Yes, I am still alive and kicking! However, finding time to write something controversial in my fantastic blog has become quite a challenge, to be honest. Family life combined with work, plus all the nasty infections…. doesn’t leave much time to pour one’s thoughts in a blog. On top of everything, I am back at uni to do a DPSI course which I should have done a long time ago as that opens many doors for professional intepreters, the main one being NRPSI.

In mid-October, then, I went to Bedford University Campus to start my part-time, post-graduate studies. Since then I have had 4 sessions and I like the course itself. Having done most of my studying at Wroclaw University, Poland, I was a tad disappointed with the location and the Bedford University Campus buildings. I had used to pass by the place many times and never realized it was a uni as it just looks as a complex of office buildings – doesn’t have this… erm, university atmosphere, if you know what I mean.

This is where I study now:

Bedford University Campus

and this is where I did my degree:

English Institute of University in Wroclaw, Poland

I am sure this is just another example of a known cliché that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. I find all the old or having a more classic look buildings far more attractive to study in, as opposed to the modern, character-less architectural monstrosities. It’s not just the building of the uni in Bedford that distracted my attention from the course. Yes, I am going to treat you with a little more moaning. We were all a little surprised that, despite paying for the course we have a limited access to basic facilities such as toilets, refreshment bar or a shop, library or information desk where someone is actually there to assist with any queries that students might have, let alone technical support for the tutors who sometimes get confused about the configuration of laptops and projectors.

Because I’d gained my education in a country considered as less developed than the UK, I expected the local uni to be of a much higher standard in every way than what I’d experienced before…..

At least, letters of complaint addressed to institutions are often taken seriously here, so things are likely improve in Bedford Campus. I hope this is not wishful thinking, though! Anyway, I intend to make most of the course despite all the hiccups and pass the exam run by IoL.

Yes, it does look like it’s a follow-up to a post I wrote some time ago about ‘This is England‘, a film I had watched and found thought-provoking, indeed. For the past few weeks I have been stumbling on the subject of racism in the UK either  on  internet forums I visited, or when watching news, or listening to real-life stories told be people I met here and there.

Racism has been in the world forever…. that is a fact. Also, one might think that everyone would know what it means to be a racist since the problem is as old as the world itself. It seems to me, however, that the whole notion begins to be more and more blurred, mis- or over-interpreted. I’d say, often people are simply tactless or stupid rather than racist.

“Racism is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.[1] In the case of institutional racism, certain racial groups may be denied rights or benefits, or get preferential treatment, while Reverse discrimination favours members of a historically disadvantaged group at the expense of those of a historically advantaged group. Racial discrimination typically points out taxonomic differences between different groups of people, even though anybody can be racialised, independently of their somatic differences. According to the United Nations conventions, there is no distinction between the term racial discrimination and ethnic discrimination.” (Wikipedia)

A good example of this definition of racism is, of course, the nazi movement both the original one from the last century and its current continuations under many different names and in various countries. Only last week we could see an English Nazi movement in action; “Anti-Islamists target Palestinian rally in central London“. Such riots start more or less like this:

Now, I know of a few Englishmen who claim it’s only the immigrants in the UK that are racist, but, somehow what we can witness in various towns in the UK, both as eyewitnesses and viewers of various news channels, is angry Englishmen tired of being politically correct about what they truly think of equal opportunities, ethinc minorities or their own superiority over everyone who happens not to be a white British.

I too was accused of being racist after sharing my thoughts on how I perceive various things here in the UK – it is rather stupid and ignorant not to see the difference between a criticism of things you don’t like in places you visit and an irrational,  patronizing attitude making you feel better than people of other cultures!

Inasmuch as I am not in favour of cherishing prejudices or stereotypes, I am sure nobody is free from possessing prejudiced opinions about other nations. Yet, the fact that consciously or not we hold onto silly stereotypes, doesn’t have to mean we are racists, or does it?

It amazes me how words, sentences, or comments get taken out of context and misinterpreted here; Recently, I have read a conversation between a few Poles and some Brits. One of the Poles quoted another person who allegedly had said that ‘Asians smell or do not pay much attention to personal hygene’ or some such. Taken out of context such a statement is not just an unfair, prejudiced opinion but indeed could well be perceived as racist. Quoting what someone else has said for the sake of a argument doesn’t prove that the person using the quote agrees with the message of the cited sentence….

Let’s have a look at something else. Not long ago BBC reported that British property agents are keeping out East European tenants (funny enough, in Poland the English, the French, the Germans are never referred to as Western Europeans…. after all each nation has its own identity!) . Favouring one nationality over another in letting houses for rent is an obvious display or racism and prejudice. Nevertheless, some people say it is the landlords right to choose who they let their property for rent to….

