To become a Londoner for six months. Mission extended

by Sofiia Postolatii (Ukraine)

A leap into the unknown United Kingdom

I was looking forward to this opportunity. 'Twas a golden ticket that I held on as long as possible. No wonder, that if you were me, you wouldn't lose such a chance, but I did and now, after all, have no regrets. I came to London with a group of volunteers from Germany and Poland. We had an intention to work in charity organizations. Just now I've got that in London there is nothing for free and charity is another way to hide the corruption. Anyway, It's too late to complain. The weather greeted us with open hugs. What do I mean by saying this? It wasn't tipping it down in England that day and the following few weeks nothing changed, so we were succeeded to enjoy that period a lot. Outstanding Big Ben was foreshadowed and enduring repairing, well-known Houses of Parliament was full of noise and wailing out about Brexit. Everywhere we could meet that phrases “Get ready for Brexit”. Were they ready? Definitely, no. To be persuaded in it, you had to have a look at litter lying down the street. Cigarette remnants and empty bags were nearby each bus stop or tube station. That big city was full of international migrants and tourists, so was hard to guess where natives were hidden, probably at work. Despite this horrible and unexpected mud, I was full of inspiration. There was no matter what rubbish was under your shoes, if your glance captured by splendour of Buckingham Palace or The Tower of London, pompous look of ST. Paul's Cathedral or Natural History Museum. All attractions are free. What could be better. The first thing that dove me to astonishment was that British people got used to sit on the floor or ground. Being in Ukraine, you unlikely meet someone who's so brave. But here, in London, even educators from City University of London were doing it. However, such a simplicity didn't mean that they had no desire to stick out from the crowd. That weird British accent did not sound familiar to me, so If you're going to visit Great Britain, be ready that you will not understand them instantly. I spent one month to get used to it and still now feel unconfident watching some of British films. Despite this fact, they will seem to be so cute or even sweet when they talk to you. “Hello darling/dear”, “Good morning sweetheart/sweetie”, “Sorry, love/honey” etc. Such a phrase don't show their real attitude to you and are signs of politeness. That's it. Even these platitude questions “How are you/how are you doing?” mean just greetings without any attempt to know how you are. Frankly speaking, It seems to be hypocrisy, but at the same time, having been back to Ukraine I felt lack of this sweetness. So, let’s move on talking about life in London. The capital harbours a lot of traps and suits just strong people. For each mistake here you will pay: parking hours, driving in the central London using the petrol. CCTV cameras are in every corner. But, in spite of it you can feel protected by Government. Almost in the majority cases of accident the driver will be guilty, so they are so careful and slow here. On the other hands, pedestrians are cheeky and can cross the road whenever they want. Sometimes I felt dizzy been upstairs in the red bus, but, anyway, it was exciting to look at the peaks of skyscrapers, lost in the fog or to admire cute small huts, placed so close to each other. Inside such buildings you will come across such a strange thing as different outlets with three holes, robes for managing the light and two separated tubes for cold and hot water. As one friend of mine told, it’s to burn or freeze your skin, there is no middle side. Even constant rain made me laugh. But now I’m back home. Still kept my Oyster Card, Resident Permit, Idea Store Discount and few pounds in the pocket. This city appeared tough at the end, but I’m strong enough to go back one day and to move through the obstacles which simple tourist will scarcely notice.