Work and such

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Sorry it has taken me so long to update my blog. As I'm sure you can imagine, I've been very busy. Although I must admit, at times when I could have been writing in my blog, or reading a book, I've been at the ISH bar, and I'm pretty disappointed in myself. I'm not at all a social person, and for the first time in a very long time, I'm surrounded by people that I genuinely want to socialize with. However, this has led me to the conclusion that sitting in a bar 14 out of the 15 nights we've been here, is not a very good idea. I did not drink a lot at all, I've found my limit and will stick to it, but still, I need to expand my horizons! The only saving grace in such a disappointing habit is that I have met some really amazing people from all over the world. I have to say that my favorite so far is Nikunj, a guy from India (I believe) who has been living in London for a long time. The reason why he is my favorite foreigner is because he is a Conservative Republican. Trust me, this is an extremely rare occurrence. Everyone we've met is liberal, and finally we have each found someone that we agree with.

Everyday it gets harder and harder to be a Conservative, and I'm really getting upset over the fact that "open minded" people that I've met are some of the most limited and narrow minded people I have ever met in my life. No one is willing to accept the fact that I have a completely opposite point of view (which is shared by millions of others) and that I'm NOT trying to convert them to my ways of thinking. It's nearly impossible to be Conservative in this damn college-aged demographic, especially when you study abroad, and especially when you come across many people that do not like Americans at all, and thus don't like the Bush administration. Yeah, fine, you may have legit reasons not to like Bush, but just because I'm a member of his party, does not mean I'm the devil. Argh. The other night, in the Tube station, I made the mistake of flicking off a huge poster of Obama (which is not a mistake in itself, I meant it) but the mistake was that I was surrounded by people, among which were some of these "open-minded" hypocrites. Yeah, after they railed me out for that one, I ended up crying later on. It ruined my night and made me feel so alone. Aurelia made me feel a lot better though, because she put into words exactly what I feel about many liberals. It's the EASY way out. It's not hard to jump on the liberal bandwagon, any idiot can do that. It takes brains to realize that the ideal save-the-world and love everyone in it point of view is just that, idealistic and unrealistic. It won't ever happen. Anyone can say they hate Bush just because it's the popular thing to do, but I wonder how many people could actually justify why they hate him. It's just so frustrating that people can't think for themselves. As hard as it is to be in the extreme minority around here, I'm proud of the fact that I have thought through my points of view. At first I was a Republican because of my family (which is the #1 source kids turn to) but then as I started my Political Science major and I actually started learning about politics, my opinions were reinforced and I'm damn proud to be a Republican.

Okay, I'm done with that rant. Whew, I really needed to get that out.

I started work last week! Monday was my first day, and I had never been so nervous in my entire life. The two main thoughts in my head were "OMG, I'm out of my league, what am I doing??" and "I have a right to be here, yeah I'm young, but I've worked hard to get here." It was like the angel and devil arguing on your shoulder kind of thing. I must say, I think I looked great in my business suit. =) So I got to work around 9:45 and after passing the metal detectors and watchful eyes of security guards with huge guns, I got to reception and told them I was waiting to meet someone. Sam (the Parliamentary adviser to Yvette) came to get me, and was going to take me on a tour of Parliament, but the Shadow Prime Minister George Osborne was on the BBC speaking at the Conservative Convention. We watched him speak, and I liked what he was saying, but of course I couldn't let it show because I do work for the opposite side. Afterward, she took me on a tour and I was absolutely in awe. Parliament is GORGEOUS and I could not stop staring at everything. I was so completely lost because Sam was taking me through so many hallways and "secret" pathways and rooms, that I couldn't even point in the direction we started from, which is something I can always do. At the end of the tour, she let me know one of my jobs would be to give tours to groups such as school kids. WHAT! I was lost as it is, so I hope I get some good training before I have to do that! She also let me know that I could give a tour to some of my friends, and a lot of people in my group are so excited about that, as am I.

After the tour Sam showed me around our office. It's huge (she said it's bigger than all of the other MPs staff offices) and there are 6 desks there, although she and I are the only people in the office for now. I love my desk. I have my own computer, and a huge window right next to it. What do I see when I look out of the window? The Thames river and the London eye (Europe's biggest ferris wheel), just RIGHT THERE. It's a gorgeous view.

For the rest of the afternoon Sam had me familiarize myself with Parliament's extranet, and also the documents on the computer that we use to reply to Constituents. After that, I literally stamped hundreds and hundreds of envelopes with Yvette's return address. All in all, it was a good day.

Day number two was definitely better. For the entire morning I watched my boss being interviewed on the BBC. She is not only a MP, but also in the Cabinet, where she is Chief Secretary to the Treasury (which is basically second in charge, only below Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer), so she is in a key position right now with the whole financial crisis, which is almost as bad in Great Britain as it is in the US. Unfortunately, I haven't met her yet, and Sam said I probably won't see much of her because she will be busy figuring out the financial situation. I'm thinking that I couldn't have a better name to throw around on my resume than Yvette.

So basically, what Sam and I have to do is deal with Yvette's constituency while she handles the national side of her position, such as answering letters and sending out a newsletter. Yvette represents two towns, Pontefract and Castleford, in the north of England. There's another office there, and Sam said I get to go there to meet everyone dealing with the other end of things. Yay! I also get to see the Queen open Parliament on December 3rd, and they got me a ticket to see something called Parliamentary Questions in the House of Commons, which is basically Members of Parliament asking the Prime Minister and Cabinet members questions to keep them accountable. I've heard it gets pretty loud and messy, so I'm excited to witness this. I also need to find out if they still wear wigs. I think they do, but we'll see.

Well, I should probably stop writing now. More later.

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