After being offered a permanent job with a media company in the exact area of my expertise, I decided, after many long conversations and tear stained cuddles, that in all reality Glasgow has not being doing me any favours and perhaps moving to London was indeed the only option. Having witnessed people on my MSc studying all over the world, I had previously considered that I had missed a trick by staying at home the whole time. But why would I leave? I had my family, my friends, lovely boyfriend, a nice flat and a generally pleasant existence, yet part of me had wondered if I was capable of such a huge and incomprehensible step.
After spending a weekend in London hunting for flat with my Mum, it all started to sink in, me, on my own, in London. Gulp. This was terrifying. Through the tears, of which there has been many, I found a nice flat in Pimlico, in a great complex and only a 15 minute from the office. I would be sharing with a lady in her 50's, her neice, a professional man in his 40's and someone else who I forget.
In denial and potentially in order to soak up as much of my home town as was possible, I decided to move down on the last flight of the night before my first day at work. I arrived at the my unfamiliar new home just after midnight and clambered out of the black hack taxi unassisted with a huge suitcase and some other luggage, I realised I didn't even know how to get to the flat, I called the number my new land lady had given me and her niece provided me with enough directions to fumble my way to my new palace.
My room was a "cosy" ie tiny, single room. When I first stood there, still wearing my coat, it reminded me of my childhood bedroom just smaller and with nothing that possessed any true character or personality. White linen, small cushions a simple metal garden table posing as a bedside table and a shallow, empty bookcase. There was no room for my suitcase so I began unpacking into the cupboard in the hallway that was my wardrobe. After this, it was a blur or calling my mum and my boyfriend, crying a bit and going to sleep.
The next day, I was distracted from my living situation by my first day at work. Owing to my poor sense of direction I decided to leave at 9am leaving me an hour to get there on time, it was a 15 minute walk on the map, but I had a feeling it might not work out like that. I arrived at a minute to ten. As I was escorted up to the meeting room for the induction I couldn't help but feel quite proud of myself, check me out.... at work, in London!!!
