Have you ever wondered, what it would be like to live somewhere else? I did....
I dreamt of living in Central London, being able to have so much opportunity on my doorstep, from career, to meeting new people, social life, and not forgetting the shops!
This dream, of living in the big smoke was made possible....after sheer determination and hunting high and low for jobs, I finally landed one in London and before I knew it I was packing up my small little world in Scotland and moving to London!
For me it was a massive move. For one thing I still lived at home with my parents, and although I was independent and had done the usual back packing nonsense, I hadn't had my own place or lived as far away from my parents. Regardless, this all seemed exciting and a new adventure to me and I couldn't wait for it to begin!
Fortunately, I was living with three other girls in London, who I randomly came across on Spare Room.com (a site I would definitely recommend if you are thinking about moving to London). We all got on really well, and they kindly introduced me to their circle of friends, which of course makes living in a strange city and not knowing anyone a lot easier!
The first few months living in London were great, it almost felt like an extended holiday, and soon after working hard in a job, I landed another job. (what I thought was my dream job) and everything seemed to be falling into place.
However, what I have learned, is visiting somewhere and living somewhere is a completely different kettle of fish. When you visit somewhere, you get to experience all the fantastic things of a place, all the nice eateries, bars, shops and tourist destinations. However when you live and work somewhere, all of these fantastic things become almost unnoticed and you can often find yourself focusing on the crap things, such as the horrid commute on the tubes to work!
This realisation became apparent to me, working long hours and being too tired to do anything at the weekend, made me reflect and wonder what it was I came to London for. I came to London, for a better life, and as far as I could see, I wasn't experiencing the dream that I had sought. My new "dream" job wasn't satisfying me, and neither was my non existent "life" I had been dreaming of.
I began to realise, that the things, people etc that I had left at home, weren't going to be found here...they were already waiting for me back home. The only thing that was keeping me there was the career I thought I wanted and the life I thought I would lead...but neither were what I had imagined.
After a few weeks of tearing my hair out, and wondering if I was giving up too easily, I knew that deep down, I could have just as good a career back home, surrounded by the people and things I love. (And didn't cost an arm and a leg to live there either!)
As a result, I knew my decision had been made...and before I knew it I had booked a train back home and not only surprised myself but surprised my family and friends.
I am not sure why I am telling you this, it almost feels like I have came to terms with the fact that my "dream" wasn't quite as it seemed, and it's almost therapy to jot it down. However, looking back, I am so glad that I had the opportunity to live and work in London, after all it is a fantastic city with more work opportunities than you can ever imagine. Had I not tried it I would be asking myself right now, "What would it be like to live in London?" Therefore definitely not any regrets, but the few things I have learned are...
1. Always chase your dreams never how crazy they seem
2. Don't be afraid to take risks
3. Always appreciate what you have, because it is not until you don't have it you realise how lucky you are.
4. Never be ashamed of trying and not succeeding, you can always get up and try and try again
5. No job is worth feeling miserable about, no matter how much you try to convince yourself!
Would I return to London? Yes I may return in the future, but I would prefer to return when my career is doing well and I am not having to count every penny I have to enjoy myself! It definitely is an expensive game down there and if I was going to do it again - I would have to do it right!
One thing is for sure...It is not the end, it is a new beginning. Yes I am back to the drawing board as they say, and I must admit, these past few months have been some of the most difficult months of my life, but I cannot wait to see what the next chapter of my life will be! On wards and upwards as they say....
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x
ablondestatement
I dreamt of living in Central London, being able to have so much opportunity on my doorstep, from career, to meeting new people, social life, and not forgetting the shops!
This dream, of living in the big smoke was made possible....after sheer determination and hunting high and low for jobs, I finally landed one in London and before I knew it I was packing up my small little world in Scotland and moving to London!
For me it was a massive move. For one thing I still lived at home with my parents, and although I was independent and had done the usual back packing nonsense, I hadn't had my own place or lived as far away from my parents. Regardless, this all seemed exciting and a new adventure to me and I couldn't wait for it to begin!
Fortunately, I was living with three other girls in London, who I randomly came across on Spare Room.com (a site I would definitely recommend if you are thinking about moving to London). We all got on really well, and they kindly introduced me to their circle of friends, which of course makes living in a strange city and not knowing anyone a lot easier!
The first few months living in London were great, it almost felt like an extended holiday, and soon after working hard in a job, I landed another job. (what I thought was my dream job) and everything seemed to be falling into place.
However, what I have learned, is visiting somewhere and living somewhere is a completely different kettle of fish. When you visit somewhere, you get to experience all the fantastic things of a place, all the nice eateries, bars, shops and tourist destinations. However when you live and work somewhere, all of these fantastic things become almost unnoticed and you can often find yourself focusing on the crap things, such as the horrid commute on the tubes to work!
This realisation became apparent to me, working long hours and being too tired to do anything at the weekend, made me reflect and wonder what it was I came to London for. I came to London, for a better life, and as far as I could see, I wasn't experiencing the dream that I had sought. My new "dream" job wasn't satisfying me, and neither was my non existent "life" I had been dreaming of.
I began to realise, that the things, people etc that I had left at home, weren't going to be found here...they were already waiting for me back home. The only thing that was keeping me there was the career I thought I wanted and the life I thought I would lead...but neither were what I had imagined.
After a few weeks of tearing my hair out, and wondering if I was giving up too easily, I knew that deep down, I could have just as good a career back home, surrounded by the people and things I love. (And didn't cost an arm and a leg to live there either!)
As a result, I knew my decision had been made...and before I knew it I had booked a train back home and not only surprised myself but surprised my family and friends.
I am not sure why I am telling you this, it almost feels like I have came to terms with the fact that my "dream" wasn't quite as it seemed, and it's almost therapy to jot it down. However, looking back, I am so glad that I had the opportunity to live and work in London, after all it is a fantastic city with more work opportunities than you can ever imagine. Had I not tried it I would be asking myself right now, "What would it be like to live in London?" Therefore definitely not any regrets, but the few things I have learned are...
1. Always chase your dreams never how crazy they seem
2. Don't be afraid to take risks
3. Always appreciate what you have, because it is not until you don't have it you realise how lucky you are.
4. Never be ashamed of trying and not succeeding, you can always get up and try and try again
5. No job is worth feeling miserable about, no matter how much you try to convince yourself!
Would I return to London? Yes I may return in the future, but I would prefer to return when my career is doing well and I am not having to count every penny I have to enjoy myself! It definitely is an expensive game down there and if I was going to do it again - I would have to do it right!
One thing is for sure...It is not the end, it is a new beginning. Yes I am back to the drawing board as they say, and I must admit, these past few months have been some of the most difficult months of my life, but I cannot wait to see what the next chapter of my life will be! On wards and upwards as they say....
x
ablondestatement
Love love love this
ReplyDeletehttp://dressedbys.blogspot.co.uk
i totally found the same problem when i lived in london, i wasnt experiencing anything i wanted just working all the time and worrying about how much i was spending for a tiny single room, its good to try it though!
ReplyDeleteinsta; sammipeony