lloyd's building looks like it's inside out, with the pipes and vents on the outside of the structure.  I work right down the street.

It seems odd to me that such a historic method of conducting business takes place in a building that looks like a spaceship.  It still fascinates me that a business model that began in the 1600s is still used today, but with more modern tools for evaluating potential business.  Pretty cool, but very different than my experience in the US.  It's been fascinating so far to learn about how we do business here, and work in such a different part of the organization.  So, now you know why Derek and I have been sent here in the first place.  I promise my next post will be unrelated to work!

Packing List

In addition to my many aspirations for my life in London, I have set the goal for myself that I will use everything I brought with me.  So far, I've used every pair of closed-toed shoes, and every pajama-related item, to name a couple.  I realize that this information doesn't help you much, but here are the things that I've found to be the most useful, especially for those of you planning to visit in the coming months!

1. Small, lightweight umbrella.  It doesn't actually rain THAT much, but you should really try to have one on you at all times.
2. Trench coat.  I love that it's not super cold here, and people definitely favor the trench over other styles.
3. Scarf.  Both men and women wear scarves here all the time.  Today was almost 60 degrees, and people still wore light-weight scarves with their spring coats.
4. Camera.  Of course.  I'm looking forward to taking some fun shots when Derek and I explore the city this weekend, which I will be sure to share!
5. Hair elastics.  London is a constant bad hair day.  It's damp, and sometimes windy.  You have to just own it, which sometimes involves succumbing to a ponytail.
6. My Kindle.  I am convinced that you can be anywhere alone and not look stupid with the help of something to read.  My Kindle has been my sole companion during many dinners, tube rides, and evenings at home.  In fact, I think it's lonely now that Derek has replaced it.
7. Reusable shopping bags.  I thought I was being silly bringing one, but it folds up to be very small and I use it ALL THE TIME.  Especially since I don't need to be walking around looking like a bag lady, and because I have no place to store grocery bags to recycle them.
8. Electrical outlet adapter.  I keep my UK to US outlet converter plugged into one spot, and just rotate my laptop, iPhone, and Kindle when they need to be charged.
9. Photos.  I stuck a few photos and a small album in my bag at the last minute, and it makes it feel much more like home!
10. Skype.  Okay so I didn't technically pack Skype, but I've learned that I can use it on my iPhone to make free calls to other Skype users, even though my iPhone doesn't actually work here as a cell phone.

There you have it.  In case you haven't noticed, I like lists.  They help me organize my thoughts.  Oh - I also brought list paper with me.  Don't laugh at me - I use it quite a bit!

A Bit of British Fabulousity

Is fabulousity a word?  If not, it should be, as it is quite descriptive, don't you think?

This week it has struck me a couple of times that London is rather fabulous.  Item 1.  They have TJ Maxx here, but it's called TK Maxx.  Some sort of trademark issue, evidently.  Anyway, the thing is that here, they don't just have the normal TJ Maxx stuff.  They also have a whole section of designer stuff.  Pucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, etc.  Obviously, I'm not planning on making any such purchases, but I had to try a dress on, and I must say - girlfriend looks good in Versace.  What's that?  Yes.  I realize that everyone likely looks good in Versace, which is why they can charge $2,500 for a cocktail dress.  But it was still fun!  And don't worry - I bought a £25 blazer instead :)  Stay tuned for a later post with my commentary on London fashion.

Item 2.  Today was a very nice last solo day before Derek gets here.  I spent the afternoon walking over to the Tate Modern museum to wander around and look at the modern art for a bit.  On the way home, I treated myself to some wonderful French food for dinner along the river...yum. 

And finally, Item 3.  This was my view on the walk home:

Love it!

To Do

I've been thinking a lot lately about the things I'd like to do and see while I'm here.  I anticipate that publishing them will make me more likely to stick with it, so here goes!

1.  Tower of London tour (including the crown jewels...aaaaaahhh baubles)

2.  Tate Modern Museum

3.  National Gallery

4.  Harrod's (which I checked off this past weekend)

5.  At least a couple of shows in the West End (London is famous for it's theater - up there with Broadway in New York)

6.  The Photographer's Gallery

7.  Ireland (scheduled for April)

8.  Spain (Barcelona and Madrid, por favor)

9.  Italy (to see what all Derek's fuss is about)

10.  Shopping on Bond Street

11.  The actual Burberry Factory Outlet

12.  The Vicino Restaurant

13.  Buckingham Palace

14.  Kensington Palace

15.  The Portobello Road Market

16.  St. Paul's Cathedral

17.  Westminster Abbey

18.  Houses of Parliament (also the site of Big Ben)

19.  Museum of London

20.  Ledbury Restaurant (Zagat's best in London)

Your turn - any recommendations to add to my list?

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have never been especially into this particular holiday - I find it to be a fun occasion to spend with friends, rather than an especially romantic day.  Maybe it's because being married to Derek makes every day like Valentine's Day.  Whoa...apparently I'm getting REALLY lonely out here :)

To celebrate Valentine's Day, I would like to say how much I miss and love everyone at home.  I hope that you all have a fabulous day, and I would appreciate it if someone could eat some chocolates on my behalf!

While I won't be going all out today, you better believe that I will be celebrating with bells on for some of the other upcoming major holidays - Easter and 4th of July.  They give you a four day weekend for Easter here.  Plus, Cadbury, maker of the disgusting-looking but oh-so-delicious Cadbury Creme Egg, is British (http://www.cadbury.co.uk/)!  As for 4th of July...it's only mildly blasphemous for a person to celebrate independence from the country she's currently living in, right? 



Oh and don't forget my plans to wear a hat around all day on April 29th as if I'm actually attending the royal wedding!

