My diary: Living in London #1
I. Feel. Good.
If you follow me on Instagram stories, you might see some visuals of my move to London. Or me sharing my anxious thoughts. It's an understatement to say that the last few weeks have been crazy. Almost to the point of unmanageble. I think I tried everything to stay afloat.
I got here.
My first impression:
I love it. I love London. Man, I love this place. I knew I loved it but now I love it even more.
I just skyped with my best friend in Sydney and we laughed when I said, man, people are just so fashionable here! I have seen so many people today and everyone is looking fabulous from the top until their socks! I love the electric energy of people rushing to go somewhere, carrying a hectic smile and their best outfit.
I also feel like every space in London has a really sophisticated soundtrack. I spent my first night at OSLO Hackney, a pub next to Hackney station where it was the most normal thing to blast two D'Angelo tracks, a Mayer Hawthorne and a Slum Village joint one after the other, on the highest volume possible, up to the point that the doors are shaking cos of the bass, while everyone is casually eating their burger or salad. With a local pale ale. Dude! East London.
Meeting friends, making new friends, seeing new faces and feeling familiar in new places. I feel like I can't believe I live here now. I looked at my two new flatmates in awe when I saw my room and had to spend an hour looking around before daring to open my suitcase to start unpacking. I can't believe it's happened!
I feel free.
I realise I made a lot of work last year that tried to reflect my state in Antwerp. Firstly, I love and feel at home and welcomed and loved by my friends. Secondly, I am so out of place.
I made a videowork where a friend of mine is explaining his move to Belgium - I made it cause I felt like I couldn't talk about my experiences of migration - and not talking about it tears me apart. The first and last conversations I have had here, literaly with 6 people until now have been about the places people have lived, how their living situation is now and what they miss about their home country. The 3 topics I can never talk about in Antwerp, because these memories are just not relevant to people's lives.
The second work I made was where I play a quite sophisticated private soundtrack in the public area. Man, every car I have heard past so far blasts their own music - not one, not two, like the majority of people! Their car + their music + unapologetically invading other people's ears with their OWN music = FAB - i love it. The coffee bar I went to this morning - the soundtrack was SO sophisticated. Like the laidback, stripped version of COLORS Berlin youtube channel. I mean, someone put in a shit load of work, and literally it's the most casual thing to everyone. Literally.
Anyway, I should hit the sack. Follow me on instagram: sambodia90 if you want to see some visuals. Keep an eye out on my steemit account if you want to read my thoughts.
Peace!