My life has been more ''go with the flow'' lately than I'm used to. Moving home has been interesting. Living in London was an amazing experience. It's hard to explain what it was like because there were so many elements to it that made it everything it was and ultimately made me want to come home. London lifestyle is completely different than anywhere I have ever been. These are the top three things that I miss about London:
1) FASHION
Never in my life have I had the opportunity to meet people from literally everywhere in the world. It was great because I didn't meet any Americans! I mean that in the most positive way. Most Americans I met were clueless tourists who spent more time bitching than actually sight-seeing or enjoying themselves. Such a shame!
aussies.
the french.
My flatmate Heloise is so French she doesn't even know it. She smokes, drinks, eats loads of carbs, dresses impecably and still looks like a gorgeous swan - as you can see from this picture. By the way, the rumors are totally true. The French are devout romantics. The speak le pasion. They love to love and they are very horny. They are also very smart but don't really like other cultures invading their turf. I've been to Paris and had an awesome experience with French people although I have heard to the contrary. I guess it just depends on the person. They are very protective of their history and culture which makes them more refined to me. And all of them are freaking gorgeous. That's all I have to say about the French.
1) FASHIONVivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney. Three high fashion designers that I cannot afford. All English. I would dress up just to go to these boutiques and check out the stores. It's amazing to me that people today can actually afford a t-shirt for $300. I miss walking down Regent Street or High Street Kensington and seeing the crazy get-ups people would be wearing. My favorite London stores were Primark - where everything is ridiculously cheap, TopShop and my all time favorite - ALL SAINTS!! I loved walking through All Saints. The store is incredibly over-priced but is so fashion forward it's unbelievable. I also miss Europe H&M. It makes American H&M look like Abercrombie. The dress I'm wearing in the pic to the left is from H&M and I wear it all the time. It's so comfortable! And the accesories I got from Primark. I also love UK French Connection. They know how to dress women. I miss seeing gorgeous women wearing leggings or dark denim with knee high suede or riding boots. I miss high waist mini skirts and crazy vintage pattern dresses. I miss seeing men in fitted, tailored business suits. I miss the crazy hats and nail polish colors and unkept hair. I miss shopping at Portobello Market. I have come out of living in London with a definite sense of personal style which includes shopping and dressing for my body type. My motto is ''if it feels good then that's halfway to it looking good on.'' The other half meaning it actually looks good. Please don't apply that motto to all life situations. You might be terribly dissappointed.
2) THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD
Never in my life have I had the opportunity to meet people from literally everywhere in the world. It was great because I didn't meet any Americans! I mean that in the most positive way. Most Americans I met were clueless tourists who spent more time bitching than actually sight-seeing or enjoying themselves. Such a shame!
aussies.Melanie and Sam are two of the coolest people I've ever met.
They
are from Cambera (the capital city) and Brisbane in Australia. I can assure you that they do love Vegemite as much as the rumors suggest (as you can see from the pic of Mel and Lisa). Although America and Australia have similar cultures, I can assure you that Australians certainly value different things. Like water. Australia has a water drought which has resulted in a national dependency on bottled water. I've never seen in Australian not finish their water. It makes me realize how lucky I am to have water at my disposal and has definitely made me more resource-conscious. Also, there is this chain of bars in London called The Walkabout. It is an Australasisan bar that Australians, Kiwis and South Africans flock towards to in my opinion find comfort in their alocholism. I have never felt more violated or dirty in London except when I am at a Walkabout. Oh and I'm convinced that 98% of Australian men who surf are ridiculously gorgeous.
are from Cambera (the capital city) and Brisbane in Australia. I can assure you that they do love Vegemite as much as the rumors suggest (as you can see from the pic of Mel and Lisa). Although America and Australia have similar cultures, I can assure you that Australians certainly value different things. Like water. Australia has a water drought which has resulted in a national dependency on bottled water. I've never seen in Australian not finish their water. It makes me realize how lucky I am to have water at my disposal and has definitely made me more resource-conscious. Also, there is this chain of bars in London called The Walkabout. It is an Australasisan bar that Australians, Kiwis and South Africans flock towards to in my opinion find comfort in their alocholism. I have never felt more violated or dirty in London except when I am at a Walkabout. Oh and I'm convinced that 98% of Australian men who surf are ridiculously gorgeous. the french.
My flatmate Heloise is so French she doesn't even know it. She smokes, drinks, eats loads of carbs, dresses impecably and still looks like a gorgeous swan - as you can see from this picture. By the way, the rumors are totally true. The French are devout romantics. The speak le pasion. They love to love and they are very horny. They are also very smart but don't really like other cultures invading their turf. I've been to Paris and had an awesome experience with French people although I have heard to the contrary. I guess it just depends on the person. They are very protective of their history and culture which makes them more refined to me. And all of them are freaking gorgeous. That's all I have to say about the French.the natives.
Although the natives (people from London) are few and far between, I found them to be either lovely and fun or completely ignorant and rude. Londoners are always on the go. Business is everything in London, so most of the people I knew were lawyers, investors, traders, ITs, marketers or producers. I only became close to a few people from London. They were all really great, fun and sweet people. London boys are all about having a good time. Get a few drinks going and they are good to go as you can see from this lovely picture of Jules and Sam. 
They are a bit hard to read when in comes to the dating scene. I only really almost fell for one London boy, and he was quite the charmer, but he left for the Caribbean and I couldn't really bare to go back to London boys after that because the impression was so severe. So I jumped over to Latin men which is why I will not write about them. All I will say is that sensuality is in their blood and that they are very persistent (almost stalker-like). Anyways, back to the natives. The midlanders were awesome! By the end of my time in England I could tell a Birmingham accent from a Hull accent or a Newcastle accent from a Manchester accent. People from the country were just so sweet. They live so simply and cherish the simplicity of their lives.
There are thousands of people from all walks of life roaming around London. The French and the Aussies and the natives were the cultures I spent most of my time getting to know.
3) NIGHTLIFE
London has a unique energy to it. Here's the deal. It's not like America where bars are open until 2 or 3 am. The bars in London close at 11:30 on weekends and 10:30 on week nights. So you can imagine how frustrating it was for me when I was forced to go to clubs. I don't really like clubs. I tried to blend in, I tried to see the fun in it, but it just gave me a headache and a bad attitude from getting hit on by deviants. I don't really like house music or doing drugs or really crazy lighting. The normal thing to do is go to a house party or throw your own (as we often did at the Clapham house) and then head out to what I like to call dancebars. My favorite bar for this activity was People's Republic in Clapham Common (other than Zoo Bar in Leicester Square which I know is cheesy but really fun) where the bar would be open until 3 am like all of the clubs but it would play normal music and it felt like you were actually in a bar and not a rave. Yes, I kind of worked it all out for my advantage. Also, if you go out with a group that includes guys, they will buy drinks and will not even let you try to help out. They will track you all night to make sure each drink you get is not purchased by a woman or yourself. Oh how I miss the chivalry of English men. American boys can learn a thing or too. The other great thing about partying in the city where public transport is all that is available - people rarely drive or even have access to a car - is taking THE NIGHT BUS!!! The night bus saved me from spending 40 GPBs (that's $80) on cabs from one end of the city to the other. After you figure out the geography of the city and know which buses go where, it's so easy to get around after hours. You meet the most interesting people too. Yes, half of them are intoxicated but hey, so am I.
There are so many other things about London, but those were my top 3. I'm missed London a lot today. I had to share :)
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