Racism exists in the UK and, even though many migrants are racists as well, the real problem is with some attitudes manifested by the citizens of GB. Pointing fingers at ethnic minorities and accusing them of being racist not only doesn’t solve the problem, but makes it even worse….

Luton airport is the closest on to where I live (about 18 miles away) and getting there is pretty straightforward, which is convenient. The thing I am not impressed with is the prices for long-stay parking! Last time I travelled from Luton was two weeks ago and I chose to get a lift from a friend rather than leave the car in the airport car park as the price for it was higher than my return ticket to Poland! What a rip-off! On my way back I caught a bus going to Hitchin and then a local bus to my town. It was an experiment really and I would never recommend relying on public transport in the UK and I mean the local one mainly. I was coming back on a Sunday which meant that buses from Hitchin to Bedford were going every 2 hours! :-O

Anyway, Luton airport is fairly big but nothing compared to the main UK airports, for sure. When I was travelling the gate I was supposed to check in was shown 5 minutes before boarding time, which meant everyone had to rush through the long corridors to get to the gate. That was a new procedure which I found ridiculous as large crowds were swarming around the few monitors in the waiting lounge and then hurrying to their gates…. informing the passengers which gates their airplanes would be at earlier would allow the people to choose when they want to stroll to the particular gate rather than be kept in suspence, so to say!

Another ‘interesting’ change at Luton airport is the charge for drop-off! Now, I understand this is supposed to reduce the traffic at the airport itself. But then, one has to ask, what the purpose of building new roads leading to the airport was? The two seem to contradict one another…

Anyway, it’s the budget airlines mainly that fly from Luton and so, one shouldn’t perhaps expect luxuries for free at this airport. I will keep on flying from Luton as I just couldn’t be bothered to go anywhere further just to experience more comfort during my journey!

On last Tuesday, I took my oldest son to London for a day out. We went there despite a rather gloomy weather. I must say, I am gradually getting used to the unpredictability of the British weather. The thing I will never get used to is the headaches that I suffer whenever the pressure outside is down and it’s down all too often… Anyway, I decided to have a good time with junior on Tuesday despite the drizzle accompanying us most of the day. We took a train from Arlesey, a village 3 miles away from our town. It’s much more convenient than driving to and in London. Besides, travelling on a train is always a great fun for kids! So, after a 40 minutes journey we ended up at King’s cross station in London. Our destination on that day was the Natural History Museum. The fastest way to get there would have been on the tube, but, again, for the sake of the kiddo having a blast we took a red double decker. Unfortunately, however, we listened to a guy at the information desk and we hopped on the number 10 which took us through, probably, the busiest street in Europe, and that is Oxford Street.

When we finally got to the museum we were shocked to see hundreds of people queuing to enter the place through all doors available there (there are no fees for entering the museum, which probably causes such queues)! So, we had plenty of time to admire the surrounding houses and the magnificent building of the museum itself.

Natural History Museum (side view)

Natural History Museum (the main hall)

Natural History Museum (the main hall from another angle)

Well, frankly speaking, I am not a fan of crowds of people, especially disorganized and insensitive ones. Yet, the museum itself is an absolutely amazing source of 3D information about the world of nature. My little man enjoyed seeing all the animals, dinosaurs, and wondering around the butterfly jungle, especially the playground created next to it for kids. All this is a perfect environment for educational explorations!

the best way to learn is through fun, isn't it?

On our way back we took a bus again, but via a different route. It was a lot less jammed with cars and buses!

looking down on everything and everyone!

After lunch we did quite a lot of walking in the less known streets of London where you can spot interesting landmarks, like this one:

As it appeared we couldn’t get on a train back before 7 pm (Ididn’t realize I had bought a return off-peak ticket and would have to upgrade it to an in-peak one for £13, and it was not worth it) and so we popped in a local Starbucks for a coffee (for me and a friend of mine) and pudding for my little offspring.

Before getting on the train to Peterborough, which would take us back to Arseley, we could relax in an airconditioned waiting lounge, which was nice on the horribly muggy day!

Needless to say I was knackered when we got home, but my son was still full of beans and excited after having seen all the many attractions in London and we only saw a tiny fraction of what one can visit in the capital of the UK.

Even though I am travelling to Poland in a couple of weeks, most of the summer hols is a staycation for me and my family. It’s not a boring option, however, as there are plenty of attractions for both kids and adults in towns and villages within 30 miles radius from our town. I’m not a great fan of the usual rainy weather in England, but even it is raining there is plenty to do with kids that go bananas!

Let’s start with what we can do on a sunny day. Here are some options:

1 If I don’t want to drive, I can take the kids to one of 5 parks in our little town. Two of them are part of big play/sport fields and so the kids are not limitted to the enclosed playgrounds.

