First week at KPMG

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Matt:

Well as our second weekend comes to an end in London, I thought it might be a good chance to give you all an update of our adventures. Ed has passed out from exhaustion next to me, so I should be able to get to write this update without him butting in to tell me all the things that I have forgotten, embellished or just made up!

My first week at work has been a little bizarre. After planning what I was going to wear for my security pass photo for weeks, I arrived at on my first day only to be told that the cleaner (who was sick) had gone home with the key to the security room, and I would have to wait until later in the week to have my photo taken. Although my tie got numerous compliments, so it wasn’t a complete waste!

Everyone in my division at KPMG hot desks, which means that they never sit next to the same person for more than a few days in a row. As a result, no one seems to know anyone else and everyone has a permanent “Do I know you?” expression on their face. It also means that on my first day I was asked to sign Doug, Paul and Tracey’s farewell cards (almost all the inscriptions included something like “I wish I got to know you better”), and was asked for directions to the fax machine twice (the search for which continues).

KPMG’s offices at Canary Wharf are in Canada Tower, the tallest building in the UK and filled with a diverse range of bankers and accountants (cue dry sarcastic tone).

Working in the tallest building in the UK brings both its advantages and its drawbacks:

* Advantage 1: the views are amazing! From my desk on the 38th floor, I pretty much look straight down the Thames towards St Paul’s Cathedral and Big Ben. This makes it kinda like working in the opening credits of East Enders (or permanently searching Google Earth)…
* Advantage 2: the shopping! Canada Tower is on top of a massive shopping centre built to serve every desire of the bankers and accountants staring at the views above (which mainly extend to grey suits and brown cardigans). Given that the only reason that I am working at Canada Tower is so that I can save to travel, this advantage can equally be seen as a drawback…!
* And Advantage 3: travel. Canada Tower is built over an underground station on the only line that does not have daily “severe delay” warnings.

The main drawbacks include:

• Drawback 1: Canada Tower is terror target # 1! Apparently because it houses such a diverse range of bankers and accountants, the whole Islamic world has an urge to blow the whole damn thing up.
  
• Drawback 2: Canada Tower is built at the end of a runway - and not a little runway either, but the main runway for London City Airport. This means that while I’m sitting at my desk humming the theme tune to East Enders, Boeings and Airbuses are flying straight at me! This may reduce the impact of Advantage 1 above.
  
• Drawback 3: The bankers and accountants.
  

Yesterday, Ed I moved from our KPMG supplied (and paid for) accommodation in Canary Wharf, to our new flat in Kilburn. After renting a car in our first week and getting lost in London traffic for hours, we had decided that moving all our stuff via public transport would be far more relaxing and comfortable. After just two weeks in London, our three bags have now grown to two suitcases, two backpacks, four plastic bags, two laptops and a shoulder carry bag (see Advantage 2 above). By the time we arrived in we were neither relaxed nor comfortable!

Our new neighbourhood - Kilburn - is great! It’s a bit of a bizarre collection of funky bars, pavement stalls and discount stores with the odd drunk Irishman thrown in for good measure. Hopefully we’ll get to show a few of you around in the not too distant future

Anywho getting tired now - will post another update soon… Miss you all heaps!

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Photos

Canada Tower
Doesn't it look exciting?

Comments

[Chris]

Which is my bedroom?
Please add a pic of the spare room - need to ensure it's up to standard before I arrive!