London, first impressions, July

We arrived into London on 13 July. Since it was summer, we expected mild, or perhaps even warm, temperatures. However, having been swanning around in temperatures upwards of 35 degrees Celsius, the 15 degrees we stepped out into was a definite shock to the system. We spent the first few weeks staying with my brother and his wife, who both thought we were ridiculous for bundling up in our winter coats, jeans, and gloves. In all fairness though, when I skyped family back in NZ (where it was mid-winter), it was actually 15 degrees over there too.

The tube ride in from the airport was fascinating for us newbies. With our big backpacks during rush hour, we must’ve annoyed a few commuters. It was so strange seeing so many people in suits, and all staying completely silent throughout the journey. In our SE Asia backpacking clothes, we definitely stuck out like sore thumbs, especially alongside people in what seemed like incredibly trendy clothing. Trying not to stare, we also looked out the windows, and all the brick houses we passed looked so pretty and quaint.

At the time, my brother and his wife were living in Finsbury Park/Hackney in North London. As the last leg of our journey was spent in bustling Bangkok, the streets in their neighbourhood seemed so quiet.

I remember wondering what an ‘off-license’ was – I just thought there were all these liquor shops everywhere. For those not in the know, it’s actually like a corner store/dairy/four square; the place where you pick up your milk, bread, etc.

Another surprise was just how multicultural London is. Just jump on a bus and you’re bound to hear a multitude of different languages and see a multitude of different ethnicities. At times, coming from New Zealand just seems so downright boring in comparison. Although NZ is quite multicultural, the mix is quite different.

 Aside from being cold and discovering new wondrous things like oversized notes that won’t fit in a standard wallet, we spent the first few weeks in London flat hunting, attempting to get bank accounts, national insurance numbers, and in my case, job hunting.

Kylie had enjoyed unemployment so much that he didn’t fancy going back to work straight away, and so he took a much more relaxed approach.

Looking for a flat is not an easy task in London, particularly when you’re new to the city, and have no idea what different parts of the city are like, and how much to expect to pay.

I heard recently of someone who advertised a room to rent and within the first 24 hours, they had received 150 emails. The demand is simply so high that getting a room is extremely competitive.

It didn’t take us too long to sort out a place however. We are now living in Brockley, in South East London. We share a terraced house with four others; an Australian and an Italian girl, and another couple, he a Londoner, and she Indian.

Home sweet home

Chapel in Brockley Cemetry, near to our flat

Many had told me that although it’s cold in the UK, the houses are actually insulated and aren’t damp – something we’d lived with in many flats back in Wellington. Unfortunately, this did not turn out to be the case for our humble abode. I’m told that after the war and the damage it caused, there was a need to erect housing quickly and cheaply, and so terraced houses came to be. Corners were cut and small matters like insulation were clearly not high on the priority list. Our lovely landlady also seems to be a fan of ‘repairing’ things in an interesting fashion, but that’s another story for another time.