There is nothing new except that what is forgotten.
-Marie Antoinette
The phrase “it’s like riding a bike” is often used when describing a learned activity, which hasn’t been active in a while. In my case it’s academia and the college life. Though different in many ways, not the least of which being that I’m 34 now, it is a comfortable activity that I find fulfilling. And hopefully fulfilling to a purposeful end.
But I should back up because it’s not just about Academia that I speak of, but travel as well. I have never lived in another country for an entire year before. For a few months 13 years ago (which I know makes me fortunate) but then is different than now. And now is me living in London, adjusting to it from the rat race of LA, while trying to concretize in words my experience so far.
Let me start and say that I will never claim to be a London expert. It seems that every time I walk around a particular area there are a million more things about the city that I didn’t know. I look online to check the pulse of the city or talk to classmates or patrons at a local pub, and like any cosmopolitan city I hear of cool places, interesting local facts, things you “have to do”, etc. But I suppose all of that is subjective anyway, isn’t it? It’s your experience that really matters isn’t it? It’s not about what they tell you in a guidebook, tourist website, or in person; it’s about your approach to it all. One thing is for certain; I always want to get to know the city better. And while I indeed know it a hell of a lot better than I did 3 months ago, more time and effort is obviously needed in order to broaden my understanding and appreciation of London.
I had this idealized notion that I would be documenting my day-to-day, moment-to-moment adventures here in London, but alas that has not come to fruition. What has happened is a lot of adjustment, a bit of depression, a lot of reading, and the homestretch toward thinking about (and working on) my essays AND the dissertation next year. Yes yes, I know all of those are but excuses. In truth I guess I don’t have an excuse for not updating all of you about the travails of coco.
Oh the poetry of a city steeped in this clichéd image of a false Americanized anglo-nostalgia. Wanting to believe that it’s what you think it is because you’ve watched enough British TV, ate your fair share of fish and chips and slurp-worthy roasts while listening to more bands from this side of the Atlantic. So as you can except in the land of Shakespeare and IPA there is more than meets the eye than the sensationalized media interpretation of it. Obviously. No shit. Though it’s never that simple is it?
Perception is reality in this ever-increasing globalized world. After all, if I wanted to I could do nothing but watch American TV and movies on my laptop without going out and experiencing something not American. Or even British TV and movies. Technology has made many of us more insular and isolated that what would have been an opportunity to get off your ass and wander about in a world you didn’t know, becomes an almost passive aggressive non-excuse for not having to make any effort at all to broaden your worldview – even in the slightest. Just go to school, come back, pop open your laptop and watch and absorb all kinds of media until your hearts content. God Bless America --- ummm--- God Save the Queen – ummm… yeah. Yet that is not what I want out of this.
As I write this I’m chillin’ in my room, having floated through a very uneventful Christmas, a much more eventful New Year, and just thinking about how I got to this point in my life where I’m actually living here. You ask me a year ago if this is where I’d be at this moment, I wouldn’t have believed you. After 10 years spent in Southern California, I’m halfway across the world. And here I am: 34, single, living in a small room, no good friends nearby and leaving an established life on one end of the world in an attempt to further it on another end. Eek…. It’s a risk I know. Going back to school, and all that it entails, is certainly an adjustment. My goal, of course, is to move back to California. But before I do that, I must keep an open mind and finish my new journey that I chose for myself. A journey that has just begun.
Living in another country is a once in a lifetime opportunity I don’t want to squander. And now it’s here. The reality is set. I’m the guest, and I need to be respectful to my hosts. You form relationships with other people from other parts of the world, and as a result appreciate how similar we all are as human beings no matter what ignorant nationalist politicians proclaim. I guess that’s a ‘no shit’ statement, right?
So why am I here? I’m studying Material and Visual Culture at University College London, the impetus of me being here in the first place. I felt it was the right program for the right change at the right time of my life. And I love it. It was the right decision. And though I’m many years removed since last I went to school, one change I did expect was probably the obvious one: I’m older than most of the people on my course. In some cases over 10 years older. This is really the first time in my life I’ve experienced something like this. The experience of being that older guy. It’s kind of weird actually. I feel old, even though I know I’m not. I am that “mature student,” as they say. And I’m not the only one. All of this is par for the course after nearly a decade’s absence from academia I realize, and yet it does cause me to view myself (slightly) differently in that context. The age and professional world factors reveal how, in my eyes, there are fewer people I can relate to on that level. Yet if I were to turn the tables on myself, I’m not married or in a committed relationship, I don’t have kids, I’m not the oldest person, I’m not a woman, along with a host of other factors I’m not even considering; all of which I can’t relate to. So maybe it equals out.
But what of the city? Where have I gone? What have I done? In short, a lot and not enough. Again, I’m no expert of London. I’ve traversed it by Train, Tube, Bus, Cab as well as by my own two feet. I’ve hit up Pubs, clubs, hip places, lame places. I’ve passed out at parties, pissed in alleys, and have had tons of Indian food. I went out during Guy Fawkes Night and watched the fireworks while inebriated. I went to a Chinese Buffet, in Chinatown, and almost got sick eating too much because I didn’t want to pay a waste charge. I went to Oxford Circus during Christmas shopping season, which almost drove me insane with how busy it was. My one star sighting is Rupert Grint (aka Ron Weasley), and I’ve heard that Jarvis Cocker and Daman Albarn are douchebags, but what do I know? Oh and I ended being the DJ, for part of the night, at a postgrad department Christmas party. Turns out more people were dancing to booty music than my impeccable library of new wave gems. (Someone even played Bloodhound Gang **shakes head**).
