Things I like about living in Milan
The compactness of the city: I can walk to work if I wish. In fact, I do so most days. It takes 40 minutes, but I like the exercise. If I decide to take the tram due to bad weather or some other reason it takes me 20 minutes. I never lived this close to my work in London.
Also, because it's easy to live quite close to the centre since the place is so compact. I live about 15 minutes walk from the Duomo. To get to Linate Airport I can walk to San Babila and take a 20 minute bus journey to the airport. If I'm going to Malpensa it's a 15 minute walk to Cadorna station for the Malpensa Express. Most of the other activities I do are within walking distance too.
The public transportation system: Milan has buses, trams and a metro system, as well as their answer to Boris Bikes, a Radio Bus and Taxis. I haven't taken the public transport that much, but when I have done it was pretty efficient. Also it's not as expensive as London. I ususally by a carnet of 10 tickets for 13 euros and it takes about 2 weeks for me to get through them.
There's always something going on! I guess that's what you would expect in a major city. The good thing is the activities are within easy reach of home, since the place is quite compact. I have joined a book club where we read novels written in Engish and discuss. There are cycling groups (which I haven't been to yet), there are running races, and I have even been to a knitting crochet group. Last week was Milan Design Week so the worlds designers descended on the place and it gave the town a feelgood uber stylish aspect. There were lots of social gatherings, and sound systems etc and people giving away mini freebies. And I never actually went to these do's. They are what I came across on my way home! You never get bored in Milan!
Milan is a hub city: People always say that. Milan is considered as a working city. Most people who are there - Italians or foreigners are there for the work opportunities. Very few people are actual born and bred Milanese. It also seems that people's preference is to live in Milan during the week, and then escape from the place at weekends. It's central location means that it is easy to get to other parts of Italy by train or plane quite easily, and it is also easy to get to other European destinations. Many people just go up to the nearby mountains and lakes around Varese or Lake Como. I haven't yet been to these places, but I have managed to head south to Pavia, as well as the nearby quaint towns of Abbiategrasso and Vigevano on my bike. They were all pleasant days out away from the city.
The Navigli: These are the canals around Milan.In bygone days the city was very dependent on the canals for trade etc, but now they are pretty much disused and some of them are there now for leisure/ecological value. Near me are the Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese. These two navigli are also quite fashionable areas for going out - they are probably on a par with say, Old Street in London, or Bastille, in Paris. ie they were a bit industrial and working class previously, but old warehouses etc are being converted into arty shops and trendy bars. Lots of people hang out there on any night of the week.
I take my early morning exercise along the Naviglio Grande - either a run as far as the city limit of Milan, or a bike ride into the suburbs. On a weekend I go all the way along to Abbiategrasso, then take the Naviglio Bereguardo down to Pavia and then return to Milan via the Naviglio Pavese. That whole circuit is 50 miles, so it's good old work out. As it's pan flat it's not a hard 50 miles - a good warm up before tackling the mountains!
In the future I hope to follow the Naviglio Grande right to the end - to Sesto Calende, on the edge of Lake Maggiore. There is also the Naviglio Martesana which heads north-west towards Lecco via Gorgonzola. These canal paths make for pleasant traffic ways to explore the immediate area around Milan.
Things I don't like about Milan
Shabbiness and scruffiness: Maybe all Italian cities are like that but either I didn't take any notice because I was too busy enjoying the fun touristic things, or maybe Milan is particularly scruffy. There definitel seems to be more graffitti on the walls than I have seen in any town in Milan. In fact there seems to be more graffitti than even the roughest neighbourhoods of London!
I always used to think that Italians were not big smokers. If they aren't then they become big smokers when they arrive in Milan! There are always cigarette ends on the ground everywhere - so much that it just makes the place look so scruffy. Even the area around the Duomo is not that great. Then there is lots of other rubbish and forms of litter. The irony is you are always seeing dustcarts cleaning up the place, and people cleaning the pavement outside their properties, but it doesn't make much differenc!
Queuing: Or rather, the lack of it. When getting on a bus or other form of transport, nobody queues. It's just a case of piling on, every man and woman for themselves and with no regard for letting women or old people on first. They don't even let passengers off the transport first before climbing on. The same applies in a shop. If someone pushes in front of you, it's your problem. You have to summon the courage to square up to them and hold your position - not always easy to do, and of course being British you don't want to cause a scene over something relatively petty! (Occasionally, I have had to do so though!)
In an attempt to instil a queuing mentality, alot of shops, banks, cafes etc have a ticketing system where you pick up a ticket with your number and wait until our number is called before you get served. That's all fairly organised and people adhere to the system which is even very helpful. So now you get overkill of queuing. I went into a shop to look at mobile phones and even at the door to the shop a man asked me what I wanted to look at - data plans or phone calls only. He then issued me with the appropriate ticket and told me to queue in a particular space. Basically I couldn't go into the shop and browse. I had to pick up a number and queue, just to look at a options! The same goes in a bank, and even when buying a coffee and a sandwich. One place to queue up for your coffee, one place to get your sandwich and another place to pay! All very stilted and tedious, but I guess if that's what they do to stop Italians surging forward like animals then so be it. It's a shame that common politeness and descency can't just prevail.
