My trip to Manchester (2)
My impression of Birmingham, etc
Birmingham is the second biggest city in England, and around its New Street railway station the buildings all had the common weather-beating looking. It started
to snow soon after my friend and I settled down at our budget hotel Etap which
was around twenty minute walking distance from the station. I was rather chuffed
about the weather. After all I hadn’t had the glimpse of snow ever since I arrived in England and I rather missed it.
I couldn’t say that I liked the feel of the city to be honest. Even my later visit to the local art and museum and the spacious Watherstone bookstores couldn’
t alter my impression of it. As the second biggest city in England and one of the most important hub cities in the British railway system, the city was commercial enough but was lacking in lots of other aspects in my opinion. And the influx
of immigration from other countries had a negative impact on the service industries as far as I am concerned.
During our one-day sojourning in the city, my friend and I received incompetent
services in the local cafeteria and even in catering chains such as Subway and McDonald’s. The assistants either couldn’t get our order right or mis-charged us. Even in our budget hotel the receptionist couldn’t get everything right. No
wonder it is a rather concern for employers in UK in general have concerns regarding hiring immigrants.
But anyway I think the trip rang me a bell in a way as well. I have been slackening my English for quite a while now and I can’t deny the fact that I need to improve my overall comprehension of the language. It could be an excuse if I just
arrived in the country, but the fact is that I have been here a year now. If I
couldn’t deal with specific situations competently and just left it the way it
was, I don’t think I could go very far, let it be my life or my career achievements.
Our trip to Manchester via Bristol and New Port and then coming back via Crewes,
Birmingham and Bristol overall was quite pleasant. Like one says the North of England indeed has lots of difference from the South of England. The weather is one unmistakeable aspect. While the North snows and the fields are covered with frost, the South rains and becomes windy at most. After passing so many fields flooded with rainwater in the North when I was in the train, now I am not surprised at the adverse weather conditions reported on BBC any more.
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