A Year in London

This past week marked the one year anniversary of James and I arriving in London together (James has lived here before but my first time).

A few of the things I/we have done and achieved this past year:

• Found jobs.
• Found a place to live...three times! We are about to move again into our own 2 bed flat...ahhhh can't wait for the privacy and space of not living in a share house.
• Travelled to some placed in Europe neither of us have been before.
• Travelled to parts of England I've never seen.
• Done the channel crossing on a Ferry.
• Been to the theatre several times.
• Made friends and reconnected with old ones.
• Learnt that getting lost in London is part of the fun and not to panic.
• Finally adjusted to the way of the tube....ie. head down, earphones in, steel yourself for the squashed journey.
• Kept my accent, no duvet, flip flops and crisps for me, it's still doona, thongs and chips :)
• Discovered some of the best places to shop, although like most people I suppose, the perfect pair of jeans still eludes me.
• Found "our" restaurant, a lovely little Korean place we love to go.
• Learnt that the Brits don't do coffee like the Aussies....you need to ask for an extra shot or it tastes like hot milk!
• Learnt to appreciate the small things, like sitting in the park and reading a book, because quiet time and green space is rare.
• And many many more....!

I'm quite proud of myself for making it through the first year relatively unscathed. It was apparently the coldest winter on record and for someone who doesn't like the cold that was a big achievement on it's own. Although the British culture is so similar to Australia, there are also many differences which you don't appreciate until you live here. So there have been some tough days in there, I won't lie, I have missed my friends, family and the space and way of life Australia has to offer. But then I just have to walk out of the building at work and see the London Eye peeking over Westminster Abbey at the end of the road, or walk through St James's Park and spy Buckingham Palace and I realise that London too has so much and we haven't yet scratched the surface.