London Finale and a Return to Normalcy

Well I am back in Hong Kong now, and nearly (but not quite) caught up on all the sleep that I missed out on while in London. It was definitely a great three weeks, though I don’t know if my body could have taken much more of that grueling schedule. Funny, when I worked the night shift in New Jersey before moving out to Asia, I had very little trouble adjusting to the hours. I had a regular schedule that I followed almost every day, and it couldn't have gone smoother. Things were so much harder this time around. Chalk it up to London being such a fascinating place with so much to do. I could never bring myself to sleep when there was a constant stream of possible time-fillers.

Piccadilly Circus at twilight

Anyway, my final week in London was every bit as wonderful as the two that preceded it. A couple of fellow graduates of the class of 2009, Lauren and Chrissy, passed through town, so we met up for dinner and drinks around Leicester Square one night. They were at the tail end of a grand adventure that began (of all places) in Hong Kong, lead them throughout Thailand, continent-hopped over to Amsterdam and finally landed them in London, where Lauren's sister Lindsay (a 'Nova junior) is studying this semester.

Lauren, Chrissy, me and Lindsay

Way back when they had first started planning the trip, the initial idea was to have a reunion in Asia. With the breaking news of my three week assignment in London, things just happened to work out in our favor, with our visits coinciding completely by chance. Funny how that worked out, no? And I'm so glad it did, too!

During my last week, I also finally made it to the Imperial War Museum, a place I’ve wanted to visit ever since my first days in London back in the summer of 2006. It was an incredible museum, full of planes, bombs, tanks, army uniforms, documents, weapons, a life-size WWII-era British home and even an entire section of town recreated to mimic London during the Blitz. It was a stunning museum, and I feel so stupid for taking so long to get there.

Imperial War Museum

On Thursday I caught the matinee of Noël Coward’s comedy Private Lives, which is one of my all-time favorite plays. It was a well-done production starring Kim Cattrall, and I had a really good seat to boot.

On Friday morning, after my last day of work, I went to the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court, and watched the barristers (in their wigs) question witnesses in a murder trial! I had no idea what case I was going to view when I arrived at the courthouse, even as I was shown where to sit in the public gallery. I figured I would get some boring divorce proceeding or something similarly dull. To my surprise, the first witness being questioned as I sat down was discussing the blood and fabric samples she found on a knife a young man used to stab his stepfather! The case was fascinating to watch, and held my interest until the court adjourned for lunch.

That last weekend, two of my friends from Villanova who are both studying abroad in Europe came to visit me. Nick, who is doing a program in Urbino, Italy and Mallory, who is studying in Brussels, Belgium made my last days in London amazing, completing the trip with a bang! We rode the London Eye, saw a musical in the West End (with Sporty Spice in the lead role!), toured the Tower of London and strolled around town revisiting all of my favorite spots.

With Mallory and Nick on the London Eye

At the Tower of London, with a guard in the background

In front of Tower Bridge

I can’t believe how quickly the weeks in London flew by, and now I am back to Hong Kong, just in time for Easter. The office is closed for Good Friday and Easter Monday. It is also closed on Tuesday, as well, in observance of the Ching Ming Festival, a traditional local holiday for welcoming in spring and remembering deceased family members. It doesn’t always coincide quite so perfectly with Easter, but this year we are lucking out with a lovely little five day weekend!

It’s nice to be back, see my Hong Kong friends and, most of all, have a normal working schedule! I'm easing back into the life I lead a month ago and looking forward to the promise of even warmer weather as spring arrives.

I will always look back on my time in London with a huge smile and great memories, and hopefully I will be able to go back again—even if just for a short visit—sometime soon!

Traitor's Gate of the Tower of London

Old Friends and Great Times

These past weeks in London have been amazing but exhausting. Maintaining my Hong Kong working hours has given me the opportunity to experience London during the day, allowing me to visit museums, historical sights and art galleries that I had missed on my previous visits. I’ve had the chance to meet up with lots of friends from Villanova, too, which has been a real treat. But I hardly ever find the time to get a good night's sleep... or rather a good day's sleep.

Our London office

Since I work from midnight until 10am, I have most of the day free. Luckily the weather has been mostly bright and sunny since my arrival. Surprising for London, but definitely welcome!

