Law in London, August 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...but it involved the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008 rather than any revolutions or reigns of terror (after "A Tale of Two Cities," by Charles Dickens).

 

For the better part of two and a bit years, I lived in Surrey Quays, South-East London (see map).  Believing it was a calling to become a lawyer, I was studying Law at Moorgate and Bloomsbury and making the most of my time exploring London; afterwards, I walked away with a few scars to say the least and a realisation that there are all kinds of people in the world.  At least I didn't become a cynical pessimist!  Well, it's taken me five years to get over some things and write this...

 

What did I do there, besides study law?  (click for a mini gallery) I learnt to cycle - no mean feat in crowded London and crazy traffic - and I found out that I have some of the best friends in the world.  If you're reading this and you were there in London and/or tried to persuade me against studying Law in the first place, this is you!  Blush, go ahead!  ;-)  I also honed my cooking skills, map-reading skills, British accent and, yes, my grasp of the English language.  Thanks to the community of St. Helen's Bishopsgate, among other people I encountered, I realised knowing how to read the Bible and turn its pages quickly doesn't mean I am a mature Christian.  Living in London was very humbling.

 

I learnt that buses are a great way around the city, second only to buses; I learnt that the TfL (transport for London) website is essential for getting around; living closer to the supermarket than the Tube stop is more important; losing your bike on London Bridge might not mean it was stolen, rather, only lost; getting along with your neighbours and landlord is also key (one Christmas, the boiler kicked the bucket and we had no hot water or heating in the house; the landlord immediately sent her handyman round to help us because we had a decent rapport); maintaining open communications with your housemates is a must and what else...?

 

People who have lost a large amount of money become a little dark and a little lost (two men nearly came to fisticuffs because one of them was taunting the other about having failed at an investment).  Yet, money can only ever be a tool.  Rich London and poor London cannot do away with a very grey London, especially on a rainy day.  Sunny London will mean boiled lobsters the next day on account of the general excitement for the least bit of sunshine amounting to forgetting completely about sunscreen or any kind of sun protection at all.

 

True friends and the closest of family will forgive you for wronging them and love you despite your lapses; true friends and relatives are the family who make all the difference to a foreigner settling into a very large, very strange, very established and bustling city.  At least, this is how I feel about them.

 

 

Do I regret it?  Some parts of it: I wish I had spent less time on a Law degree that, even today, seems to have led nowhere.  It was a real test of perseverance.  I believe God has His reasons for placing me there, so no regrets.

 

Would I go back?  Eventually, yes.  There are friends and family there, after all, and countless places to cycle and explore together.  If I can ever find my bike again, that is!

 

By the way, you can click the bike to see where it takes it you...  I don't think you will get lost.