Life update – cheers from London!

Heya! Long time, no chat. For those who may not know, I recently moved to London with my husband, J. It was a big move and boy, have I realized some ‘things’ (to take a page from Kylie Jenner’s book). 

Moving to London is not for the faint of heart – but neither was moving to Chicago. It’s funny how one place can feel so much like home that you forget all of the struggles it took to get there – like the time you pretended to tie your shoe on Jackson Boulevard so people wouldn’t see you crying over social security documentation.

Since moving from the Windy City, I haven’t really been fair to our new home, the Big Smoke. Everything that came out of my mouth upon moving into our flat was along the lines of ‘this would never happen in Chicago.’ I even had to take a break from reading The Devil in the White City because the Chicago landmarks described in every chapter made me homesick for the city – and, if you didn’t know, it’s a book about the 1893 World Fair and America’s first serial killer, H. H. Holmes. So no, not at all sentimental or heartwarming. 

The first month in London was blissful. We landed at Gatwick, hopped in a pre-booked cab with our 300 lbs worth of bags and, despite the jet lag and lack of sleep, I exclaimed to J as we journeyed through the English county of Kent “this feels right. Like home.” The following weeks were spent living out of a posh, central hotel, flat hunting with our charming agent across London, staying with family just outside the city and meeting up with friends from university. 

When we finally decided to put an offer on our flat (much like buying a house in North America), we were elated to be awarded the space. As newbies to London, the process of securing the flat was quite difficult, but in the end, it all worked out. 

Deciding on West London as our new home, we couldn’t wait for move-in day. The flat, a newly-renovated (as in, it was finished two days before move in) terraced home on a quiet street, is bigger than anything we had expected in Central London. In fact, to date, it’s the biggest space we’ve ever occupied. From our 800 square feet in the South End of Halifax, our 700 square foot studio in the South Loop of Chicago and our 600 square foot West Loop one-bedroom, we now live in a space that is likely twice the size. And there’s proper room for guests!

Full disclosure: we opted for a neighbourhood a bit further from the central zone to have more space for Chester (our beloved pup). On that note: bringing a dog to London is majorly complicated and cuts down your flat hunting options by two thirds. While the first month of living in the flat was a bit of a struggle (as expected when moving into something that is freshly-renovated), it’s now starting to feel like home. 

I spent my 29 birthday in the most quintessential English way – eating a toastie at the Italian deli for lunch, grabbing champagne from the wine shop (it was my champagne birthday!) and drinking it in the park by our flat. In a not-so-English turn of events, I later spent a good two hours crying in bed with regret about leaving Chicago. Once my pity party ended, we ate charcuterie on our rooftop patio and capped the night off with a quick stumble down the street to the wine bar where we spent the evening watching a man do magic tricks – #London. 

After my birthday I spent a month setting up all of our utilities – did you know you have to call an electric board, gas board, etc. to find out who provides your utilities? Now you do. I also briefly contracted an intestinal infection that, according to doctors at the nearby hospital, is quite common in newbies to Europe. After a week of a fever so high I was hallucinating, I recovered but then we discovered the couch we ordered – and waited months to receive – didn’t fit through our front door, another situation that is typical to London, apparently. 

Thus began the IKEA struggles of summer 2018. Delivering half a couch, not showing up with other scheduled deliveries and no follow up on missing furniture, I’m happy to say our IKEA book has closed (for now) – and J and I are very much still in tact… and dare I say it? Have learned to laugh at these minor inconveniences involved in adjusting to life in a new city. 

But all of that aside – and now that the cardboard-box castles have disappeared from every corner of our flat – I’m happy to report that London is really starting to feel like home. Our apartment is coming together (more on that soon!), J and I have found a routine that really works for us and we’re having a blast exploring London, passing our weekends checking out tourist landmarks and the city’s quirkiest neighbourhoods. 

Admittedly, the hardest part for me has been settling into our little neighbourhood just west of the central city, nestled sweetly between Kensington and Richmond. Trying to get back to my healthy eating habits while also ~*seizing every moment has been a struggle. But isn’t that refreshing? As someone who initially cried daily – it’s a relief to now find balance between my desire to see everything all at once and my need to be an adult, eat my vegetables and get a solid eight hours of sleep each night. 

This weekend my parents come to visit with one of my most beloved pieces of home – our pup, Chester. Anyone who has tried to bring a dog into the United Kingdom knows it’s not for the faint of heart. In fact, I’d argue it’s more complicated than immigrating as humans – but this weekend we will be reunited in Paris and make the trek back to our new home in a little city called London. It’s not like his Chicago but he’s going to love it (just like I do now!).

I’ve received a number of messages from family, friends and internet pals asking for tips about moving to London and – while this may come as a shocker based on initial sentiments – I say jump in with both feet. It can be a scary/daunting process (looking at you, Brexit) but so, so worth the cool experiences.

Would you be interested in a more logistical post about moving to a new city/country/continent? At this point I feel like a self-taught expert and while updates may be spotty with my family in town, I’ll be back to blogging once they leave.

We have some exciting trips to Cannes, France, and Mallorca, Spain, coming up that I can’t wait to tell you about!