Life in London is hard work, and it's expensive. There may be a world of cultural and epicurean opportunities available to everyone who lives there, but they cost so much that they can't be taken advantage of that often. And as soon as they have kids, people have less time and less money, and babysitters are so expensive, that they actually never leave the house.
London was way easier than here! Especially when it comes to finding work. It is expensive but there are so many ways of saving money or shopping cheaper. With shops like Netto and co-op etc. I bought craploads more there than here when doin groceries...
The weather is terrible. It's there every day. Every day, the dank, damp, endless grayness casts a shroud over London. It's miserable. Aside from the impact this has on mood, the laundry never dries.
Actually, in summer the weather is amazing. THe sun only goes down at 10pm, often we'd get home from work and go to the park or woteva, sip some beers and enjoy sumshine for a few hours before going home to chill. The laundry does dry, is this woman retarded? We used to put our clothes by(not on) the heaters or radiators. I was like 20, first time living by myself and i figured it out...And the clothes there are so much warmer than ours.
The weather is a big factor, because in London there is no space, so a family of four might live in the equivalent of a starter apartment in South Africa. The entire interior space is perpetually draped with laundry, because it won't dry in the fine drizzle perpetually soaking whatever postage stamp of exterior place the home might have.
We stayed in a 3 bedroom terraced house, the third room was tiny but the other were way bigger than ours. This lady really paints a *** picture...
So you want to get out, and you can, but you need to don a rain coat, take an umbrella, put the rain cover down on your child's pram, and then you wonder haplessly in your local park (because getting on the public transport in this get up is pretty intolerable and no one drives in London), where you can't do anything much anyway, because all of this paraphernalia doesn't lend itself to unbridled romping in the fields.
She probably has no friends nor imagination...I always had something to do or somewhere to go
The public transport is great, and as a visitor to London, for me, the novelty hasn't worn off. I ride the tubes for the joy of riding the tubes (and locals think I'm odd). But I could see how having a daily route to work, in peak times that required me to be sardined into a cramped and often smelly space with a thousand other bored commuters could start to get me down. Londoners hate the tubes, and with a little imagination, it's not hard to see why.
I do agree there tho lol, altho id way rather ride their public transport than ours...
And as convenient as the public transport might seem, it does limit you to your own area. Best friends who live at opposite ends of London don't see each other for months because the idea of traveling the distance is unbearable. And if you don't make arrangements months in advance, you won't even get to see the people in your own area - that's just how London works.
True, big pain in the ass, especially living in zone5 and travelling to central london for a jol. The trains stop working at 11pm and the bus ride took like 2 hours...
There's no popping in for a braai when the fancy takes you, no dropping in because you were in the area, and no casual phone calls to say, "we're having breakfast down the road, why don't you join us?"
Again, not enough friends
Be part of the solution
Then there's South Africa. As a nation, we have huge problems - there's no denying it. But we're also a country with so much potential. I want to stay here and be part of the solution, part of a country that can show the rest of the world that democracy can work in Africa, and decisions can be made for the good of everyone.
And people talk about the racism (from both sides), and the crime, and the financial uncertainty, but I think that most South Africans are an optimistic bunch who just want what's best for their country.
On my first evening back home, I took my dog for a walk in my local park. As we made our way along the trail, I encountered so many people - black and white - who make eye contact, smile and say hi. This is in stark contrast to London, where a greeting is met with suspicion, or if it's returned, a curt nod of the head is all that will be proffered.
I felt great to be home, among people who really do want to make a connection. We're going to be OK. We've just got to try to get the national mood up.
Can you say the same that side?