Food is expensive: Or maybe I've been going to the wrong shops. I have been to a few supermarkets. All of them were tedious experiences as I couldn't find anything I liked, and the few things I did buy I ended up queuing for ages at the check-out. Most of the tills were unattended, and there was just one women having to deal with a queue of more than 10 people. And for all my trouble, the shopping bill still came out about 20-25% more than what I'd pay in London. Cereal is not less that 3euros 50 for a 375g box, compared with about £2 for one of the cheaper boxes of cereal in London. There is alot more choice in a Tesco supermarket than what you get in Milan. They don't seem to have any large supermarket chains like what you get in the UK. Britons are spoilt. In Milan we have to content ourselves with a chain called PAM and then some other small stores. There is a big Carrefour on the outskirts of the city, which will probably be good as this French chain of supermarkets is the 2nd biggest in the world and operate like Tesco - but bigger! That's a bit far for me to go to, so I think I will try the only Carrefour Local I have seen in Milan. It is 15 mins walk from me. I probably pass about 5 Italian supermarkets to get there, but I think it will be worthwhile and the quality and prices may be better. I must admit I have not tried the market yet. There is a bit twice-weekly one at Viale Papanaio, near me. People say the fruit and veg are good, so maybe I will try it. Maybe that's where I've been going wrong. Supermarkets are so 1970s - and when you go into one you will see that it is like stepping back in time!
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
First Bike Ride a Milano
I did my first bike ride in Milan last Saturday. It wasn't too far and thankfully, passed without any drama - well, apart from the tram that nearly ran into me!
Yes, riding around Milan's streets takes some getting used to. It's a little bit random. The road where I live has a cycle lane that is separate from the traffic, so you feel pretty safe in it. The only thing is it then suddenly comes to an end when you reach another busy road.
To get to the canal towpath where I wanted to ride involved going through the town centre. One section of road had tram lines on it so I made sure to give them a wide berth to avoid any mishaps. The only thing then is that the positioning of the lines meant that I was either riding quite close to parked cars so that made me vulnerable to folks opening their doors or pulling out. If I rode to the left of the tram lines I was practically riding in the middle of the road, which made me also vulnerable to traffic riding up behind or trying to overtake me.
I managed to find an optimuim position, but then went through a junction thinking I had right of way when a tram that was turning left in the on-coming lane almost ran into me. The driver didn't look too pleased and made one of those angry Italian driver faces, while I looked a bit embarrassed and sheepish!
Once past the tramlines, I then had to negotiate the cobbles. The weren't Paris-Roubaix cobbles, but medium sized old paving stones that are not neatly put together and jut out in random directions, so it still made for a bumpy ride.
So that was what I had to contend with, just the 10 minutes to get to the canal towpath, also known as the Naviglio Grande. It's a nice area for going out in a trendy bar. It's the type of place that was probably a bit run down and industrial previously, but has now become arty farty and hip.
There was a nice feel there on Saturday, and I felt tempted to stop off and hang out along the canal side (which is currently devoid of water at the moment). Instead I pushed on and followed the path to a small town called Abbiategrasso. Once past the Milan conurbation the area became greener and rural. The path is quite good for doing a training ride, and there were many cyclists out doing just that - as well as leisure cyclists. The route was also pan flat, which is good for me considering my very unfit state!
I plan to make this my regular quick spin ride as it is near where I am staying and easy to do - it is also traffic free, which is always good in a busy city like Milan.
Yes, riding around Milan's streets takes some getting used to. It's a little bit random. The road where I live has a cycle lane that is separate from the traffic, so you feel pretty safe in it. The only thing is it then suddenly comes to an end when you reach another busy road.
To get to the canal towpath where I wanted to ride involved going through the town centre. One section of road had tram lines on it so I made sure to give them a wide berth to avoid any mishaps. The only thing then is that the positioning of the lines meant that I was either riding quite close to parked cars so that made me vulnerable to folks opening their doors or pulling out. If I rode to the left of the tram lines I was practically riding in the middle of the road, which made me also vulnerable to traffic riding up behind or trying to overtake me.
I managed to find an optimuim position, but then went through a junction thinking I had right of way when a tram that was turning left in the on-coming lane almost ran into me. The driver didn't look too pleased and made one of those angry Italian driver faces, while I looked a bit embarrassed and sheepish!
Once past the tramlines, I then had to negotiate the cobbles. The weren't Paris-Roubaix cobbles, but medium sized old paving stones that are not neatly put together and jut out in random directions, so it still made for a bumpy ride.
So that was what I had to contend with, just the 10 minutes to get to the canal towpath, also known as the Naviglio Grande. It's a nice area for going out in a trendy bar. It's the type of place that was probably a bit run down and industrial previously, but has now become arty farty and hip.
There was a nice feel there on Saturday, and I felt tempted to stop off and hang out along the canal side (which is currently devoid of water at the moment). Instead I pushed on and followed the path to a small town called Abbiategrasso. Once past the Milan conurbation the area became greener and rural. The path is quite good for doing a training ride, and there were many cyclists out doing just that - as well as leisure cyclists. The route was also pan flat, which is good for me considering my very unfit state!
I plan to make this my regular quick spin ride as it is near where I am staying and easy to do - it is also traffic free, which is always good in a busy city like Milan.
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
First Day at Work
I survived my first day at the ad agency!
In true style I arrived and was immediately set to work on a pitch. After quick introductions to my colleagues I was given a number of clinical papers to read up on about diabetes and was told that I'd be attending a pitch meeting tomorrow morning. In fact, it later transpired that one of the main contacts from the company was in town and he wanted to have a meeting and teleconference with some key opinion leaders as a preliminary meeting. And guess what, the client services manager asked if I would attend this meeting - these meetings actually. One meeting was scheduled for 4pm - ok. The other meeting was scheduled for 7pm - one hour after the office hours officially finish!! Well, I'm not afraid of hard work, and I don't mind staying late to complete work. I had been forewarned of this at my interview anyway. But being asked to do this on my first day, when I'd spent the whole of yesterday travelling, and I woke up this morning half asleep, was a bit much.
