10 things you will notice when you move to London
by Agnieszka Lekszycka
That’s something probably EVERYONE who is going to London (no matter if for a vacation or a longer period) hears. Don’t forget to take your umbrella was usually the first thing I heard when saying I’m moving to London.
People seem to think that the sun never shines in London and it just rains cats and dogs all the time here. Bullshit. During my 2 months here it actually rained 5 times. Literally. I knew people were exaggerating, but I didn’t expect the weather to be that good. So… the sun does shine here!
1. It does not rain all the time
So here I am. A couple of weeks now, living in one of the biggest and most
controversial
cities in the world — London. When I told my friends I was moving here, reactions were pretty
varied.
Some kept on asking
why on Earth
I would do it to myself, while others were more like: "Wow, that’s awesome. When can I visit you?" (
btw,
still none of them have ;))
London may be extremely crowded and busy, but I like a fast pace of life. “That’s a good place for me” I thought. Nevertheless, before coming here many ‘kind’ people warned me: it will be too expensive, you will get tired of this rush immediately, it will rain all the time, etc. These are probably the most common stereotypes about London. After some weeks here, I think I am able to confront them and share what my impressions about this city really are. Let’s go!
London may be extremely crowded and busy, but I like a fast pace of life. “That’s a good place for me” I thought. Nevertheless, before coming here many ‘kind’ people warned me: it will be too expensive, you will get tired of this rush immediately, it will rain all the time, etc. These are probably the most common stereotypes about London. After some weeks here, I think I am able to confront them and share what my impressions about this city really are. Let’s go!
2. You just can't not bump into people
Really.
No matter what you do
and how careful you are. You will always
bump into
people. Everybody is
in a rush
here, walking (or shall I say running?) in
their
own direction, not caring if you are in their way or not. There is nothing you can do about it
besides
… getting used to it and doing the same. And do not expect the person who bumped at you to apologise. They will already be 10 meters ahead.
So… what should you do? The same I guess. Rush, baby!
So… what should you do? The same I guess. Rush, baby!
3. You can have it all
Another surprise: the variety you get here. I’ve always considered London a very multicultural city.
There are more than 300 languages spoken by the people here, and the city has at least 50 non- indigenous communities with populations of 10,000 or more.
What I didn’t know was that you can experience it at every step. Sitting on the tube, looking at people around you, you will always spot at least 3 different races and hear at least two foreign languages. Shopping in a store, you will be able to choose from products from all around the world, having, for example, Polish, Indian and African shelves just next to each other. And restaurants… you can basically find EVERY cuisine in the world here (for me, a real food-lover, this is probably the biggest beauty of the city). What is more, even when strolling around the city, you feel like you are visiting a dozen other places at one time — some spots here remind of me of Venice, some of Amsterdam, while others of New York or Rome. This variety is really great and makes it extremely interesting to live here.
Living in Docklands, I have a great example of London’s diversity just looking outside of my window.
There are more than 300 languages spoken by the people here, and the city has at least 50 non- indigenous communities with populations of 10,000 or more.
What I didn’t know was that you can experience it at every step. Sitting on the tube, looking at people around you, you will always spot at least 3 different races and hear at least two foreign languages. Shopping in a store, you will be able to choose from products from all around the world, having, for example, Polish, Indian and African shelves just next to each other. And restaurants… you can basically find EVERY cuisine in the world here (for me, a real food-lover, this is probably the biggest beauty of the city). What is more, even when strolling around the city, you feel like you are visiting a dozen other places at one time — some spots here remind of me of Venice, some of Amsterdam, while others of New York or Rome. This variety is really great and makes it extremely interesting to live here.
Living in Docklands, I have a great example of London’s diversity just looking outside of my window.
4. Yes, you never stand on the left side of the escalator
There is actually not much to write about it. People just hate when you stand on the left side of the escalator. You are supposed to WALK there. And if you really want to just stand calmly, please,
stick to
the
damn
right side. This one is
acceptable.
5. It's getting hot in here
Another thing about the tube. It’s so fucking hot there. I noticed that even when visiting London for a short time as a tourist. Whenever you go down and board a train, you immediately start to feel like you are in
sauna.
In summer it’s not that bad — the horror begins in winter. Wearing five layers of clothes, you are usually not even able to take your jacket off. (Especially when you travel at
peak time
— then, even
scratching
your nose seems like the most advanced yoga move). So you just sit there in the crowd, feeling that you will probably
melt
in seconds and ‘calmly’ wait till the end of your journey. Comfortable, isn’t it? ;)
6. Markets, markets and... markets!
So yes, travelling on the tube may be
annoying
sometimes, but when your destination is one of the food markets
it is totally worth it!
London has so many of them and they are all great. Personally, I consider this city’s food markets one of its biggest
assets.
Camden Market, Real Food Market at Southbank, Borough Market, Brick Lane Market and so on… You can just go there and eat everything (or
spend half a day
looking at all these
delicious
meals trying to decide which one you will finally pick). That’s an awesome way to spend your weekend outside and please your taste buds.
