Henry James once said,” it is difficult to speak adequately or justly of London. It is not a pleasant place; it is not agreeable, festive, or easy or exempt from reproach. It is only superb .”- here’s a little love letter from Neha, a kiwi expat in London who’s just returned to New Zealand.
As London and the rest of England slip into a second nation-wide lockdown, spirits will no doubt will be dampened. How are we back in this same place again?
Earlier on in the year, we tolerated virtually three and a half months of lockdown in London. So I know that having to go through it again will be really difficult and challenging for numerous parties. Being stuck inside in a city not known for its opening will be so hard in a town so full of life. But London and Londoners will survive.
As someone who left a piece of her centre in London, here’s a little love letter, in the hope that it will help people appreciate the amazing city that is London!
Dear London,
It’s been really over a month since I left your shores, but I miss you every single date. What a relationship we’ve had! The two years we had together time flew by, and before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye. I wasn’t ready. For the first time in a long time, I felt physically feeling and sad about leaving.
How is it that you’ve constituted me feel like this in such a short time? It’s incredible the impact a place can have on the heart.
From second-guessing to creating memorable moments
When I decided to move to London, a lot of people in New Zealand questioned me. Why? My friends wondered why I was leaving a beautiful country and a well-paying job to go to London?
Everyone I spoke to mentioned the gray-haired, rainy days, the crowds, and the traffic , none in a neat action. Most parties didn’t get it.
But there was just something about you that enticed me away halfway across the world despite all the negative things parties said. Looking back now, I am absolutely delighted I pursued you and decided to leave Christchurch to be in London. Two year ago, a dream came true-blue for me. I make it in the most genuine, sincere method possible.
You’re large-hearted, staggering, and expensive. You’re heaving with bunches, but you can still make one feel lonely, even at the best of days. But you’re likewise very comforting and friendly and welcoming. It’s a understanding I’ve grown to love.
You welcomed me with open arms, adopted me as an expat, and furnished me with opportunities and events I never meditated possible. Thank you.
In awe
People love to complain about the Tube, the pollution, the homelessness. I get it; I’ve done it too. Sometimes it does get a bit too much, and it genuinely sucks. But more often than not, I’ve noticed myself in awe of the amazing, crazy, beautiful municipal that maybe you. The grizzly feature is part of the character; it’s what impels you, you.
You really do proposal something to everyone, whether they’re with you for a short visit or they’re around to make a living.
All things Underground
Speaking of the Tube, my goodness, where do I begin !?
Yes, it is stuffy. It is jam-pack with parties like sardines in a can, but no one can argue that it is one of the best things about living in London. Name a better public transport system; I dare you. There is so much to been fucking loving the iconic Tube.
From its heritage and progression, the tube map, the roundel, the individuality of tube stations( from the Sherlock tiles in Baker Street to the artwork of Tottenham Court Road ), the frequency of develops, the tube etiquette( I could write a whole essay about this itself ), there is so much! Then there’s that minute of exhilaration when you no longer need to refer to the map to figure out which text to make. Success!
You already know how to get from Shoreditch to Hammersmith. I had that time very. That’s when I knew I was a neighbourhood, and I belonged here. I was home, and it felt immense!
I love you for the incredible museums that have found a home in you. What other municipals in the world offer the collection of museums that you do? From the beautiful Natural History Museum, the serene Victoria& Albert Museum to quirky ones like the Sewing Museum and British Dental Association Museum- there’s something for everyone, and it expenses us good-for-nothing!
Of pubs, food markets, cafes, and bookstores!
I love London for all of your taverns.
I love that each saloon has a story and record behind it and that they all thrive in one place together! And what about the tradition of Sunday roasts? When my sister asked me what I demanded my last-place snack to be before I left you, I knew it had to be a good old traditional Sunday roast at a regional pub.
I have never seen a Yorkshire pudding this good, anywhere in the world!
This fetches me to food- a lot of people advised me that good nutrient is hard to come by in London even though it’s a melting pot of cultures. In my humble belief, they couldn’t be further from the truth.
You have allowed me to eat some of the nicest food I’ve ever feed. Affordable Michelin star eateries serving the best of the UK produce, the fresh, handmade pasta at Padella( if you guys haven’t been, disappear THE MINUTE it is safe to do so, again !), the hummus at your umpteen Middle-Eastern restaurants, and all the incredible street food at the countless food markets; Borough, Brick Lane, Portobello, to refer a few cases- there is so much good food here that I have come back to NZ a few kilos heavier!
And what about the myriad of cafes and bookshops that are fussing with fervent patrons.
Much like every bar has some biography behind it, I found that every coffee that is ran in your whimsical cafes has a story behind it: every bookshop, its own charm. I convey, precisely look at Word on the Water- a bookshop on a canal barge render a beautiful potpourrus of classic and contemporary story and non-fiction books.
I love you because of your compassion for boast, style, skill, and structure. You’re home to the home of cricket and the ultimate in tennis. Do I it is necessary even mention football?
I’ve adored going to the pub and going amongst it during a game of rugby or cricket; I’ve experienced screaming until I lost my voice watching the Champions League Final in 2019, just as much as I’ve experienced robbing in the history and chivalry that accompanies a game of experiment cricket at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
A macrocosm of differentiates
In you, I attained all sorts of bewildering contrasts.
The streets around Westminster where Big Ben and Westminster Abbey proudly stand are full of history. But only across the Thames, there’s likewise modernity to be found in The Shard. Fitzrovia’s streets are quiet, with lots of quaint local bakeries and cafes distinguishing with the hustle and tumult of Borough Market. I’ve moved past the nicest homes and flashiest cars in St John’s Wood just as I’ve hear signeds of battle and homelessness near King’s Cross.
This is just a small glimpse into why I love you. You tolerate distinguishes to co-exist. In London, you cause people, residences, and things to be who they are without judgment. Here beings write their own tales no matter where they’ve come from, how much they give, what part of you they choose to live in.
I have to admit our relationship did have a bit of a rutted start even if they are I affection London now.
Sometimes, spotting a home in you is hard work – you don’t make it easy. Your overwhelming nature can be suffocating. Even with thousand of parties around you, you can make one feel lonely. I felt the same for a while until you allowed me to get into a programme, and that’s when I fell in love. That’s when I admired you for being the strong, check metropoli that has stood the test of age across centuries.
True adoration
London, I fell in love with you for being unabashedly yourself. A locate where one can find comfort in the promise of rainfall every other day, one can find the gala spirit under the dazzling Christmas angels on Regent Street, one can find certainty in your changing seasons, and sometimes one can find oneself…in awe, captivated in a gather of people in the midst of Piccadilly Circus.
I love London.
Thank you for being you.
What city have you inspected/ lived in that stole your nature? What are your favorite things about traveling, more, are living below metropolis other than those you were brought up in? Spill!
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