I’ve been to a lot of different areas, a lot of the touristy places, and yet I know I’ve experienced only a tiny fraction of what the city has to offer. During the term I found myself struggling to venture outside the confines of my central London digs. After all, my excuse was, and it’s a very valid one, I had tons of reading and work to do. (Mostly reading until the essays.) Yet I knew I needed to get out and breathe in that brisk English air. Get my cuppa (translation – cup of tea). Limiting myself in the London city experience seems tantamount to wasting my time out here regardless of what my grades are at school.
How do I achieve my London experience? Well one of the simplest (and cheap) things I like to do is to improve my mental geography of city. I like to walk around and get to know the area. The beauty of walking around central London for the wandering expat like myself is that, even though I have my own pocket map of the city, there are plenty of public maps in public spaces scattered all throughout. It kind of gives you this freedom to get lost if you want. Central London is also small and compact enough that you can cover a lot of ground in just a couple hours. Even when you venture out from central to east London it’s still similar in that way. Many times I don’t even bring my map, especially if I’m walking around central London. It’s an old city and the streets aren’t laid out all grid-like, so when I make random turns I can easily get disoriented – that is until I come upon a public map. Sometimes getting lost is just what you need to get to know the city that much better.
Cool areas? Well the first area I really hung out with classmates at was Camden Town. That’s where I was on October 8th (ie my birthday), and I danced to “Power of Love”, because… WHY NOT?
East London, stereotypically, is where all the cool kids and hipsters live. I’ve been out there a few times and it’s been fun. That’s where I was for Guy Fawkes Night. I’ve walked all through Shoreditch, Hoxton and Dalston. Shoreditch and Hoxton, from what I’m told, are recently gentrified. So they used to be cheaper and more bohemians areas, now they are becoming more expensive and yuppie-ized. Evidently Dalston is where everything is happening now. I need to go out East more that’s for sure.
I’ve hung out in Soho a few times as well, but I’ve passed by it or through it tons of times because it’s in central London. I’ve walked thru Soho’s red-light district, passed by all the rad restaurants and pubs, cruised down Berwick St which has all kinds of cool shops, including my favorite London record store so far: Sister Ray.
And then there is beer.
Let’s just say I’ve drank a lot beer in my time out here, though none of it hindered me from my schooling. It’s just such a pub culture. It’s where you meet people. It’s easy place to hang out, grab some food, have a laugh. It’s a cultural pastime almost. And the ales are good and ubiquitous.
(Regarding beer, one thing that I found interesting is that Fosters is really popular out here. It’s like the Bud Light of pubs. In the US I think it’s safe to say that Fosters is always the other beer (like Heineken). You just don’t think about buying it. On the other hand Guinness is not only as popular as in the states, possibly moreso, but it actually tastes different out here. Good Different. The best way I can describe it, and it still sounds vague, is that it tastes like Guinness but so much better.)
Unfortunately one thing I don’t do that often is go to the movies, which has always been a joy of mine. It could be said that going to pubs have taken the place of going to movies for me, but the whole vibe of the town is different when it comes to cinema compared to LA. But I’m trying to at least keep up or tread water with films that are coming out. The problem is that films usually come out later in the UK than they do the states. Sometimes they come out months later. This is, of course, unless it’s an English or European film, than it will probably come out here first. And while in Los Angeles there are a fair share of independent art house cinemas, in London there are very few. The Rio Cinema in Dalston is one of them.
As I said before, I’ve eaten a lot of Indian Food out here. It’s easy to do since there are Indian spots and Indian food everywhere. And when I say “everywhere,” that is not an exaggeration. They are everywhere. Certainly a result of the British governing India in some way for the better part of two centuries, and subsequent Indian migration to the UK. The most famous place for good and cheap Indian food in London is the area of Brick Lane over in East London. But aside from Brick Lane, Indian places and Indian food are just an integral part of London life. Even with classic American brands you find Indian options. Take for example Subway; out here they have a Chicken Tandoori sub and a Chicken Tikka sub, if you believe it. The brand Uncle Bens, (you know Uncle Bens rice?) sells Masala sauce in the UK. And those are just two examples of many. So what you get is a lot of options for Indian food whether you’re making at home or going out. All the restaurants I’ve been to are good, yet I’ve only been to a small number of them. Also, as a footnote, I’m told (by one of my professors) that most Indian restaurants out here are actually Bangladeshi, though aside from occasional signage I wouldn’t know how to tell the difference.
If one loves shopping, which isn’t me, then one classic Central London spot is the greater Oxford Circus area. I’ve walked around a lot of the shopping areas of London, and this one seems to be the craziest. And by craziest I mean busiest.
In short, London is a city. A very expensive and very crowded city. The skies like to be grey a lot. It certainly likes to rain a lot. (The key to acclimating to the weather in London is LAYERING). The rest are cultural eccentricities – from both sides of the Atlantic. In one of my classes this past term, the professor asked if it could be argued that people in London have more in common with those that live in New York City as opposed to those who live in the English countryside. Do cosmopolitan cities inherently share the same DNA no matter what flag it flies? Personally in our growing technologically globalized world, that argument becomes more persuasive to me.
When I left lala land, I made no illusions. I knew that I was risking a lot coming here, and on occasion I find myself second-guessing this decision yet I keep pressing on. And for those of you who I’ve emailed, skyped or google chatted with, seriously THANK YOU. It really does mean a lot.
One of the most common questions that was bandied about when I first got here was “what are you going to do with your degree?” “What kind of job/career are you looking at getting? etc…” And what I always say is I’m keeping an open mind, but what I DO know is that I want to move back to California eventually and get back into industry in some way.
There is more to come this year in my blogging, I assure all of you. I’m going to attempt to post often, but be patient with me – and feel free to bug me about it.
Until then – off to the pub I go.
-c
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