Hello!

Hello!

Are you Rose Hall by any chance?

Yes, that's me.

And you must be Thomas from England, right?

I guess my accent gave me away.

Exactly. Nice to meet you.

Welcome on board.

I'm so glad you're here.

Thanks. I'm very pleased to be here.

I'm sure you'll fit in nicely.

After all, you come highly recommended.

Your articles are really good.

Thank you.

Oh, here's Ella.

Thomas, this is Ella, the editor-in-chief of the magazine.

It's good to finally meet you, Thomas.

Nice to meet you too.

You're from Birmingham, right?

Exactly. I'm from Birmingham.

Is this your first time in New York?

It is my very first time here in New York, so I'm really excited.

I got into New York two days ago.

What do you think about it so far?

It's fantastic. I really like it.

I like the vibe here. It's really energetic.

I feel really blessed to be here because it's one of the cities I've always wanted to go to.

What I really appreciate about New York is that you can discover the city very well by foot.

New York seems to be the ideal city for long strolls, which I enjoy very much.

The fact that this city never sleeps, this continuous flow of energy is quite thrilling.

You need to be very disciplined, as a city like New York offers an infinite number of distractions.

You're right.

I'll do my best to stay focused on my work and do a good job here.

Let me show you to your office.

It's located at the end of the hall.

What do you think?

I didn't know I'd have my own office.

We thought you'd need your own private space.

I can see you've installed a few appliances here. Brilliant.

Ella insisted that we set you up with all this state-of-the-art equipment.

From here, you can communicate with any department and get all the information you need.

You've put in a sound system, too?

Everything looks great. Thank you.

How many people did you work with in Birmingham?

I had a team of three.

Well, here you'll have six people in your team.

I'll introduce you to them after lunch.

That sounds good.

Can you tell me a bit about my schedule?

Well, there's a meeting every Monday, as well as a meet-up with various heads of department on Thursday afternoons.

Just so we know what we're doing.

Other than that, how you organize your time is up to you.

That's fine. I'm a good time manager.

It's time for lunch now.

Let me take you to a nice place.

We'll get a chance to get better acquainted with each other.

Sounds great.

Are you ready to order?

Yes, please.

Can I get you something to start with?

No, thank you.

I'd like the tuna with a green salad.

And for you, sir?

I'll have the steak and chips, please.

Chips?

You mean fries?

Oh, right.

I forgot you call them fries here.

With fries, of course.

How would you like your steak?

Rare, medium, or well done?

Well done.

Okay, and to drink?

Water, please.

Still or a sparkling?

Sparkling.

And a glass of apple juice for me, please.

Can you tell me where the toilets are?

You can say restroom here.

Oh, yeah, sorry.

Where is the restroom, please?

The restroom is at the back of the hallway on the left side.

Thank you.

The tuna for you, ma'am, and the steak for you, sir.

So, tell me, Thomas, what are you going to write about?

Well, to start with, my first impressions of New York.

You know, the nightlife, the music, things like that.

Are you planning to do any interviews?

I'd like to.

Do you have any suggestions?

Well, I know some great musicians.

And I also have some contacts in the theatre and dance.

That would be great.

Maybe we could go to a show.

And after that, you could talk to the actors.

I really like that idea.

That was a good day's work, Thomas.

You're doing a great job here.

Thanks.

I have to get to Manhattan now for an interview I have to take.

I need to get to Bloom's Tavern?

How do I get to Greenwich Village on the Underground?

We call it subway here.

Oh, yeah, right.

Go to the subway station at 7th Avenue.

Take the B train to West 4th Street.

How many stops is that?

Six or seven.

OK. And then?

From West 4th Street, take the A train and get off at 14th Street.

And do you know where Bloom's Tavern is?

Come out of the subway on 8th Avenue.

Go straight for about 50 yards.

And take the first right.

That's Greenwich Avenue.

Bloom's Tavern is in the second building on the right and is situated on the first floor.

Is there a lift in the building?

Oh, you don't need an elevator since it's on the first floor, which is at street level.

Oh, in UK, the floor above is called the first floor and the street level floor is called the ground floor.

I see. Here, the street level floor is called the first floor.

OK, thanks. See you later.

And don't get lost!

Are you OK? You look out of sorts.

I'm a bit tired this morning.

