Lady in Silcon Valley
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
On Monday I started a new job in London. On Tuesday I hopped on a plane to San Francisco for three weeks of job training at company headquarters. Ironically, the company I'm working for is headquartered in Silicon Valley about three blocks away from my high school. My life has a funny way of bringing me back to California.
So far I have spent the entire week in the Valley, which is something I haven't done since college. It's strange to be back in the area where I grew up. After living in London for a year and a half, I'm seeing things from a completely new perspective.
I spent the first day in the Valley completely convinced that all of the streets had been widened, or that at the very least the trees around them had been pared back. Only later did I realize that they were exactly the same size, but that I'm now so used to the impossibly narrow streets of London that everything else seems larger-than-life.
The first day in the office was likewise a bit of a culture shock. While I spent my fair share of college summers working for super casual dot-coms, I've started to get used to the formal atmosphere of London offices. As such, it came as a pleasant surprise to walk into headquarters and find that there was an office dog, an office turtle, two kitchens packed with all the junk food I could ever want to gain weight with, and lots of colorful decorations reminiscent of a college dorm room. Far from the Saville Row suits and giant old-fashioned keys of London offices, my office was full of blue jeans and high-tech card readers. I couldn't help but smile.
The other difference I've noticed since I got to Silicon Valley is my sleep habits. In spite of all my traveling, I still get hit with jet lag every time I come to California. Today is day three of waking up before 6am and not being able to go back to sleep. I guess I should be happy that it's making me productive in the mornings, but after almost falling asleep at the end of a dinner party last night, I'm still hoping to find a happy medium before I head back to London and get hit with jet lag in the opposite direction.
So far I have spent the entire week in the Valley, which is something I haven't done since college. It's strange to be back in the area where I grew up. After living in London for a year and a half, I'm seeing things from a completely new perspective.
I spent the first day in the Valley completely convinced that all of the streets had been widened, or that at the very least the trees around them had been pared back. Only later did I realize that they were exactly the same size, but that I'm now so used to the impossibly narrow streets of London that everything else seems larger-than-life.
The first day in the office was likewise a bit of a culture shock. While I spent my fair share of college summers working for super casual dot-coms, I've started to get used to the formal atmosphere of London offices. As such, it came as a pleasant surprise to walk into headquarters and find that there was an office dog, an office turtle, two kitchens packed with all the junk food I could ever want to gain weight with, and lots of colorful decorations reminiscent of a college dorm room. Far from the Saville Row suits and giant old-fashioned keys of London offices, my office was full of blue jeans and high-tech card readers. I couldn't help but smile.
The other difference I've noticed since I got to Silicon Valley is my sleep habits. In spite of all my traveling, I still get hit with jet lag every time I come to California. Today is day three of waking up before 6am and not being able to go back to sleep. I guess I should be happy that it's making me productive in the mornings, but after almost falling asleep at the end of a dinner party last night, I'm still hoping to find a happy medium before I head back to London and get hit with jet lag in the opposite direction.
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