Day: May 9, 2011

I think I want to hit each and every one of these as well.

10 of the best pubs in London | Travel | guardian.co.uk.

I want to hit each and every one of these this summer.

Summer pub gardens | Life and style | The Guardian.

I know I’m stating something that many other people already know, a former employer told me one that you could get a high paying job for stating the obvious, but in many large cities there is a publication called TimeOut that lists many of the different cultural things to do in that city for the week.  TimeOut London is fantastic and can help you filter through the overstimulation of activities in such a large metropolitan area.  They include a hotlist of activities from which you can choose, including multiple different categories, including art, theatre, live music, cinema, restaurant reviews, lectures and community oriented events.

For those of you visiting as tourists, there are travel guides for each city that are refreshing in tone and real in their candor.  Written by locals for locals, you get a realistic picture of what you can do while you are in that city to experience the city just like a local.  If you want a less touristy, more authentic city experience, then TimeOut guides are for you. Otherwise, stick to Frommers and end up in the same 20 restaurants and sights that everyone and their brother has attended.  TimeOut also publishes a very open and frank Gay and Lesbian Guide for London that speaks to all of the different scenes that one could possibly want.  Clubs, pubs, the underbelly, it’s all there.

Check their worldwide site here.

One of the things that people don’t necessarily discuss with relocation and international expatriation is the mixed emotions that come along with picking your life up and dropping it into a completely unfamiliar culture.  There is the excitement of new places, people, jobs and things to do but the sense of latent grief in the not so subtle mourning of the friends, activities and routines that you have left behind.  In my experience, it took me about four months to get to the point where the novelty of my new living situation has worn off.  The lack of novelty does not make the overall experience any less wonderful, but, it does force me to realize that everyone’s lives continue, including my own – making the new reality that much more poignant.

London is a wonderful city, vibrating with possibility, creative in its nature, and practically teeming with choices of things to do and people to meet. However, there becomes a time when the most mundane things that one could rely on are the things that you miss – the dry cleaner who knows your name and asks about your travel; the Sunday morning routine of brunch at your favourite restaurant, the paper and people watching; the sports matches and meetings of your favourite team and club; running into a friend that you haven’t seen in a while in the most random of places and the familiar faces and things, even at the grocery store.  These are the things that you end up missing the most, even on a subconscious level.

All the new choices in things to make part of a routine can be overwhelming, not necessarily in a tragic and melodramatic way, but, in a realistic “Really?” sort of way.  Sometimes, I still feel disconnected and a bit isolated from the reality of my own existence because nothing seems repeatable or predictable.  Everything is a new experience, and while thrilling most of the time, sometimes it just gets old. There are times that the human condition needs that sense of the familiar in the face of novelty, the sense of belonging in the face of potential isolation and the sense of community while not sacrificing the individual achievement that got you there.

Anyway, I know it can sound like I am bemoaning the wonderful and great things that I’ve worked so hard to earn.  The expat experience is a great and wonderful and a exciting adventure. Though, in every adventure, there are times that it can feel like more work than fun. Putting myself out there to be open to the magic of new friendships, experiences and places is the only way I can see myself getting through this.

And, this too shall pass.  And now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to go make myself some homemade macaroni and cheese and watch bad American television until I feel a little less disconnected.

Don’t judge me.