Visit Our Other Pages:

Monday 20 April 2009

The Grump.

"You Brits just love being miserable!"
Oh YES lol!

The first time I heard about this book title (read about it), I rolled over laughing and got it straight away. I'm not British - but I have lived here for 10+ years and even though I can say many positive things about living in the UK, I can also relate to this in everyday life. Classic.

Take the example of the hit show "Grumpy old women" - I don't get it! And the latest is from this survey. Apparently, Londoners are the most grumpiest in the UK - and the most stressed people in all of Europe. Londoners are also the most lonliest in the UK.

From the article: He says that the character traits of Londoners are now
so amplified and different from those of other regions that it has become almost
like "another country". Mr Rentfrow said: "London is becoming psychologically
separate from the rest of the nation.
I felt it was a good time to bring this up as many nappturals around the world have asked me what it is like to live in London. So, here is my take on *my* experiences here...

If I played "The Grump":
Since everyone seems to be going on about London being grumpy and stressful, I'll join in and share the bad things that I hate about this city first, before ending on a positive note lol!

If I had to look at London through a negative point of view, I would definitely say that there is a lack of balance in daily life. As a natural health activist and empath, it does get difficult to make life focus on something other than the wallet. Everything is so expensive and the quality of life does not give you your money's worth either, compared to other parts of Europe that I have lived in. What I would spend on one night out here would be worth maybe 4 nights out doing the exact same thing in Madrid for example. So everything tends to revolve around money, material and "getting ahead" in that front. There is so much to see creativity-wise but you need to have some steady good income to really go out there and explore/pay for it all.

Travel on the tube is by far one of the worst pars of London for me. Now I'm not saying we all need to be jumping with joy and laughing on the tube, but it can be a pretty miserably cramped and stuffy place to get caught up in, especially in rush hour where we are like canned sardines. With our personal space constantly invaded by others, it's no wonder people put up barrier energy. The London free papers serve as a perfect weapon to shield your Self lol! Think I'm joking?!? ... observe it when you have the chance or travel to this side of the pond. People and the energy does feel miserable sometimes. I don't look forward to using it. In general, I feel London is crammed up and with no breathing space, the tube is just an example.

The subtle divides: Unless you were born and raised in London, I do feel that there will always be a divide in the way people feel about this city Vs people who have come to live in London for whatever reason. As a person who moved to London in '98, I have observed that there are many hidden divides in the way people interact on a daily life. "Outsiders" are more likely to connect and group as friends than with those who lived here all their life who form their own groups. And as for multi-cultural-ism, I feel there is a lot that London has to offer on different cultures but they all pretty much remain completely divided from one another. With that said, I still feel I need to point out that there is certainly more tolerance and diversity than other places I have visited in Europe. The class system and North/South UK divide is also a very dominant factor in society.

So whats the good news - if any lol?!?
London still remains to me one of the most vibrant places I've visited in creative freedom. At its best, it can provide a lot of inspiration if you are looking in the right place. There are numerous events and cultural and creative awareness/activist movements to keep you connected to the creative flow. People come here for so many reasons and one of them is to have the complete freedom to re-invent and explore Self - in their jobs, studies, creating a new business etc. There are so many choices so it can be good if you keep super focused on what it is you truly came to London for. I feel this city is where I found my Self and what it is I wanted in life - and to be honest, I don't think any other city would have taught me all the lessons that London has shown me... so I feel grateful for this city's energy.

London is a very napptural loving city!
Over the last few years, I have seen more and more natural hair loving people and businesses popping up. It's great! I hope Adornment comes back soon as this show was one of the best in bringing together all things natural. There are also many hair salons that specialise in natural hair, like Locs 4 Life and Purely Natural. Visit Tyte Curl for UK natural info. There are many other links out there - these are just a few that came to mind now.

So, I guess every city has its good and bad points. As a person who loves to travel, I feel London is a great temporary spot to be in for now- who knows where the next city/town will be!

5 comments:

Jc said...

lol This is funny and actually quite true!

barbara said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
barbara said...

This is very interesting and informative.Thank you for sharing...
starting a business in australia

international students employment said...

I had been reading a few of the articles right here but everyone provide great information and I needed to leave just a little remark to support a person as well as wish you a good continuation. Wishing you the best of luck for those your own blogging efforts. I truly appreciate the time you absorbed writing this article.

Lake Placid Vacation Rentals said...

I really like this concept. I just want to know as it consists of how many templates. As a person who moved to London in '98, I have observed that there are many hidden divides in the way people interact on a daily life. I feel there is a lot that London has to offer on different cultures but they all pretty much remain completely divided from one another. You can do a lot with this and play around to convey your message.