Life in Birmingham

I got a bit rough start when I moved to Birmingham. I came here excited and ready to settle down. At least to tick the box in my bucket list " live somewhere for more than a year". I ended up without money, bank account - scammed and scared.  There was all the odds that I could have grown to dislike Birmingham as it didn't welcome me in the best way. Luckily I have such a strong safety network: friends and family who helped me in need. Even my new colleagues and my landlady offered to help me. I was welcomed by the people in here which helped me to look past the incidents in the beginning.


Symphony hall

After a couple of months without money (I have done that during my studies, it is kinda good exercise for everyone. One really finds out where all that money goes :D) I finally got my bank account and even my scammed credit card was refunded, and life started to look quite nice. I have my flat which I share with one flatmate who is also my landlady. It is actually a house, semidetached like a proper British house. We have a small garden with a compost (and a garden next summer!), two floors (all carpeted of course) and our own rooms as well as nice common areas which she has decorated. My roommate is surprisingly similar to me and we get along well. Social when we feel like it and free to be antisocial when we don't.

My home street // kotikatu

The house is freaking cold. All the stereotypes of English houses are true. And I finally understood why the young Britons can manage to walk outside with short skirts and t-shirts even in winter. It is because it is as cold inside as it is outside! Not kidding. They have gotten used to it. And surprisingly, I think I have now as well. I was absolutely freezing the first months but now I am under two blankets, with long sleeves and woollen socks and I am perfectly fine :P

By the canals // Birminghamin kanaaleilla

In addition to having a nice place to live I have been very lucky with my job. I am really enjoying it and to be honest, for the first time I feel like I am actually building a career in something that is not only useful for me in the future but exactly what I want to do. I still have my dream about MY hotel but juggling the numbers is something every manager needs to do and this future manager really enjoys doing. Who would have guessed! :D I am responsible of the daily revenue management of 4 soon to be 5 hotels and even though I wake up sometimes thinking about work I go there happily - even on Mondays.

View from our office // näkymä toimiston ikkunasta

One of the main things why I like to go to work is of course the people. We have a very multicultural team of people more less the same age as me. It is great to work with people who are ambitious and even though we kind of compete in our performance everyone is nice and helpful. To be honest in England they kind of over-do the politeness which is often a complete scam. Some pretend to be nice which is enough if you just need help and don't care what they say about you afterwards. If you can look past this gossiping, people are nice over all. And of course not everyone is like that. I have found awesome people with whom I like to spend time also during free time. I have had good parties, great dinners (so far at least Persian, italian, thai, indian, romanian etc one great advantage of multicultural city), funny games, disgusting shots, good talks and maaaaaaaaany after works in pubs. We even have a "local" next to our working place which is something very British and I love it :D

I have really enjoyed the life so far in Birmingham. I loved my masters but now when they are over I  cherish the evenings when I don't have to study unless I feel like reading something. I thoroughly enjoy Saturday mornings when I can go to gym, eat a big breakfast and decide if I feel like going somewhere (like museum, café or something like that as there are plenty of options), meet friends or if I just want to watch Netflix and do laundry :D Even though Birmingham is not definitely the prettiest city in the world or England it is lively, colourful, multicultural and has many things to do. Yep, I  am excited about this new year. I feel like I will enjoy living here as young professional :)

6 faktaa, vai stereotypiaa, brittilästä?

1. Britit ovat kohteliaita - totta, mutta vain jos olet kohtelias ensin. Jos jostain kulttuurin kepposesta johtuen et muista sanoa please tai sanot pelkästään Thank you sen sijaan että sanoisit thank you very very much !!!!! ei tarvitse odottaa edes peruskohteliaisuutta takaisin.

2. Kaikkialla on kokolattiamatot - jopa pesuhuoneissa.- Ei täysin totta. Näin oli kämpässä jossa asuin melkein kymmenen vuotta sitten Pohjois-Englannissa, mutta ajat ovat muuttuneet. Jihaa! Enää kokolattiamattoa tarvitsee haistella kaikissa muissa tiloissa paitsi vessoissa.

Fish and Chips - secretly tasty, but only once a year

 
3. Brittiruoka on epäterveellistä (ja pahaa) - Tarua. Tavallaan. Tarjolla on muutakin kuin papuja, pekonia ja ranskalaisia. Toki kaikkia näitä saa lisukkeena ihan mihin vain ruokalajiin mutta niitä ei ole pakko ottaa. Tosin kyllä niitä pahoja perinneruokiakin löytyy. Voin vieläkin pahoin yhdestä pasteijasta, jonka söin baarin jälkeen superlaadukkaassa ruokapaikassa. No mitä voit odottaa jos sanot "onko teillä mitään joka sopii vegetaristeille...?" kolmelta yöllä. Voin sanoa että valikoima ei ole laaja ja sekin vietiin yhden haukun jälkeen lautaselta ja korvattiin hetken päästä uudella, ilmeisesti tuoreemmalla vasta pakasteesta otetulla. Ei herättänyt luottamusta.

4.Britit eivät ymmärrä käyttää suodatinkahvia, juustohöyliä, tiskiharjoja tai tiskikaappeja tai hanoja joissa on sekoitin - TOTTA!! Ehkä jonain päivänä...

5. Fish and Chips näyttää pahalta mutta maistuu hyvältä - totta! Tosin kaloreita on koko viikon edestä, mutta miten mikään sellainen voisi maistua pahalta :P kunnon britti muistaa ostaa tämän herkun sieltä, missä kala tulee sertifioidusta (ei ylikalastetusta) kannasta :)

6, Britit ovat täsmällisiä - totta osittain. Kun jotain tapahtuu tasalta niin siellä on oltava tasalta. Britit olettavat kaikkien olevan paikalla, jotta he voivat odottaa yhdessä sitä että jotain lopulta tapahtuu.