London is a diverse and exciting city, full of attractions, activities and beautiful green spaces. A curious and unique combination of English rigor and international flair. Though often hidden by cold, damp weather, this city’s beating heart always offers something new to do, no matter what your business or your budget.
Student life in London runs fast, and as soon as you learn to keep up with it, you’ll be able to enjoy the city’s various offerings. To help you adapt, here are my own first impressions, as an international postgraduate student arrived just a month ago.
Don’t worry, be... friendly!
Even more than in other large cities, here it’s easy to feel lost and unheeded; everybody is always running and being friendly doesn’t seem to be considered. One may ask: is that true? Is it simply a kind of stereotype about life in London?
This is probably just a first impression, but during a lecture I saw the 2012 advertising campaign ‘GREAT Britain – You’re Invited’, which aimed to give a more friendly and engaged face to the country.
What I don’t understand is if the matter is a kind of prudence, or if it’s just because everybody is focused on themselves with no time or care for others. So maybe it would be useful to adopt a basic social rule: just smile and be kind! And hopefully in the future it will be easier to look beyond the Londoners’ strict armor.
Be prepared for short days and bad weather
Another cliché about life in London might be the bad weather, and (since I arrived in the middle of winter), this first month has been always cold, windy, sometimes even snowing! That means no fun to hang around and explore the city.
It would have been easy to feel nostalgic and depressed. But depression is not the right mood.
The best solution in this case has been to turn this issue into an opportunity to explore a different side of London’s attractions: museums and exhibitions. London is full of interesting, different museums and most of them are free – so no excuses!
The setting is warm, facilities are clean, you can find free wi-fi inside and always a coffee corner. More information about current exhibitions is available on dedicated websites, such as the famous TimeOut.
Finding “home sweet home” may not be so easy…
One of the most difficult steps when starting life in London is to find a room in a shared apartment. A friend told me that it’s not actually that easy to find a decent room, in a safe area, at an affordable price... and she was right!
Although websites as SpareRoom or MoveFlat are really helpful, the research can be long and sometimes frustrating: many calls, emails or texts sent to receive just a few replies. Life in London is always expensive, but despite the high rent, rooms seems to basically fly off the listings – it’s unbelievable!
Just as I was wondering if being alone in a totally new city was a mistake... a solution appeared. What a relief!
Free time is precious – make the most of it
All working people will agree that when you have a stable job or a family to be focused on, free time becomes as precious as gold. Of course for students the main activity should be study, but being able to properly manage days and deadlines should mean enough free time to also enjoy life in London to the full.
Having free time in London can mean being able to enjoy sporting activities or personal passions, or dedicate yourself to voluntary work, for example, and link a useful opportunity to an exciting activity.