Table for One

You know those moments when you're not at all feeling insecure about something, and then it pops right out in the open?  I had one of those moments this evening at Pizza Express.  I requested a table for one, naturally, after my visit to Harrods, and then had to stand there while the waiter yelled across the restaurant, "She needs a table for ONE!" to his colleague.  I appreciated the expiditious service, but could have done without the whole restaurant looking at me as I stood there all by my lonesome.

However, upon further examination, I am choosing to file this under the category of "experiences you don't usually get when you meet your husband when you're in second grade", which is a subcategory of the folder "character-building experiences", as I'm sure my brave friends who have moved to a new city alone will attest to.  I'm actually relatively pleased with how I'm coming along.  I've started picking up on British jargon so I don't sounds like a clueless tourist (such as "pudding", which means dessert, and saying "baguette" with a soft 'a' and the emphasis on the 'ette').  I am shocked by how well my sense of direction is serving me, as this is generally NOT one of my strong suits.  Another crucial realization was that when someone says, "Are you okay?", it's the same as when we say, "How are you doing?" in the U.S.  For a few days there, I thought I must look terrified or something.  Glad to know that's not necessarily the case.

To get back to Pizza Express, this was one of my and Megan's favorite places when we were here in college.  I learned that the caesar salad we enjoyed so much is actually not that good, but that the pizza did the trick.  As did the chocolate truffle ice cream...yum!  Definitely a good option when you want something reliable and basic, and they're all over London (www.pizzaexpress.com/).

Our Restaurant

London has a Vicino restaurant!  And it looks really good:

http://www.vicinorestaurant.com/home.asp



Looking forward to trying it once Derek gets here!

First Day of Work

Today was my first day of work!  This assignment should definitely be a stretch for me, as I will be working on cost management and potentially tax (insert grimace here) issues, both of which are much closer to the finance function than I usually care to get.  I'm excited for the challenge!

We went out for lunch today, which was lovely.  All of my new coworkers are very nice.  They were talking about all this American TV...Seinfeld, Mad Men, 24...and it wasn't even me who brought it up!  The office seems very different in a few ways - kind of like a time warp.  For example, every woman I met today is an administrative assistant (there may be one exception, but I'm not quite sure yet).  Further, all the men (plus me) were wearing suits, but not one of the women was.  My first thought was that this is great, and if women don't wear suits I don't have to either.  Then, the indignant screw-the-girls-I-am-just-as-good-as-the-boys Kristen you all know and love (or at least tolerate) kicked in, and I decided that I am going to wear suits like the men, and make darn sure I'm not mistaken for one of their secretaries!  Secondly, when I arrived at lunch my coworker poured me a glass of wine from the bottle they had purchased.  My first instinct was to stop him since it's the middle of the work day, but who am I to reject their culture???

On the plus side, we have actual dishes and a dishwasher in the kitchen, beautiful views, and lots of snacks.  Tradition in the office is that you bring in a cake on your own birthday.  At first it seems unfair, but the real implication is that the 300 people in the office mean there is cake almost every day!  Seriously...pie...ale...cake...I'm in big trouble.

I'm going to dinner tonight with a group of coworkers who are here from Boston for a couple of weeks.  Don't worry - I'm not avoiding assimilating, but I'm also not in a position to be turning down social plans on the premise that they're not British :)

Ale and Pie

I would like to introduce you to two things they do well here in the UK:  Ale and Pie.  In fact, they can pretty much turn anything into a pie.  Below, you will notice my first pint of British Ale, accompanied by a pie filled with sweet potatoes, spinach, and goat cheese (apparently they've become vegetarian-friendly here), with a menu that proudly announces the pub's specialties:  Ale and Pie.

I'm not sure if you can read the menu due to the lighting - but trust me - Ale and Pie.  I am going to need to put a moratorium on this if I plan to come home wearing the same size as when I left.

Cheers!

So Far...So Good

Well, I'm here!  So far, I have unpacked, grocery shopped, walked around my neighborhood a couple of times, and eaten out twice.  Since I've been living the whole week leading up to my departure from Boston via various lists, I'd like to start with one to document my observations thus far:

1.  British Airways will not accept baggage over 70 pounds.  This is the first time I've had occasion to acquire this piece of information, and I hope never to be reminded of it.

2.  Evidently, a one bedroom flat in one of the buildings in Kensington went for 130 million pounds, which is abooooouuut $200 million.  One bedroom.  That's right.

3.  We are currently staying in the "penthouse" flat of our building.  I feel like if it's the only apartment on the top floor of the building, I can call it a penthouse, right?  So far, so good.  It has plenty of storage space, is appropriately clean, and has three locks on the door...all of which make me feel good about the whole situation. 

4.  So far, I have had two delicious meals in the company of only my kindle and a glass of wine.  Last night, I was served pizza and salad by actual Italians.  Because here, going to Italy is like going to Florida from MA.  I think that's super.

5.  Evidently, almost every British restaurant has a special Sunday Roast.  Isn't that cozy?  Unfortunately, the restaurant I went into to have one today requires parties of two or more to order a roast.  I am looking forward to Derek's arrival :)

6.  The Brits loves them some Friends.  Every time I turn the TV on for background noise, it's on.  If I were studying for my SATs, I would say British people are to Friends as Timmy Murphy is to Will & Grace.  That's right Tim - I wrote that on the World Wide Web.

7.  "Rocket" on a restaurant menu = arugula.  I wasn't sure what to say when I was offered "Rocket & Parmesan", but it ended up being much different than I would have imagined thought.

8.  I am confident that we're going to have a great time, but I already miss everyone!