The past five weeks have been a complete blur. Between my previous job responsibilities, the holidays, house hunting, mid year review, pack and move, going away parties and 25,000 miles of air travel, I’m now living in London. For some reason, it still doesn’t feel real. Probably because I’ve only been here for four days and it still feels a bit like vacation. Probably because I’m still in temporary housing (more on that later) and probably because I still haven’t been able to open a UK bank account (there will be a whole separate article once I’m through that debacle).
Things of note since I’ve moved here…
No matter where you go, you cannot be within a block from a place of some sort of historical/architectural/social significance. For example, my temporary flat is an old Victorian in Notting Hill, a block from the Portobello Road. Yes, that Portobello Road from Bedknobs and Broomsticks and the traditional market. My new flat is two blocks from Lancaster Gate and Hyde Park. I commute through Paddington Station, had dinner in Covent Garden and drank in a 200 year old pub in Clapham.
London is expensive, especially if you convert from GBP to USD in your head every time that you make a purchase. However, (shockingly), this economy is not based on the USD. It’s based on the pound, and in a sense, it’s relative. If you can budget your money and live within your means, any place can be affordable. Though, it did kill me to pay £10 for a Bloody Mary today.
Public transportation is a dream here. Granted, I am a little biased having come from one city with deplorable public transport (Detroit) and a second with passable, yet challenged public transport (Seattle). There are so many options, but you are completely dependent on those things. Buses are great and run all night, The Tube is mostly reliable, but, requires a significant level of coordination to work. National Rail is everywhere, but, has the same level of coordination as the Tube to be successful. We will see how it pans out once I start commuting tomorrow. There’s always an expensive taxi, or maybe Flexcar.
The myth about British food all being crap is exactly that. It’s a complete stereotype, based on historic perception of the stodgy dishes of Shepherd’s Pie, Lancaster Hotpot and Fish and Chips. I’ve had some amazing food at most of the restaurants that I’ve visited since I’ve arrived. However, I am still completely overwhelmed by the grocery store as an expat. When you go to the grocery store in your home country, you know some of the staples that you will purchase. Now, I need to make new decisions about which things will become part of my pantry. It’s not as easy as it seems. No more Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, new cheeses, new deli meats, new soups and heat up dinners. It’s a little too much. We’ll see how it goes this week.
Also, British TV is not all Coronation Street, Masterpiece Theatre or Monty Python. For every Absolutely Fabulous, there is a terrible canned sitcom in its place. For every dramatic cinematic triumph, there is an abysmal reality show like Take Me Out, which includes one man and a bunch of desperate women. It makes the infamous Temptation Island look a bit classy. When it’s good, it’s sublime. When it’s bad, it is absolutely frightening.
Last but not least, before you think this temporary apartment in which I am living is some palace, it is painted in white and light yellow, with a black painted fireplace mantle, white cabinets and unfinished wood floors. The kitchen has not really been updated since the early 90’s, so, it has that ceramic tile and white goods combination. The bathroom is worse. The toilet doesn’t flush well and the shower head popped off on the second use of the shower. There are single glazed windows and radiator heat with a boiler that sometimes works, and often doesn’t. Good thing that the bedroom in which I grew up had steam heat and unglazed windows, so, I definitely know how to cope. Thankfully it is only temporary.
More to come later, specifically about my first day of work and the disaster of opening a bank account.
American Expat in London 