I initially said that I would attend the teleconference at 7pm, but when 6pm came and I could feel the shutters going down, plus my other colleagues were packing up to go home I began to question whether there really was any mileage in me staying back.
Also, the pitch is tomorrow - first thing. So from 9am until 2pm I will be stuck in this client meeting and will have to sound like I know all about diabetes and the management of impaired glucose tolerance, when I haven't done this stuff in depth for a few years! Err, not ideal.
I therefore excused myself from the meeting saying I would rather prepare for tomorrow. I'm not actually preparing anything right now. Maybe I shouldn't be writing this blog and should be still swotting up, but I need to do something else to relax!
On a less scary note, I met some of my colleagues who are very friendly. We had a nice lunch in a local restaurant and my boss paid for us. The food was really good - just as well as it's the only meal I'm having today!
I walked in to work from my flat - something that is completely unheard of in London. It was lovely to walk there across the park and along the boulevard in the morning sunshine - something that put me in a good mood. It took 25 minutes, but that is all good exercise.
Also, I've got a couple of things to look forward to this weekend - the Milan-San Remo bike race is on this Saturday so I hope to get out and see the riders. In the evening I am going to a St Patricks Day celebration, which has been organised by work colleagues. Also, I am going to a client symposium in Rome on 29th March, and have prolonged my stay there so I can do a bit of sightseeing. And the best thing of all about my stay in Milan so far is that there is a wool shop, just across the square from where I am staying, so I can crochet happy in the knowledge that I have easy access to all the yarn I need! Things are getting better!
In true style I arrived and was immediately set to work on a pitch. After quick introductions to my colleagues I was given a number of clinical papers to read up on about diabetes and was told that I'd be attending a pitch meeting tomorrow morning. In fact, it later transpired that one of the main contacts from the company was in town and he wanted to have a meeting and teleconference with some key opinion leaders as a preliminary meeting. And guess what, the client services manager asked if I would attend this meeting - these meetings actually. One meeting was scheduled for 4pm - ok. The other meeting was scheduled for 7pm - one hour after the office hours officially finish!! Well, I'm not afraid of hard work, and I don't mind staying late to complete work. I had been forewarned of this at my interview anyway. But being asked to do this on my first day, when I'd spent the whole of yesterday travelling, and I woke up this morning half asleep, was a bit much.
I initially said that I would attend the teleconference at 7pm, but when 6pm came and I could feel the shutters going down, plus my other colleagues were packing up to go home I began to question whether there really was any mileage in me staying back.
Also, the pitch is tomorrow - first thing. So from 9am until 2pm I will be stuck in this client meeting and will have to sound like I know all about diabetes and the management of impaired glucose tolerance, when I haven't done this stuff in depth for a few years! Err, not ideal.
I therefore excused myself from the meeting saying I would rather prepare for tomorrow. I'm not actually preparing anything right now. Maybe I shouldn't be writing this blog and should be still swotting up, but I need to do something else to relax!
On a less scary note, I met some of my colleagues who are very friendly. We had a nice lunch in a local restaurant and my boss paid for us. The food was really good - just as well as it's the only meal I'm having today!
I walked in to work from my flat - something that is completely unheard of in London. It was lovely to walk there across the park and along the boulevard in the morning sunshine - something that put me in a good mood. It took 25 minutes, but that is all good exercise.
Also, I've got a couple of things to look forward to this weekend - the Milan-San Remo bike race is on this Saturday so I hope to get out and see the riders. In the evening I am going to a St Patricks Day celebration, which has been organised by work colleagues. Also, I am going to a client symposium in Rome on 29th March, and have prolonged my stay there so I can do a bit of sightseeing. And the best thing of all about my stay in Milan so far is that there is a wool shop, just across the square from where I am staying, so I can crochet happy in the knowledge that I have easy access to all the yarn I need! Things are getting better!
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Hello Milan!
Officially, this should be Milan chick's rambling notes as this is now where I am based, and hopefully where I will be for the next 12 months.
I arrived here just today. My impressions, I can't really say as I was just whisked from Linate airport to somewhere in the business district of Milan.
I got a quick glimpse of the Duomo and the Brera area, which look nice enough. I only really saw the cycling up close from my taxi.
What I noticed is that drivers don't seem to an enormous amount of attention when they go down the road, but they pay just enough attention to narrowly avoid a collision, or screech to a halt in the last second.
Cyclists aren't much better though. Even though it was getting dark when I arrived, hardly anyone was using lights, and a luminous high visibility jacket was a definite no no. People are dressed in civvies, even high heels - and no helmets.
It's a far cry from what you see in London where people like to don lycra and not just any lycra but club kit or replica trade team kit. There appears to be a hierarchy on the road, depending on how much you look like a "serious" cyclist. Here, everyone just rides their bike without any hang-ups.
I have noticed that they do Boris Bikes here as well. They are known as Mi-Bike. There's a station at the end of my road, so I hope to try it out maybe this weekend. Also this weekend will be the Milan-San Remo professional cycle race - the first of the Spring Classic races. I'm looking forward to going up to the start and seeing the riders and hopefully soaking up the atmosphere.
