Letter from Kenrick Mark 73rd Edition

Letter from Kenrick Mark

Dear Esteemed Readers,

I woke up around 9am on Saturday. I felt really cold from midnight until mid-morning. I knew it was snowing again (lightly, perhaps). Even though I had two blankets (I bought a second one from an Indian Home Appliance Store at the Mall in Lewisham), I still felt very cold and restless during the pre-dawn hours. I had to get out of bed, un-plug the heater, and re-plug so the room could have gotten heated (at least two times). The heater usually ‘tripped out’ after an hour, and the temperature in the room dropped. It was these gruesome moments when I remembered the words of some of my comrades in Belize ‘Kenny, I hope you can survive the cold in England’. Oh, during the months of December, January, and February (when the temperatures in England were immensely cold), my personal computer froze too (it took nearly 15 minutes for my laptop to boot up in the morning). I learnt to cover it fully with an old t-shirt (before I went to bed).

I usually checked emails, my academic portal and social media/messages, first order of the day. I remember posting on social media ‘Christmas in England, my favorite time of the year’ (or a similar context). It was true, as I finally felt the need to explore more and indulge in all the ‘Christmas’ activities. I remember that my comrade Gavin was the first individual who ‘liked’ this post. I happened to clicked on Gavin’s page, and it was then that I found out that he was the son of the prominent Attorney Mr. Eamon Courtenay, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration in Belize. Gavin also mentioned (in a message that day) that he has visited England on various occasions, and relished the moments! Honestly, I was more than thrilled to know him! I also selected Gavin for an official interview feature with my charity! I encourage everyone to visit my foundation’s official platform and indulge in Gavin’s exceptional interview, and the many others of good, hardworking Belizeans.

I think my comrade Carla Maheia also liked the post about ‘Christmas in England’. Actually, in my first weeks in the UK, Carla called me and assured that all will be well (as I mentioned to them that I missed home, and felt different). Her call was very supportive. It was until early 2020 that I personally met Carla and her husband, as she stopped by our restaurant, while on a working trip in Toledo.

I also looked for places to visit in London, while I was on my laptop. Finally, I decided to visit Stratford. I arranged my room, and cleaned up my pantry section in the kitchen. Around mid-day, I boarded the DLR from Cutty Sark Maritime Greenwich to Stratford. It was nearly an hour journey, and along the way, I saw many new views of communities, historical buildings, etc as we travelled pass All Saints, Langdon Park, Devons Road, and Pudding Mill Lane. I arrived at Stratford train station after. It was a huge station, compared to the station stop (where I lived). A crowd of individuals, of all ethnicities (British White, Africans, Indians, Hispanics, et al) and ages disembarked the train, and it seemed like everyone was swiftly walking out towards the entrance area. I walked slowly, and noticed I was one of few, who were left behind walking. I believe many were going to Westfield Stratford City. My Chevening sister, Andrea mentioned this later in December. Westfield is a gigantic, multipurpose center (one of the largest in Europe) featuring casinos, shopping outlets such as John Lewis and Apple, restaurants, cinema, etc. Honestly, I looked into that direction once and saw crowds going up the huge stadium like steps, and I thought, initially, that it was a Sports Center. I hope to explore Westfield when I return to the UK. I understand this was the area where the 2012 Olympics were held. The traffic was extreme, with red buses zooming by! I was in a crowd and we rushed across two streets, as the traffic lights turned green. I walked through the commercial center/market, then outwards towards the high street. The markets were filled with food stores, clothing and accessories stores, food carts, farmers market area — the vibrant colors and smells illuminated my spirit! I breathed a sigh of relief, stopped for a while, looked around, and then saw the Pizza Hut sign.

Although the restaurant was extremely busy, I managed to secure a table (I waited in a queue at the entrance and the waiter showed me to an open table). I took off my winter coat, placed it on the chair, and glanced at the menu (filled with a variety of pizzas, pastas, desserts, chicken dinners, and a whole lot! I ordered a Supreme — a thin crusted pizza filled with Chicken breasts, black olives, mixed peppers, and red onions. I went to pay at the computer up front (well, it was like the middle of the restaurant, but near the entrance). I had 4 slices! It was scrumptious, minus the thin crust (I should have gotten the thick crust). It was a full house at Pizza hut though — I saw families having meals, friends joking around, boyfriends and girlfriends having good times, this was a warm atmosphere! The waiter asked if I wanted to take the 2 remaining slices. I politely said ‘No and Thank you.’ Oh, Pizza Hut had a very colorful, more pink and brown type of wall paper (I guess) decors. I must applaud the decorator, on his/her keen choice!

I explored the surrounding areas after. There was an entire shopping center, which had mostly Indian vendors. I saw a home appliance center, health stores, phone stores, etc all in that area. I was impressed with my Indian brothers and sisters. I also saw the beautiful architecture of St. John’s Church, Westham Town Hall, International Quarter (under construction), and in front of the Stratford Center — there were street arts on poles (canoe shaped stuffs, probably in honor of the Olympics). They were crowds of people all over the Stratford area, tons!

I took the train back to Greenwich around 4pm, and it was already dark!

I went home, and relaxed in bed.

I watched cooking shows, and messages a few of my comrades.

I went to sleep early. I was tired.

I’m quite exhausted for tonight. I will continue my journey in a next edition of Letter from Kenrick Mark.

Sincerely yours,

Kenrick Mark