7. Could it be more expensive?
Everything has its price.
And in London this price is always high ;) That is actually the stereotype that turned out to be true. You just have to get used to the feeling:
Omg,
THIS costs THAT much?! How come?! Especially when you moved from a country like mine, where prices are around 3–5 times cheaper. Remember — never
convert
a price to your national standards. If you
do so,
you will just go crazy. The only thing you can do is just
accept
it. And, after some time, you will find that you are the best
promotion-hunter
ever! Personally, I
consider
it kind of fun — in the end, when you find
a good deal,
you feel a bit like an animal who just caught a veeery valuable
prey.
8. You can't get lost
London is really well-connected. You can go anywhere by taking the tube. And what is really comforting (especially for a
newbie
in the city, like me) is that, once you find any tube station, you know you are home. Everything is
linked
so well that from any station, changing once or twice, you will finally get to where you want to be. What makes it even better is the fact that there is always some station next to you, so you actually can’t get lost. Just go underground, look at the transport map and… problem solved ☺
But you have to be careful — there are some
traps
too! Sometimes, the distance between some stations is so close that it is actually faster to walk than use transport. And certainly, it’s cheaper too ;)
Another trap is related to changing lines. Although everything is very well-marked, in some cases it takes eternity to change from one line to another. Take, for example, Bank/Monument station… Ahh, we all hate it ;) It just seems a little marathon to get from the DLR to the Central Line. Or maybe marathon is not the best word — with all these people in your way it is rather a steeplechase!
Another trap is related to changing lines. Although everything is very well-marked, in some cases it takes eternity to change from one line to another. Take, for example, Bank/Monument station… Ahh, we all hate it ;) It just seems a little marathon to get from the DLR to the Central Line. Or maybe marathon is not the best word — with all these people in your way it is rather a steeplechase!
9. Every day is a party day
One of my first days here, weekday, 5pm. I
wander around
and start
spotting
people on the streets with pints of beer in their hands, talking in huge groups. I pass by one pub, then another and so on… It’s everywhere! I start to Google this day’s date to find out what the
occasion
for these celebrations is, but nothing special appears. On another day, 5pm, the same happens. What is that all about? I
wonder.
After some time here, I
work it out.
It’s nothing more than people just going for a beer with their colleagues after work. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Every day is good to
grab
a beer and relax. This actually
came as a surprise
to me — I used to live in Spain, where drinking on the streets is quite common. But I didn't expect British people to have same practices. I find it really cool how people organise themselves and, instead of going home straight from work, find time for some fun. And I
gotta
say they do it
pretty
often, as every day around 5pm the streets around the pubs get pretty crowded and noisy ;)
10. Ufff... finally, you don't have to be nice!
Last but not least,
do not expect people to be nice (or even talk) to you. What do I mean? Let me
recall
a situation.
Gym, women’s changing room. After talking a shower and getting dressed I’m ready to leave the room. There are 5 women inside. My natural behaviour is to say something like “See you next time” or part any other way. That’s what I do. Then something awkward happens. Nobody (I mean nobody) responds.
It’s not the only case. It happens over and over again. The same with my neighbours. Even when we are closed in a lift together, they won’t respond to my small talk. Am I invisible or what?
Of course I am not. They just don’t care. And, after some time, (probably) you won’t either. That’s weird, but, on the other hand, a bit easy as well. You don’t need to be nice. Just do your job and don't bother. (Or, if you are more like me, keep on talking to people and hope that at some point someone will talk to you too. Fortunately, sometimes they do!)
So these are my first impressions of life in London. Some of them are great, others not really. Do I regret moving here? No, not at all. You will complain about London all the time. You will keep on hearing other Londoners complain about it too. But in the end, we stay here and we don’t wanna leave. Reasonably or not, I have to say I love this city with its rush, ignorance and all the imperfections.
What do you think? Please share your point of view in the comments. I’m really curious ;)
Gym, women’s changing room. After talking a shower and getting dressed I’m ready to leave the room. There are 5 women inside. My natural behaviour is to say something like “See you next time” or part any other way. That’s what I do. Then something awkward happens. Nobody (I mean nobody) responds.
It’s not the only case. It happens over and over again. The same with my neighbours. Even when we are closed in a lift together, they won’t respond to my small talk. Am I invisible or what?
Of course I am not. They just don’t care. And, after some time, (probably) you won’t either. That’s weird, but, on the other hand, a bit easy as well. You don’t need to be nice. Just do your job and don't bother. (Or, if you are more like me, keep on talking to people and hope that at some point someone will talk to you too. Fortunately, sometimes they do!)
So these are my first impressions of life in London. Some of them are great, others not really. Do I regret moving here? No, not at all. You will complain about London all the time. You will keep on hearing other Londoners complain about it too. But in the end, we stay here and we don’t wanna leave. Reasonably or not, I have to say I love this city with its rush, ignorance and all the imperfections.
What do you think? Please share your point of view in the comments. I’m really curious ;)
This article was first published in Tech London .
