One Year Living in London Adventures

A Year Since Moving to London

Yesterday marked exactly one year since my husband and I moved to London, and we realized that we haven't experienced a single disappointment during this time.

To clarify, there are plenty of shortcomings in London; it's an incredibly vast city with nearly 10 million residents. If you're moving from a small town, you might find it overwhelming. However, if you're used to a big city like Moscow, you'll likely catch a very familiar vibe here. London is enormous and diverse, with a neighborhood and activity for everyone.

When it comes to safety, it's a mixed bag. London welcomed us with an eye-opening experience—something I didn’t even mention to my relatives at the time to avoid alarming them. Just two weeks after we moved into our permanent apartment, there was a stabbing right outside our window. Thankfully, no one died, but it was a shocking scene, with the entire area cordoned off by police and forensic teams.

But let’s be honest—what big city is without its incidents? For those in Abu Dhabi reading this, my friends, let’s just say you’ve likely seen your share too!

I’m reminded of the movie "New Year's Eve," where a mother hesitates to let her daughter celebrate the New Year with friends in New York City. When a stranger overhears their conversation, he questions, “Isn’t New York unsafe?! Have you ever been to Moscow??”

Yes, cell phones do get stolen (though not any more than in Barcelona), and friends have experienced issues in the city center. However, in our case, my husband lost his iPhone one night, and surprisingly, it was picked up and returned to him.

Overall, it seems that complaining expats can be divided into two categories: those who didn’t do their research before moving and those who will find something to complain about no matter the situation. And this isn’t just about London.

We've mostly encountered pleasant surprises. For instance, when it comes to the weather, I braced myself for the worst, but it feels like there have been twice as many sunny days here compared to my last year in Moscow.

So how did we celebrate our anniversary of moving? By viewing a new apartment! Honestly, I think we’re hooked on this moving adventure; we crave new experiences. We've been discussing moving for quite some time now, but that’s a topic for another blog post.

One thing’s for sure—our days of peaceful living are over. Time to get busy!