Life lessons in London

It has been exactly 132 days since I moved and living here has been an educational experience. These are some of the life lessons as stated in the title of this post that I've come across during my time here:

Firs of all: the rain. When you live in England the concept of rain or what qualifies as proper rain will be completely transformed. A little drizzle doesn't count as it is barely noticeable due to the fact that it does happen quite frequently around here. There's always some serious thought behind the activity of actually digging out an umbrella - usually you just hide under a hood if you happen to have one attached to your coat. If not, then... You might either decide not to be made out of sugar or go to a Starbucks and wait for the rain to stop while hoping it will last two minutes instead of two weeks.

Speaking of Starbucks... If your name is not Anna, Elsa, Madonna or some other globally well-known name, for the sake of your and the barista's mental wellbeing use a fake name. They might still get it wrong, but at least the odds are a lot better. Last week I went to buy a much needed cappuccino using my coffee shop name  - Sally - and still ended up being called Sara. If something like that happens just go with it. As long as you get your coffee, it makes no difference which name they write on your cup.

The one thing that sometimes makes me miss Finland is walking around Oxford Circus during rush hour. "Walking" might be a little misleading as the only way to survive is to basically bounce off other people and move maybe two inches at a time. Again, it's one of those things you just have to go with. Don't try to resist the crushing force of the other 10 million people you have to deal with as that is just a good way to get injured. Or if you absolutely must make your way to the opposite direction as everyone else, be prepared for some serious pushing - I believe that is one of the most intense contact sports out there.

Satu