In terms of my club cycling I hope to get out at some point and do some cycling locally with a club - though I would like to train first and learn to look good while riding, Italian style before I venture into the world of Italian club cycling!
The other thing that the few Italians have spoken about is bike theft. So no change there from London. They have just said to not leave a road bike unattended for a few minutes - even when locked. It the thieves can't steal the whole bike then they will just steal bits off it until you come back and just find only your frame left.
Maybe I won't leave my road bike in the shed downstairs.
Overall, I am quite positive about Milan. My flat is nice, and I am even picking up more Italian - so I can't complain. I am looking forward to more adventures here.
I arrived here just today. My impressions, I can't really say as I was just whisked from Linate airport to somewhere in the business district of Milan.
I got a quick glimpse of the Duomo and the Brera area, which look nice enough. I only really saw the cycling up close from my taxi.
What I noticed is that drivers don't seem to an enormous amount of attention when they go down the road, but they pay just enough attention to narrowly avoid a collision, or screech to a halt in the last second.
Cyclists aren't much better though. Even though it was getting dark when I arrived, hardly anyone was using lights, and a luminous high visibility jacket was a definite no no. People are dressed in civvies, even high heels - and no helmets.
It's a far cry from what you see in London where people like to don lycra and not just any lycra but club kit or replica trade team kit. There appears to be a hierarchy on the road, depending on how much you look like a "serious" cyclist. Here, everyone just rides their bike without any hang-ups.
I have noticed that they do Boris Bikes here as well. They are known as Mi-Bike. There's a station at the end of my road, so I hope to try it out maybe this weekend. Also this weekend will be the Milan-San Remo professional cycle race - the first of the Spring Classic races. I'm looking forward to going up to the start and seeing the riders and hopefully soaking up the atmosphere.
In terms of my club cycling I hope to get out at some point and do some cycling locally with a club - though I would like to train first and learn to look good while riding, Italian style before I venture into the world of Italian club cycling!
The other thing that the few Italians have spoken about is bike theft. So no change there from London. They have just said to not leave a road bike unattended for a few minutes - even when locked. It the thieves can't steal the whole bike then they will just steal bits off it until you come back and just find only your frame left.
Maybe I won't leave my road bike in the shed downstairs.
Overall, I am quite positive about Milan. My flat is nice, and I am even picking up more Italian - so I can't complain. I am looking forward to more adventures here.
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Women's League Over and Out
The local women's cycling league that I had been involved in came to an end last week. It was a bit of damp squib, but I'm glad that it's over. I shouldn't say this, I suppose. But really, I'd been wanting to get out of it for a while. It could have been a case of a fond farewell, with a speech about how I've enjoyed it and am passing the reigns on to someone else. But I can't be bothered with all that sentimentality.
In truth I should have stepped down at the end of last year, after the inaugural league and prize giving. But I thought I should do just one more year to bed things in. This proved not to be the best move because I got tired of it fairly near the start and no longer felt commited, but didn't know how to step down at that stage.
The fact of the matter is that even the first year the league had been hard work for me. To get these things rolling you need a lot of energy, commitment, dynamism and willingness to motivate others and get them on board. I had done all that, and that's why it proved to be successful. The fear of failure and the wish to prove myself kept me going. Everything went well in 2010. However, once I'd proven to myself and to others that I was capable I wanted out. I sweated and grafted hard to achieve this and it had made me tired in the process. I was like a swan. Wherever I went I seemed to manage it all rather gracefully, sometimes even seamlessly. But people had just not been aware of the endless emails, telephone calls, running around, social networking (both on and off line) as well as making sure the whole show was coordinated.
It had tired me out, cost me my racing season, I had sacrificed other projects. It had literally cost me. There were occasions when I hired a car using my own money to drive to a race that I wasn't even racing in - just because it was a league race and I had felt an obligation to be there.
Sure, people appreciated my efforts and had really enjoyed the league. But I received nothing for it. No payment, no perks, no recognition, no job. And that was the snag. At the time when the 2011 league should have been getting underway I found myself out of work. I was busy running around trying to find work, and struggling to put food on the table. With my CV in my bag, detailing my achievements, including those with the league I knocked at many doors and was turned away. I was rejected even without interview from jobs where they were looking for women's cycling development officers. I felt I ticked the boxes, but I didn't get a look in. At quite a few jobs my women's league activities had just been seen as extra curricular activities that were largely ignored. Recruiters wanted to see what I had done at a professional level in sports promotion and development. The answer was a big fat zero. So, I'd spent a large amount of time running around co-ordinating a significant project but in the grand scheme of things it counted for nothing. People were very happy for me to run these types of projects for nothing. But when it came to payment, I was apparently not good enough or experienced enough to be paid for my efforts. Couple that with the fact that a few sponsors of the league had let us down and I had to run around finding others, as well as the fact that about half the women who had said they would help with the league suddenly disappeared.
I concluded that this was a project that had no mileage for me, so I resolved to do just the bare minimum. It made me feel sick when people and women were asking me to do things. They asked me because they knew I was capable of organising things and getting things off the ground. But it still made me sick because no one knew how much work it was for me, and they assumed that these were effortless tasks. Somehow they could get away with not helping on the grounds that they had work, training and other things that kept them busy. They seemed not to realise that I was in the same boat but still had to carry this enormous baby.
