Living In London

As most of you know, I have been living in London for about 7 months now. However, I have never really blogged about my experience so here it goes!

London has been a pretty interesting place for me to live in with the amount of noise, people and ways of getting around. It took me months to get used to the sound of police cars, drunk people outside and motorbike and car drivers revving up their engines at night. As a matter of fact, returning to London after a few days away is a struggle as I have to get used to the noise (and the smell) all over again.

Moving to London, for the first time ever, I have had to get myself up and get myself to school without the help of anyone. Until I was 16, my mum always woke me up and drove me to school and between the ages of 16 and 18, I was in boarding school so, I lived on site and if, for some reason, I didn't wake up on time, my housemistress or a friend woke me up and all I had to do was walk a few get away from my boarding house and I was in school. Now, I have to get myself up (and sometimes, my alarms fail me) and get on the tube!

In case you're unfamiliar with the transportation system in London, the tube is a train system that runs underground. In some countries, it is referred to as the metro or subway.

Going on the tube has been a pretty interesting experience for me in the sense that I am not used to people pushing themselves into an already full train coach, some people acting like they will cut you if you make eye contact with them, people being violent (due to Islamophobia and racism) and people who know that they are really needed for thousands of people to get through and from work and school going on strike without giving the public much of a reason!

Due to how large London is and how sought after it is too, I have to spend money on an almost daily basis. I need to spend to get on the tube and spend on feeding myself (and food tends to cost more here).

Living in London has made a rather significant dent in my bank statements.

If I am being completely honest, I must say that living in London hasn't been completely difficult. There are aspects of living in London that I have actually loved.

If I hadn't moved to London, I would not have met some of the people I have who have come into my life, even if just for a season. I wouldn't have reunited with people I haven't seen for years and I wouldn't have been able to go to the church that I have dreamt about since I visited as a little girl weekly.

Living in London, I have had the chance to grow. I have been able to become stronger, tougher and braver and I thank God for that. I have been able to go out and meet more people who share my beliefs and faith which is something I was barely able to do in boarding school as I went to a predominantly atheist/agnostic school where I had curfews and where everyone was kept busy. I have been able to attend various Christian events such as those hosted by Hillsong and by Bethel Music.

London has made me more independent as I need to be able to take care of myself and sort things out without having to lean on teachers, school staff or my parents.

London has also given me the chance to be in charge of my health and eat the way I want to and not be constantly judged about it as everyone is different. I have been able to find more places that cater to my lifestyle and more likeminded people.

I hated London so much before moving there, but now, I don't hate it. I still don't love it, but I guess I kinda like living there as it does have its perks.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience in London thus far.