Letter from Kenrick Mark (8th Edition)
Letter from Kenrick Mark
Dear Esteemed Readers,
The touring of immediate areas around the Greenwich district truly allowed me to appreciate my newly founded Chevening journey (and long awaited dream — since 2001 to be exact) more. I was tired indeed. My legs were hurting from constant walking. I took a bath Friday evening around 7pm and went to sleep. It was my first night sleeping well, and from that night, I was adjusted to the time difference. Yes! I had calculated thoughts of this (If I tire myself during the tour day, I would definitely sleep good that night).
I woke up Saturday morning around 8am and did my usual routine of showering, checking emails and reading the news. I had no plans. I decided to journey on Trafalgar Road, past my University, all the way to Woolwich, sight-seeing again. There were many residential areas. There were very tall trees as I walked to the south end of campus, so majestic and beautiful. It reminded me of Belize’s Mahogany Trees. There was also a car park, and I saw men and women buying tickets from a machine before they went into the park. There was also an elderly home. I saw elders outside in the front garden enjoying the morning Sun and fresh air. I walked down and saw more residential areas. I noticed that many had huge brick walls as fences and pink roses and bright flowers peeping upward. As I travelled further, I saw many shops including a Middle Eastern Kebabs Outlet, a KFC and Dominio’s Pizza outlet (I was eager for pizza), convenience stores, tons of coffee shops, restaurants, and a beautiful vintage looking Church (very large medieval building). I also saw a few barber shops, real estate offices, craft stores and boutiques. I also noticed quite a few white British elders strolling around. I’m not sure if they were just enjoying an afternoon walk or out for shopping.
As I moved along closer to Woolwich, there was a huge, modern, state of art building called ‘Greenwich Center’. I read on the signage that it’s a multipurpose resource center — gym, library, language center, pool, et al. I believe this was where some students enrolled to learn English. I kept walking until I saw the train passing nearby, and I saw a sign about ‘Woolwich’. There was also a ‘Greggs’ Outlet — I did saw some delicious sweet and savory pastries including sausage rolls. There wasn’t much more to see so I decided to walk back to my halls.
While walking back, I visited two places — a convenience store owned by a Nepalese guy and his wife, and the best little coffee shop in the world, owned by an Asian family. I just happened to walked into the convenience store looking for any essentials I might need. The guy was very sociable. He started talking me. He thought I was from India. I told him that I’m Indian but I lived in Belize, a country in the north western Caribbean (right below Mexico). He said he was from Nepal, but moved to England many years ago. I told him I was attending the University of Greenwich, pursuing my Master’s Degree on a Chevening Scholarship. He was quite happy for me! He even asked me if I needed a part time job in his store (to make extra money). And, he even told me to visit them anytime. I was flabbergasted! I guess the Nepal-India connection was definitely a winner. I couldn’t believe I would have met caring, loving people far away from Belize. I saw some delicious white fruit cakes, and I bought a package. I told him ‘thank you’ for the warm welcome and mentioned that I would visit again. This promise I kept. I started walking towards the University of Greenwich.
The carefully displayed sweet breads and savory treats on a window table caught my eye! I looked at this outlet while I was walking to Woolwich but my first impression (due to the exterior and even when I peeped inside, there was only one customer) was ‘I don’t like it’. I still don’t know how I was inspired to enter this establishment. Was it destiny? I walked in, and a Asian lady greeted me and asked these exact words: ‘What can I get for you today?’ I’m nearsighted so I couldn’t read the menu on the wall. Thankfully, she immediately mentioned some choices of coffee and teas. I chose a Coffee Mocha. I sat down in the corner and waited. I evaluated the area. The walls were painted in a red color — reminded me of a distinct color I saw in a restaurant in a Jackie Chan movie. There were Asian decors, and newspapers and loads of pastries in a glass case. There was also an outside garden area and a very small bathroom in the backyard. It wasn’t anything fancy, but I loved it. My mocha was delivered. It was delicious. I was going to open my fruit cake to have along. As I was about to do this, I saw a mini sign: ‘Only food and drinks bought at the cafe can be eaten in here’. I was glad to have read it before I ate my cake.
The Asian lady was very friendly! She asked me if I needed any more drinks or something from the brunch/lunch menu. She mentioned that she figured I was a ‘new’ face around town. She asked me if I was working or going to school in London. I believe Greenwich was quite a humble village and many people knew each other. I really loved the setting!!! Alacosta Coffee was tucked away from the busy high street and university area. It was small, cozy and warm. I paid for the coffee. It was around 2 pounds sterling. The Asian lady thanked me and said ‘we might see you around’. This visit was the beginning of spectacular heartfelt times — my home away from home. I can’t wait to describe my continuous visits, sometimes daily, during the tenure of my stay in London. I even told my parents about this! I smiled and thought. I still can’t believe I met two down to earth families and small businesses who truly care for international people.
I walked back to my room. The Greenwich area was crowded. It was a Saturday, and tons of tourists and neighbors alike flock the various ‘touristy’ areas around. There was also the huge Greenwich Park, the historic Royal Observatory, and many more sites.
I’m quite exhausted for tonight. I will continue my journey in the next edition of Letter from Kenrick Mark.
Sincerely yours,
Kenrick Mark
