by How the main character in Netflix ‘new series was shocked when I moved to London – only for the same reasons.
Lena Dunham, the mastermind behind girls, returns to our screens with the romantic dramedy, which is inspired by her own change over the pond. A step that led her to her today’s husband, musician Luis Felber. The series contains Hacks Breakout star Megan Stalter as Jessica, a New Yorker with a broken heart who follows a fresh start in London. Instead, she finds cultural whipped rooms and a brooding musician named Felix (Will Sharpe).
Before the move, Jessica had a fairytale idea of what life in the city would look like by watching the meaning and sensitivity and the entire Richard Curtis Back catalog. She imagined Rolling Green Estates and the type of city in which every corner looks like a scene from Notting Hill. But when she arrives, the illusion quickly contains when it is in a council apartment in Hoxton, surrounded by gray sky and sticky pub carpets.
Fortunately, my own experience of moving to London did not have with the same disillusioning.
I moved here from Sydney almost six years ago and when I grew up precise representations of British life in the media, I already knew that London was not all tea cups and terrace houses. I also have an English father, which means that we would fly over every few years to visit family.
Nevertheless, some things surprised me, just not the same things that Jessica had to struggle with.
The most surprising things about London
The weekend morning does not start before 9 a.m.
Early morning in Australia is practically a national feature. Studies have shown that Aussies are among the earliest appearances in the world, with most people before 7 a.m. At 9 a.m., many have already run, had breakfast in a café and made a decent dent in their weekends. The compromise? Most cafes near 3 p.m. and nightlife, especially outside of big cities, can feel a bit overwhelming.
London, on the other hand, runs on a completely different clock. The weekend morning are incredibly quiet and the streets are often empty until morning. London comes alive at night, with busy pubs, packed restaurants and social energy, which often only reaches its climax long after the sun.
The doctor’s dates are free of charge
When I went to the doctors in London for the first time, I was shocked when they didn’t ask me to pay. I declined at the reception until the reception told me that I was “all sorted” and I could go.
Of course, I now know that GP appointments are free for everyone under the NHS. There is safe, but overall the accessibility is impressive. I was particularly soil to find out that the contraceptive pill is also free. Australia should take note.
In Sydney, it used to be normal to visit the doctor and not pay a cent, thanks to the “Bulk statement” – a system in which the government covered the costs. But that has changed over the years. While the government claims that the Bulk statement is on the rise, many people say that it is now much more difficult to find doctors that they offer.
That means the NHS is not perfect. Most of the doctors I saw here seem to be overloaded and under pressure, and on more than one opportunity I have the feeling that I have not heard.
Dogs are allowed everywhere
The Australians love their dogs, and with the strong outside culture of the country it makes sense. But what could surprise people is how limited dogs can be in public space. In general, dogs in most forms of Australian public transport cannot be permitted, unless they are helpful. They are also banished by places such as national parks, zoos and restaurants.
London, on the other hand, is the dream of a dog lover. It is not unusual for a span) to be rolled up under a pumping table or a dachshund that rolled up at her feet in a café. The extensive parks, dog -friendly shops and relaxed transport rules cause no questions that corner teeth are only another member of the public.
Pubs are full for lunch and overflow after work
Sure, Australia has its own pub culture, but the British brought them to another level. I am still surprised at how quickly the pubs fill the moment of the working day and how quickly people take to the street with a drink in their hand when the sun is shining. Each available outdoor table is used within minutes and the beer gardens are transformed into humming social hubs. Even lunchtime is not off-limits-one casual pint at noon seems to be completely normal here.
There are too much plastic in supermarkets
At home in Australia, my family made a conscious effort to buy plastic -free, which was easier to make it easier for the fact that hardly any of our fruits and our vegetables are covered. When I moved to London for the first time, one of the things that I immediately performed was the sheer amount of plastic in supermarkets.
Almost everything seems to be packaged, from individually packaged cucumber to apples that are sold in plastic bags. Part of it is determined by convenience and hygiene problems, but also reflects deeper problems in the supply chain and packaging standards of Great Britain.
It is no surprise that London differs from other cities around the world, but these were the things that really surprised me. Not the rain, the famous British courtesy or the cultural clashes that Jessica rejected in too much – but the everyday surprises that they only notice when they live here.
Read more about Netflixs: too much:
