Northern Girl in a London World

 

I’ve been a Londoner for officially a month now, and it’s been an experience to say the least! I’ve had my highs and my lows, tried things for the first time, and even some things for the last time…

Growing up in a very small village in the North of England, the bustling streets and hectic life of London living was, to put it mildly, quite a shock. I’ve only just become accustomed to the ‘walk quickly or be pushed to the side’ rule, only just perfected my ‘tube face’ (to be explained later) and also just realised that my Oyster card is as important as a limb- I can’t get anywhere without it without facing some real problems.

My first day alone in the big smoke holds both good and bad memories. Let us start with the bad: (best to get it over and done with, so I always say) I got lost. I know what you’re thinking ‘it’s a big city, you’re here for the first time, it’s understandable’ and yes, whilst those factors may be true, they don’t really apply to this particular occasion. As, I managed to get myself lost inside a tube station. The peculiar thing was that I got lost in trying to exit it, even with the numerous ‘way out’ signs. I apparently looked like the average Londoner, and so was followed by three (equally as lost) Chinese tourists. They followed me as I walked up and down the same flight of stairs THREE times, as I walked along the train platform TWICE, and as I slumped against the wall exasperated and flustered.

With tiredness looming, and the prospect of never seeing sunlight again I decided I simply had to pick myself up, dust myself down, and try once more. With my three new best friends in tow, I kept my eye on those ‘way out’ signs like my life depended on them and, miraculously, I somehow made it out. I felt the cooling breeze of the outside world, saw the glistening sun in the sky, and was hit by the smell of Chinese sweet and sour sauce. Freedom.

The annoyance that previously filled my body was completely forgotten about once I stepped foot onto the cobbles of my favourite street: Oxford Street of course! With my student loan safely tucked away in my bank, and my brain tuned in to my new mission, I strode away from the tube station and lost myself in a world of clothes, shoes and bags…

The countless hours I've spent, in this month alone, sat on various tubes has taught me more about people than the past 18 years of my life ever have. Not only do you see some real fashion disasters and, shall we say, 'odd' behaving people, but you also get the pleasure of observing everyone's 'tube face'. For non-tube passengers, a 'tube face' is that facial expression everyone adopts when their phone has run out of battery and they thus have no way of entertaining themselves. When you're sat directly across from a complete stranger, it is not really very appropriate to stare right at them so, instead, you plaster on your 'tube face'- the 'I might be physically here, but mentally I'm somewhere else' look, the expression where your eyes are glazed over, your mouth neither smiling nor frowning, and your head facing no way but straight in front. Yes, after a month I have managed to perfect such a face- no more awkward staring contests with the person opposite me now...

An aspect of London living I will never be doing again is asking for directions. Why? Because after following someone's 'reliable' directions, I ended up in Demark Hill- i.e. very far away from where I wanted to be- in the rain and the cold, with only my scarf and a thin Topshop jumper to protect me from the elements. Long story short, what should've been a 45 minute journey took me nearly 3 hours (no exaggeration).

But one good thing London has given me is Froyo! Frozen Yoghurt. Those two words alone can turn my bad day right back around! So, it's not all bad...

So, there's my first rant over and done with! I promise my posts won't always be like this- I really am a 'glass half full' kinda girl! Don't believe me? Well, make sure you read my next blog post to be proved wrong!

S, XOXO

 

I hope you enjoyed reading my first post, and are liking my blog! Any advice? - I'm a complete newbie so any is welcome!! Is there anything you love or loathe about London life? I'd love to hear about it so please comment below!