I am now one week into our move to London, and things have been crazy, in a good way mostly.
Contrary to what everyone said, the weather here has been delightful! Cold, yes, but that invigorating cold – with bright sunny days, where all you want to do is get out and do something.
And I’ve done lots of things and learnt lots of things! Here are some highlights:
Booked a rental place
The rental market in London is supposed to be terrible—overpriced for what is on offer. I came here very anxious about finding a decent-sized place (we are used to living in a large-ish house in Bangalore) at a decent price in a safe place, in a good school district, and close to Snubnose’s University area. It’s a pretty huge ask!
Surprisingly, I ended up booking the first place we saw. It’s not perfect, but it felt like a decent-sized place in a family type area with a sweet 20 minute bus ride to Snubnose’s University. It’s not the most accessible place though – not close to a rail station, and more in the countryside than I like, but the focus is more on safety, and it seems reasonably safe 🤞. And hopefully, the schools are decent too 🤞. We ll find out once 🐷 gets here, and we register him with the local council. The house gets ready for let on Mar 20, when the rest of the family will be joining me and that’s when I”ll know for sure about his schooling.
Explored a bit of London
While the house gets finalized, I’ve been living in and exploring a different side of the city – Croydon – which is as urban as my new place is suburban. I love that its vibrant and diverse, and its easy commute to work. Just a couple of train rides and a bus, but that equates to easy in London 😄.
More pics and videos on my instagram.
I’ve restrained myself from exploring too much as I want to wait for the family to land, and after that,we will be doing the more touristy places. For now, I am just restricting myself to the south-east area as it’s highly unlikely we’ll come this side much as a family later on.
Despite being such a huge urban sprawl, I am pleasantly surprised by the huge amount of green spaces in the city. Just a short 20 min tram ride away from these gargantuan skyscrapers is this gorgeousness – Beckenham Lake Place (an entire post dedicated to this place soon to come).
I spent an amazing day here – brought a small picnic lunch, got ice creams (in early March – global warming is really kicking in 😲). The day was just utter bliss.
People
I have been told that Indian expats in other countries are super welcoming and warm. I took that with a pinch of salt, but it seems to be true. My high school bestie, who I had lost contact with, came from Sheffield and we had a lovely meetup. Another college friend has been beyond kind, taking me around, showing me the ropes, and I have felt so much less lonely. These are people who I lost touch with eons ago, and once we met, it’s been just like old times. I am so so grateful for them.
Even the local people have been lovely – showing me the way when I am lost on the streets, even walking with me until I get to the right place! Someone saw me standing at the wrong bus stop and directed me to the correct place. If it had not been for that person’s proactive intervention, I might have been standing there for ages wondering why there wasn’t any bus coming.
In general, most people have been so kind. It sort of makes me very aware of how blunt and standoffish I am with strangers. I have now learnt to say thank you to the bus drivers, and just getting more comfortable with the general small talk and politeness that is expected here.
Transportation and Food
London is a huge city, and transportation is quite the calculation. It’s hugely expensive, but there also are several ways to save money. It’s been interesting – for the first week, I got a weekly travel pass, which has been amazing since I have been traveling quite a lot around the city. But a travel card is also expensive, so the next week, I will try going on an as-needed basis. Let’s see. I have accepted that I am going to be spending a lot on transportation. I do want to have a life and enjoy this city, so it’s going to be a grin and bear it.
Food is surprisingly not bad. I’m vegetarian but I am not picky about Indian food, and I”ll eat anything as long as there’s no mushrooms or coconut milk. I can’t say I am a huge fan of sandwiches and wraps, but it’s quick and easy. It’s also cheap to buy the ingredients at the supermarket and just assemble everything and wrap it up in aluminium foil and eat as you go.
I’m sure it will be a lot more challenging in future weeks when my family comes. I have set expectations rather firmly about cooked meals thrice a day not happening, and hopefully, we will all adjust to much lighter food here.
General life and adulting things
This past week has been a kind of idyllic week for me. Once I booked the rental, there wasn’t much else I could do until the place gets ready. So, I focused on work, getting a bank account, SIM, etc. But the real work will start once I move to the rental, and the family gets here. I just know it’s going to be a mad, chaotic few months (maybe year 😬) until we get everything and everyone sorted and settled.
Looking forward to all the adventures more to come!
