A Kiwi freshly arrived in London

So I’ve just done the typical 20 something kiwi thing and moved to London. It may seem like an easy next step seeing so many young New Zealanders have done it before me but it turns out leaving everything behind and setting up a new life in this sprawling metropolis on the other side of the world has both its highs and its lows. Before I tell you more about them here is some of my small observations from the first few days in Londontown.

First Impressions from the first few days

How British

Ooooo look red double decker buses, red post boxes, red phone boxes and  black taxi cabs! It’s all SO British! 

Navigating the Underground

Wow this tube thing is a wee bit confusing compared to other subways I’ve used. Some trains running on the same lines don’t end up in the same place, hope I don’t get hopelessly lost! Take me back to Paris where the metro is all so easy!

Touristing but not

There’s all these places that seem so familiar from the news and movies like Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Big Ben, Westminster and Buckingham palace. Pinch me, is this real?!

So where is that…?

But then there’s all this stuff I don’t know, like where all these suburbs are?! This city seems huge!  And like where should I try and find a place to live? How do I know where to avoid and where is super expensive and where all the hip millennials like me (ahem) hang out?

Grocery Shopping

Ahhh touring supermarkets, one of my favourite things to do whenever I get to a new country. The ready meals are really great and not too expensive here, which is quite ideal! Other than that there’s not too much weird or different stuff though, there’s sour cream and cottage cheese and blue top milk. It’s just like home except less expensive : )

Clothes Shopping

Yay for Topshop and H&M and Primark! I know, I know we have some of these in little old New Zealand now but the range is no way near as good. And everything is soooo cheap here too… oh wait, 35 pounds is more like NZ $65… maybe not as cheap as I thought! I really need to stop converting prices. 

Unpronounceable Places Names

I may come from New Zealand’s most British City and living in Christchurch has prepared me well for knowing how to say Leicester and Worcestershire but how do I pronounce Southwark, Marylebone, Chiswick and Walthamstow?!

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So many new things to figure out before I can properly settle into London life! I’ll be sure to keep you updated soon on how the first month has turned out.