Blogging takes time, it takes thought, and it takes effort. Now that I have left London after 3 crazy years there I am hoping to write more. I’m not sure what other word there is for it. I hated London, I loved London, I felt poor, excited, overwhelmed, inspired, and challenged all in ways I could never imagine.
I regret that I didn’t prioritise writing this blog more, I have a measly 8 posts to show for 3 years. That’s not even one every three months! I love to write, but sometimes other things take over. What I hope is that now I will be able to prioritise my time on writing more here (and in my private journal too).
Coming from New Zealand (where 4 million people live in a space the size of the UK) moving to London is somewhat of a change, I think no matter where you come from, moving to London is a big change. I don’t want to dwell on that so much. This post will be a reflection on my time in London and what I hope for now.
I was settled in London – as a city it was home and I felt like a Londoner. I was active socially, engaged in the politics, had a great job, and a lovely flat. It wasn’t always so. In 3 years I moved 7 times. I wasn’t anywhere for longer than a year. I moved for various reasons including my relationship breaking down to a domestic violence incident between my flat mates. The benefit was that I got to know a lot of London and experience all that each area has to offer. The disadvantage apart from the cost was that I didn’t have a place that I felt was home for most of my time living there.
London is such an exciting city, almost anything you want in the world is there. I loved the food scene, the professional opportunities, the amazing people you the meet, the Christmas lights & windows, the constant renewal & change, the beautiful people, and the diversity! I didn’t like the crowds, the expense, the endless time it took to get around, the lack of true nature, and the feeling that all my time was sucked up by work and commuting.
I will never regret my time in London. It is an amazing city for so many reasons and I had opportunities there that I wouldn’t have had in New Zealand. But I am very happy to leave and start a new part of my life with my husband in his country and to learn his language – a long time dream.
