In case you weren’t aware, I’m living in London now. Here’s my thoughts after the first week.

Arriving

Getting here was easy. I spent the last week in Boston with my brother, Kyle. Then on Thursday evening (19 November 2015) he dropped me off at the airport. The line was short, so even though security payed some special attention to my medical syringes, it didn’t take long to get through. After a short layover in Iceland I arrived at London’s Heathrow airport at 11:20 Friday morning and joined the queue to enter the country.

That’s when things got sticky. For a complete account of the event, see my Facebook post. In short, I was detained at the border for having no return flight or proof that I was able to support myself for four months. It took five hours to clear things up, then another two to get to where I would be staying.

Housing

I knew long before arriving that London was a very expensive city to live in. In my research I found that what I was paying for a 700-square-foot apartment in Orem, Utah would be lucky to get me a 60-square-foot bedroom in central London. And since I didn’t know anyone personally in the area that could help me find a flat before arriving, I decided to only arrange for the first few days. I would sort out the rest of my stay after arriving, when I could view the properties in person and had a better idea of the other costs of living like food and travel.

On Tuesday I looked at a few listings online before seeing one that caught my eye in eastern London. I called up the owner and scheduled a tour. After the tour I decided to reserve the spot before someone else could take it. If all goes well I will spend the rest of my stay there. It’s under my budget, so I can use the extra money to account for travel expenses.

Getting Around

I don’t have – nor do I want to deal with having – a car here. I’m scared enough driving in suburban Utah; I would have a heart attack trying to drive around London. The streets are narrow, backwards, and the lane dividers are truly “just guidelines.”

So I rely on buses, walking, and the tube. I like the system, but the stairs are killing my knees. Plus, this way I get to see all the ads, which help me discover new entertainment options.

Entertainment

I cancelled a lot of my online subscriptions before coming here, both to cut down on costs, but also to remove distractions. I wanted as little excuse as possible to stay in my room for days on end without getting out and exploring the city. It’s better for me to travel across the city to watch a film in the cinema than stay inside and watch the same film on my laptop. One of my main goals on this trip is to get outside more.

So far I have spent a few days walking around the west end (where all the touristy things are like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Piccadilly Circus) and taking pictures. I’ve added items to my list of things to do including the National Portrait Gallery and a few theatre plays.

My knees/legs have been hurting, though, as they are not accustomed to such strain. So I have spent a few days so far resting. But I think it’s been a fair balance, especially since I have plenty of time here and I’m trying to change habits. My main form of entertainment (or at least memorable entertainment) is going to be traveling around the country and continent, though.

Food

I haven’t tried fish and chips yet. But I’ve only been to one American restaurant (KFC). Besides snacks/groceries my most frequent source of sustenance is Nando’s. It was the only restaurant I had heard of before arriving, but I didn’t really know beforehand what they actually served. Turns out Nando’s is a spicy chicken restaurant, which is fine by me. I love chicken.

I do intend on trying more “local” cuisine, but my food habits are more deeply ingrained than my asocial personality. Give it some time. I need to plan things like this.

Plans

My main reason for staying here so long was so I could explore the rest of Europe. My first task on arriving was to arrange for housing the rest of my stay, but now that that’s handled I can turn my attention outside of London. I expect to spend the weeks working and exploring London. Then on weekends I’ll make more elaborate plans to visit other countries and be a proper tourist.

My first trip outside the UK is likely to be Amsterdam. I’ve taken an interest in learning Dutch, and even though I’m nowhere close to basic competency, I think it would be a good first time. Most of the people speak English, so that won’t be a problem. Plus it’s close, so I could take the train and not have to worry about airports for a while longer. On these excursions I won’t be taking my temperature-sensitive medicine and I’ll have detailed plans, so I won’t face all the craziness that I did trying to get into London.

Overall Thoughts

I’m liking it here. It’s a fun new experience. I’m not starving. I’m meeting new people. But I’m ready to explore the wider world. I know there’s a ton of fun left here in London, but I’m content on the tourist front. Now I just want to poke around, see what’s interesting, and generally be a normal person. Which is what I wanted.

I’ve also decided that I don’t want to live in London forever. I’ve already fantasized about buying a home back in Utah. I know the customs there and I feel comfortable settling down.

The world is open to me. I can travel anywhere now. And now I have a few months to explore Europe while it’s easy to get around.