9 to 5…make that 6

Started the job on Monday. I'll be sparse on details for security reasons, but I will post some Canary Wharf (the upscale corporate high rise area) pictures soon enough.

I suddenly feel far more tired, getting up at 7 every day and averaging about 1 AM to bed. 6 hours of sleep is not nearly enough to go on for a 10 hour work day. I'm working to improve it. The job itself? Building is beautiful, lunch is expensed when eaten in the very sumptuous cafeteria (we're talking dinner-quality lunches here, from a mess of two Thai dishes to a plateful of bangers and mash to excellent carvery and panini sandwiches. Also got word yesterday that travel will also be covered, so I'm sitting a bit more comfortably. That allieves me of about US$300 in expenses every month, and yet is mere pennies to the company. Commuting is a bit of a hassle, but we can do it in about 30 minutes. I may feel like a sardine both on the bus and the tube (sometimes even have to let one go by because there simply isn't room), but at least it's fairly short.

The team is diverse--a mix of a small group of young, friendly analyst-types and more skilled senior managers who are all fairly approachable and willing to share of their wisdom. I feel quite the adult, akin to a salaried employee--whereas many of the other firms are placing the Wash U students in very structured programs, with firm hours regardless of word load, Sergey and I are in a more project-oriented setting. If the work is light, there's no problem in taking a more leisurely lunch, but we are responsible for delivering our assignments on time and in excellent condition, so we are expected to do whatever work and log whatever hours that takes. All in all, not bad at all.

Canary Wharf is rather beautiful from an urban perspective, with semi-innovative shards of glass soaring skyward left and right surrounding havens of green on the ground, with a tight knit shopping, dining, and transportation network largely underground or alongside the parks, docks, and quays. We're also right across the Thames from the beautiful little town of Greenwich (there are some pictures up at Flickr of the area).

On a lighter note, three more reasons to love the place:
1. Everyone--guy and gal alike--wears French cuffs. And suits. Looking dapper is quite pleasant, and nice to find other people who appreciate French cuffs.
2. The free coffee/tea/cappucinno/espresso machine is clearly fundamental to salvation in the corporate environment and a true boon.
3. I was talking to the girl who works across from me on my way out this evening, and I was told that, in terms of accent, pronunciation, and the like, my co-intern Sergey, a Russian citizen, sounds far more American than I do, and that the general office consensus was that I sounded rather local and British. Rock on.

Last week, Sergey and I went out with the younger set after work (not sure if I've written about this yet). We had a full day of orientation, and then we were invited to go grab Vietnamese. Having a huge craving for some good Southeast Asian, I promptly accepted and Sergey complied. After a pint at the pub, we ended up in a rather dodgy (aka sketchy/shady/run down/ghetto) part of town--thankfully we were in a large group. However, amidst these drab surroundings a short cry from Greenwich Town was the most authentic Vietnamese restaurant in which I have ever dined. Quite small and clearly family run, we were one of only a few groups of non-Asians there. We had 5 starters for the table, a main soup dish, and Vietnamese coffee for only twelve quid each. It was phenomenal--from the tender frog legs through the crunchy chickens feet on to the apple snail noodle soup, with a boutiful assortment of more simple dishes alongside, the meal and the conversation were terrific. One of the guys is actually a Harvard English major, and we spent a large part of dinner discussing literature and film. Like I said, a great team.

I'm still working on the political science themed post from last weeks adventures--that will follow shortly.