It was the last week of July when I moved up to London for three-weeks internship. I always find London attractive, maybe not necessarily perfect, but it always creates this tension that just keeps me coming back for more. I thought this would be the chance to give it a go. A longer go. I know although London is not a stranger, but after living for over two years in a small town by the seaside where everywhere is walking distance, the idea to live in a big city sounded slightly daring, and exciting, of course. I thought there would only be two end of this: either I will grow fonder of the place or finally find a flaw somewhere in the daily commute that I ought to take part. And it turned out that I fall in love with London even better.
I stayed at my friend's flat on the third floor semi-old Victorian building with mini balcony that filled with plants in North London. She was away for the summer and she said I could crash in her room for a while. It was a lovely room. Everything was set in white but the faded blue carpet and iron-black bed frame. Somehow it enunciates life in the capital. Fast and precise. There were not much of details but still radiates beauty. There were few bits that works very funny in most corner of the flat. To flush the toilet I need to press and hold the button for a good six seconds and repeat three times until it works properly. Occasional police sirens perhaps was the city-version of birds chirping. And as the flat was located next to the main street, sometimes I could feel my bed, and the entire building too, vibrate when a bus passed by. Perhaps that was how it felt like to live in a lego house. But it was amazing, I could not help to laugh.
As for the internship, the first day of work was a piece of art. I worked at an inclusive theatre company for children and young people thirty minutes away from the central. Everything was new, and on top of it all I was still recovering from flu due to exhaustion from the week before. Thus, I was partially idle half of the day but the spirit of the children genuinely amazed me. And the rest of the staff members, too. It took a couple of days to finally settling in and get the grasp of what was happening and became a routine from that moment on. Even the commute was not scary, after all. This, however, got me thinking what's missing from the typical Things-You-Should-Do-In-Your-20s lists. Work with children. In this age, often young adults are confused almost to the point they hate life, but I believe working with children fills you in with all the make-believe that erodes in years of growing up. With their innocence and curiosity, which sometimes can get slightly annoying, may make you feel humble and like life again.
Perhaps, it is hard to hate life when you are in London (although it comes with price). One of the greatest things about living in the capital is having the unlimited choices to discover new places. Shoreditch and Camden were amazing. I found Asian dessert shop in the corner of Brick Lane. London also a great place to fall in love, too. Romantic stroll by the river Thames at night with the city lights of London beams magic spells will make you feel as if you are on page 116 of a fiction book. Another thing that I noticed, London made me forget all the little worries I've had that used to live in the back of my mind; minor things like the way I worry about my petiteness and bad eye sight did not matter in London. I was not worried any longer. Almost as if I made peace with my insecurities. And this — the part where I learned how to love the things that I hate was the most magical thing about London.
A piece by
:
Fiya Muiz
