As the true addict that I am, rather than curing my itchy feet, going overseas only ever fuels my desire to travel even more. In 2014 when I moved to Auckland to start my first ‘proper’ full-time job I was just aiming to save up my dineros for a few years before spending a decent amount of time abroad. My partner and I started hatching a plan to go backpacking and after batting around a lot of ideas we settled on travelling for 4 months in North America & Europe. Except, we didn’t bother booking a return ticket. Instead we made the slightly scary decision to move to London at the end of our trip – a city we hadn’t even visited yet!
Like a lot of other kiwis in their mid to late twenties we figured ‘why not?’ Why not make the most of the opportunity to take up a work visa in the United Kingdom. Or in Ben’s case why not claim that British passport that he was actually entitled to. In early May 2017 we left New Zealand and at the beginning of September we finally arrived in London. With nothing but a travel backpack on our backs, and the offer of a friend’s couch to sleep on, we started our London life.
Cut to September 2018 and we’re no longer fresh faced London virgins, in fact we’ve just hit our one year London anniversary. We’re starting to feel like we know this crazy city reasonably well and can really call it ‘home’. Over the last few weeks we’ve started reflecting on all that has happened in the last year and where we are now at on our ‘London Journey’ (if you’ll excuse the corniness.) Now that life is looking and feeling a lot more settled we can’t help thinking about where we would like to be in a year’s time as well.
So what can I, as a fairly well seasoned London local, tell you about what your first year in London will look like? Well, the truth is it totally depends on you, and what you are wanting to get out of this experience. Some people come here to simply travel to as many places as they can. Others come here to work and further their careers instead. Some come to get a full immersion experience by avoiding other Kiwis/Aussies/Canadians and only hanging out with Brits. Others are just looking to party it up with fellow expats and sign up for every crazy festival or adventure they can possibly fit in to their time here.
But I say why not have a little bit of everything? In the last year I’ve mastered a completely new job in a new industry as a Programme Officer in Higher Education. Through my work I’ve made some great new British and European friends. In my downtime I’ve also made heaps of new Kiwi & Aussie friends- it turns out as fellow expats we just get each other. I’ve made it to four new countries and I’ve explored new parts of two places I had already been to before. I’ve discovered countless new cities and regions in both the UK/Ireland and Europe. Sometimes I’ve travelled with just my partner or a visiting relative, other times I’ve gone away for a party weekend with friends. I’ve played in the snow in minus ten degrees temps in Norway and I’ve lain on the beach in 35 degree heat in Greece.
Just as living in London will provide you with amazingly varied experiences I’ve also learnt that it will throw at you some pretty low moments. I’ve faced having to move my stuff to different airbnbs/friends places/short term lets about four times in the first few months of living here. I’ve faced job uncertainty with a contract that has been rolled over periodically, sometimes only for an extra month at a time. I’ve unfortunately also had to face reasonably debilitating back pain that has left me unable to do even the mildest form of exercise.
Now before you start thinking ‘Oh my gosh, that sounds terrible, why would you put yourself through all that?!’ please know that I’ve also had the highest of highs. I’ve drunk too much Glühwein and eaten too much Wurst at the Christmas market in Luxembourg. I’ve spent St Patrick’s Day drinking Guinness in Ireland with some of my dearest friends. I’ve tried out some damn good dark beers that taste like coffee and chocolate in Galway and Oslo and anywhere else I can get my hands on them. I’ve road tripped around Scotland with Ben and my brother in the most beautiful weather that made the colours and scenery so vivid you could almost cry.
So one year in and yep, we’re still loving it. We may have some big changes coming up in terms of jobs and flats so we know it won’t all be smooth sailing. But we’ve already booked an overseas trip per month through until Christmas and can’t wait for all the exciting adventures that the next year will bring!
The long and short of it is that moving to London may challenge you in ways you never expected but it also has the potential to make your dreams come true.