2. In the outskirts of our town there is a forest with footpaths and bike routes. What I like about it is that the two are separated from each other and so the walkers are not disturbed by the bikers and vice versa. At least, one doesn’t have to worry about the littleuns being hit by a motor or a bike. The downside is the dog walkers who, naturally, come to the woods to let their beloved pets loose. So, there are times your kids may have a close encounter with a bull terrier or some such and make you feel like you’re about to have a heart attack. So, going to the woods, even though nice, is more of an extreme option for an outing!

3. About 15 miles from Shefford there’s Woburn Safari Park which is a great place to visit every now and again. A visit there is more of a treat, though, as it will cost a family of 4 about 50 quid to go there.

4. In neighbouring Hertfortshire, close to Letchworth Garden City, there is Stand Alone Farm – a place where kids can see and pet farm animals, play in a big playground, go mini-karting, picnic with their familes or walk around the farm. It’s a fun place to visit.

5. There are plenty of walks, playgrounds and even a few lakes in Bedford, which is just 9 miles up north from us.

6. Another good place for families who like being active is Danish Camp, where I hope to take my kids this week.

7. The famous Milton Keynes is just another mecca of fun places to go to, like: Gulliver’s Theme Park or 360 Club

8. Last Sunday we went to the Swiss Garden next to a gorgeous village of Old Warden where they were holding an air display, which is always interesting for little boys.

9. All the dinosaur lovers, young and old will have a blast visiting Knebworth House and Gardens which is situated between Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City, both of which are towns in Hertfortshire.

10. A little further south from Knebworth, there’s Stanborough Park, one of the land marks in Welwyn G.C. and a fantastic desination for some family quality time on a sunny day!

Once all the above options have been exhausted, or if one desires a proper city break, they can also hop on a train and visit London, which is just 35 miles away from the nearest railway station. I am going to do just that tomorrow, if all goes well and later on this week, I will tell you how my day out with junior went in the mighty British metropolis.

According to official stastistics, seasonal flu kills around 250,000 people around the world every year. It does sound serious, doesn’t it? Yet, from what I remember everytime we call the NHS direct or go to our local health centre with flu like symptoms, we hear ‘oh, it’s just a flu! take some paracetamol, drink a lot, rest and all will be fine‘… Now, with this swine flu in the air there is a general panic and fear of this virus that is said to be just a form of the known seasonal illness. Everyday we are fed with scary reports about the growing numbers of those suffering from swine flu and those who’ve died from it. On one news channel you hear how unprepared NHS is for the spreading pandemic of the swine flu, and on others you’d hear there’s no better prepared health serivce in Europe…. When you enter health centres in England you are bound to bump into big notices asking patients who show flu like symptoms not to come to the clinic. Hmm…. it’s all very confusing, isn’t it? People die of this virus, as we are reminded every 15 mins, but it can be treated via a phone call, as this is the way we are expected to seek help… Yes, there’s a chance the paramedics will come over to you at some point but how will this point be determined? How high will your fever have to be for the NHS staff member talking with you on the phone to decide you are now ready to receive some practical medical help?! Do you have to cough 10 or 20 times per minute to start worrying about the flu you might have contracted? There are the so called higher risk groups who will receive the vaccination in the first place, once the jabs are actually ready. These are the elderly, the under fives, pregnant women, and people suffering from some underlying conditions. Now, what if someone doesn’t know they actually have some ‘underlying conditions‘?

The whole situation with the fast spreading swine flu virus is far from being clear. Is it that the flu is infecting means and ways of communication as well?

edit.: there’s some development as I am listening to the latest news – a special helpline has been set up and a remote antiviral drugs prescribing will be done beginning with the next week. So, at last there’s some good news amidst all the anxiety about the pandemic.

I won’t be very original by saying that I enjoy shopping and do chill out when doing it. I have noticed of late, however, that this pleasant activity is becoming more and more stressogenic! Since April till the end of June our little town was deprived of its only supermarket ( Somerfield ) as it was sold to its rival ( Morrisons ) and had to be refurbished to host the new store. Like most of the locals, I was rather fed up with the neverending traffic around the small shops in the area making it more than uncomfortable to do even the most basic grocery shopping. When finally the new Morrisons did open I was extatic, thinking to myself – I will save on petrol and the supermarket is known for good deals, etc. Little did I know nearly the whole Bedfordshire would come to shop in our local grocery mecca! When I entered the parking place in front of the store, I spent 20 mins looking for a space to park the car, forget the ones designated for people with kids – they are almost always taken by the lazy shoppers who don’t care about the safety of the little ones! Morrisons do employ parking attendants, but they seem to be busy getting a sun tan as the weather here is still very much summer like. Ok, I finally got inside of the shop… it was crowded beyond any logical explanation! At some point I realized it wasn’t just the customers that swarmed in every square inch of the store, but I was bumping into two or more Morrison staff in every single aisle. Now, how stupid is the idea to make them stock the shelves in the busiest hours of the busiest weeks after the shop opening?! You’d think the management of the retail chain would be experienced enough to know that this will eventually deter people from shopping in the supermarket regularly, let alone all the health and safety hazards caused by unnecessary crowd and trolleys with supplies for the shelves that can’t miss even one item.