Luckily I had help from a couple of girls - one who took care of admin duties, and another one who updated the website and did the rankings. We had a woman who put herself forward as a press/publicity officer but then she suddenly went AWOL a couple of months into the project. I did what was necessary, and that was it. At one of the local races the women from our league, like other local clubs had to provide marshals on one particular week for a local race. We needed 10 women, but yet we struggled to get the numbers. Many women turned up at the race, but they came over to race. They had no intention of helping out. In the end we had to make up the numbers by getting some of the men to be marshals. It was truly disappointing, and it made my blood boil the way that some of the women, at the end of the race were bragging on about how well they raced blah blah blah - but yet they showed no gratitude for the volunteers who had given up their time on the umpteenth occasion to stage this race. These women couldn't even marshal just once. I made a decision not to do the prize giving. But one of the girls helping me felt that it was our duty to run it and we should honour our commitment to doing so. It could also be a time to let people know about the need for folks to get involved and help. Overall, people had noticed that the league was not the same as last year. It did not have the same buzz. I know that. It was because I hadn't put in the enthusiasm, and I had no reason or incentive to spearhead this project so avidly, like I had done last year.
Our prize giving this year was a downer. Where last year we had a packed cafe with standing room only - around 80 people, this time we had just 15 people turn up. It was slightly embarrassing as I was MC for the night and I was talking to the women cyclists sat at two of the tables in the cafe. The rest of the folks at the other six tables in the cafe were there for a social night out that had nothing to do with cycling!
A girl from a clothing company had made a unilateral decision to sponsor us late in the summer. For me, she was one big bugbear. She had unilaterally decided that what our league needed was sponsorship and that she would be our guardian angel turning up with her expensive brand of women's cycle clothing to give out as prizes. Fair enough. But what really galled me was that she had no interest in knowing how the league was working, or helping us with our infrastructure. Her words were that she could tell us what to do, but she wouldn't be doing it. So she had assumed that I didn't have a clue what to do!!?? Fine. What she didn't seem to understand is that it's people like myself who make sure that there is any league at all for her brand to sponsor. I have become sceptical of sponsors in recent months. They prey on voluntary not-for-profit outfits like the league because its free advertising. Even if they gave away 10 jerseys that are valued at £100 each that still represents good value for a season long campaign for them. Cyclists would be wearing their jerseys at races and they'd be getting press and photographic coverage. And what would unpaid people like myself get?
On the night of the prize giving the prize winners were very happy with their stylish jerseys and this marketing manager became their new best friend. Me and the other two who had worked hard to keep this league running got absolutely zilch - not even a pair of socks or a water bottle.
People were naturally surprised and disappointed at the low turnout. Some people even wrote to me saying we could have done such and such to generate more publicity and get more people to attend. The fact is, I know exactly what we could have done to get the turnout. Of course I know, I did it last year. It's a question of whether it's worth my while doing it. And what people don't realise is that I had concluded that it wasn't.
I wasn't surprised or disappointed at the low turnout. Sure, it would have been nicer to have had a packed room. And it would have made for a better farewell to the league. But frankly, my emotions wouldn't have been any different. I was tired of people taking advantage of my talent without me getting any proper reward for it, and I was sick of corporate organisations using us as free publicity. Anything that made me feel like I wasn't being exploited was the most favourable feeling for me!
Some people later emailed me saying they would like to be involved in the plans for next year. Well, they are talking to the wrong person. I will be having no hand in it at all. I'd better draft a resignation letter.
In truth I should have stepped down at the end of last year, after the inaugural league and prize giving. But I thought I should do just one more year to bed things in. This proved not to be the best move because I got tired of it fairly near the start and no longer felt commited, but didn't know how to step down at that stage.
The fact of the matter is that even the first year the league had been hard work for me. To get these things rolling you need a lot of energy, commitment, dynamism and willingness to motivate others and get them on board. I had done all that, and that's why it proved to be successful. The fear of failure and the wish to prove myself kept me going. Everything went well in 2010. However, once I'd proven to myself and to others that I was capable I wanted out. I sweated and grafted hard to achieve this and it had made me tired in the process. I was like a swan. Wherever I went I seemed to manage it all rather gracefully, sometimes even seamlessly. But people had just not been aware of the endless emails, telephone calls, running around, social networking (both on and off line) as well as making sure the whole show was coordinated.
It had tired me out, cost me my racing season, I had sacrificed other projects. It had literally cost me. There were occasions when I hired a car using my own money to drive to a race that I wasn't even racing in - just because it was a league race and I had felt an obligation to be there.
Sure, people appreciated my efforts and had really enjoyed the league. But I received nothing for it. No payment, no perks, no recognition, no job. And that was the snag. At the time when the 2011 league should have been getting underway I found myself out of work. I was busy running around trying to find work, and struggling to put food on the table. With my CV in my bag, detailing my achievements, including those with the league I knocked at many doors and was turned away. I was rejected even without interview from jobs where they were looking for women's cycling development officers. I felt I ticked the boxes, but I didn't get a look in. At quite a few jobs my women's league activities had just been seen as extra curricular activities that were largely ignored. Recruiters wanted to see what I had done at a professional level in sports promotion and development. The answer was a big fat zero. So, I'd spent a large amount of time running around co-ordinating a significant project but in the grand scheme of things it counted for nothing. People were very happy for me to run these types of projects for nothing. But when it came to payment, I was apparently not good enough or experienced enough to be paid for my efforts. Couple that with the fact that a few sponsors of the league had let us down and I had to run around finding others, as well as the fact that about half the women who had said they would help with the league suddenly disappeared.