I am staying in my U.K. boss Neil's apartment in a part of town called Limehouse. It's not far from the office, and as Neil usually stays in his country house in Surrey, I have the place mostly to myself. It’s up to me how I want to arrange my schedule after work: sometimes I go right to the apartment and sleep, then go out in the mid-afternoon, and then head to work around midnight; other times I head out immediately after work, meet a friend for lunch, and then head back to the apartment to sleep, waking up around 11pm to get to work on time; still, other days I push myself really hard—I head out right after work and keep going until I have to be back again! There is usually a penalty for this last option: I am so exhausted that I have no choice but to catch up on missed sleep for the entire next day.

Limehouse, the area where I'm staying


Living room of my boss' apartment

When I first got here, I made a list of all the things I wanted to do while in London—a hodgepodge of old favorites (like the Tower of London), things I’d always wanted to do but never gotten around to in the past (like the Charles Dickens House) and several attractions I’d never heard of before but somehow found out about during this trip (like the Saatchi Gallery). Slowly I have been crossing the items off that list, and it has been wonderful.

Yesterday was a particularly busy day. After work I headed to the Courtauld Gallery in Somerset House, then went to Temple Church (of DaVinci Code fame) and next took a tour of the Benjamin Franklin House. I barely had time to get back to my apartment to change for a Villanova “Alumni in London” reception that evening, after which I came straight to work!

Effigies of Knights in Temple Church

Main Altar of Temple Church

The Villanova event was a definite high point of my time out here so far. When I first walked into the reception, I saw several Villanova staff members who I had gotten to know throughout my time at school, and it was great to catch up with them and hear about the exciting developments taking place on campus. I was also introduced to the twenty-two VSB freshmen participating in the Global Citizens Program this semester, and it was so nice to talk with them about the program, hear about their internships and answer their questions about my own experience.

There was also a fair amount of other alumni in attendance, ranging from recent graduates like myself to established professionals who have been living out here for many years. Even an old friend of mine showed up, Clint, who I had completely forgotten was working in London. It was a long but fantastic day. Of course, I’ll be going right to sleep after work ends, but it was definitely worth it!

This past weekend was pretty exhausting as well! My friend Shannon, another VSB ’09 graduate, came to visit me. Shannon works for Deutsche Bank, and she is currently doing a three month international rotation in Geneva, Switzerland. Another passionate London lover, Shannon had her fair share of favorite sights and pubs she wanted to revisit. (In fact, Shannon did the same summer study abroad program in London that I did, except one year after me.) It was great hearing about her Swiss experience, and it’s always good to catch up with an old friend.

Shannon and I paid a visit to the old dorm where we both stayed when we studied in London

I’ve actually had the chance to meet up with quite a few old friends since I arrived. On my first Sunday, I spent the day market-hopping around East London with my friend Allie, a current Villanova junior who is studying abroad here. I can’t remember the last time I ate so much, but everything was delicious and it was a great day.

On Friday I met my friend Wemi, another VSB ’09 alum, for dinner near Bond Street. Wemi is preparing for the major ACCA exam, a comprehensive and grueling series of 14 accounting tests taken over three years! Her family has an apartment in London, so she is taking courses at Kaplan to get ready. Wemi is hilarious and an absolute delight to spend time with, so I’ve loved meeting her for lunches and dinners over the past weeks.

The biggest surprise visit came my second weekend, when Facebook informed me that my friend Laura, studying in Prague, had booked a last-minute flight to London for three days! She sent me a message, and we met up in the Tate Modern, an art museum on the South Bank of the Thames. Laura transferred from Villanova, somewhat reluctantly, midway through her sophomore year, after gaining admission to a prestigious nutritional health program at the Steinhardt School at NYU. Since then, I had only seen her a handful of times in New York, so a reunion in London was most welcome.

Laura and me in Trafalgar Square

Laura's final day in London happened to be the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day, and there was a big parade through town, ending at Trafalgar Square. Following the parade, there were concerts and other activities going on, so of course it turned into a big outdoor party! Since all of London seemed to be there, it's no surprise that I got to meet a few other 'Nova juniors studying abroad in London who wanted to catch up with Laura.

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St. Patrick's Day Parade near Trafalgar Square

I've even met up with my old Villanova roommate's sister Kirsten, who also happens to be studying here this semester. Her brother Shea and I were in the same orientation group back at 'Nova, and eventually wound up being junior year roomies. He's still one of my best friends, and he put me in touch with Kirsten when I told him I'd be in town. She seems to be having an incredible experience, and I loved hearing all her stories.

I can’t believe so many ‘Nova connections have come together across the Pond! There just seems to be a constant flow of current students and alumni passing through this town, which, sadly for me, is not the case in Hong Kong. The combination of old friends, a great experience in the office and the brilliant sights and attractions of London have made the first two weeks of my UK stint an unforgettable experience. I am definitely looking forward to the one week I have left. Hopefully it will be just as memorable!

