IF ONLY...
A friend of mine has recently gone to London to work. She arrived in London last week and I received an email from her yesterday saying that she misses home very much and that she feels like taking a flight back. And here I am, hoping against hope, wishing so much that I could swap places with her!!! Like hello, I'm putting up my hand here, waving madly, but the teacher doesn't see me.
While looking for permanent accommodation, she's staying at a Service Apartment in Central London, and she describes overlooking the River Thames. Ah, certainly brings back fond memories!
She says that the weather has been erratic but pleasant and she has also gotten a nice tan from all the walking in the sun. In addition, due to low humidity, she feels that her skin is becoming rather dry. For me, I never really had that problem and during Spring and Summer, I just loved the clear blue skies and sunshine! I also really miss all the walking I used to do in London. I really enjoyed walking everywhere - walking to and from the tube stations, Markets(Camden, Borough, Spitalfields, Covent Garden) , the parks(Hyde Park, St. Jame's Park, Kensington Park), and around the city. Walking was such a pleasant activity and basically most times it was better to walk since public transport is so expensive and slow at times.
Anyway, I think she's just suffering from the anxiety of being in a new place. She'll adapt to the place soon enough and she'll find that she'll never want to leave!
I guess when I went over, I was lucky that I didn't have to grapple with problems of settling in . I found lovely accommodation quite soon and subsequently phone and Internet connection. Plus it also helped that I was familiar with the city already. I knew where places were and I knew how to navigate myself around the public transport system the moment I arrived.
Still, I'm up for a swap with her anytime if only reality permitted!
