l is for london
it's true. i missed the letter l out - sort of on purpose, sort of by accident. i had m all scheduled for the week i had all those gigs lined up, and then in a scheduling frenzy i.. forgot about l. then it kind of got out of control. but, here we are.
i moved to london on a whim. spurred on by my good friend erin (who is british but who i met back in new zealand) at the end of a bad relationship, i bought a one-way ticket, saved my ass off for the next 9 months, quit my job under a web of lies and left australia on christmas day of 2010. after sharing one of the best christmases in melbourne surrounded by some of the bestest and kindest humans i have ever met, i was adamant that i would be back once i ran out of money (still could happen), and they were sure i wouldn't. well, fast forward more than two years, and looks like they were right.
initially, i didn't love london. i didn't know anyone, i couldn't get a job, and rebekah - my number one travelling partner, was not being held up out of the country by ongoing visa problems. i was couch surfing, and feeling really homesick. while i waited for rebekah to get to london, i went to visit my friend dan in ireland for a few weeks, to get out of erin's hair for a bit.
there, i (re)met rob - a friend of dan's i had known back in adelaide, but at a good few years younger than me, had never really hung around with. after two minutes of us re-meeting in cork, we were friends for life. we just clicked, and had the exact same personality; dry, witty and awesome. lucky for me, he was living in london too, and like me was in need of more friends. things were looking up. hanging out in cork with my old mate dan, rob and new friend michael was so much fun. i considered staying put and trying to find work there, but with travel plans calling me from london, i knew i had to get back.
once bex had made it in, and we were done travelling, i found a job. within days, i had met some really great people, and it seemed like i had uncovered some sort of social life. the first year i was in london, i think i was out most nights; during the week, with people from work, and on weekends with rob in an aussie pub somewhere, with bex and her mate ani's friends at a posh bar somewhere, or with erin and her friends back in essex, close enough to my couch to fall asleep if necessary.
once i was working, finding my own flat and making other friends, life in london became a zillion times easier, especially with boyfriend in tow. born and bred in the east in, he' got the london streets carved into the back of his hands. he knows where everything is, and knows the best way there. under his direction, i found all the best shortcuts to work, and now i get to see all the sights everyday; i walk through trafalgar square on the way to work, the office is just off carnaby street, i get my morning coffees off piccadilly circus... living in london has seen me at the theatre a number of times, the zoo, the parks, the bridges. "i've seen a palace in london, i've see a castle in wales". i've seen a castle in london too, sort of. the museums, the landmarks, the festivals, the royal weddings and jubilee celibrations. i've seen them all.
london is the most beautiful city on a good day, and the most horrid city on the worst. it is my favourite place to be alone in, to get lost in a crowd. the best thing about london, is the anonymity in the masses; you're literally nobody and everybody at the same time. there are so many individuals with their own style walking these streets, that i've never felt more comfortable in my own skin anywhere else in the world. i spend my days off exploring the markets; borough, camden, spitalfeilds.. the most unique, quirky and random people are those you find in the markets - not to mention the amazing food and other bits and pieces. i've never lived anywhere that literally never stops giving.
i have a life in london. i have amazing friends, boyfriend and ongoing adventures. sure, i miss 'home' from time to time, but then i remember; home is where the heart is. and, my heart is in london.
oh, and did i mention the shopping? hmm. nuff said.
*a-z of me is a weekly series created when i was suffering writers block. i also thought it might be a good way for you to get to know me a little bit better.. outside of the general nonsense and backwards mirror pictures. to follow the rest of the series, click here.
