Life is 100 miles an hour here in London--and in the wrong lane, too. I have to say I've yet to get accustomed to the inverse driving. On my way to my host's house, while crossing the road, I looked left instead of right and almost got flattened by a two story bus. This won't surprise anyone who's crossed the street with me before, I'm sure.
Anyway, I've been lucky with my first couple of days. I took the tube from Heathrow for about an hour and a bit to get to M's house. All in the flat were relieved that I spoke French and quickly converted. She was extremely hospitable, allowed me to shower, fed me, and invited me to a party.
Except that I fell asleep, then had to navigate to the other side of London to get there. What was supposed to take about fifty minutes took me over two hours, disembarking at various wrong stops along the way due to some faulty, if well-intentioned, advice from strangers.
I believe the primary issue is that many people seem to have problems dissecting my French Canadian accent. I asked the bus driver to drop me off at 'Parkgate' Street, and he made me repeat at least five times.
"Parkgate."
"Packington?"
"Parkgate."
"Paddington?"
Parkgate."
"No such stop."
A kindly lady recommended I get off the bus and take the tube. It was my turn to misunderstand: the way she pronounced it resembled the way a Canadian would say "cheap" (tchibe). What do I know about the London transport system? I followed her advice.
Turns out I was on the right bus, but I got on and off three times.
Likewise with my French. M's flatmate, a french-speaking Italian, had a lot of difficulty understanding my broken Québecois jargon. We traded expressions; they think that "Tire-toi une bûche" is just the funniest thing. I still can't get over the fact that some people call their friends "Mon potte" in real life. I thought it was only drunkards in French films.
On the bright side, I got to see a lot of London above ground. And ride a double decker. On the top.
M left for Iceland this morning, so I'm staying at Balmy Badgers Backpackers tonight and St James Backpackers tomorrow and the following night. Then, I believe I will take the train to Brighton. I want to see the coast (and find some work)!
I have taken some pictures, but can't upload them from my phone. I'll do a photo post once I have access to a computer. Farewell!
Hello Elise, I am so glad to have news from you. My strategy for surviving in europe when crossing the street is to look left then right then left again. Really and truly. This and not jay walking will keep you alive. Europeans have great respect for zebra crossing signs. They become alert for people briefly. Otherwise they will just zoom past you at crazy speeds and very close to the side walls too. So remember left right left and no jay walking
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