I promised to write a post about orientation, my first days at Google and in London.
The bad news is: I cannot say much about Google due to privacy policy. The good news is: I can tell you about my impressions.
Somewhere among the numerous info pages I found a nice picture:
Being relocated and starting at Google at the same time is like drinking from a hose. No less.
Moreover, in addition to that I felt like I am trying to jump on a treadmill running at full speed.
Now, after 2 weeks I guess I have adjusted the hose to swallow just enough to handle and redirected the rest of the stream into buckets that I am going to drink later (at nights, probably :) ). And, started running next to a treadmill, gaining speed, to jump on it, when I can.
I like my first impressions about my new work. The office is comfortable, people are great, and, indeed, everything is done in order for you to channel 100% of your mental and emotional energy into work.
Office was the easy part. London and UK in general is a bit tougher. Aside from the fact, that I had to register in Revenues and Customs office to get National Insurance Number (which is your unique ID in UK, tied to everything), I had to open a bank account, get myself a phone and a SIM, a travel card, and start looking for a permanent place to live.
Getting a mobile is easy. And even relatively cheap. Combined with Skype, staying connected to friends and family is easy. Bank will talk to you when you come with a Reference letter from your employer. They even issued me a credit card immediately, so that my credit history would start. Understanding London Transport fares took me a day of reading sites and an hour of talking to an estonian girl having been living here for 2 years. To all those coming to London - Oyster is the word you must know. Another thing to remember - walk more. :) It is cheaper.
Overall conclusions regarding transport so far:
- It is expensive. Tube is more expensive than buses.
- Tube is good. I can understand what I am paying for. It is most understandable, quick and comfortable transport so far. In peak times, of course, there might be problems with actually getting onto the Tube at certain stations, but just like a smart Tallinn citizen is supposed to time-plan movements to avoid traffic jams in Tallinn, so a smart Londoner considers times when he or she is traveling around central London by tube. Off-peak hours are cheaper too.
There are also bikes scattered around the central London, that you can take for a small fee to cycle from one "bike station" to the other. And lots of people are using them, I haven't yet.
One thing I liked about local life is ... shopping. :) On my first evening I went to a supermarket nearby and was pleasantly surprised by the huge selection of everything, not-so-high prices (I thought it would be worse) and.. they have 100ml shampoos and conditioners for traveling! This is one thing I really missed in Tallinn. Considering the fact that 80% of my travels I travel light, it is really important for me to have with me my brand of shampoo and conditioner and not some strange stuff stolen from the hotel room on my previous vacation.
There are lots of personnel hanging around the shelves, and they are really helpful. Cashiers are talkative and lively. In general, my impression (and a feedback from a nice estonian girl) is that people are really inclined to communicate. You can stop at the traffic light and a stranger will comment on a weather or a car or an event in the city. Even though it is a chitchat, sometimes it makes your day just a tiny bit better.
That's about it regarding first orientation in Google and London. I will write later (when it is successfully done) about the stressful process of finding and securing a place to live.
And tomorrow I will continue with my impressions on orientation trip to Mountain View, CA.
The bad news is: I cannot say much about Google due to privacy policy. The good news is: I can tell you about my impressions.
Somewhere among the numerous info pages I found a nice picture:
Being relocated and starting at Google at the same time is like drinking from a hose. No less.
Moreover, in addition to that I felt like I am trying to jump on a treadmill running at full speed.
Now, after 2 weeks I guess I have adjusted the hose to swallow just enough to handle and redirected the rest of the stream into buckets that I am going to drink later (at nights, probably :) ). And, started running next to a treadmill, gaining speed, to jump on it, when I can.
I like my first impressions about my new work. The office is comfortable, people are great, and, indeed, everything is done in order for you to channel 100% of your mental and emotional energy into work.
Office was the easy part. London and UK in general is a bit tougher. Aside from the fact, that I had to register in Revenues and Customs office to get National Insurance Number (which is your unique ID in UK, tied to everything), I had to open a bank account, get myself a phone and a SIM, a travel card, and start looking for a permanent place to live.
Getting a mobile is easy. And even relatively cheap. Combined with Skype, staying connected to friends and family is easy. Bank will talk to you when you come with a Reference letter from your employer. They even issued me a credit card immediately, so that my credit history would start. Understanding London Transport fares took me a day of reading sites and an hour of talking to an estonian girl having been living here for 2 years. To all those coming to London - Oyster is the word you must know. Another thing to remember - walk more. :) It is cheaper.
Overall conclusions regarding transport so far:
- It is expensive. Tube is more expensive than buses.
- Tube is good. I can understand what I am paying for. It is most understandable, quick and comfortable transport so far. In peak times, of course, there might be problems with actually getting onto the Tube at certain stations, but just like a smart Tallinn citizen is supposed to time-plan movements to avoid traffic jams in Tallinn, so a smart Londoner considers times when he or she is traveling around central London by tube. Off-peak hours are cheaper too.
There are also bikes scattered around the central London, that you can take for a small fee to cycle from one "bike station" to the other. And lots of people are using them, I haven't yet.
One thing I liked about local life is ... shopping. :) On my first evening I went to a supermarket nearby and was pleasantly surprised by the huge selection of everything, not-so-high prices (I thought it would be worse) and.. they have 100ml shampoos and conditioners for traveling! This is one thing I really missed in Tallinn. Considering the fact that 80% of my travels I travel light, it is really important for me to have with me my brand of shampoo and conditioner and not some strange stuff stolen from the hotel room on my previous vacation.
There are lots of personnel hanging around the shelves, and they are really helpful. Cashiers are talkative and lively. In general, my impression (and a feedback from a nice estonian girl) is that people are really inclined to communicate. You can stop at the traffic light and a stranger will comment on a weather or a car or an event in the city. Even though it is a chitchat, sometimes it makes your day just a tiny bit better.
That's about it regarding first orientation in Google and London. I will write later (when it is successfully done) about the stressful process of finding and securing a place to live.
And tomorrow I will continue with my impressions on orientation trip to Mountain View, CA.
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