It’s July already. Two weeks have past and not much seems to be changing in customer serice and general management of our brand new local Morrison. I will do my shopping there simply because it’s just 5 mins drive from my house, but spending my money there is far from therapeutic!

Yeah, yeah, there is NO such thing as the tripic of Elizabeth! Yet, for the past 6 weeks the UK has turned into an almost tropical country! I don’t even remember when it rained last, which is weird, you must agree, bearing in mind the stereotypes about the British weather!  Climate change will make Britain hot, wet, and wild says the Met Office! I am usually sceptical about such far fetched predictions, but from the look of things this summer, it seems to me there might just be a grain or two of truth in all that scientific mumbo jumbo!

It will be rather interesting to see tropical plants growing in the local back yards. Hopefully the rather reserved British attitude will get warmed up as well!

In the nearest future such sights may be part of the British fauna and flora and not just an artificial creation for bored yuppies in the City:

‘Staycation’ may be a pleasant option for the summer holidays break this year!

I have neglected my blog for the past few weeks, which is a good sign, actually. I have had more and more work and that these days is a blessing, isn’t it?

Anyway, a few days ago I heard a worrying story on the news. A woman from Devon was charged with sexual assault. Yes, it is shocking to hear about a woman facing such charges, but what makes it even worse is that she was a nursery nurse who seemed to indulge in paedophiliac practices. I must say I haven’t heard of female paedophiles before. As shocking as the whole story is, something else drew my attention to it. The moment the news appeared in all the media, the face of the woman was being shown everywhere and nearly all the time! Shortly afterwards, the media announced that the family of the accused have disowned her. Also, if you browse the news you will come across videos showing parents of the children attending the nursery where the teacher used to work, attacking the van which transported her to court. It was a proper witch hunt! Don’t get me wrong, please. I have two little kids and cannot even begin to imagine how I would react if I learnt they might have been subject of abuse in their nursery…. However, there’s one factor that immediately struck me as I heard about the allegations towards this Devon resident. In the UK, like in most western countries everyone has a right to a fair trial and is assumed innocent until proven guilty. I would say that the presumption of innocence is one of the best aspects of the so called civilisation. In this case, even if the woman is found innocent of direct sexual assault, her reputation and life, for that matter, are already tarnished beyond repair. Everyone in the UK has had a chance to have a good look at her and would recognize her anywhere, and her trial has not even started.

Correct me if I am wrong, but, in my opinion however shocking the particular allegations are, the personal details of the person in question should be kept sercet until the person has been found guilty in a fair trial…… I can’t help but feel that the concept of justice is becoming just one more, archaic term that has no practical use in reality.

There are more and more bitches all around – I both literally and figuratively. It’s probably one of the many signs of times. People becoming less and less friendly for one another, and more fond of animals instead. Oh dear, let’s talk about the weather, shall we?! What on earth am I rambling on about?! Homo homini lupus est is as old a proverb as civilization and it won’t get any better, BUT the weather in the UK does seem to be great this spring! WOW! That is something else, isn’t it?!

Last Sunday we decided to catch the day and the sun at the nearest beach, which, is in Norfolk. So, we set off for the seemingly short trip at noon and enjoyed the ride until the motorway ended and we had to go through the countless roundabouts on the way to King’s Lynn. I won’t repeat what I think about the way Brits drive, suffice it to say we got stuck in a long queue and our trip took 3,5 hours instead of two, which is a big difference when you travel with two lively kids who have to be buckled up for a few hours! :-O

We did eventually get to the beach somewhere close to Hunstanton, which was our target, but for the sake of time and to reduce the amount of tantrums and whinging in the back seat, we decided to go to the fist beach we found on our way. This is what we found:

tide out

rocky sand - walking on it is like walking on egg shells!

an English beach

It was a relaxing afternoon and most importantly the kids had fun, but we were far from being enchanted with the beach. I am not really surprised that holidays abroad, in Spain especially, are still much more popular here than looking for a coast in the UK where one would be guaranteed a great weather and views.

I musn’t complain, though! It’s still warm and sunny and that is much more important than sands on English beaches that hurt your feet when you stroll on them with no sandals or crocks:

You'll see crocks everywhere here, not just at the seaside. But without them exploiting English beaches can be a painful experience!;)