From East to West
In the past few weeks, we’ve been talking to our members at our events - our first Welcome Picnic, Quiz Night, and at the Welcome Fair. These are some things they have to say about the culture shocks they experienced moving to London from their home in Asia, and some tips they have for those embarking on their own Journeys to the West.
The water - oh man, the water! The water here tastes weird and it leaves a weird filmy residue on your skin - get a Brita (not sponsored… unless…) and a shower filter, and try to ignore the limescale in your kettle (use a lemon to get rid of it).
The air is not just big-city-bad, it’s much worse - it’s London-bad. We came up with the micellar water challenge: take a cotton pad with some micellar water on it and wipe your face with it. How many black specks can you see?
Nobody obeys the traffic regulations and you’ll just have to get used to never waiting for the green man and walking fast. Unlearn everything you thought you knew about road safety! Be alert, stay safe, and maybe just wait for the green light.
Student discounts! Download the apps and enjoy your savings - you’ll probably never feel so loved as a student ever again.
The weather forecast said that there would be rain and there isn’t, but the moment you leave your accommodation, there’s a downpour and you’re stranded with a flimsy umbrella in the middle of the street. Get a raincoat or just get used to carrying a sturdy umbrella around everywhere.
If you’re from a place that strictly enforces mask-wearing, you’re in for a shock here. Stay safe out there and do your lateral flow tests twice a week, friends.
“Oh, sorry!” - if you have to use Citymapper to find your way around the city and walk around with your eyes on your phone, you’ll be saying and hearing this a lot when you inevitably bump into people. It’s not their fault you bumped into them, but they’re going to say sorry to you anyway.
Some places close way earlier than you would expect. When you find yourself standing in front of a locked store at 7 pm for the third time in a week, you’ll learn to either order your shopping online, or actually check for opening hours.
Plan two routes when you’re travelling by Tube. You may find that your usual route has reduced operating hours on Sundays, and since you can’t get any data network when you’re underground, it’s always good to know two different ways to get home.
Maybe not so much of a culture shock - you would’ve expected this. Most people are going to miss home a little bit. Maybe it’s the simple comforts of your bed, people or things you may have left behind, the roads that were so familiar to you, or even just the sun instead of the constantly gloomy skies - there is something we miss from where we call home.
But you have all of us and we’re here to make this big, strange, and alienating city your second home. When you’re with Asiatic Affairs, you’re with family.