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8 Things I Won’t Miss About London

School· Study Abroad

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While I will miss many things about London, there are a couple of things I won’t exactly miss. Living in a city in Europe is very different from living in an American suburb. Luckily, I’ve learnt I can adapt, but there are still some things I certainly look forward to leaving behind here.

The weather

That building in the middle is meant to be the tallest building in Western Europe…. but you can’t see it because of the fog….

Again with my love-hate relationship with the weather. There are dreary days everywhere, but London seems to have more than usual (cue stereotypical quotes about the poor London weather). A grey, foggy day is great every once in awhile but when I can’t see half the Shard from my bedroom window, that’s just a little too much.

The PRICES

London really made me almost bankrupt. I’m pretty good at saving money and budgeting, but it’s hard to save money in London. For most of the £100 was $164. Which adds up very quickly. I definitely won’t miss that.

Double Taps

Double taps infuriate me! I either get ice cold or scalding hot water. It’s become a game to plunge my hands under the freezing cold water to numb them before I put my hands under the boiling water while I wash my face. Definitely wakes me up in the morning! I should also note that (at least in my building) we can’t drink the water from the taps in our bathroom so we have to go to the kitchen or to the one bottle filler downstairs to get more water….

Not having a one-stop shop

I never thought I’d miss Target this much. I’m not one for shopping, but I miss going to one place to buy everything I need. I’ve already notified mom that we are going to Target the day after I get back, just so I can be in a place where I could buy just about anything I need.

Early winter sunsets

At least some of the winter sunsets were beautiful!
When I heard about early winter sunsets, I didn’t think they would be at 4:30PM. My life has always been divided into daytime and nighttime. You go to school or work during the day. You eat dinner, do homework, or watch TV at night. But not in London. I walked to class in the dark. The city was alive in the winter darkness. It was really bizarre for me to wrap my head around and even more bizarre to have to transition back to the late summer sunsets. Something I never thought would affect me.

Lack of a kitchen & living with first years

This obviously isn’t specific about living in London, but more just about my living situation. I lived in a dorm style building which means that there are two kitchens per floor. And when they decided to remodel said kitchens, they took out the ovens. I haven’t really cooked anything this year and it kind of stinks. They also close the kitchens at night so if you get thirsty and run out of water in the middle of the night, you’re pretty much screwed.I also had to live in a building with about 550 other freshmen. I remember the first week when there were a lot of parties in our basement bar. Most of the first years we talked to were maybe 18 years old. They kept asking why we weren’t going as crazy as they were. We pointed out the age difference. They didn’t notice it. We did. At Davidson, I’ve always lived with people my own age, so I guess I never noticed that there could be an age difference at

See also  Last Weeks in London

I also had to live in a building with about 550 other freshmen. I remember the first week when there were a lot of parties in our basement bar. Most of the first years we talked to were maybe 18 years old. They kept asking why we weren’t going as crazy as they were. We pointed out the age difference. They didn’t notice it. We did. At Davidson, I’ve always lived with people my own age, so I guess I never noticed that there could be an age difference at university. Boy did I get to know the striking differences between 18 and 21-year-olds this year! #neveragain

No AC

Living without AC has only bothered me on rare occasions. Like during the sunrise starting in April. I have a fantastic view from my room, but that also means I get to enjoy the sunrise every. single. morning. And that can get incredibly hot. During the winter I slept with my curtains open to wake up with the winter sun. I made the mistake of doing that after spring break and woke up sweating. It would be nice to have AC during those moments. Thank goodness for blackout curtains though. P.S. the sun here rises at 4:40. I didn’t even know that could happen!

Lack of green space

Yes, London has green space, but I don’t live that close to any of the large parks. In a year or two when they finish remodelling the Tate Modern, there will be a lovely little park right outside where I live, but for now, I have a long commute to any of the major parks in London. Thankfully, LSE buildings face Lincoln’s Inn Fields, so I did get to enjoy some green while at school. The Southbank area also has a few small parks, which are nice as well, but I look forward to having a yard and seeing yards and grass everywhere I go.

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