Yeah rent here is super crazy expensive. So is public transport and generally everything else you may want to buy. The tube is full of angry people with bad BO and at the end of that day you’re spending more than a fiver on a 2/3 pint (its not even a full pint) with mates while it rains outside. But you’re still here, right?
So what’s keeping you in London? It’s not just vacant memories of the great London which existed once upon a time. This constant fight against the man is being fuelled by something more.
Firstly, I don’t think most of us truly believe we’ll be here forever. This is especially true for those of us who aren’t born and raised Londoners. We can’t be this poor for too long. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be 45 and still have housemates. So we’re – excuse the upcoming cheesy line – living in the moment. Who cares about long-term savings, mortgages and what not? I don’t even know what else to put on this list – it’s all too far beyond my life right now.
We may as well spent our weekly budget on a festival in the park while we still have some decent weather. Or stop by one of the many East London food markets within run-down industrial spaces and chow down on tacos which look like works of art while sipping on cocktails from carved-out watermelons (StreetFeast in Ralston). To me, that is glorious.
And let’s just leave central London for tourists and the elite. They can have their high-end retail stores, £50-entry clubs and couture haircuts. Just give me some cheap vintage clothes from Brick Lane Market, a local pub filled with people dancing on tables to T-Swift and my Turkish barber down the road who only charges a tenner. That’s more than enough for me. And if I feel like spoiling myself, I might just pop down to Columbia Road Market for some cheap flowers while being entertained by the big burly men screaming out deals for pretty lilies and orchids. They get me every time.
I may work in a bar all day or all night – sometimes both – but it’s worth it. Plus it’s not hard to find another fellow Londoner who wants to vent about their daily struggles. We’re all brought together by the fight. We find joy in the small things and in each other. We think we’re tough while cosying up to one another on a cold winter’s night watching Bridget Jones’ Diary for the millionth time. Now that ain’t too bad.
But back to the job market. Many of us might be working a lot for very little but the possibilities for greatness are everywhere. London is a hub for so many industries which allow us to try out so many new and exciting fields. Employers are always looking to hire those from different areas with a plethora of experiences. They want the personality and the determination. They can train the rest.
This is rare. Not many other cities offer so many possibilities. Think of London as your own experiment in life. Dip your feet into a few pools, either professionally or just for shits and gigs. You’ll work at it for a long time and might even make it into the elite but failure is inevitable. And that’s ok. Just keep trudging on. If you’ve got what it takes, you’ll get there in the end. London will reward you – but yes it will also throw a few punches along the way.
And when or if the time comes for me to leave, to slow down the pace and settle down, I won’t regret my move to London. I survived the big bad city. And I take pride in that. So bitch about the city all you like – just don’t hate on it so much that you miss out on everything else it’s offering.
Tales of an Aussie Traveller 