I concluded that this was a project that had no mileage for me, so I resolved to do just the bare minimum. It made me feel sick when people and women were asking me to do things. They asked me because they knew I was capable of organising things and getting things off the ground. But it still made me sick because no one knew how much work it was for me, and they assumed that these were effortless tasks. Somehow they could get away with not helping on the grounds that they had work, training and other things that kept them busy. They seemed not to realise that I was in the same boat but still had to carry this enormous baby.
Luckily I had help from a couple of girls - one who took care of admin duties, and another one who updated the website and did the rankings. We had a woman who put herself forward as a press/publicity officer but then she suddenly went AWOL a couple of months into the project. I did what was necessary, and that was it. At one of the local races the women from our league, like other local clubs had to provide marshals on one particular week for a local race. We needed 10 women, but yet we struggled to get the numbers. Many women turned up at the race, but they came over to race. They had no intention of helping out. In the end we had to make up the numbers by getting some of the men to be marshals. It was truly disappointing, and it made my blood boil the way that some of the women, at the end of the race were bragging on about how well they raced blah blah blah - but yet they showed no gratitude for the volunteers who had given up their time on the umpteenth occasion to stage this race. These women couldn't even marshal just once. I made a decision not to do the prize giving. But one of the girls helping me felt that it was our duty to run it and we should honour our commitment to doing so. It could also be a time to let people know about the need for folks to get involved and help. Overall, people had noticed that the league was not the same as last year. It did not have the same buzz. I know that. It was because I hadn't put in the enthusiasm, and I had no reason or incentive to spearhead this project so avidly, like I had done last year.
Our prize giving this year was a downer. Where last year we had a packed cafe with standing room only - around 80 people, this time we had just 15 people turn up. It was slightly embarrassing as I was MC for the night and I was talking to the women cyclists sat at two of the tables in the cafe. The rest of the folks at the other six tables in the cafe were there for a social night out that had nothing to do with cycling!
A girl from a clothing company had made a unilateral decision to sponsor us late in the summer. For me, she was one big bugbear. She had unilaterally decided that what our league needed was sponsorship and that she would be our guardian angel turning up with her expensive brand of women's cycle clothing to give out as prizes. Fair enough. But what really galled me was that she had no interest in knowing how the league was working, or helping us with our infrastructure. Her words were that she could tell us what to do, but she wouldn't be doing it. So she had assumed that I didn't have a clue what to do!!?? Fine. What she didn't seem to understand is that it's people like myself who make sure that there is any league at all for her brand to sponsor. I have become sceptical of sponsors in recent months. They prey on voluntary not-for-profit outfits like the league because its free advertising. Even if they gave away 10 jerseys that are valued at £100 each that still represents good value for a season long campaign for them. Cyclists would be wearing their jerseys at races and they'd be getting press and photographic coverage. And what would unpaid people like myself get?
On the night of the prize giving the prize winners were very happy with their stylish jerseys and this marketing manager became their new best friend. Me and the other two who had worked hard to keep this league running got absolutely zilch - not even a pair of socks or a water bottle.
People were naturally surprised and disappointed at the low turnout. Some people even wrote to me saying we could have done such and such to generate more publicity and get more people to attend. The fact is, I know exactly what we could have done to get the turnout. Of course I know, I did it last year. It's a question of whether it's worth my while doing it. And what people don't realise is that I had concluded that it wasn't.
I wasn't surprised or disappointed at the low turnout. Sure, it would have been nicer to have had a packed room. And it would have made for a better farewell to the league. But frankly, my emotions wouldn't have been any different. I was tired of people taking advantage of my talent without me getting any proper reward for it, and I was sick of corporate organisations using us as free publicity. Anything that made me feel like I wasn't being exploited was the most favourable feeling for me!
Some people later emailed me saying they would like to be involved in the plans for next year. Well, they are talking to the wrong person. I will be having no hand in it at all. I'd better draft a resignation letter.
Friday, 26 August 2011
You are doing a great job....
...How about doing the same for us, for nothing! People don't actually say that, but that's what it all smacks of. A couple of years ago I and a few other women set up a mini local bike racing series to encourage more women to get into cycling. We had no idea how successful it would be, but fortunately it went well - better than expected. The series became well known in the cycling community and we had various sponsors wanting to get involved. More importantly many women were happy with their season and said that the series had really motivated them to go out and race. For me, at a personal level it was a real coup as I was able to prove to myself that I could successfully organise such a scheme, and associated events from nothing.
The problem I am having now is that everyone is automatically asking me to do various things for women's cycling. Last autumn I coordinated 3 London women's cycling teams for a national cyclocross competition. It was a good day out and we even got silverware. The cyclocross coordinator declared in his annual report that I would be the women's coordinator the following year. Not only had he not bothered to ask me if I would be able to do the job, he actually wrote in the report that although he had not asked me about doing the role he was sure I wouldn't mind being volunteered into the role. What a cheek!
I have since had even more people writing to me asking me to promote their event through my "networks."
As for the series people automatically think that it will continue on like last year. Women are emailing me asking about their prizes, complaining that their ranking being wrong etc., and expecting things to be sorted out at the drop of a hat. The thing is I am not paid to do this and folks are suddenly asking me to do stuff as though it were my main function in life!! It wouldn't be so bad if I were being paid!
The latest now is a branding consultant who wants to hook up with this women's series as a way of promoting the brand she represents as being commited to women's cycling. It's great when a company wants to provide prizes but why on earth should I do their work for them? Why should they be telling us what types of activities and initiatives we could be doing? It's all very well that this is her day job she has been retained to the clothing company as their branding consultant. However, I am a volunteer - doing this in between juggling with my day job amongst many other things.
