#Stories: A Tale of 2 Cities
#Stories from those who have lived in a RoomForTea. They share relevant insights into the experience of moving to a new city, living with new people, and finding your groove.
Milena is a milky-tea type gal. She grew up in Paris and moved to London to study at LSE, she remained in London after her studies ended and her own experience of finding accommodation whilst interning inspired her to found RoomForTea. She has spent time in numerous countries (with her goal being to have travelled to 50 by the time she’s 30, she’s not far off with less than 10 to go!) and made her first trip to Toronto last year when she braved the winter weather to visit the RoomForTea team based in Toronto. Milena stayed as a guest with a local for part of her stay in Toronto in order to live like a local and get to know the area. See Milena’s RfT profile.
Joel takes his tea strong. Originally from Alberta, he got the travel bug after moving away for University and signing up for a semester abroad. In a little over a decade Joel has travelled to more international destinations than you can count on both hands and has acquired a very impressive collection of passport stamps! He has since lived all over Canada, Brazil, Portugal, and the UK. The first time Joel visited London was in 2012 to visit a friend who had recently moved from Canada. He liked it so much that shortly after that visit he ended up moving there for 2 years. Although he’s currently living in Toronto, Joel still spends a good chunk of the year in London, visiting friends and soaking up the entrepreneurial energy. See Joel’s RfT profile.
“Joel, What was your first impression of London?”
Joel: There is a lot going on, and I remember feeling a bit lost and confused, but excited at the same time. It’s busy and crowded (especially the tubes!) but vibrant and full of energy. There is a mix of a lot of cultures, people and trends in one place.
“And Milena, what was your first impression of Toronto?”
Milena: It feels like there’s a lot more space in and around the city: less crowded subway, bigger offices, wider pavements, more space to park, huge shopping malls. The impression I got of Toronto is actually a bit of a winter version of Singapore, a huge network of shopping malls with underground tunnels to go from one place to the other — handy to escape the cold (or heat!).
“Joel: It’s busy and crowded (especially the tubes!) but vibrant”
“What is your favourite thing about London?”
Joel: I like the pace of activity the frontier industries like finance, the sharing economy, and technology in general have, and the people that these industries attract. I see London as a key meeting point or hub for these industries, so they bring a lot of interesting people to the city.
“What is your favourite thing about Toronto?”
Milena: That people are friendlier, and a lot more relaxed than in London; I felt it was easy to start a conversation with strangers. I thought the Brits were the most polite and friendliest people in the West — so much more than back home (I’m from France) — but this is before I went to Canada where people will apologise for just about anything. If you don’t believe me, google ‘the Canadian standoff’!
“Milena: …people will apologise for just about anything. If you don’t believe me, google ‘the Canadian standoff’!”
“And was it difficult to adjust? What did you find most difficult settling in?”
Joel: The system in general is very different and there is a lot more bureaucracy, so it’s a bit difficult to navigate at the beginning. Also, the rental market is difficult to adjust to because it’s expensive and less comfortable than in Canada, so you can end up living in some less than favourable situations or conditions. It took me a while to get the hang of the process of finding a place to live in London, as I began to learn that there can be a lot of hidden fees and it’s often hard to know what you are getting before you actually move in.
Milena: I struggled with the weird contrast between biting cold outdoors, and overheated indoors — I had to sleep with the window open!
“What would you say is the biggest difference in terms of housing between London and Toronto? How do you think RoomForTea contributes to the housing situation?”
Joel: I think in London the combination of less space and more unscrupulous landlords, who know that there will always be an excess of demand and therefore a lineup of people waiting to rent their property regardless of quality, results in a system where renters get taken advantage of. I think Canada, especially cities like Toronto and Vancouver, is moving in the same direction but hasn’t yet reached the same level as in London.
I believe that shared living and the RoomForTea model have the power to revolutionize the core rental market, but we’re not there yet. At this point, I think RoomForTea provides a lot of value for people to get their foot in the door when moving to the city, making it much easier to navigate such a complicated rental market when they first arrive and peace of mind that they will be able to find quality accommodation and not be taken advantage of.
Milena: In many ways both are very similar: prices are crazy high in both cities; supply for medium to low budgets is scarce; luxury developments are being built everywhere. The London housing market faces health & safety issues around poorly insulated buildings, damp and rodents. In Toronto, a lot of flats are basements flats with no natural sunlight.
“What is the funniest moment you can think of that highlights the difference between the two countries?”
Joel: In general I notice a lot of similarities between the two countries, but some things in London I find to be a little more rigid than in Canada. I really enjoy Canada Day in London because Canadians and Londoners alike gather in a pub near Trafalgar Square and everyone dresses in red and celebrates. I noticed that Londoners were surprised and impressed by the energy of the day, and it brought a sense of cohesiveness between the two countries, with everyone just out celebrating and enjoying themselves.
Milena: I went to the local pub on a Friday night to play darts with my colleague. A student was standing there by himself near us so we offered him to join us. He was surprised and shy at first but, as it turned out over the course of several games of darts, a total legend! In London casual banter with a stranger at the pub is so common we take it for granted.
