Of Clients, Internet, and English Breakfasts

One thing you should know about me, if you don’t already, is that I’m big on routines. Now, that might sound silly coming from someone who just put her stuff in a storage locker and headed out on the road.

But it’s true, nonetheless. I like having a pattern to my days, a rhythm, so I know what to expect and when. And especially because I’m doing a lot of traveling, I figured my first priority on my first full day in Wales should be to set up a routine.

So, my priorities for my first day in Wales were simple: breakfast, then errands, then client work.

Breakfast went perfectly. Les, the B & B manager, is a congenial host, and British bacon is delicious. I’m told it comes from the pig’s stomach, rather than the back like American bacon. What I noticed most is that there’s actual substance to it – it’s three times wider than our paltry American bacon. And it goes superbly well with my 2 eggs and lots of toast with butter and strawberry jam.

Here is what my breakfast looks like each day:

Breakfast at Garth House: bacon, eggs, toast, and tea.

And yes, there is actually a cup of tea in the picture. I still don’t like it, but tea seems to go better than water with all that delicious protein in the morning. So tea it is. 🙂

Also, did you notice how cool the little toast holder is? If we have them in the States, I’ve never seen anything like them. And if we don’t have the, we should. They are awesome.

If you’re familiar with what’s included in a full English breakfast, you’ll notice that there are a few things missing. Namely: tomatoes, mushrooms, and beans. Tomatoes and mushrooms are mostly a texture thing for me, but I don’t understand how beans came to be part of anyone’s breakfast. I’ll pass on the beans in favor of more bacon.

After breakfast, I went out to do some errands. I needed groceries for lunch and dinner (something that would be filling but not need refrigeration), cash from the ATM, a belt for my jeans, and a wireless router (the free internet at the B & B being ok for internet work, but not for Skype calls).

I had assumed that these errands would take me an hour or two. Instead, I was out most of the morning. The ATM and the groceries were easy enough to find, although the grocery store was this weird combination of cheap groceries and stuff you’d find at a Freddy’s, like flip flops and garden trowels. And I found a belt at the local charity shop, whose proceeds go to support cerebral palsy research.

The sticky wicket was, in fact, the pay-as-you-go mobile broadband. Verizon does not have a UK partner, and so the wireless router I normally use in the States doesn’t work here. So I went looking for an internet dongle that plugs into your computer. At the first three places, I could only find one that would allow you put on 1 GB at a time. When you’re using Skype to call your clients in America or Canada, that’s not enough. And even if it were, 15 pounds for 1 GB (almost $30) was much too pricy.

So I asked if I could put more than 1 GB of data on a time. The first 3 told me I could not.The fourth and last place I went said “oh sure, absolutely!” And that’s how I fell in love with Three, the company that brings me reliable internet so that I can do my work and talk to my mom, my boyfriend, and my clients via Skype.

And lest you all think that being on holiday in Wales is all fun and games, there have been updates on the client front, as well. The retirement company that I work for in Hillsboro called me on Monday as I was waiting for my flight in the Boston Airport. The upshot of the conversation is that they fired me due to budget cuts, and gave me a mere 3 days’ notice.

And while I was (and am) still upset at the crappy way in which they ended our association, I am also relieved to say goodbye to those work hours. Sure, it was easy work and brought in a steady paycheck. But I didn’t enjoy it, and it was clear to me that I would never advance in that position.

The good news is that my fabulous, wonderful, amazing client in Montreal is interested in me picking up a few more hours each week, and more new projects. So while I will miss the money coming from the retirement client, I am still able to pay all my bills. And I will have some new projects to take on when I get back from my reduced-hours vacation. 🙂

And so, with my internet situation firmly sorted, I returned to my B & B and spent the next 10 hours getting caught up on client work. It was a beautiful day outside, and I am sorry to have missed it. But I am not sorry that I stayed in and worked. All that travel of the day before had traveled me out for a day or two, and I’d been out enough that morning to see something of the city.

The next day, Thursday, I was out to run errands again. This time it was to replace my converter, which burned out the night before. Luckily, it was an easy fix, and I was also able to stop by the library and get a subscription.

At this point, I should probably mention that one of the reasons I came to North Wales is that Welsh is spoken on the street here. It’s sort of like Quebec – all the signs in Canada are bi-lingual, but the only French you hear spoken on the street is in Quebec. Wales, from what I gather, is the same way. Signs are in Welsh and English all over the place, but there aren’t a whole lot of places where Welsh is spoken on the street.

Bangor is one such place, and I have heard quite a bit of Welsh spoken around me. The woman next to me at the library counter spoke Welsh to the librarian, who answered her right back. I’ve overheard couples talking to each other in Welsh, and even heard my B & B manager speak a little.

Unfortunately, there are no formal Welsh classes in session at the moment, but I’m trying to learn a few words here and there. I can say “good morning,” “thanks,” and “thanks very much.”

I did get out a bit on Thursday afternoon, but I’ll leave that for the next post. 🙂

Coming up next: Exploring Bangor!

Until next time,

~ Felicity