First Impressions
This is my first attempt to share in public my adventures in London. I didn’t know how to start.. so I decided to start from the beginning.
Little observations of me exploring the big city without a map. Only people and their shared stories.
Reggio Emilia is a city in the north of Italy with 173,013 inhabitants. It’s famous for its food (parmesan and balsamic vinegar are the most famous ones), its education model known as Reggio Children approach and, in my opinion, for its friendly and innovative environment.
I decided to move out from my comfort zone made of having my own apartment, my three times per week swimming training, beer-and-chats with friends at the pub around the corner.
When I moved to London it was 13th January 2013. It was my 11th time in this city, but this time I came with a one way ticket.
When I arrived one of my closest friend, not so close at that time, hosted me for 4 days. In those four days I had a mission: to find a house that was relatively cheap and close to the office. So there I was, moving to Fulham Broadway to a tiny double bedroom in a shared flat with two girls, one Spanish and one Italian and a Lebanese guy. No contract, just an email that confirmed what I had to pay: two months in advance and a deposit. Different from my previous ten pages contract signed by the owner, the lawyer and the Municipality officer.
When you move from a place to another, from a Country to another, everything you need is enclosed in a suitcase, or a backpack, and honestly I think that was the best part of the entire move.
First impression of London: the pace. When you land and you walk inside the terminal you start walking fast. When you arrive at the train station you start running and when you are in the street you simply follow the flow and adapt your speed to the environment. It seems that everything moves at an accelerated pace.
My first office was around Liverpool street. I was by myself in the office all the time, didn't talk with anybody for more than a month. My boss was travelling all the time and apparently everyone was freelancing and working from coffee bars or co-working spaces. I always worked in offices with time schedule and colleagues to talk with.
Second impression of London: insane working mode, that probably explains the high speed of walking, eating, thinking and doing things. (The English might say the opposite of the Latins!!)
I used to have lunch in one of the chain restaurants around the area and also there, I was fascinated by how many things people can do while they are eating. You can eat, read, check your phone, order another coffee. Eventually i learnt that when you ask for a coffee you need to be quick enough to read the board, think what you are fancy for and chose your skinny flat white with double shot. It took me 2 weeks of intense practice and lots of MMM, Ehr, ‘which coffee?’ from the waiters.
The first six months living in the City of my dream, everything was a nightmare. Keeping up with the rhythm of a marathon when you have never run one, it feels like a shock, but the secret to remember was ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’.
There is not just one London, there are many London.
Since my first London was not so pleasant to me, I tried to find another version: I moved to east London.
It sounds a bit odd from my friends perspective, but it’s true that when you start living in this big melting pot you gain lots of tools and one is the feeling and perception of yourself in the environment: you learn what makes you feel good.
East London energy made me feel good! so.. I moved.
Funny enough, i noticed that after two years in London and more than one in east London I tried to recreate almost the same comfort zone that I had when I left Reggio.
Hackney is my Reggio.
Hackney quality of life can be compared with my home town city: I use my bike to move from one side to the other, I have my 3 times per week sport activities and my friends always available for a chat or a glass of wine around broadway market. What makes it different, that doesn’t mean better or worst, is my attitude and approach.
I feel more confident and secure of what I want because I give myself the time to stop and think, to run and sprint, to choose and prioritise.
Awareness and people made the difference.