London vs Down under

25.07.18

Where does the time go? I've been here almost three months now. The last month has all blurred into a routine, a routine which I got out of while I could. 

I have quit my new job already. 

And now I am seriously out of my comfort zone. I stayed four-and-a-half years in my last role. 

Testament to how bad work is for me (for us all, I'm sure), I haven't written anything since Amsterdam. I've been so tired. Summer in London is like a sweltering humid sweat cloud that seeps under your clothes and wakes you up at 5:15 am. All the energy has been squeezed out of me in this heat. I haven't found a new Jiu-jitsu gym (but luckily there has been some training), I haven't got around to updating this thing and I haven't got a new job yet. All I want to do is sleep and drink chilled soda water. 

But here I am, all suited up for lunchtime interviews today, tomorrow and Friday. And despite technically not having a job I am headed to Strasbourg, France via Amsterdam this Friday. Vivre au présent etc.

I've been meaning to do a comparison between London and the antipodes, the colonialists and the colony. So the following is a list of things that contrast. I am referring specifically to Melbourne, Auckland and London.

Phone coverage

What. The. Actual. Where is the phone coverage in London? Because it's not on the Vodafone network in the CBD! Be prepared to hang up on your friends, colleagues and clients. Or get a landline and save yourself from misery. This applies to the tube, your bathroom, brick buildings and old colleges in the city made of stone.

Lack of directness with people you don’t know that well. Think “um, excuse me, but would it be OK if you possibly, you know, found a new job in the next couple of weeks? It’s just that, with some changes we had to go through a restructure.” (Don’t worry by the way, I didn’t get fired or anything.) Directness seems to be an Antipodean thing. Yet the British get away with being classed as polite. More like indecipherable? Haha, I’m kidding. Honestly, I am fond of them.

Speaking of class though, I know I was privileged enough to not have to deal with this growing up in New Zealand. Not much, anyway. You definitely get a sense of different class levels here, it can be picked up in the accents, the dress sense, the demeanor and the attitudes of people. 

Big City Life. So, I thought Melbourne was a big city. Not even close. There’s also more space in Melbourne and even more in New Zealand – Auckland is a lovely seaside village compared to this. London is a country all on her own. At least one hundred different cultures all squished together in a sardine can with a river through the middle. And on the tube, some are in a sour mood indeed. 

Food – maybe I haven’t tried enough, Melbourne still wins here. Not by far though. London is full of a huge variety of different fresh foods. Plant-based diets seem to be more common, but they are carried out quietly, English style. In Australia being vegan is like having to say where you get your protein from almost every day. I have been delighted at the different types of vegan cheeses available in a typical supermarket, and although it’s only a rumour right now; apparently there are vegan Cornettos too. Be still my stomach!

Salaries – although I have been lucky enough to be interviewed for some roles that surpass my Melbourne salary, you get paid a lot less here for more responsibility. When job hunting, I never turn down any opportunity for an interview. There was one role I turned down yesterday though; they were simply asking too much for too little. On my fourth day of being unemployed, I regret this now.

Social life – harder to crack into, but I have made a couple of very good friends. 

Public transport – better.

Shopping – Melbourne better.

All in all, I’m willing to keep trying at this thing, this massive city, this experience. Writing helps me gain some perspective and I always feel better for doing so. So here’s to more London, and more writing.