Tomorrow marks my 2-year anniversary of having moved to London. It has been a wonderful blur: making new friends, seeing new places and getting used to the life here. Don't get me wrong, living in London has its downsides:
- London is the most cosmopolitan place I've ever been. You meet people from all over. But it also means that your fellow ex-pat friends may move on before too long. (On the plus side, it means you have friends in other parts of the world)
- It's hard to be spontaneous. People book social appointment weeks and even months ahead of time because they travel so much and because London is so spread out that it's harder to get about town to do something spontaneous, unlike a place like Manhattan.
- The weather. Talking (and complaining) about it really is a favorite parlor game here. There certainly is a lot to talk about. The weather really is as terrible as they make it out. When it's nice, it means people really appreciate it and you basically get inured to the fact that it will be gray, chilly and rainy much of the time.
- It's expensive. London is on par with New York. You probably get more flat for your money here but other things are more expensive with the exchange rate.
- Customer service. The culture of service that we're used to in the States hasn't quite made it here.
On the other hand, it has a lot going for it:
- The cosmopolitan mix of people means you're always meeting people with interesting backgrounds.
- It is easy to travel to some great spots and the culture is very much open to seeing new places.
- The Premier League.
- The social life. There's always something going on and people up to do stuff, whether it's going to a gig, a show or just hitting the local on a sunday evening.
- The mix of urban and green spaces makes it feel less claustrophobic than Manhattan.
- The work/life balance.
Thanks London, for a good two years.
Comments