People need to realise that that even the most simple activities done in aid of this women's series are time consuming. For example, for women to get their prizes it involves me emailing/phoning sponsors, travelling across London to pick up the prizes and spending time in discussions and presenting the league. I have even turned up at races that I am was not capable of racing in. I was there simply because I had a responsibility to get the series to work. I could have been home doing other things, notably writing articles for which I get paid!
People should not assume that this series runs effortlessly and they should think before they ask people to do such and such activity - especially when the person is not being paid. The thing that galls me the most is that I was out of work earlier this year and armed with my organisational skills as well as marketing experience and qualifications I applied for a few jobs around developing women's cycling. One job was actually with British Cycling. I didn't even get called in for an interview! So people are very happy for me to do the work I do in women's cycling. They tell me what a great job I'm doing, how amazing it is that I made something successful, even how inspirational I have been. But they have no intention of paying me to do the work.
Even worse was that last week at one of the local races, women were asked to marshal and help out at the event. It is customary for local riders to be encouraged to put something back into cyclesport by helping out once a year at least at a cycle race. Lots of women turned out at the event - to race. Many girls were not willing to marshal and gave various reasons as to why they had to race. It was very disappointing to see how few women were willing to give up just one race in the year to marshal at the race. We were short of marshals and we ended up asking a few men to help out. Some of the female regulars just didn't show up at all, probably to avoid having to marshal! Nevertheless these same people are still expecting to come to a gala presentation where they show off their racing prowess pictured with their trophies in the photo opportunities. They won't care to know how much work has gone into organising the event and ensuring that they have their prizes and ready for their moment of "glory" - work that has been done by unpaid volunteers. Well the news is that I will not be doing the gala dinner. People don't deserve my time. If they can't even turn up one evening per year to help out at an event why should I be working unpaid for them week in week out all season. No way. Now let them go and complain that no one does anything for women's racing. Sorry, but I am no skivvy!
The problem I am having now is that everyone is automatically asking me to do various things for women's cycling. Last autumn I coordinated 3 London women's cycling teams for a national cyclocross competition. It was a good day out and we even got silverware. The cyclocross coordinator declared in his annual report that I would be the women's coordinator the following year. Not only had he not bothered to ask me if I would be able to do the job, he actually wrote in the report that although he had not asked me about doing the role he was sure I wouldn't mind being volunteered into the role. What a cheek!
I have since had even more people writing to me asking me to promote their event through my "networks."
As for the series people automatically think that it will continue on like last year. Women are emailing me asking about their prizes, complaining that their ranking being wrong etc., and expecting things to be sorted out at the drop of a hat. The thing is I am not paid to do this and folks are suddenly asking me to do stuff as though it were my main function in life!! It wouldn't be so bad if I were being paid!
The latest now is a branding consultant who wants to hook up with this women's series as a way of promoting the brand she represents as being commited to women's cycling. It's great when a company wants to provide prizes but why on earth should I do their work for them? Why should they be telling us what types of activities and initiatives we could be doing? It's all very well that this is her day job she has been retained to the clothing company as their branding consultant. However, I am a volunteer - doing this in between juggling with my day job amongst many other things.
People need to realise that that even the most simple activities done in aid of this women's series are time consuming. For example, for women to get their prizes it involves me emailing/phoning sponsors, travelling across London to pick up the prizes and spending time in discussions and presenting the league. I have even turned up at races that I am was not capable of racing in. I was there simply because I had a responsibility to get the series to work. I could have been home doing other things, notably writing articles for which I get paid!
People should not assume that this series runs effortlessly and they should think before they ask people to do such and such activity - especially when the person is not being paid. The thing that galls me the most is that I was out of work earlier this year and armed with my organisational skills as well as marketing experience and qualifications I applied for a few jobs around developing women's cycling. One job was actually with British Cycling. I didn't even get called in for an interview! So people are very happy for me to do the work I do in women's cycling. They tell me what a great job I'm doing, how amazing it is that I made something successful, even how inspirational I have been. But they have no intention of paying me to do the work.
Even worse was that last week at one of the local races, women were asked to marshal and help out at the event. It is customary for local riders to be encouraged to put something back into cyclesport by helping out once a year at least at a cycle race. Lots of women turned out at the event - to race. Many girls were not willing to marshal and gave various reasons as to why they had to race. It was very disappointing to see how few women were willing to give up just one race in the year to marshal at the race. We were short of marshals and we ended up asking a few men to help out. Some of the female regulars just didn't show up at all, probably to avoid having to marshal! Nevertheless these same people are still expecting to come to a gala presentation where they show off their racing prowess pictured with their trophies in the photo opportunities. They won't care to know how much work has gone into organising the event and ensuring that they have their prizes and ready for their moment of "glory" - work that has been done by unpaid volunteers. Well the news is that I will not be doing the gala dinner. People don't deserve my time. If they can't even turn up one evening per year to help out at an event why should I be working unpaid for them week in week out all season. No way. Now let them go and complain that no one does anything for women's racing. Sorry, but I am no skivvy!
Saturday, 18 June 2011
So what's wrong with Cornrow?
A judge recently ruled that a school in Harrow was guilty of unlawful indirect racial discrimination when it operated a ban on cornrow hairstyle in its school. The case was brought by the family of an 11 year old boy who was banned from starting at their school because his hair was worn in a cornrow plaits. Apparently the school operated a "no cornrow" policy because it associated this hairstyle with gang culture and that by allowing pupils to wear their hair in this way it would encourage gang violence.
