A year in London

Wow, that was a long nap. Apologies – it’s been an crazy, eventful year!  Let’s rewind for a second and recap what has happened in the last 1.5 years – should be easy right?

In 2016: 
– I decided to apply for grad school, 3 to be specific, and if I didn’t get into any, I was going to stay in Shanghai another year then try again
– I studied countless hours for the GMAT, like for 4 hours every night after work for months
– I passed the GMAT but didn’t send my score to the Uni’s that I wanted because I was too ashamed of my score!
– Yet somehow I got into my dream school and dream program
– I quit my job and said goodbye to all of my amazing friends and to my beloved city Shanghai
– I traveled to Thailand (see: got really sick in Thailand), Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia
– I spent some much needed time at home with family ❤
– I moved to London and started my MSc
– I traveled to Copenhagen

In 2017: 
– I seriously contemplated my decision to return to school (I forgot how awful lectures are) (see: group projects consume your life)
– I traveled to Paris, Rouen, Barcelona, Antwerp, Eindhoven and Amsterdam
– I fell in love ❤
– I began to learn French
– I traveled to the Cote de Azur with my lovely Mother
– I reconnected with my Scottish clan in Edinburgh and went on a 3 week road trip around Scotland with my family
– I applied to 40+ jobs in London (which was extremely stressful)
– I found a job in London! (which was extremely lucky)
– I had a bit of a break down (see: adulting is hard)
– I received my official MSc diploma with Merit

….whew! Now that’s all done let’s get back to the real talk. Will catch you guys up with the details on the above at a later time 😉

So, one year in London. I have to be honest and say that it has been one of the hardest years of my life. Don’t get be wrong – London is a beautiful, magical city full of opportunities – but my one year in London was a challenge (which I’m happy to say I endured and overcame!) Whether it was my MSc, applying for jobs, living in such an expensive city, the dreary weather, the cramped tube or just the pressure I was putting on myself – it was hard.

I remember sharing my thoughts with my Mother earlier this year and she reminded me “Well sweetie, your Masters isn’t supposed to be easy.” She couldn’t have been more right! The simplest and most obvious advice is sometimes exactly what you need to hear. That’s when I really buckled in for the ride.

For the most part the MSc courses were fine, time consuming but useful and I enjoyed a majority of my classes. The hardest part by far was finding a job while not being an experienced worker nor an EU citizen. There are no shortage of marketing positions in London, and I had interviews with suitable companies, but when it came down to the question “Do you have right to work in the UK?” I knew I was done for. As what I came to see as both a blessing and a curse, the government granted 1 year MSc students from select universities an extra 6 months on our student visas to pursue full-time employment after our course end date. While this is a great opportunity for non-EU international students, it is also really difficult to find 1. an interesting position with a 6 month time frame 2. a company willing to take you on while you’re on a student visa 3. a position that will pay you enough to live in this city.  It takes a lot of hard work (and also a lot of luck) to make it here as a non-EU citizen going for entry level (Apologies for the rant – is just quite literally what this year has been like).

While all of this was going on, I was also treading into a new and unknown territory of a cross-world long distance relationship. Let it be known that this is something I never thought I could do because I am very much a “live in the moment” kind of person, and I knew if I opened my heart, I would constantly be wishing I was somewhere else, anywhere with him. But I know as hard as this year was, he made it so much better and brighter and I’ve come to realize that distance can mean so little when someone means so much (see: crazy impossible love).

Anyways, London has been an adventure and I’ve accomplished what I came here to do, and more. I’ve been fortunate to make some extremely kind and inspirational friends (who made this year in London very special), develop my career and grow professionally. My family has been able to visit me and experience this magical city, as well as many of my close friends from around the world. I’ve done all of the touristy things, including sneaking into the Crown Jewels. I’ve been able to call both the West and East my home (W12 and E1 holla). I realize those numbers don’t mean anything to someone who hasn’t lived in London but I’ll definitely have another post with all of my living in London lessons. I thought living in an English speaking country would be easy but NOOOO – I have so many cultural fails it hurts!

Well that’s all for now. Stay tuned for more posts coming soon!

xx