It has been a while since I last posted, so I thought maybe an update on how I am surviving living in London.
I arrived in mid-winter between Christmas and New Year. It was a bit of a challenge to quickly acclimatised from a climate of hot days, where you walk outside, you fry like an egg; to a climate of wearing layers upon layers of clothing. So of course, I got sick.
Then the stress of getting my new life up and running started; buying the necessities of life, finding a flat, and getting started in my job. The first and last were easily done, but finding a flat was a little difficult. I didn’t want to be living a shoe box, and have a little living space. I got lucky and found a nice flat in Kensington, just off the High Street. It is close to pretty much everything I need (as I don’t have a car). I am walking distance to 2 tube stations, an overground station, and a bus stop with connecting bus routes stopping every 10 minutes.
Work has been progressing nicely. I getting to see different schools, and now in the process of submitting applications for positions. Plus side is I don’t have to worry about visa status, being a dual national.
A few things I’ve learned…
Layers:- when dealing with the British weather, always wear layers. In Winter, I was wearing probably 5-6 layers of clothing each day (thermals, shirt, jeans/trousers, cardigan/jumper/blazer, overcoat). Now that its warming up, I’ve reduced it down to 3 layers.
Adjusting to Life:- Compared to London, I come from a small city. I’ve had to adjust to the life of sirens, traffic and people. Thankfully where I’m living it’s not so crowded, and I’ve learnt to block out noise when I sleep, basically because I’m usually so exhausted that I lose consciousness when I hit the pillow.
I’ve had to learn pretty damn quick about getting around. People complain how far everything is…ok so I might have walked from Hampstead Heath back to Kensington, through Regents Park, Baker Street, Kensington Park. If you want to know how far that it, look up Google Maps. It might have taken 2 hours. I may have also gotten a little lost and just kept walking till I found somewhere I knew, and then just kept walking.
Keys points: Keep your phone charged, have an oyster card handy, and if all else fails call a cab. My default is if I get lost, use the Gett or Hailo apps to call a cab. They will find you based on your phone position.
New Style:- it is true that particularly in London, how you dress and represent yourself in public does determine how you are treated. Living in Kensington, I’ve had to make adjustments my rather tomboyish ways. It means dressing neatly, doing my hair, makeup, baically putting a little more effort into presenting myself. I still live in jeans but then I’m not really ready to make the jump into summer dresses, yet. Dont worry, I still dress like a bogan when I’m at home.
Thank god for clothing stores such as Primark, TK Maxx and H&M. I’ve been able to update my wardrobe at budget prices, so I blend in more as a local, and not as a tourist.
I’ve also had to update my makeup, would you believe that I had to purchase new foundation because I happened to get paler? I didn’t think I could get any paler then I was. Because I’m now putting it on pretty much everyday, I’ve had to find makeup that is kind to my skin, and not cause a reaction (damn allergies).
I’ve also taken to styling my hair. When I arrived in London, I had a rather unfortunate occurence of my hair falling out. Putting it down to a combination of stress, change of lifestyle and cheap hair products, I upgraded to John Frieda products. I’m also now self dying my hair. It is not so easy doing it by oneself, but as long as it’s the hair that’s dyed and not rest of me, I consider it an achievement. I alternate between straightening or curling my hair (to make it wavey)…and the hair loss has slowed.
I must be rocking the look, as when I walk down the street, I have been often pulled over by random people asking whether I’m famous…pfft. “Sorry”. Have gotten a few stares from people as well (just long enouh to make you feel a little uncomfortable), but I think that might be just people looking. Sorry folks, I’m not famous…
Be Kind to oneself:– I guess the hardest part is that I’ve gone from having quite an active social life in Australia, to virtually none here. So I’ve found loneliness to be an issue sometimes. That’s quite ironic when living in a city that has the population in the millions. It is true that I have friends that live here, that I can reach out to, but they have their own lives as well. Adjusting to doing everything by oneself has been and is still taking a bit to get used to. People do tell me that the first year in a new place is the hardest, so I’m bearing it out.
I’m checking on my social media to see what people are doing, or what is happening in the world. I also try to reach out and write to friends and family, if not only to keep my sanity, and to touch base on how things are going back in Oz, and in other parts of the world.
I’m trying to be kind to myself, by going out each day (when I can) and taking walks. Its sort of the thing to do here, particularly in the afternoons. People come out and go for a stroll through the parks. My usual stroll is through Kensington Park. If it is early enough, I might even walk up and around Regents Park. I’m finding that Spring can be quite beautiful in England. The park gardens and trees are in full bloom at the moment.
I’ve also taken up reading novels again. I used to read a lot before university, then reading textbooks, dissertations, articles etc, kind of ruined it for me. I have a few books on the go. I’m reading the “The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, “Atonement” and “Gone with the Wind”. There have been a few occasions where I have packed a book into a bag, then gone to the Park, via Starbucks. I find a tree and spend a few hours reading and drinking coffee. I’ll also get a little sunlight in the process.
I also have to kind to myself, and look after myself mentally and physically. I am recovering from a severe sinus infection. It turns out that I’ve had it for a while (turns out that the cold I had in January, may not have been a cold), and didn’t rest up enough, and ignored it. I’m a typical teacher who runs herself into the ground in order to make ends meet. It has resulted in me taking a week off work (which kind of sucks when I dont get sick or holiday leave). I have also had to stop singing for a few weeks, and am only now starting to get back into form. I still have a bit of a cough, but it’s getting better as the weather is starting warm up.
Explore:- being by myself, has not stopped me from going out and exploring. There is loads of stuff to see that I otherwise wouldn’t see in Australia. Seeing paintings done by Rembrandt and Van Gogh, seeing the ‘Spirit Room’ in the Natural History Museum, going out and seeing plays and shows (when I can afford it), seeing the Magna Carta and music manuscripts from Renaissance at the British Library.
I’ve also been able to get out of the City and see places such as Winchester and Cambridge (which apparently is not a town, it is a University where loads of people live).
Music:- my singing has ‘stalled’ for the moment. I’m awaiting for an audition date fora choir that I’d love to be apart of, but due to the Easter season, it is busy season at the moment. Choirs will begin auditioning for the BBC Proms season that occurs during the Summer. I hope to have news soon.
I’ve recently received over 3000 followers on my Smule account, which is awesome. Smule is really my only singing outlet at the moment, and due to being ill, it has also been my vocal therapy to get my voice back into top condition. My neighbours have been rather kind letting me sing. I make sure that’s its not at ungodly times at night. The neighbour above me said I have a beautiful voice, and that he turns the radio/tv down just so he can listen to me…aww. Ive been getting some very kind feedback from Smuleans, whether they write it as comments on the livefeed, or they vocally comment at the end of the song. I get quite alot of vocal reaction every time I do ‘Christine’ in “Phantom of the Opera”. I’m one of the few who can actually hit the high notes at the end. I’ve had a few profanities, and awes at the end of the song…or I make them go deaf.
When I can afford it, I am finding opportunities to sing with other choirs. Recently, I sang with the BBC Singers, excerpts of Dvorak’s ‘Requiem’. It was a workshop to work on vocal technique, and to practice my sight singing. It was a nice night to actually be able to sing and talk to people.
I’m a believer in that things will happen in their own time, and to be patient.
I think its time to go for another walk, as this post has become an essay of my life.
Until next time…
Sarah Talbot 
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