The boy's family argued that styling hair in cornrow is an African Carribean tradition, and the boy had plaited his hair into cornrows from birth. By sanctioning him because of his hair style was racial discrimination.
The parents were pleased with the verdict, though the school plan to appeal against the decision.
I think it is such a sad state of affairs that in the society we live in today, the way that a universal, traditional hairstyle worn by a culture of people can give negative connotations and trigger so much controversy.
As someone who has worn her hair in cornrow for the last 15 years I find it quite offensive that institutions should think to ban me from wearing my hair in a way which is not only part of my culture, but also a style which I happen to find very neat and practical!
Having my hair in corn row has saved me from hours of standing in front of the mirror trying to style my hair each morning. It gives me one less thing to think about, and the hairstyle makes me look prettier and younger!
If my employers decided to ban the wearing of hair in cornrow I would be in a quandry. Straightening my hair and all the maintenance required would be quite expensive, and in the long-run would damage my hair. Leaving it as an Afro would be a frightful mess, and would be frightening for those who would have to look at it!
So why would anyone think that plaiting my hair into corn row would be synonymous with some sort of gangland violence?
Furthermore, I hate the way that people say that I am making a statement about my ethnicity or my culture. Many white women who don't style their hair in any particular way will put it into a quick pony tail or maybe a French plait. Is that some sort of statement they are making? Is there some cultural message being communicated by tying your hair back?
Black afro hair can be quite unmanageable if left to just grow out. Tying it back in some way is much neater and more practical. Back in the days when I would go swimming alot, corn ow was also the style that caused the least damage to my hair. So no, there is no ethnic statement being made - unless you want to include the wish to keep my hair healthy and tidy!
One thing this court case has done is to highlight some of the wider issues regarding wearing hair in corn row. Some of my peers who apply for professional jobs say that black women are more likely to secure managerial roles if their hair is straightened or styled in a Caucasian hairstyle. A few women who did not want to subject their hair to the chemical damage from perming have had to resort to wearing straight-haired wigs while in the work place.
I have never thought to change my hair style when going for a job interview or when working in a professional capacity, but I must admit that I have seen very few black women in positions of influence wearing African braids.
Whether it's Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, 2012 Olympics Ambassador Denise Lewis, or the BBC's Brenda Emmanus, it seems as if they have had to style their hair in a Caucasian cut as their image profiles increased. Even Alicia Keys, who many years ago championed cornrow hair, now has a perfectly straight long mane.
So what's wrong with corn row. Is it the embarrassing cousin that you only want to be seen with in selected places, and gets marginalised most of the time? I think we should stand up for the cornrow and wear it with pride. That way, society will begin to see this hairstyle in all its positive highlights. And now, I'm off to the hairdressing salon!
The boy's family argued that styling hair in cornrow is an African Carribean tradition, and the boy had plaited his hair into cornrows from birth. By sanctioning him because of his hair style was racial discrimination.
The parents were pleased with the verdict, though the school plan to appeal against the decision.
I think it is such a sad state of affairs that in the society we live in today, the way that a universal, traditional hairstyle worn by a culture of people can give negative connotations and trigger so much controversy.
As someone who has worn her hair in cornrow for the last 15 years I find it quite offensive that institutions should think to ban me from wearing my hair in a way which is not only part of my culture, but also a style which I happen to find very neat and practical!
Having my hair in corn row has saved me from hours of standing in front of the mirror trying to style my hair each morning. It gives me one less thing to think about, and the hairstyle makes me look prettier and younger!
If my employers decided to ban the wearing of hair in cornrow I would be in a quandry. Straightening my hair and all the maintenance required would be quite expensive, and in the long-run would damage my hair. Leaving it as an Afro would be a frightful mess, and would be frightening for those who would have to look at it!
So why would anyone think that plaiting my hair into corn row would be synonymous with some sort of gangland violence?
Furthermore, I hate the way that people say that I am making a statement about my ethnicity or my culture. Many white women who don't style their hair in any particular way will put it into a quick pony tail or maybe a French plait. Is that some sort of statement they are making? Is there some cultural message being communicated by tying your hair back?
Black afro hair can be quite unmanageable if left to just grow out. Tying it back in some way is much neater and more practical. Back in the days when I would go swimming alot, corn ow was also the style that caused the least damage to my hair. So no, there is no ethnic statement being made - unless you want to include the wish to keep my hair healthy and tidy!
One thing this court case has done is to highlight some of the wider issues regarding wearing hair in corn row. Some of my peers who apply for professional jobs say that black women are more likely to secure managerial roles if their hair is straightened or styled in a Caucasian hairstyle. A few women who did not want to subject their hair to the chemical damage from perming have had to resort to wearing straight-haired wigs while in the work place.
I have never thought to change my hair style when going for a job interview or when working in a professional capacity, but I must admit that I have seen very few black women in positions of influence wearing African braids.
Whether it's Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, 2012 Olympics Ambassador Denise Lewis, or the BBC's Brenda Emmanus, it seems as if they have had to style their hair in a Caucasian cut as their image profiles increased. Even Alicia Keys, who many years ago championed cornrow hair, now has a perfectly straight long mane.
So what's wrong with corn row. Is it the embarrassing cousin that you only want to be seen with in selected places, and gets marginalised most of the time? I think we should stand up for the cornrow and wear it with pride. That way, society will begin to see this hairstyle in all its positive highlights. And now, I'm off to the hairdressing salon!
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