You aren't exactly in good shape, are you?

I know. I think I'm eating too much.

Then eat less.

It isn't easy. I eat out all the time.

And the portions in American restaurants are enormous.

No one cooks meat like Americans.

It's very easy to put on weight here.

You don't do enough exercise.

I walk a lot.

Walking isn't enough, Thomas. Do you do anything to keep fit?

Not anymore. I used to cycle in Birmingham.

So why don't you get a bike here?

Bicycling is permitted on all main and local streets throughout the city.

Anyway, my flat is near the office. I don't need a bike.

We call it apartment here.

You can try jogging or running.

You know, I go running every morning in Central Park.

Really?

It's so beautiful early in the morning. Why don't you come with me?

OK, that's a great idea. But I don't have any trainers.

Trainers? You mean sneakers?

You can buy some.

Is there a sports shop near here?

Sure, there's one across the street. I'll come by your place tomorrow morning.

OK, what time?

6.45 6?

45

Can we make it a bit later, say 7.45?

That's too late, Thomas. Let's make it 7.15.

OK, 7.15.

Excellent. See you later.

Great.

Can I help you, sir?

Yes. Do you have these in an 8?

Just a minute. I'll go and check.

Here you are. These are in 8. Do you want to try them on?

No, thanks. I'm sure they'll be fine. How much are they?

They're $85.25.

Oh, it says $73.99.

Yes, but they're $75.99.

Yes, but there's added sales tax of 15%.

Oh, OK. Do you take MasterCard?

Sure.

Can I help you?

Yeah, I bought these about half an hour ago.

Yes, I remember. Is there a problem?

Yeah, I'm afraid they're too small. I should have tried them on.

What size are they?

They're an 8, but I take a UK 8.

Oh, right. Yeah, so UK 8 is a US 9.

Do you have a pair?

I'll go and check. Just a minute.

I'm sorry. We don't have these in a 9.

But we do have these, and they're the same price.

Or you can have a refund.

No, I don't want a refund. I'll take this pair then, please.

No problem. Do you have the receipt?

Yeah, here you are.

Are you OK?

Me? Never better.

It's a beautiful fall day, and the perfect weather for running, isn't it?

I think this is my favourite place in New York.

Yeah, a beautiful autumn day indeed.

Yes. So how's it all going? Are you happy you came?

The Central Park? At 7.15 in the morning?

To New York, Thomas.

Yeah, of course I'm happy. It's fantastic.

I'm glad, but you need to get in shape, Thomas.

I know. I am a bit tired of eating out all the time. It isn't good for my figure.

It's the restaurants you go to. Why don't you come over to my place after work?

I could make you something a little healthier. I'm a very good cook.

I'd really like that, thanks.

So how do you feel now? Are you ready to go again?

Oh yes, I'm ready.

OK, we'll only go around two more times.

Are you OK?

I might be coming down with the flu or something. Is there a chemist nearby?

You mean a pharmacy? Yes, it's a three-minute walk from here, on your right side.

Good morning. Can I help you?

I'm not feeling very well. I think I have flu.

What are your symptoms?

I have a headache and a sore throat.

Do you have a temperature?

No, I don't think so.

Are you allergic to any drugs?

I'm allergic to penicillin.

No problem. This is ibuprofen. It'll make you feel better.

How many do I have to take?

Two every four hours. If you don't feel better in 48 hours, you should see a doctor.

OK, thanks. How much is that?

That's $6.99, please.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

What differences have you noticed so far between US and UK, Thomas?

Well, I was shocked to see everyone here expects you to pay them by cheque.

You hardly see any cheques.

Your banking system works extremely slow.

Digital transfers from bank to bank are not easy.

That's hardly a problem in the UK.

I love that you can order your lunch in advance on the website of your favourite lunch place, then pick it up from a shelf inside where it's tagged with your name.

This is so convenient.

I also noticed that you get ID'd absolutely everywhere, while having brunch, for example, or in bars.

When it comes to paying, you're told the item is actually more expensive than it says on the price tag, because a tax needs to be added to the overall price.

But I'm really enjoying living in the USA. People are so friendly here.

I've been to a lot of places in the UK.

I got invited to people's houses.

I got invited round to watch football games.

I got invited out for beers.

The Americans are very nice to be around.

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