#explorewednesday What is it really like living in a big city? KEEP CALM LONDON

I arrived to the jungle on the 14th September 2014. The only thing I remember is carrying two massively heavy suitcases and being squashed by millions of people passing through. I haven’t ever been in a more crowded and busier town than this before. I asked myself a question, how am I going to live here? I was quite lucky living in my first year kind of outside of town, as my University is located in South West London where, in my opinion, is a bit quieter. 

I will admit for my first few weeks, I can even say months, it was hard to get used to the distance. London is huuuuuuuge! You can’t just leave the house in the morning and not think what you are going to do later. It is a bit hard to be spontaneous sometimes. You need to plan, you have to be organised. If you are meeting a friend in central, remember trains take forever! So saying I will be there in 10 minutes doesn’t really work in London. Same when it comes to the tube, the busiest place, especially in rush hours. 

What drew my attention at the beginning of living in the capital were really well-dressed women and as well men, however wearing the perfect outfit, with trainers! Please! I think wearing a nice, formal dress and combining it with New Balance shoes is just wrong. Later I got the idea. How a working woman, running around the city, crowding through tourists, would manage a whole day in heels? They all have the heels in their bags, yeah I said bags, that’s another thing I have noticed and I thought it’s weird. People in London carry lots of stuff with them. It saves time on not coming back home every time they need for example: your gym kit, or lunch, or whatever. I caught myself doing the same thing few weeks after… 

And yeah it does rain. A lot. You just get used to it. You have to. Got no choice.  

London is a city you will never ever get bored in. There are thousands and thousands of places and things to do. Even when you are a new Londoner and want to explore a bit on your own. These places are my favourite: Queen Elizabeth Roof Garden Bar & Café and visiting a roof top bar in London is a must! Southbank is just good to sit on the grass on a sunny day, or enjoy a drink, or go for a tasty Mexican meal at Las Iguanas. I really enjoy south west parks and gardens. I study at the Art University but I am not really keen when it comes to galleries. However the ones in London are really good. Tate Modern is really impressive, same as V&A for Fashion lovers. I forgot to mention shopping. Oh my God it is madness in here! I could literally live in some of the shops, starting in Victoria Beckham at Dover Street and finishing in Karl Lagerfeld. You will find everything that you like, any style you love, and any fashion you follow. However remember places like Oxford Street and Regent Street are the busiest, I would recommend South Kensington where you have kind of a nice, little shop village.  

Oh God, I love British accent, especially the one from London! This is not only a London thing but where else in the world do you randomly meet people that call you love? I love the whole UK for that. Everyone is just so nice to each other. A bus driver calls you darling, so does the lady in a grocery shop.

 
Even though there are so many great places to go, London is a capital of fashion which I adore, sometimes I just have enough. Living in a big city is good, you have better opportunities, meet loads of people, you are never bored, however it gets you to the point sometimes when you just need to go home and pretend you are far away from this chaos. So that’s why even though I love London I need a break from it. Everyone does!


 I really must admit I said million times I hate this place. I always complain about too many tourists, you can’t even walk as a normal pedestrian on a street, everyone is in rush, prices are high (apparently buying an island on Caribbean is less expensive than buying a studio in London) but I always get to the point when I stop myself and just imaging all the nice time I had, having and will have in here. 

London is a city of a dreams coming true. For me it really is.