The five people you meet in London.
If you know me you know I don’t like talking to strangers. I feel as if I am intruding, not allowing them their privacy. There is also probably a sense of fear of rejection or making myself look silly in that as well.
But, Thursday, I bit the bullet and (by force – well, as part of a class assignment) talked to five people on the streets of London. Our task was to meet people living in London and ask them what advice they had for people living here for the summer.
The first man a met was Italian. He had come to London in order to improve his English and was working as a doorman at a hotel. His visa expires after two years, forcing him back to Italy. In my conversation with him, it struck me that while he was an immigrant and loved London, he had the attitude of understanding why he wasn’t allowed to permanently stay. To me, we often hear the other side of the story; those who, once they enter a country, believe it is their right to stay and have the rights of all other citizens.
This mindset brought me back to what our CAPA advisor told us many times in the first few days of being here: our time in London is a privilege, not a right. We are visitors in a foreign country and it is a privilege that they are letting us stay here for the time they are.
Chris, my next acquaintance didn’t have much to say. He warned me not to get pickpocketed; I took his picture, thanked him for his time and went on my way.
Nadia doesn’t live in London but in Birmingham. Her advice was to buy everything I need on the eastern side of the city. Apparently groceries and other essentials are usually a third of the cost as in the city. She said she worries for students who are trying to live here on a budget and pumped me with as much information as possible on how to save. (I have a feeling I will be making a trip back to Gloucester Road to thank her!)
Char and Steve had lots to say. Char, a businesswoman and mother of two also took it upon herself to tell me not to spend money when I didn’t have to. Experiencing the unique things about the city, such as the history and culture, are much more valuable than going shopping and to clubs. We have those things in Columbia – why would you want to do that here? While I completely agree, I don’t think shopping for souvenirs will be crossed of my list of things to do.
Steve, a concierge at a local hotel, offered to trade passports with me. While I don’t think he could pass as Abby Holman, this intrigued me. His beef with London: cost of housing. As someone who thinks $450+ is ridiculous for rent in Columbia, what Steve described as a box-like apartment in London typically starts at £600 (translated into dollars that’s about $990 a month). This doesn’t include furniture, cable, telephone and even hookups for the latter two items. At this point it has been beaten into my head that London is expensive but holy cow. It’s rather difficult being a tightwad in that environment.
While these aren’t the most exciting, famous people in the world, this was interesting. I am proud of myself for approaching these strangers. Their differing points of view and suggestions made for some interesting conversation.
Things I have learned:
The third page of a newspaper is the “feel good” section, usually featuring a heartwarming story or a naked woman. That’s an odd parallel to me but hey, I’m not in charge.
Tabloids all have red mastheads.
The class system is based less on your income/status and more on where you come from. For example, Victoria and David Beckham are considered working class although they have an extremely high net worth.
Things I don’t think I will ever get used to:
The keyboard is different; not drastically, but still. Thank goodness I can use my laptop at work otherwise people would think I didn’t know how to type.
Saying crisps instead of chips – come on, you all know what I am talking about either way.
The conversions of pounds to dollars. Yes, I know that one pound is equal to 1.65 dollars, but when looking at a price tag, all I know is that whatever it is, it’s expensive.
It taking me an hour each way to get to work. My round-trip commute to Boonville all last semester took me about the same time it takes me to get to work in the morning – and there was better scenery.