The young are so perseptive.....

Yesterday my little 8 year old brother, while watching his cartoons and dabbing a cotton pad soaked in Gulab Jal on his face asked me, "You're 20 now Didi?"
I said, "Yes I am 24".
He added,"Well, if you're 20 shouldn't you be having a job right now?".
OUCH! He completely hit the nail on the head. Yes, why don't I have a job yet?

I am currently in the Middle East with father, and on my way to Mumbai. I am leaving the UK for good, because I as a sad graduate have truly suffered the consequences of the economic recession. As a graduate all you strive for is employment in the degree you pursued. However, as I learned from my 18 months in the UK, this is not as easy as it sounds.

I knew getting this work visa would be a risk, and no guarantee of a job, but I thought, when am I ever going to get the chance to be in a different country in my life. I am an opportunist and if I was able to get a work permit, post study, why not? I was eventually able to get my visa with no hiccups, however I did undergo 4 weeks of stress and suspense before I got it.

For the last 18 months I have been looking for a career in media, or even associated with media. Working for the community radio station Newport City Radio in Wales was a real boon, and I was able to gain experience as a news editor and presenting and producing a film show. I have also had a string of part-time jobs in between to tide me over financially.

However I continued to apply like a dog, for any job in my career line, but to no avail. And after Easter I wasn't even able to gain a part-time job let alone a full-time.

So here are my plans to move to back to my motherland for employment - India. However, I have heard I am not alone. A lot of international people in similar situations are realising once they graduate they don't want to continue in the UK. As an international student we invest heavily in the UK's education system, and without us, university wouldn't survive. We spend between 15,000-25,000GBP annually within the UK on tuition fees, accommodation, and other expenses. Big universities like Cardiff University (where I did my MA) are closing up various departments to save money. I also heard from a friend doing her PhD, that they are now going to slow down funding in new medical research, because it is deemed "unnecessary". Just continue what you are doing already? Imagine no money for future medical research? So no cure for cancer then? No vaccine for AIDS?

Immigration is going to become harder as time go by, because the UK wants to keep jobs and opportunities local. I saw and felt the brunt of this in the kind of employment I sought after - I was not local enough. My job applications would have been thrown to the bottom of the pile as I am not from the UK or even from Europe!

So I have decided to take my skills elsewhere and hopefully where they are worth being paid for. I am going to miss my friends in the UK as they have looked after me in good times and not so good times. My colleagues were kind enough to give me due respect and praise for all the hard work I have done, which is always good to hear.

So thank you to everyone in the UK, and hello to all in India. You won't know what hit you!

Londonium....

Being a skint graduate, we have ways and means to do things that are either incredibly cheap or completely free. London being one of the most expensive cities in the world, what could you possibly do that is remotely entertaining and won't burn a hole in your wallet?

My mum and I were able to do a couple of things off the beaten track of an open-top bus.

Firstly, my mum being a devote Christian, I really wanted her to see St. Paul's Cathedral - an absolutely grandiose expression of religious fervour, and beauty. Scholars, poets, and royalty and now tourists, celebrities and layman have all traversed this monumental monument. However, it costs £12-£15 to walk down the corridors of this church. A mighty cost for a stroll around a church.

To by pass this unearthly cost, you can go for a church service at 12:30pm or for the ethereal Evensong (which is a choral service) at 5:00pm, which stipulates - 'All Are Welcome'. If you aren't the religious sort I would suggest going for the Evensong, because it is stunning and the acoustics of the Cathedral carry the voices from the throats of the singers to the roof of the building. Definitely worth a visit. I've also heard that it is free to visit during Christmas time as well. Horray Yuletide!

You can also bare witness to free gigs at the National Theatre foyer. My mother and I were able to watch a catchy gypsy swing band called Trio Manouche, who will be playing at the Secret Garden Party at the end of the month. They were a charming band, and could easily win anyone over with their ragtime tunes. An old lady even got up and did a little dance around the stage, as though hypnotised by the music, taking her back to yesteryear.

We also went to the Tate Modern, to culture ourselves with artistic expression.

I was able to get us to a free comedy show at the Comedy Cafe in Shoredith. On Wednesdays they have a New Act night, where fresh faced comedians take the stage and test out their material to a room for of laughter or suffer awkward silences and cruel hecklers . We witnessed a bit of both!

All in all it was a fun trip. But nothing in life is free, especially when it comes to public transport in London, and be wary they might dupe you into promising your first born just to get on the Northern Line.