Goodbye/Hello

Greetings from London!

Somehow, I always wind up here. And I’m fine with that, because London is high on my list of favorite cities in the world. Ever since I studied and interned here the summer after my freshman year, I’ve been in love with this place. Lucky me… Since graduating from Villanova in May, I’ve been here three times already. I never knew a job in Hong Kong would entail so many visits to the U.K.

While training in New York, my bosses wanted me to see how our London office operated, so they sent me out here for a week. You see, the new Hong Kong branch is an off-shoot of our London operations, so they felt it was important for me to get a feel for the way it all works. When I left to go back to New York, I thought I had seen the last of London for some time.

Then, on the way to Hong Kong, our CEO needed to make his annual review of the London office. Since we travelled together, I had four completely free days to enjoy the city while he did his work. Again, as we headed to Heathrow for the big flight, I said goodbye to London for what I assumed would be years.

And now I’m here again—for three weeks—to work out of the office. Lesson learned: never assume anything. I’m very much looking forward to spending more time in this great city.

Since Kevin and I are the only two employees who work in the Hong Kong office, there is only one person for me to learn from—Kevin himself. But it’s never good to limit your learning to one person. Imagine if you only had one professor for every subject in college. It’s always better to have exposure to different approaches and techniques. That way, you can really come to develop your own style, which is, in essence, why I’ve been sent here.

This trip was the brainchild of my bosses in New York, and I think it's a great idea. Since the London and Hong Kong trading days overlap, I can keep in touch with my Asian accounts and also take advantage of the multitude of different brokering styles to be found among the London staff.

Hong Kong has been wonderful, and I’m looking forward to returning in a few weeks, but things have also changed a lot since my last update. Sadly, I had to say my first Hong Kong goodbyes over the past two weeks. Mostly by coincidence, the friends I had been making were only in the city on a temporary basis, either as interns or on short-term job rotations. I always knew friends would be leaving, but I didn’t realize three of my best pals, Jurre (also one of my roommates), Becca and Harriet, would all go within a week of each other. That’s why I’m glad to leave for awhile now, too. Goodbye, Hong Kong... Hello, London! This trip couldn’t have come at a better time.

Out in LKF one last time with Becca, Jurre and Harriet

And another issue came up: with Jurre gone, Julian and I were faced with the prospect of getting a random roommate assigned by the landlords. It could have been anyone—a middle-aged Chinese lady who speaks no English, a forty year-old Turkish man who works in a local hotel, or anybody else. Really, all bets were off! Luckily, we met a 22 year old French kid named Guillaume who had just arrived in Hong Kong and was looking for a place to stay. We put him in touch with our landlords and solved the potential roommate crisis. He moved in earlier this week and the three of us get along very well.

On Thursday night I got a chance to show my ‘Nova pride by attending a college fair at the Canadian International School. Since most admissions counselors cannot make it out to such fairs, it’s common for young alumni to represent their alma mater instead. So not only did I get to talk up Villanova to young expat students, I also got to make friends with other young people living or working in Hong Kong. Funnily enough, Guillaume, the new roommate, was there as well, representing his school. And we made a new friend with a young lady named Samantha who I met for a few drinks the next night, before my flight. So even though I've had my fair share of goodbyes over the past few weeks, I've also had quite a few hellos, as well..

Hong Kong makes air travel as easy as it can get. You check in and leave your bag in town, at whatever time is convenient for you. I checked in for my 11:35pm flight at 2:00 in the afternoon. My bag was sent to the airport, I got my boarding pass and I went back to work for the rest of the day.

I met some friends after work, and at about 10:15pm, I got on the ‘Airport Express’ train to the terminal, only a 24 minute ride from the city center! Since I had my boarding pass already, I just had to clear security and head right to the gate—completely hassle free and no need to arrive hours early. I was in the airport for less than 50 minutes by the time our plane was ready to take off. I do not understand why other cities have not instituted similar systems.

I've just arrived at our London office to drop off my bags, and I will be meeting up with some of the guys who work here in a few hours. Tomorrow I will probably hang out with my friend Allie, from 'Nova, who is studying abroad here. And I’ve already gotten a taste of the brisk winter weather I’ve completely managed to avoid this year, since it rarely falls below 55° in Hong Kong and is usually much hotter. Even with freezing temperatures on the horizon, I’m really looking forward to the next three weeks!