It’s coming up to the 6 month mark since moving to London; so I figured it’s only appropriate to do an update on my Life in London. 

Ironically, February was the first month I was in London for the full 28 days! Legit flew home the 1st and She’s Going on the 28th.

The past 6 months have flown by so quickly. I don’t even feel like I’ve officially moved here yet. This is mainly because we’ve been traveling so much… go figure. I find myself sad when I have to leave because I’m usually just starting to get settled in again. Obviously, I’m happy once we are away 🙂

Okay, going to just get in to it…

Our home… is my favorite.

At the end of September, we moved in to Stuart’s friends brand new apartment in Holborn (central) London. The location couldn’t be better as I’m 10 minutes from everything and only a few steps from the tube.

The interior of the apartment has been a work in progress, but is officially decked out! We lived through the pending furniture deliveries, spent almost two weeks with a scaffold in the living room/kitchen etc, but it was a fun experience with Stuart. Not to mention, our landlord hired an interior designer SO that was helpful… 🙂

I’ll do another post with more photos but here are a few Before…

and After…

Gaining my Visa? or Austrian Citizenship??, but what about Brexit ???

What a stressful process! If you’d asked me last week, I was planning a quick trip to the court house because the marriage visa seemed like the only possibility. With the US government shut down, it’s been impossible to get information/answers needed prior to my appointment with the Austrian consulate on April 12th. I’m proud to announce that earlier this week I was able to speak to the Austrian consulate who reviewed my information and I am good to go! By the time I leave NY at the end of April I will officially have dual citizenship & be able to work in the UK!! Can I get an AMEN!

*Side note, the outcome of Brexit is still unknown so this is a temporary fix. However, I’m hearing they will grandfather EU citizens over the next few years so hoping thats the case.

Lovers & Friends…

So, this London move was mainly to be with my boyfriend Stuart after enduring a year of long distance. We’ve had others question if the day-to-day would work for us when not traveling… and it is! TBH, I really didn’t question this.  Things are going great and he’s been my rock.

Meeting a lot of friends in London hasn’t been the easiest. This is mainly my fault. I am constantly leaving London then swamped with work once I’m back. So I really don’t dedicate enough time. I’m thankful to get to attend events with other influencers but they tend to be more so acquaintances. I plan on getting a part time job once I have my EU passport so hope I can meet more people through that. I’m not really stressed over it, just don’t want to be too clingy to Stuart.

Those that have become friends tend to also be expats so we have a lot in common. Not to mention, technology makes it extremely easy to catch up with friends in NY. I recently had my Mom and good friends come to visit us…and expect more visitors soon. Each time they come, it makes London feel a bit more like home.

 

Fun Times in London

I used to compare New York & London all the time, they are both unique with a lot of similarities and differences I like. Of course I needed to acclimatize and there are a few things I find difficult to adjust to:

• The lack of customer service. There are no warm welcomes/ goodbyes and waiters don’t get tips; so they don’t care about the experience.
• The convenience of having stores open late, and on Sundays. I was shocked that some gyms weren’t open at all on Sundays! Sundays can feel like an eerie ghost town. In America we are spoiled to having accessibility to everything at all times. Miss that…
• I’m not impressed with the lack of nail salons and the high prices. I was astonished when charged £60 ($75) for a regular manicure/pedicure. The sanitary standards for their tools aren’t that great either…
• I’m sure you’ve heard me say this before- The water is so harsh on my hair and skin.  Ugh

On the positive side:

• I love how much fresher food is here.
• I’m obsessed with my apt and where I live. Oh, and my roommate.
• We are so close to so many different countries and cultures! It took me 3 hours to get to the French Alps! Not to mention the cost to do so is much cheaper.
•  I love being the foreigner 🙂 I’m picking up on the customs and accents. I catch myself saying Loo, Lovely, Gutted, and just wording things differently.

Although we are still on the go, I have gotten to experience a lot of fun things while living in London. My favorite areas are Oxford Street, Covent Garden, and South Kensington.

I’ve attended a lot fun launches and networking events which push me to be more involved in my surroundings.  Most recently were London Fashion Week & Cirque Soleil #Totem

I’ve enjoyed going to all the museums too! So far, I’ve been to the: National Gallery, Saatchi Gallery , Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and Tour London (Crown Jewels!) There is so much history in England, because at one point they had more colonies around the world than any other country.

I still have a lot on my list but will tackle more when I’m a tour guide for friends visiting and have enough time in England!