London Moose

Feeling quite settled in here now. Loving the new slim-line commute, being able to do stuff after work, and coming home to peace, quiet, and my own Ikeafied space.

It's quite funny really, to think of myself as a "Londoner". After being brought up in various non-consequential suburbs, my daily wanderings now take me around Oxford Street, Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty and that unforgettable sax riff...!) - places you hear on the telly, or go sightseeing to, but not everyday on your way to work. It is strange to finally be in the middle of such a famous city with millions of other people. When I was a teenager I used to sometimes imagine growing up to be a professional in the big city and having this hugely fascinating job, but I thought I would have a lot more hoops to jump before I got to that stage - in reality, it's just me, thinking the same things I always have, just with a different backdrop.

One thing that strikes me about Londoners in general is that it's very rarely you see very relaxed, satisfied people on the way to and from work; everyone seems to want more - more money, more time, to get somewhere faster or to be further ahead in the queue. A lot of people seem to have permanently frowny faces which makes me want to start smile practice - although every now and then though you'll make a random connection with someone over something (had some more conversations with the Smiley Cyclist by the way!).

Do I miss Japan? Tough question. Of course there are people and places I miss with all my heart, but I'm surprised that I don't miss the foreign atmosphere more - I guess that partly has to do with still working in a Japanese office and still getting called Anne-chan every day!! Life here is completely different - in Japan I knew more people, spent like 75% of my time driving, and lived in the most beautifully inconvenient place, where everyone knew who I was. Here, I spend a lot more time on my own, a lot more time thinking, get a lot more exercise, and everything is more convenient (there's not much they don't sell at some price on Oxford Street!) and I am pretty much entirely anonymous. Things are still different here, and I am still getting my life set up which I guess has replaced the challenge of living with a different culture and language. The one thing that I really enjoy, though, is the simple fact of being able to make daily material things go exactly how I want them to, rather than some necessarily approximate compromise. I can buy exactly the food, clothes, necessities I need and am used to using with minimum hassle - the potential to build a life around myself that reflects who I am, rather than being assigned one, is currently a very beautiful thing...