STRIKE

Today was my first day of work in the UK. Since I was going by train and was unfamiliar with the ticket lines and how congested things would be, I thought it would be a good idea to allow plenty of time. So I was out the door by about 7:10. I was in a good mood because of the Bengals win, and 7 am didn't seem quite as early when the sidewalks were bustling with other commuters. When I got to the station the ticket line wasn't too long so I figured I would have some extra time.

I got up to the ticket counter and asked for a ticket to Weybridge. The attendant replied, "There aren't any trains to Weybridge today."

"Why not?" I asked, trying to stay calm. They guy didn't say anything and just nodded at a flyer on the counter. The train workers were on strike today! As a result, the train service was drastically reduced, including the stop at Wimbledon. (Of course I would have no way of knowing this since I know nobody in the UK who would have mentioned this and I don't have a TV yet.) I politely asked if he had any recommendations on how to get to Weybridge.

"No."

Oookay. Thanks for the help buddy. Here I am, my first day of work and the only way I know how to get there is not out of service. There seemed to be some people taking buses to other train stations to catch the train but that was way beyond the scope of my knowledge to figure out in a reasonable amount of time and there weren't any taxis waiting in the queue.

So what did I do? I called a car service to bail out my pitiful-car-relient-american-self. Don't judge me. I don't have much incentive to figure out the public transportation when I've got a meeting to get to and the company is paying. Maybe after 2 years I'll know how to get everywhere.

Good thing I left early.