MARIA VITALE’S BRITISH INVASION
CURRENT POSITION: Management Consultant at Deloitte UK
LOCATION: Bristol, UK
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DEGREE: Bachelors of Business Administration and a Bachelors of Arts in Italian, Honors Program
GRADUATION YEAR: 2010
ACTIVITIES AT MICHIGAN: Michigan Pops Orchestra, MRUN (University of Michigan Running Club) and Arts Enterprise
MICHIGAN POPS ORCHESTRA INSTRUMENT: French horn
Listen to one of Maria’s favorite Pops pieces while you read about her Pops Life!
A CONVERSATION WITH MARIA
MPAC travels across the pond to chat with Maria Vitale about all things British and all things Pops! Let’s catch up with our resident anglophile now:
Maria, tell us a bit about your musical background!
MV: I was inspired to take up music, because the American Girl dolls had little flutes and violins that you could buy for them. So my mom insisted that I had to learn piano first before I was allowed to take up any other instrument. I was desperate to get my hands on a tiny violin, but this turned out to be sound advice from my mom as it provided a great foundation for taking up any instrument in the future. I started violin in 3rd grade, but then quit to play the French horn in my school's band in 5th grade. I liked the sound of the French horn, it was a bit different, and I had an uncle who had been a professional horn player so he convinced me it was the best instrument. From there I played in every group and orchestra I could get into through high school.
What drew you to the Michigan Pops?
MV: Well, it was a lot more fun than Campus Symphony Orchestra! I don't remember how I found out about it, but I joined first semester of my freshman year so I assume someone accosted me with a flier on the Diag. I stuck with it because of the great people, fun music and social nature of the group.
Tell us about some of your favorite Pops memories
MV: I was part of the infamous "Pops House" on Division Street, with the McDonough twins, Eliezah Dale, and Hannah Chahbazi. We ate a lot of Kris' good cooking and had a memorable alternative passover dinner. I also loved making the Harry Potter movie and one where we had to dress up as monsters.
What led you to pursue further studies in London?
MV: In 2010, the job prospects after graduating weren't great, even with all the networking power of the Ross Business School in hand. I had studied abroad at the London School of Economics and absolutely fell in love with the city. I discovered that LSE offered a masters degree in city design, and I decided that it would be great to study the city while living in it. I had always wanted to live abroad and pursue a graduate degree, so this seemed like a good way to achieve those goals.
What do you do at Deloitte UK?
MV: I work in consulting, specializing in project and program management, business cases, and benefits management, which is about measuring and tracking the benefits a project sets out to achieve in its business case. I work on public sector programs, mainly in policing and transport.
Tell us more about your everyday life!
MV: I am married to a Brit that I met in London, and we live in Bristol, which is a vibrant, medium sized city which is famous for its suspension bridge, rainbow-colored houses, Wallace and Gromit, and being the home town of Banksy. My husband and I own a tiny flat (aka apartment) in a historic neighborhood where some of the nearby houses are older than the United States. We don’t own a car because we either walk everywhere, use the extensive rail network, or rent a car a few weekends per year. I love how good the public transport is here compared to the US. Plus parking on our very narrow historic street is a nightmare! Healthcare is also free from the National Health Service and takes about 5 minutes to sign up for.
Another thing I enjoy about living here is that everyone gets at least 20 days paid vacation a year (although most get 25 days or more). With all that time off, we take a lot of long weekends to go hiking on the many public long distance walking paths. Our favorite places for walking are along the South West Coast path in Devon. We’re also a short flight away to lots of cities in Europe, so we travel as much as we can. It’s safe to say that I like all the perks of living in the UK and plan on staying here for awhile!
Tell us what it’s like to be an American living in England. Have things changed over the years you’ve been there?
MV: Being an American in the UK is a lot of fun. Since you speak the language, you can get much more involved in UK life in culture than you would of language was a barrier. You’ll get (most) of the jokes, but there is a lot about the culture which is different and interesting to learn about. The humor is definitely a lot drier. You also have to learn a new set of words and spellings for some things. I had no idea what coriander was and had to smell a bunch at the grocery store to realize it was cilantro!
The biggest change that I have noticed from an immigrant’s perspective is that it’s a lot harder to get a visa to stay here than when I first came over. The rules have become more strict, and with Brexit meaning there are fewer EU citizens coming to the UK, the work visa caps keep getting hit for non-EU workers, so you have to have a very high salary to get one now. I was very lucky to have come over when I did.
What does the Pops mean to you?
MV: Pops has provided me with an amazing network of friends that I know will always be there for me. We had a saying, which was "Pops Love" which really emboddied that friendship. I look forward to many more memories with my Pops friends and being a Pops auntie to the recent new additions to the Pops family.
MARIA’S FAVORITES
RESTAURANT IN A2 AND BRISTOL: Ashley's in Ann Arbor (it counts as a restaurant as they served pesto fries), and a curry place just minutes from our flat in Bristol called Chai Shai
BRITISH SNACK: There are so many amazing British snacks, including steak and chicken-flavored potato chips (why this hasn't caught on in America, I have no idea), but my absolute favorite is Twiglets, which are little Marmite-flavored sticks.
FUNNY STORY ABOUT LIVING IN ENGLAND: British people rarely spark up conversations with strangers. However when I stood waiting to catch a train to London for the protests during Trump’s visit in July while holding a protest sign, I had more strangers come up to talk to me in the 15 minutes I waited for the train than in the last 8 years!
THINGS YOU MISS ABOUT AMERICA: Easy driving. Driving in the UK practically requires a PhD and superhuman attention and coordination. There are roundabouts at every intersection (I encountered just one stop sign during a recent 3 hour drive), roundabouts to get on and off highways, high traffic density due to the high population density, roads that were built for horse and cart and not cars, and country roads which are two way but only as wide as a sidewalk. You have to be very skilled at reversing on narrow country lanes, because you will inevitably meet another car at a point which is too narrow to pass. Oh, and everyone is driving on the wrong side! It took me two tries to pass my driving exam here.
BITS OF ADVICE FOR AMERICANS VISITING LONDON: I could write pages, but please do not waste your time at Madame Tussauds. There are so many better things to spend your time on. Top things to see are the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, the British Museum, Tate Modern...and many more. I am always happy to show people around or offer suggestions on what to see and do, so please get in touch if you are planning a trip!
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION: I have been a runner/ volunteer with the Goodgym since 2011. They are a UK running club with a purpose. Group runs involve volunteering to do physical labor for community groups mid-run, they send runners to help elderly people with physical household tasks and they pair runners to regularly visit house-bound elderly people for a chat and tea. When I lived in London, I volunteered to visit a lady named May regularly. She just celebrated her 102nd birthday! Talking with her definitely helps put life in perspective. It’s been a very rewarding experience as it motivates you to get out and exercise, and you get to socialize and give back at the same time.
POPS PIECE: Anything Harry Potter!
10/1/18