{"id":414,"date":"2016-07-26T12:32:46","date_gmt":"2016-07-26T12:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/https:\/\/isango.com\/theguidebook\/\/?p=414"},"modified":"2017-03-30T21:39:55","modified_gmt":"2017-03-30T21:39:55","slug":"london-life-expat-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.isango.com\/theguidebook\/london-life-expat-series\/","title":{"rendered":"London Life: An Expat’s Expectations versus’ Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eight months into my move from Sydney to London, I\u2019m taking stock of my life in old London town; revealing the good, the bad and the ugly \u2026 and all that wasted money on ubers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I moved to London with the best of intentions. After a whirlwind two months of travelling abroad through the UK, France, Italy and Ireland, plus a brief pit stop in Germany (Oktoberfest was a beautiful yet brutal few days), I finally headed to London; fresh-faced, eager, and just slightly apprehensive.<\/p>\n

I envisioned life in a series of London-esque movie-reels: me running in the rain – cute umbrella in tow [smiling], me on the tube \u2013 sharing a laugh with strangers [smiling], and me in my cute pastel Victorian house in a lovely, and surprisingly affordable, location (Notting Hill, of course), [you guessed it, smiling]. However, the city of London is a beautiful and cruel master, and it didn\u2019t take long for my movie-reel fantasy to come crashing down on my blissfully unaware head. I had a lot to learn. Six months down the line, here are a few home truths about life in London that my younger, more na\u00efve self definitely missed.<\/p>\n

\"London<\/h6>\n
The beginning of my London adventure – when carrying umbrellas everywhere was still a novelty\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\n

<\/h4>\n

\u00a01. I don\u2019t go out enough<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Museums, the theatre, comedy, dining, clubs, bars and many, many pubs; if you can think it, you can do it in London. A population of 8 million+ means there\u2019s always something on in this city. Sadly though, many of my weekends have been spent nursing a hangover, in the midst of a Netflix binge, or just generally avoiding the tube. This must change. My second debut into London\u2019s cultural scene begins this weekend, starting with viewing a new exhibition at the city\u2019s finest\u00a0museum, the Victoria & Albert.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. I go out too much<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If you weren\u2019t aware, Londoners \u2013 Brits in general, actually \u2013 love to drink. Couple that with an office based in East London\u2019s quirky and cool Shoreditch, and you can see where I\u2019m going with this. My usual \u2018going out\u2019 excuse of \u201cWhy not? It\u2019s London!\u201d, works every time. To be fair, the never-ending line of cool pop-up bars and hole-in-the-wall eateries that you \u201chave to try\u201d makes this excuse all the more reasonable. Indulge me, please.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. My well-meaning intentions of mini-breaks and weekend getaways has had a shameful start<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"london<\/p>\n

My one and only trip to the English countryside<\/strong><\/h5>\n

This, my friends, is perhaps what I\u2019m most embarrassed to admit. After living in London for just over six months, I have not yet been on one weekend away to explore more of Europe. I cringe even writing this.<\/p>\n

I recently admitted this deep dark secret to my born-and-bred London friends, and they didn\u2019t seem nearly as horrified as I expected. That\u2019s the thing about living in London, you\u2019re spoilt for choice but yet, no matter how close the rest of Europe is, or how cheap flights are, by the time Saturday rolls around many a Londoner (myself included) will find themselves at their local pub, knee-deep into their third packet of crisps. The fast-paced nature of the city calls for a little hibernation at times.<\/p>\n

The Sydney-sider in me is less forgiving than my London crew though. Having travelled more than 24 hours to reach this amazing continent, I should really<\/u> explore more. So, I\u2019m renewing my pledge; to travel well, and often, on the weekends. Someone follow up with me in six months\u00a0time please.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. People ask why I left Sydney, a lot.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

One of the most common conversations I\u2019ve had since moving to London goes something like this \u2026<\/p>\n

Them:<\/strong> So you\u2019re Australian?<\/p>\n

Me:<\/strong> Yep.<\/p>\n

Them<\/strong>: Why did you leave? It\u2019s so \u2026 sunny there!<\/p>\n

Me:<\/strong> \u2026<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong, Australia is amazing; there\u2019s nowhere quite like it, and if you haven\u2019t been I can\u2019t recommend a visit enough. I just struggle to understand those who cannot see London\u2019s appeal. I mean, it\u2019s London<\/u>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. I\u2019m not constantly [smiling]<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Surprise, surprise. Despite my Four Weddings and a Funeral<\/em>-style predictions, I am not always happy in my adopted city. Moving to a new place doesn\u2019t magically solve all your problems. In fact, sometimes it makes those problems even more difficult. Being without close family and friends in times of need can be lonely. After all, a problem shared is a problem halved. However, jumping ship does give you a fresh, new perspective that you wouldn\u2019t get at home, and opens the door for exciting opportunities to come your way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6. I\u2019d do it again in a heartbeat.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

From Big Ben and the River Thames\u00a0to historic pubs and lush parks, there\u2019s nowhere quite like old London town.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Six months away from Sydney, I\u2019m taking stock of my life in old London town; revealing the good, the bad and the ugly\u2026 and all that wasted money on ubers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,58,12,23],"tags":[69,70],"yoast_head":"\nLondon Life: An Expat's Expectations versus' Reality | The Guidebook - isango!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Six months away from Sydney, I\u2019m taking stock of my life in old London town; revealing the good, the bad and the ugly\u2026 and all that wasted money on ubers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.isango.com\/theguidebook\/london-life-expat-series\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"London Life: An Expat's Expectations versus' Reality | The Guidebook - isango!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Six months away from Sydney, I\u2019m taking stock of my life in old London town; 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