Week One: Netflix & constant tiredness

It officially the end of the week, the last day of the first week. Work experience does this special thing of making you feel like you’re in some sort of alternative universe where you’re 27 and have about 5 friends, all from work. Weeks literally feel like months mainly because so much has happened, you forget that you only started on Monday. If you checked my earlier post, I told you were I worked but if you don’t care enough, well I shall but cry myself to sleep tonight. I work in the London borough council of Barking and Dagenham. I work with the communications and marketing team, so those are the people that give out the press releases, dealing with journalists to managing the borough’s social networking accounts etc. I learnt that there are many aspects to this job, it includes a large unpredictability as every day will be dealing a issues that many people won’t know about until it gets out of hand.

My day consist of coming at 9:30, lunch with my friends, finishing at 5 then getting home and watching Netflix till I fall asleep. Yes, it’s a sad life but for one, I can’t help it and two this won’t last forever. Sure this will be me one day, but for now I miss sixth form, friends, badminton, etc. the easy life really.

I’m glad that work experience has opened my eyes to this, but also it’s taken me to some great places and enabled to do some great things.  In the organisation I work for so many amazing things have happened and I know everyone is constantly busy. I think that sometimes there is misunderstanding between the council and its residents. Also, a lot of people speak about the council without find out facts first – basically it’s down to the individual. I think if the residents showed a bit more patience and understanding. Sometimes the council can’t get straight back to you. There always things going on some you don’t know about so please calmly talk to them. Treat them how you would like to be treated if you worked for the council.

I know that I have learnt so much like many things about the borough history and how there is always two sides to every story.

So guys, please know your facts before you start talking.

P.S. Happy Independence Day (America) ^.^

Until next time

Jemimah x

First Day Wonders: Work Experience

You guys know me; I’m not normally one to speak about politics and things of that matter. I’m all about ‘One Love’ and what normal people call all the ‘New Age stuff’. However, today I started my work experience todayand it is now 10.37 and I can’t say I’ve had a boring moment so far unlike my pervious year 10 work experience (sorry John Perry). I was quite nervous when I came; I thought it would all be very serious and quite stiff – mostly sitting in awkward silence. However everyone is friendly and very relaxed with each other, they’re always cracking jokes – they definitely know how to make someone feel welcome.

On my tour of the building, I met the Leader of the Council, Cllr Darren Rodwell, who just came into office a few weeks ago. He is a lovely person, who is one of those people who many people would call the ‘perfect boss’. By 9.30, I was fortunate enough to attend a Job Shop staff meeting with him and my manager, in which we stayed long enough for him to give an inspirational speech. For once I’m not over-exaggerating; I felt the need to clap at the end however I held it back because nobody clapped….that would have been awkward. I didn’t take any notes during his speech but I will try and quote him as best as I can.

This not were he began, but cut me some slack, I’m writing the highlights – “I want Barking and Dagenham to be the centre of culture in East London, don’t laugh (slight laugher and grins). We have a lot of culture in Barking and Dagenham but we fail to capitalise on it. Like the Barking Abbey Ruins, that isn’t used enough and most people in this area don’t know about it. Or about Lord Denman, who was Chief Justice of England and lived over Parsloes Park in the Fanshawe Manor, helped push through one of the greatest pieces of legislation for 13 years – The Slavery Abolition Act. Or Elizabeth Fry who was an English prison reformer and social reformer who” (Sorry I don’t actually remember what he said about her, don’t hate me) “I want to unite these two Essex towns to become one – next year we will be celebrating 50 years of being the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham; plans for that party have already started.

Last week, a piano was put in the middle of square outside Barking Town Hall; now I heard some people that could play and others that couldn’t but that’s all just proof that the community want to be active and involved, they just need the chance too. I’ve started speaking to Boris about the 11,000 homes that need to built and about getting that done in the next 5-6 years. Also, about the Ford factory that they want to close down, that we can turn into a heritage museum, with all the old cars from the R1 to the last car assembled at the Dagenham plant, this place is full of the history and when the Made In Dagenham girls fought for equal pay” (which was a direct influence to the passing of bill for Equal Rights for women.)

I have already enjoyed my time here and it is not yet lunch time, I am pleasantly surprised by what I have found, especially by the Leader (who brought me cake, but I promise you I liked him before he brought me cake) It has somewhat restored my faith in the Government and my borough. I will try and update more about my work experience.

But until next time,

Jemimah x

174 BUS DRIVERS

Um, I’ll try and remain calm as write this but warning there will be use of capital letters to express the feels.

Right so why is it that when you get a 174 in the morning, people feel the need to push you to get on the bus, like I could understand if they were little year 7’s but these are grown ass ADULTS that can’t even look you in the face as the shove you onto the bus. The thing that annoys me really is that I already have personal space issues that I have to hold in when I get buses but to push me, that’s just crossing a line. I’m sorry I didn’t know I step into the middle of a moshing pit. There people rubbing all up against my backpack so I constantly have the feeling that I’m being robbed of my pens.

Another thing that annoys me the general manners people lose when they try and shove people unto the bus. I’ve seen old people, pregnant woman, children being pushed and of course in these are extreme cases, where someone has stepped in to stop the pushing. I don’t know if people do this to get close to other people or just natural violence of human nature or maybe the reasons not so deep… maybe it’s just because it’s Dagenham…

After the rough long journey onto the bus the woman that pushed me the starts staring and smiling like botch don’t make me poke you in the eye, are we friends, do we know each other. You pushed me onto the bus now your smiling like it’s play time in primary school, don’t smile, don’t look, don’t even breathe.

So  then I’m breathing in some strangers breakfast breath and just praying that bus moves faster so I can get off. Then the bus driver, the smart Alec, he is decides that THIS HUMAN SANDWICH NEEDS MORE INGREDIENTS, like I’m sorry are you deaf to groans of the people. THERE IS NO SPACE, NANO NONE! CEASE AND DECEASE WITH THE PEOPLE. Or the “There’s space at the back let me, my buggy and 3 children on the bus”  mother. There is no- I give up.

Mothers! I do not understand how you get a bus in the morning and let your kids sit anywhere but next to you! You know the bus will later get crowded with people but yet this does not come into your head when your child is sitting upstairs by themselves. Then it’s the stop for you to get off and by this time the bus is packed to the brim with mortals. And you holding up the bus calling your child. “Austin, Austin! Where are you?” So your not only wasting your time, everyone on the buses time BUT MY TIME TOO! Like Austin could have been kidnapped 2 stops ago but you wouldn’t know because you let your kids loose on the bus. Someone please make me understand. If it was my kids then would be sitting by me but then I wouldn’t get a bus, I would rather walk…

So as you can understand (or not) by the time I get to school I’m stopping myself from killing several people and poking our the eyes of the pedophile behind me taking advantage of the packed bus. That’s why I hate the 174 it’s truly a bus that you’ll get on and never bored, all kinds of crazies get that bus including me.

*breathes* Well that was fun…